NameCensus.

UK surname

Cubberley

An English habitational name derived from a place in Gloucestershire, composed of Old English elements meaning "cub" and "wood clearing."

In the 1881 census there were 93 people recorded with the Cubberley surname, ranking it #20,593 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 195, ranked #19,921, up from #20,593 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Great Malvern, Madresfield, Dudley and Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Malvern Hills, Neath Port Talbot and Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cubberley is 240 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 109.7%.

1881 census count

93

Ranked #20,593

Modern count

195

2016, ranked #19,921

Peak year

1998

240 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cubberley had 93 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,593 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 195 in 2016, ranked #19,921.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 188 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Cubberley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cubberley surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cubberley 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 36 #26,838
1861 historical 52 #27,369
1881 historical 93 #20,593
1891 historical 145 #18,752
1901 historical 188 #15,742
1911 historical 184 #15,742
1997 modern 236 #15,852
1998 modern 240 #16,117
1999 modern 230 #16,685
2000 modern 225 #16,891
2001 modern 214 #17,211
2002 modern 210 #17,753
2003 modern 210 #17,559
2004 modern 207 #17,821
2005 modern 199 #18,198
2006 modern 207 #17,892
2007 modern 194 #18,855
2008 modern 191 #19,195
2009 modern 194 #19,398
2010 modern 199 #19,515
2011 modern 192 #19,797
2012 modern 189 #19,949
2013 modern 191 #20,124
2014 modern 190 #20,374
2015 modern 194 #19,994
2016 modern 195 #19,921

Geography

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Where Cubberleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Great Malvern, Madresfield, Dudley, Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict, Strensham and Wixford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Malvern Hills, Neath Port Talbot 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 Great Malvern, Madresfield Worcestershire
2 Dudley Staffordshire
3 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire
4 Strensham Worcestershire
5 Wixford Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Malvern Hills 007 Malvern Hills
2 Malvern Hills 005 Malvern Hills
3 Neath Port Talbot 019 Neath Port Talbot
4 Dudley 005 Dudley
5 Dudley 020 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cubberley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cubberley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cubberley, 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 Cubberley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Cubberley 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Cubberley is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cubberley is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cubberley falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cubberley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Cubberley

The surname Cubberley is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 13th century. It likely derives from a locational name, referring to a place or settlement where the first bearers of the name resided. One possible origin is the village of Coverley or Cumberley in Staffordshire, England.

The earliest recorded instance of the Cubberley surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a William de Cuberleye is mentioned as residing in Staffordshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the Cubberley surname appears in various records, such as the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a John Cuberleye is listed in Yorkshire. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of England by that time.

One notable historical figure bearing the Cubberley name was Sir Thomas Cubberley (c. 1565-1628), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southwark in the early 17th century. He was also a prominent merchant and member of the East India Company.

Another significant individual was Reverend John Cubberley (1638-1701), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Weston Longville in Norfolk. He was known for his scholarly writings and contributions to the Church of England.

In the 18th century, the Cubberley surname can be found in the records of various parishes and manors across England, such as in the Parish Registers of Staffordshire, where a John Cubberley is recorded as being born in 1725.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cubberley name in North America dates back to the late 17th century, when a William Cubberley is listed as a landowner in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1687.

During the 19th century, the Cubberley family continued to grow and spread throughout England and the United States. Notable figures from this period include Henry Cubberley (1813-1891), an English painter and engraver, and Ellwood Patterson Cubberley (1868-1941), an American educator and historian who served as the Dean of the School of Education at Stanford University.

While the origins of the Cubberley surname may be somewhat obscure, its long and storied history can be traced through various historical records, spanning several centuries and multiple continents, making it a fascinating name to explore.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cubberley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cubberley 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. Worcestershire leads with 42 Cubberleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.84x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 42 35.84x
Middlesex 22 2.45x
Cambridgeshire 12 21.11x
Warwickshire 8 3.53x
Lanarkshire 3 1.03x
Gloucestershire 2 1.14x
Staffordshire 2 0.66x
Midlothian 1 0.83x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Powick in Worcestershire leads with 17 Cubberleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2098.77x.

Place Total Index
Powick 17 2098.77x
St Andrewthe Less 12 184.90x
Great Malvern 8 326.53x
Edmonton 7 96.82x
Wixford 6 20000.00x
Shoreditch London 5 12.85x
Eckington 4 1904.76x
Hackney London 4 7.95x
Ripple 4 1818.18x
Govan 3 4.18x
Limehouse London 3 30.46x
Strensham 3 5000.00x
Upton On Severn 3 389.61x
Yardley 3 100.00x
Twining 2 769.23x
Alcester 1 133.33x
Burslem 1 11.52x
Duddingston 1 41.49x
Hampstead London 1 7.15x
Paddington London 1 3.03x
St Marylebone London 1 2.09x
Tanworth 1 166.67x
Wolverhampton 1 4.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Emily 4
Sarah 3
Annie 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Elizabeth 2
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Florence 2
Jane 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Florie 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Kathleen 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Marian 1
Marie 1
Martha 1
Sushannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 5
John 5
Henry 4
Francis 3
James 3
William 3
Fredk. 2
Alfred 1
Archibald 1
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Edward 1
Frank 1
Fred. 1
Fredc. 1
Frederich 1
Frederick 1
Herbert 1
Joseph 1
Leonard 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1
Wesley 1

FAQ

Cubberley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cubberley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 93 people were recorded with the Cubberley surname. That placed it at #20,593 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cubberley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 195 in 2016. That gives Cubberley a modern rank of #19,921.

What does the Cubberley surname mean?

An English habitational name derived from a place in Gloucestershire, composed of Old English elements meaning "cub" and "wood clearing."

What does the Cubberley map show?

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