NameCensus.

UK surname

Dilly

A surname derived from the English word "dill", referring to an herb.

In the 1881 census there were 180 people recorded with the Dilly surname, ranking it #13,735 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 122, ranked #27,255, down from #13,735 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Upton with Chalvey and Walthamstow, Low Leyton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Lindsey, Runnymede and Pembrokeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dilly is 252 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 32.2%.

1881 census count

180

Ranked #13,735

Modern count

122

2016, ranked #27,255

Peak year

1901

252 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dilly had 180 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,735 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 122 in 2016, ranked #27,255.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 252 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dilly surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dilly surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dilly 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 144 #13,277
1861 historical 151 #15,209
1881 historical 180 #13,735
1891 historical 230 #13,494
1901 historical 252 #13,068
1911 historical 148 #18,023
1997 modern 126 #23,461
1998 modern 132 #23,394
1999 modern 132 #23,602
2000 modern 124 #24,469
2001 modern 115 #25,222
2002 modern 118 #25,358
2003 modern 112 #25,948
2004 modern 110 #26,451
2005 modern 104 #27,369
2006 modern 109 #26,872
2007 modern 103 #28,187
2008 modern 105 #28,180
2009 modern 115 #27,207
2010 modern 128 #26,036
2011 modern 134 #25,050
2012 modern 127 #25,992
2013 modern 122 #27,122
2014 modern 125 #26,896
2015 modern 122 #27,245
2016 modern 122 #27,255

Geography

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Where Dillys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Upton with Chalvey, Walthamstow, Low Leyton and Arbroath and St. Vigeans. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Lindsey, Runnymede, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and Swindon. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Upton with Chalvey Buckinghamshire
3 Walthamstow, Low Leyton Essex
4 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Lindsey 004 West Lindsey
2 Runnymede 009 Runnymede
3 Pembrokeshire 008 Pembrokeshire
4 Swansea 008 Swansea
5 Swindon 008 Swindon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dilly

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dilly

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Dilly surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Dilly household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Dilly 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

Dilly 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

Dilly falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dilly 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 Dilly, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dilly

The surname Dilly is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place name, possibly from the village of Dilly or Dilley in Hertfordshire. The name's earliest recorded spelling is believed to be Dilley in the 13th century.

Records show that the name Dilly first appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where a Ricardus de Dilly was listed. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by that time.

In the 14th century, the name Dilly appeared in various forms in different historical records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Thomas Dylly was mentioned in 1317.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dilly can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, which listed a Richard Dilley.

During the 16th century, the name Dilly continued to appear in various records, including the Parish Registers of St. Giles in Cripplegate, London, where a John Dilly was christened in 1570.

Notable individuals with the surname Dilly throughout history include Sir John Dilly (1564-1638), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the early 17th century. Another notable figure was Thomas Dilly (1711-1779), an English bookseller and publisher based in London during the 18th century.

In the 19th century, Joseph Dilly (1813-1891) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Leys School in Cambridge and the Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

Other historical figures with the surname Dilly include Charles Dilly (1739-1807), an English publisher and bookseller who was part of the Dilly family publishing business in London, and Edward Dilly (1732-1779), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Westbury.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dilly families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dilly 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 40 Dillys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.28x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 40 2.28x
Angus 22 13.53x
Bedfordshire 20 22.00x
Cambridgeshire 18 16.19x
Essex 11 3.17x
Hertfordshire 10 8.26x
Surrey 10 1.17x
Aberdeenshire 7 4.30x
Buckinghamshire 7 6.59x
Yorkshire 6 0.34x
Northamptonshire 5 3.03x
Derbyshire 4 1.46x
Leicestershire 4 2.05x
Midlothian 3 1.28x
Wiltshire 3 1.93x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.85x
Cheshire 1 0.26x
Cornwall 1 0.50x
Fife 1 0.96x
Kent 1 0.17x
Lancashire 1 0.05x
Lincolnshire 1 0.36x
Perthshire 1 1.27x
Renfrewshire 1 0.74x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dry Drayton in Cambridgeshire leads with 17 Dillys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7391.30x.

Place Total Index
Dry Drayton 17 7391.30x
Arbroath 13 241.19x
Bow London 11 49.22x
Walthamstow 11 88.21x
Southill 10 1351.35x
Meppershall 9 1914.89x
St Vigeans 8 91.12x
King Edward 7 374.33x
Islington London 6 3.53x
St Luke London 6 21.31x
Wormley 6 1363.64x
Northampton St Giles 5 79.49x
Owston 4 2352.94x
Southwark St George Martyr 4 11.32x
Tibshelf 4 296.30x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 3 3.17x
Hornsey 3 13.51x
Lambeth 3 1.96x
Leicester St Margaret 3 6.32x
Salisbury St Martin 3 185.19x
Datchet 2 273.97x
Finchley 2 29.72x
Langley Marish 2 153.85x
Newark Upon Trent 2 23.50x
Sculcoates 2 7.25x
Tottenham 2 7.15x
Upton Cum Chalvey 2 47.28x
Westminster St Margaret 2 23.61x
Worplesdon 2 194.17x
Abroath St Vigeans 1 149.25x
Ardeley 1 333.33x
Birkenhead 1 3.24x
Bold 1 192.31x
Bromley London 1 2.59x
Cardington 1 135.14x
Cleethorpes 1 60.61x
Dunfermline 1 6.26x
East Greenock 1 7.78x
Folkestone 1 8.61x
Hertford St Andrew 1 67.11x
Histon 1 172.41x
Kensington London 1 1.02x
Muston 1 526.32x
Richmond 1 8.34x
Shoreditch London 1 1.31x
St Albans 1 40.32x
St Bartholomew Less 1 111.11x
St Bride London 1 98.04x
St Marylebone London 1 1.07x
St Pancras London 1 0.71x
Taplow 1 156.25x
Tulliallan 1 74.63x
Uny Lelant 1 93.46x
Wheathampstead 1 71.43x
Willesden 1 6.04x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 10
Mary 7
Elizabeth 6
Ellen 4
Ann 3
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Martha 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Elizth. 2
Fanny 2
Harriett 2
Lucy 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
F. 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Hepzibah 1
Janet 1
Julia 1
Lilian 1
Lizzie 1
Lydia 1
Maud 1
Norah 1
Rose 1
Ruby 1
Sarahan 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 10
John 6
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
Frederick 3
George 3
Henry 3
Albert 2
Jacob 2
James 2
Joseph 2
Thomas 2
Artha 1
Charles 1
Charlie 1
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Frantz 1
Fredk. 1
Fredk.E. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Jabez 1
Jas. 1
Nelson 1
Philip 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Walter 1
Wiliam 1
Will. 1

FAQ

Dilly surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dilly surname in 1881?

In 1881, 180 people were recorded with the Dilly surname. That placed it at #13,735 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dilly surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 122 in 2016. That gives Dilly a modern rank of #27,255.

What does the Dilly surname mean?

A surname derived from the English word "dill", referring to an herb.

What does the Dilly map show?

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