NameCensus.

UK surname

Colbourne

An English place name transferred to a surname meaning "cool stream."

In the 1881 census there were 422 people recorded with the Colbourne surname, ranking it #7,666 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,262, ranked #4,737, up from #7,666 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sedgley, Melksham and Dudley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Doncaster, Lichfield and Worthing.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Colbourne is 1,340 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 199.1%.

1881 census count

422

Ranked #7,666

Modern count

1,262

2016, ranked #4,737

Peak year

1998

1,340 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Colbourne had 422 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,666 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,262 in 2016, ranked #4,737.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,020 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Colbourne surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Colbourne surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Colbourne 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 166 #11,986
1861 historical 208 #11,642
1881 historical 422 #7,666
1891 historical 605 #6,341
1901 historical 762 #5,863
1911 historical 1,020 #4,475
1997 modern 1,318 #4,351
1998 modern 1,340 #4,435
1999 modern 1,325 #4,520
2000 modern 1,331 #4,475
2001 modern 1,291 #4,508
2002 modern 1,309 #4,546
2003 modern 1,263 #4,604
2004 modern 1,263 #4,603
2005 modern 1,257 #4,576
2006 modern 1,277 #4,512
2007 modern 1,270 #4,572
2008 modern 1,290 #4,545
2009 modern 1,319 #4,551
2010 modern 1,335 #4,584
2011 modern 1,306 #4,621
2012 modern 1,291 #4,602
2013 modern 1,286 #4,703
2014 modern 1,300 #4,676
2015 modern 1,276 #4,713
2016 modern 1,262 #4,737

Geography

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Where Colbournes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sedgley, Melksham, Dudley, London parishes and Broadwater (incl. Worthing), Nuthurst. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Doncaster, Lichfield, Worthing, South Staffordshire and Dudley. 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 Sedgley Staffordshire
2 Melksham Wiltshire
3 Dudley Staffordshire
4 London parishes London 1
5 Broadwater (incl. Worthing), Nuthurst Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Doncaster 029 Doncaster
2 Lichfield 006 Lichfield
3 Worthing 006 Worthing
4 South Staffordshire 002 South Staffordshire
5 Dudley 001 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Colbourne

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Colbourne

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Colbourne surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Colbourne household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Colbourne is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Colbourne 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

Colbourne falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Colbourne is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Colbourne

The surname Colbourne originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the village of Colburn in North Yorkshire, which was recorded as Coleburne in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "col" meaning "charcoal" and "burna" meaning "stream," referring to a stream where charcoal was once made.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Walter de Coleburn, who is mentioned in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219. The surname also appears in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is recorded as Colburne.

In the 16th century, the name was sometimes spelled as Colborne or Colburne. One notable individual from this period was John Colborne, who was born in Lincolnshire in 1558 and served as a Member of Parliament for Grantham.

The Colbourne surname continued to be prominent in England throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Sir John Colborne, born in 1778, was a British Army officer who served as Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario) from 1828 to 1836. He was instrumental in suppressing the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837-1838.

Another notable figure was Robert Colbourne, born in 1683 in Wiltshire, who was a renowned architect and designed several churches and country houses in the early 18th century.

In the 19th century, the Colbourne surname spread to other parts of the British Empire. One example is Henry Colbourne, born in 1821 in County Armagh, Ireland, who emigrated to Australia and became a successful businessman and landowner in New South Wales.

Other historical figures with the Colbourne surname include Edward Colbourne, a British soldier and explorer who participated in the Nile Expedition of 1884-1885, and Sir John Colbourne Wilkinson, born in 1809, who was a British diplomat and served as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Sublime Porte (Ottoman Empire) in the 1860s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Colbourne families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Colbourne 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. Middlesex leads with 62 Colbournes recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.50x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 62 1.50x
Staffordshire 49 3.52x
Hampshire 48 5.68x
Worcestershire 44 8.17x
Wiltshire 28 7.67x
Herefordshire 25 14.78x
Warwickshire 25 2.40x
Derbyshire 20 3.10x
Kent 15 1.07x
Sussex 15 2.16x
Lancashire 14 0.29x
Somerset 14 2.11x
Surrey 13 0.65x
Northamptonshire 11 2.83x
Gloucestershire 9 1.11x
Essex 5 0.61x
Buckinghamshire 4 1.60x
Dorset 4 1.48x
Westmorland 4 4.41x
Yorkshire 4 0.10x
Bedfordshire 2 0.94x
Devon 2 0.23x
Leicestershire 2 0.44x
Berkshire 1 0.32x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.38x
Midlothian 1 0.18x
Royal Navy 1 2.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dudley in Worcestershire leads with 28 Colbournes recorded in 1881 and an index of 42.74x.

