NameCensus.

UK surname

Cockbain

In the 1881 census there were 229 people recorded with the Cockbain surname, ranking it #11,784 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 219, ranked #18,422, down from #11,784 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, St Bees and Greystoke. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Allerdale, Copeland and Wyre.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cockbain is 255 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.4%.

1881 census count

229

Ranked #11,784

Modern count

219

2016, ranked #18,422

Peak year

1999

255 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cockbain had 229 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,784 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 219 in 2016, ranked #18,422.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 237 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Cockbain surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cockbain surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cockbain 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 151 #12,840
1861 historical 92 #22,112
1881 historical 229 #11,784
1891 historical 217 #14,062
1901 historical 205 #14,884
1911 historical 237 #13,406
1997 modern 212 #16,996
1998 modern 235 #16,358
1999 modern 255 #15,599
2000 modern 244 #16,004
2001 modern 240 #15,912
2002 modern 237 #16,413
2003 modern 224 #16,859
2004 modern 232 #16,539
2005 modern 236 #16,286
2006 modern 231 #16,636
2007 modern 228 #16,984
2008 modern 232 #16,931
2009 modern 228 #17,486
2010 modern 235 #17,477
2011 modern 222 #17,999
2012 modern 216 #18,251
2013 modern 214 #18,671
2014 modern 218 #18,583
2015 modern 213 #18,769
2016 modern 219 #18,422

Geography

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Where Cockbains are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, St Bees, Greystoke, Moresby and Crosthwaite. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Allerdale, Copeland, Wyre and Gateshead. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 St Bees Cumberland
3 Greystoke Cumberland
4 Moresby Cumberland
5 Crosthwaite Cumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Allerdale 012 Allerdale
2 Copeland 003 Copeland
3 Wyre 004 Wyre
4 Gateshead 002 Gateshead
5 Gateshead 001 Gateshead

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cockbain

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cockbain

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cockbain, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Cockbain surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Cockbain household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Cockbain is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cockbain is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

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

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cockbain falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cockbain is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Cockbain families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cockbain 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. Cumberland leads with 164 Cockbains recorded in 1881 and an index of 85.28x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 164 85.28x
Lancashire 32 1.21x
Cheshire 16 3.24x
Denbighshire 8 9.48x
Durham 5 0.75x
Yorkshire 2 0.09x
Derbyshire 1 0.29x
Westmorland 1 2.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whitehaven in Cumberland leads with 26 Cockbains recorded in 1881 and an index of 253.66x.

Place Total Index
Whitehaven 26 253.66x
Keswick 20 813.01x
Threlkeld 19 5937.50x
Little Clifton 13 3939.39x
Arlecdon 11 215.26x
Crosscanonby 10 157.23x
Cleator 9 112.50x
Garston 9 115.09x
Preston Quarter 9 166.98x
Royton 9 110.97x
Lorton 8 2666.67x
Wrexham Regis 6 95.69x
Above Derwent 5 704.23x
Liverpool 5 3.11x
Tranmere 5 27.59x
Wingate 5 109.65x
Berrier Murrah 4 5000.00x
Egremont 4 87.15x
Lancaster 4 25.36x
Rickergate 4 98.28x
Sandbach 4 95.01x
St Cuthbert W O 4 42.69x
Warwick 3 1250.00x
West Derby 3 3.87x
Wheelock 3 491.80x
Barrow In Furness 2 5.55x
Cockermouth 2 49.38x
Congleton 2 23.47x
Dovenby 2 1176.47x
Flimby 2 123.46x
Harrington 2 86.21x
Smallwood 2 454.55x
Bassenthwaite 1 256.41x
Borrowdale 1 294.12x
Broughton 1 30.12x
Castlerigg St John 1 769.23x
Great Strickland 1 454.55x
Halton East 1 476.19x
Irton With Santon 1 208.33x
Llandrillo Yn Rhos 1 80.00x
Manningham 1 3.67x
Moresby 1 136.99x
Mungrisdale 1 714.29x
Tideswell 1 65.79x
Wetheral 1 39.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 33
Sarah 13
Elizabeth 8
Ann 6
Esther 6
Annie 4
Jane 3
Agnes 2
Catherine 2
Edith 2
Fanny 2
Frances 2
Lizzie 2
Margaret 2
Margt. 2
...ara 1
Ada 1
Adeline 1
Agness 1
Barbara 1
Bridget 1
Dinah 1
Dora 1
Eliza 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth.A. 1
Ellenor 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Helena 1
Infant 1
Isabella 1
Jemima 1
Jessie 1
Lillian 1
Margret 1
Marie 1
Martha 1
Nancey 1
Nancy 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 18
Thomas 17
Joseph 16
William 13
George 6
Henry 6
Robert 5
Charles 3
Ernest 3
Martin 2
Alfred 1
Andrew 1
Clark 1
Claud 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Eliza 1
Hupson 1
Isaac 1
James 1
Lewis 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Thompson 1
Tom 1
Tyson 1
Wilson 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Cockbain surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cockbain surname in 1881?

In 1881, 229 people were recorded with the Cockbain surname. That placed it at #11,784 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cockbain surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 219 in 2016. That gives Cockbain a modern rank of #18,422.

What does the Cockbain map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cockbain 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.