NameCensus.

UK surname

Cobbin

An occupational surname derived from "cob," referring to a maker of cobs or hayforks.

In the 1881 census there were 97 people recorded with the Cobbin surname, ranking it #20,127 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 142, ranked #24,625, down from #20,127 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Mildenhall, Cavendish and Ely Trinity. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest Heath, Fenland and King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cobbin is 153 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.4%.

1881 census count

97

Ranked #20,127

Modern count

142

2016, ranked #24,625

Peak year

1999

153 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cobbin had 97 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,127 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 142 in 2016, ranked #24,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 152 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Cobbin surname distribution map

The map shows where the Cobbin surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Cobbin surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cobbin over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 78 #19,840
1861 historical 124 #17,797
1881 historical 97 #20,127
1891 historical 118 #21,540
1901 historical 125 #20,061
1911 historical 152 #17,712
1997 modern 144 #21,660
1998 modern 143 #22,317
1999 modern 153 #21,551
2000 modern 142 #22,544
2001 modern 139 #22,541
2002 modern 138 #23,094
2003 modern 146 #22,069
2004 modern 133 #23,528
2005 modern 127 #24,178
2006 modern 125 #24,611
2007 modern 128 #24,632
2008 modern 133 #24,350
2009 modern 132 #24,929
2010 modern 126 #26,312
2011 modern 131 #25,430
2012 modern 132 #25,289
2013 modern 137 #25,149
2014 modern 145 #24,395
2015 modern 138 #25,103
2016 modern 142 #24,625

Geography

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Where Cobbins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Mildenhall, Cavendish, Ely Trinity, London parishes and Soham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest Heath, Fenland and King's Lynn and West Norfolk. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Mildenhall Suffolk
2 Cavendish Suffolk
3 Ely Trinity Cambridgeshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Soham Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest Heath 002 Forest Heath
2 Fenland 002 Fenland
3 Fenland 004 Fenland
4 Fenland 003 Fenland
5 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 017 King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cobbin

These lists show first names that appear often with the Cobbin surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cobbin

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cobbin, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Cobbin surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cobbin household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

City Support Workers

Within London, Cobbin is most associated with areas classed as City Support Workers, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered throughout Inner London, these areas house relatively few workers in the most senior roles within organisations, and greater prevalence of administrative roles relative to the Supergroup mean. Residents are less likely to be of Chinese ethnicity and are more likely to have been born in Africa. Relative to the Supergroup average, residents are also more likely to live in social housing and live in overcrowded conditions.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cobbin is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cobbin falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cobbin is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Cobbin, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cobbin

The surname Cobbin is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "coppin" or "cuppen," which referred to a small cup or vessel. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold cups or other similar containers.

The earliest recorded instances of the Cobbin surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a Thomas Coppin is mentioned. In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, there is a reference to a William Coppin residing in the village of Banbury.

During the 14th century, the surname appears to have spread across various regions of England, with variations in spelling, such as Coppen, Coppyn, and Cobbin. In the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379, a John Copyn is listed among the residents of the village of Kildwick.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Cobbin surname was Sir John Cobbin (c. 1480 - 1550), a wealthy merchant and landowner from London. He served as an alderman and Sheriff of the City of London during the reign of King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the Cobbin family established themselves as prominent landowners in the county of Kent. Thomas Cobbin (1525 - 1592) was a wealthy yeoman farmer who owned extensive lands in the parish of Maidstone. His son, Richard Cobbin (1560 - 1638), inherited the family estates and served as a Justice of the Peace for Kent.

During the 17th century, the Cobbin surname can be found in various parish records across England. One notable figure was John Cobbin (1628 - 1689), a Protestant minister who served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in Sandwich, Kent.

In the 18th century, the Cobbin family continued to be associated with the county of Kent. William Cobbin (1720 - 1796) was a successful merchant and shipowner based in the town of Faversham. His son, Thomas Cobbin (1750 - 1820), followed in his footsteps and became a prosperous shipbuilder.

As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many individuals with the Cobbin surname migrated from rural areas to rapidly growing cities in search of employment. One notable figure from this period was James Cobbin (1810 - 1877), a skilled engineer who worked on the construction of several railways and bridges in northern England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cobbin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cobbin surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Suffolk leads with 26 Cobbins recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.57x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 26 22.57x
Middlesex 17 1.80x
Norfolk 14 9.63x
Cambridgeshire 13 21.70x
Surrey 8 1.74x
Warwickshire 5 2.10x
Aberdeenshire 4 4.57x
Essex 2 1.07x
Worcestershire 2 1.62x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.75x
Kent 1 0.31x
Midlothian 1 0.79x
Northamptonshire 1 1.12x
Somerset 1 0.66x
Yorkshire 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ely Holy Trinity St Mary in Cambridgeshire leads with 10 Cobbins recorded in 1881 and an index of 383.14x.

Place Total Index
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 10 383.14x
Mildenhall 9 737.70x
Grimston 7 1891.89x
Tottenham 7 46.45x
Great Glemham 5 4545.45x
Lambeth 5 6.06x
Beccles 4 216.22x
Foulden 4 2666.67x
St George Bloomsbury 4 73.66x
Aston 3 4.57x
Gartly 3 1034.48x
Gooderstone 3 1875.00x
Haddenham 3 535.71x
Sudbury All Sts 3 857.14x
Birmingham 2 2.52x
Bromley London 2 9.61x
Cavendish 2 540.54x
Chigwell 2 113.64x
Hackney London 2 3.77x
Kidderminster Borough 2 27.66x
Lakenheath 2 327.87x
Newington 2 5.72x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 1 6.10x
Camberwell 1 1.66x
Croughton 1 500.00x
Dalham 1 714.29x
Greenwich 1 6.64x
Keighley 1 10.01x
Paddington London 1 2.88x
Shalstone 1 1666.67x
Shoreditch London 1 2.44x
South Leith 1 7.01x
Wincanton 1 128.21x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Cobbin surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Cobbin surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 9
James 8
Richard 4
Alfred 3
George 3
Harry 3
John 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Ernest 2
Archie 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Ingram 1
Norman 1
Peter 1
Robert 1
Thomas 1

FAQ

Cobbin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cobbin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 97 people were recorded with the Cobbin surname. That placed it at #20,127 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cobbin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 142 in 2016. That gives Cobbin a modern rank of #24,625.

What does the Cobbin surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from "cob," referring to a maker of cobs or hayforks.

What does the Cobbin map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cobbin bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.