Place Total Index
Dudley 28 42.74x
Portsea 21 12.67x
Sedgley 18 34.80x
Melksham 17 268.14x
Kensington London 16 6.97x
Kings Norton 14 28.97x
Derby St Werburgh 12 32.17x
Havant 12 280.37x
Leamington Priors 11 42.97x
Westminster St Margaret 10 50.25x
Wolverhampton 10 9.34x
Peterborough 9 32.03x
Aston 8 2.79x
Cannock 8 32.92x
Charlton Next Woolwich 8 54.50x
Islington London 8 2.00x
Hereford St John 7 362.69x
Kirk Langley 7 729.17x
Linton In Bromyard 7 945.95x
Walcot 7 19.79x
Everton 6 3.84x
Salisbury St Martin 6 157.89x
Ashington 5 1388.89x
Birmingham 5 1.44x
Camberwell 5 1.90x
Fownhope 5 337.84x
Houghton Middleton 5 1470.59x
Reigate Foreign 5 22.97x
Southampton St Mary 5 9.40x
St George In East London 5 12.88x
West Ham 5 2.78x
Christchurch 4 21.81x
Cranborne 4 122.32x
Harborne 4 8.96x
Holy Trinity 4 4.07x
Kendal 4 24.10x
St Pancras London 4 1.20x
Stoke Newington London 4 12.45x
Datchet 3 175.44x
Deptford St Paul 3 2.76x
Goring 3 400.00x
Hackney London 3 1.30x
Hentland 3 370.37x
Lancing 3 157.07x
Minchinhampton 3 46.51x
Basingstoke 2 20.56x
Bedford St Paul 2 13.65x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 2 2.63x
Burslem 2 5.01x
Clerkenwell London 2 2.05x
Dittisham 2 235.29x
Hereford St Owen 2 35.78x
Holcombe 2 263.16x
Leicester St Margaret 2 1.79x
Lewisham 2 2.66x
Oundle 2 46.08x
Salisbury St Edmund 2 34.13x
St Clement Danes London 2 23.42x
Uttoxeter 2 28.05x
Barrow In Furness 1 1.50x
Bishopstone 1 57.47x
Bitton 1 14.20x
Brading 1 8.90x
Burntwood Edial 1 11.24x
Crumpsall 1 8.67x
Edinburgh St Georges 1 8.72x
Hampstead London 1 1.56x
Keymer 1 20.37x
Lymington 1 16.08x
Milborne Port 1 37.59x
Paddington London 1 0.66x
Reigate Borough 1 21.55x
Southwark Christchurch 1 5.17x
St Andrewthe Great 1 29.59x
Stanton Drew 1 153.85x
Tilehurst 1 15.97x
Wandsworth 1 2.52x
Whistones 1 25.64x
Whittington 1 35.09x
Willenhall 1 3.83x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 17
Elizabeth 16
Jane 15
Mary 15
Eliza 8
Ellen 8
Alice 7
Ann 5
Harriet 5
Louisa 5
Margaret 5
Ada 4
Annie 4
Emily 4
Fanny 4
Martha 4
Amy 3
Anne 3
Charlotte 3
Edith 3
Emma 3
Maria 3
Ruth 3
Caroline 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Henrietta 2
Jessie 2
Kate 2
Lucy 2
May 2
Rose 2
Beatrice 1
Bessie 1
Clara 1
Ella 1
Eva 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Georgena 1
Georgina 1
Harriett 1
Louise 1
Mabel 1
Margret 1
Margurete 1
Marian 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 27
George 19
John 18
Joseph 14
Henry 11
Charles 10
Thomas 10
James 8
Arthur 7
Harry 7
Walter 6
Alfred 5
Frederick 5
Robert 5
Frank 4
Samuel 4
Albert 3
David 3
Benjamin 2
Daniel 2
Edward 2
Edwin 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Herbert 2
Solomon 2
Willm. 2
Douglas 1
Edgar 1
Ernest 1
Fred. 1
Fredk.Ernest 1
Fredr.Farsby 1
Gilbert 1
Hubert 1
Isaac 1
Isaiah 1
Ishmael 1
Israel 1
Job 1
Jonathan 1
Louis 1
Mathew 1
Matthew 1
Nelson 1
Philip 1
Richard 1
Stephen 1
Tom 1
Wm.Edward 1

FAQ

Colbourne surname: questions and answers

How common was the Colbourne surname in 1881?

In 1881, 422 people were recorded with the Colbourne surname. That placed it at #7,666 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Colbourne surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,262 in 2016. That gives Colbourne a modern rank of #4,737.

What does the Colbourne surname mean?

An English place name transferred to a surname meaning "cool stream."

What does the Colbourne map show?

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