NameCensus.

UK surname

Dibbens

In the 1881 census there were 75 people recorded with the Dibbens surname, ranking it #22,893 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 119, ranked #27,704, down from #22,893 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Helen, Newchurch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Isle of Wight and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dibbens is 153 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 58.7%.

1881 census count

75

Ranked #22,893

Modern count

119

2016, ranked #27,704

Peak year

1998

153 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dibbens had 75 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,893 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 119 in 2016, ranked #27,704.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 148 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Dibbens surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dibbens surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dibbens 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 20 #29,743
1861 historical 47 #28,023
1881 historical 75 #22,893
1891 historical 93 #24,965
1901 historical 108 #21,836
1911 historical 148 #18,023
1997 modern 133 #22,705
1998 modern 153 #21,387
1999 modern 152 #21,636
2000 modern 142 #22,544
2001 modern 140 #22,441
2002 modern 144 #22,501
2003 modern 142 #22,460
2004 modern 145 #22,289
2005 modern 140 #22,774
2006 modern 135 #23,486
2007 modern 133 #24,059
2008 modern 137 #23,883
2009 modern 126 #25,686
2010 modern 125 #26,448
2011 modern 120 #26,930
2012 modern 121 #26,829
2013 modern 119 #27,541
2014 modern 117 #28,109
2015 modern 119 #27,684
2016 modern 119 #27,704

Geography

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Where Dibbens' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Helen, Newchurch, London parishes, St James Clerkenwell and Brading. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Isle of Wight and Cheshire East. 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 Helen Hampshire
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 St James Clerkenwell London (Central Districts)
5 Brading Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Isle of Wight 007 Isle of Wight
2 Isle of Wight 005 Isle of Wight
3 Cheshire East 036 Cheshire East
4 Isle of Wight 004 Isle of Wight
5 Isle of Wight 006 Isle of Wight

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dibbens

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dibbens

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

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Dibbens is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dibbens is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dibbens 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 Dibbens 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 Dibbens, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Dibbens families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dibbens 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. Hampshire leads with 45 Dibbens' recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.86x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 45 28.86x
Surrey 16 4.32x
Middlesex 13 1.71x
Royal Navy 3 33.08x
Sussex 1 0.78x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brading in Hampshire leads with 18 Dibbens' recorded in 1881 and an index of 869.57x.

Place Total Index
Brading 18 869.57x
Lambeth 15 22.61x
Clerkenwell London 10 55.68x
St Helens 7 619.47x
Ryde 5 149.25x
Niton 4 1904.76x
St Thomas Winchester 4 363.64x
Islington London 3 4.07x
Royal Navy 3 38.71x
Portsea 2 6.54x
Southampton All Sts 2 74.63x
Battersea 1 3.57x
Carisbrooke 1 46.30x
Chichester St Pancras 1 263.16x
Holdenhurst 1 24.45x
Shanklin 1 217.39x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Emily 6
Elizabeth 5
Sarah 3
Ada 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Jane 2
Mary 2
Ann 1
Annie 1
Beatrice 1
Betsy 1
Charlotte 1
Emma 1
Hannah 1
Hester 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 6
John 5
Edward 4
George 4
Frederick 3
Thomas 3
Alfred 2
Frank 2
Henry 2
Joseph 2
Wm. 2
Charles 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Harry 1
Jacob 1
James 1
Morgan 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Dibbens households.

FAQ

Dibbens surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dibbens surname in 1881?

In 1881, 75 people were recorded with the Dibbens surname. That placed it at #22,893 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dibbens surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 119 in 2016. That gives Dibbens a modern rank of #27,704.

What does the Dibbens map show?

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