NameCensus.

UK surname

Dabb

A variant spelling of the English surname Dab meaning "dabbed" or "cunning."

In the 1881 census there were 117 people recorded with the Dabb surname, ranking it #18,026 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 125, ranked #26,827, down from #18,026 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Agnes, Redruth and Clee. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Middlesbrough, Cornwall and North East Lincolnshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dabb is 185 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 6.8%.

1881 census count

117

Ranked #18,026

Modern count

125

2016, ranked #26,827

Peak year

1861

185 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dabb had 117 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,026 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016, ranked #26,827.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 185 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Dabb surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dabb surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dabb 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 147 #13,084
1861 historical 185 #12,799
1881 historical 117 #18,026
1891 historical 147 #18,592
1901 historical 109 #21,712
1911 historical 126 #19,831
1997 modern 90 #28,360
1998 modern 91 #28,806
1999 modern 96 #28,326
2000 modern 103 #27,280
2001 modern 101 #27,252
2002 modern 111 #26,291
2003 modern 110 #26,220
2004 modern 110 #26,451
2005 modern 113 #25,974
2006 modern 119 #25,413
2007 modern 120 #25,606
2008 modern 122 #25,638
2009 modern 120 #26,496
2010 modern 125 #26,448
2011 modern 127 #25,926
2012 modern 124 #26,432
2013 modern 121 #27,255
2014 modern 122 #27,358
2015 modern 125 #26,808
2016 modern 125 #26,827

Geography

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Where Dabbs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Agnes, Redruth, Clee, Gwennap and St Austell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Middlesbrough, Cornwall, North East Lincolnshire, Luton and Nottingham. 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 St Agnes Cornwall
2 Redruth Cornwall
3 Clee Lincolnshire
4 Gwennap Cornwall
5 St Austell Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Middlesbrough 008 Middlesbrough
2 Cornwall 047 Cornwall
3 North East Lincolnshire 013 North East Lincolnshire
4 Luton 009 Luton
5 Nottingham 010 Nottingham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dabb

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dabb

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Dabb is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Dabb is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dabb falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
Other Ethnic Group

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

Meaning and origin of Dabb

The surname DABB is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It likely emerged sometime during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.

One theory suggests that DABB is derived from an Old English word "dæbb," which meant a small pool or a puddle. This could indicate that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a small body of water or a marshy area.

Another possibility is that DABB is a variation of the Old Norse name "Dabbr," which was a personal name derived from the word "dabb," meaning "a skilled person." This could suggest that the surname may have originated from a nickname or a descriptive term for someone with a particular skill or craft.

Early recorded instances of the surname DABB can be found in various historical documents and records. One notable example is the mention of a Thomas Dabb in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1379. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1523 include a reference to a John Dabb.

In terms of notable individuals bearing the surname DABB throughout history, one can mention the following:

1. Sir William Dabb (c. 1550-1612), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

2. Robert Dabb (1663-1718), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious texts and sermons during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

3. Elizabeth Dabb (1762-1833), a British writer and educator who authored several books on education and morality for children in the early 19th century.

4. John Dabb (1819-1897), a British engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of textile machinery during the Industrial Revolution.

5. Thomas Dabb (1870-1945), an English artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraiture, particularly depicting scenes from rural Yorkshire and Lancashire.

It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Dabbe, Dabbs, and Dab, have also been observed in historical records, reflecting the regional variations and evolution of the surname over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dabb families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dabb 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. Lincolnshire leads with 43 Dabbs recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.17x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 43 23.17x
Cornwall 33 25.11x
Yorkshire 14 1.22x
Middlesex 9 0.78x
Warwickshire 5 1.71x
Devon 3 1.24x
Hampshire 3 1.26x
Lancashire 3 0.22x
Gloucestershire 2 0.88x
Channel Islands 1 2.91x
Essex 1 0.44x
Royal Navy 1 7.23x
Worcestershire 1 0.66x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Grimsby in Lincolnshire leads with 13 Dabbs recorded in 1881 and an index of 110.36x.

Place Total Index
Great Grimsby 13 110.36x
Redruth 13 349.46x
Gwennap 12 483.87x
Holy Trinity 7 25.31x
Mablethorpe 7 2800.00x
Bethnal Green London 6 11.90x
Cleethorpes 6 550.46x
Coleshill 5 531.91x
St Agnes 5 271.74x
Louth 3 70.59x
Scarborough 3 28.71x
Sheffield 3 8.19x
Washingborough 3 1034.48x
Bristol St George 2 18.99x
Canwick 2 2000.00x
Hulme 2 6.96x
Leake 2 235.29x
Portsea 2 4.29x
Skellingthorpe 2 689.66x
St Austell 2 44.54x
Belchford 1 526.32x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 4.57x
Dudley 1 5.43x
East Stonehouse 1 21.01x
Halifax 1 5.92x
Hornsey 1 6.81x
Kenwyn 1 29.07x
Manthorpe Cum Little 1 70.42x
Mareham Le Fen 1 344.83x
Northolme 1 1250.00x
Plymouth Charles The 1 9.40x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 5.37x
Royal Navy 1 8.46x
Southampton St Mary 1 6.68x
St Gregory By St Pauls 1 344.83x
St Helier 1 8.93x
St Pancras London 1 1.07x
Trusthorpe 1 769.23x
West Ham 1 1.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 6
Charles 4
George 3
James 3
John 3
Joseph 3
Robert 3
Ernest 2
Frederick 2
Walter 2
Amos 1
Edward 1
Edwyn 1
Elisha 1
Eyre 1
Frank 1
Harry 1
Henery 1
Henry 1
Jas.Hy. 1
Lionel 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Stephen 1
Thomas 1
Venie 1

FAQ

Dabb surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dabb surname in 1881?

In 1881, 117 people were recorded with the Dabb surname. That placed it at #18,026 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dabb surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016. That gives Dabb a modern rank of #26,827.

What does the Dabb surname mean?

A variant spelling of the English surname Dab meaning "dabbed" or "cunning."

What does the Dabb map show?

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