NameCensus.

UK surname

Dimsdale

An English habitational surname referring to someone from Dimsdale, a parish in Shropshire.

In the 1881 census there were 48 people recorded with the Dimsdale surname, ranking it #26,869 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 75, ranked #33,377, down from #26,869 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ashford, North Norfolk and North Hertfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dimsdale is 105 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 56.3%.

1881 census count

48

Ranked #26,869

Modern count

75

2016, ranked #33,377

Peak year

1999

105 bearers

Map years

1

1998 to 1998

Key insights

  • Dimsdale had 48 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #26,869 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 75 in 2016, ranked #33,377.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 80 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Dimsdale surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dimsdale surname density by area, 1998 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dimsdale 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 32 #27,570
1861 historical 66 #25,487
1881 historical 48 #26,869
1891 historical 73 #27,677
1901 historical 80 #25,251
1911 historical 79 #24,903
1997 modern 100 #26,901
1998 modern 100 #27,619
1999 modern 105 #27,035
2000 modern 98 #27,988
2001 modern 97 #27,823
2002 modern 97 #28,383
2003 modern 86 #29,752
2004 modern 86 #30,019
2005 modern 88 #29,831
2006 modern 90 #29,893
2007 modern 80 #31,527
2008 modern 77 #32,181
2009 modern 82 #32,048
2010 modern 88 #31,875
2011 modern 90 #31,564
2012 modern 72 #33,502
2013 modern 83 #32,813
2014 modern 78 #33,270
2015 modern 76 #33,351
2016 modern 75 #33,377

Geography

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Where Dimsdales are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ashford, North Norfolk, North Hertfordshire and Birmingham. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ashford 004 Ashford
2 North Norfolk 005 North Norfolk
3 North Hertfordshire 005 North Hertfordshire
4 Ashford 007 Ashford
5 Birmingham 099 Birmingham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dimsdale

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dimsdale

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

Dimsdale is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dimsdale falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Dimsdale

The surname Dimsdale has English origins and is believed to have derived from a place name. It likely originated in the medieval period, though its precise roots are unclear. One theory suggests it comes from the Old English words 'dim' meaning 'dim' or 'dark' and 'dæl' meaning 'valley', referring to a dimly lit valley or shaded dale. Another possibility is that it stems from a place called 'Dimsdale' or a similar spelling variation.

While no definitive early records mention the Dimsdale name itself, some of the earliest documented examples appear in the 16th century. A John Dymsdale was listed in Stratford in 1583, and a Thomas Dimsdale resided in Lancashire in 1594. These spellings suggest the name may have evolved from variants such as Dymsdale or Dimsdall.

In the 17th century, the name became more widespread, with records showing Dimsdales residing in various parts of England. One notable figure was Thomas Dimsdale (1638-1719), an English banker and Member of Parliament for Hertford. Another was Sir Robert Dimsdale (1670-1758), a successful London merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1748.

The 18th century saw the rise of several prominent Dimsdales. Baron Thomas Dimsdale (1712-1800) was a renowned English physician who introduced smallpox inoculation to Russia and treated Empress Catherine the Great. His son, also named Thomas Dimsdale (1762-1825), followed in his father's footsteps as a physician.

In the 19th century, Nathaniel Dimsdale (1798-1857) was a respected English banker and politician who served as Governor of the Bank of England from 1848 to 1857. Another notable figure was Charles Robert Dimsdale (1824-1900), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on church history and theology.

While the Dimsdale name has spread globally, its origins remain firmly rooted in England, with many early bearers hailing from counties like Lancashire, Hertfordshire, and London. Though its exact etymology may be uncertain, the surname has left a lasting mark throughout British history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dimsdale families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dimsdale 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. Staffordshire leads with 10 Dimsdales recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.46x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 10 6.46x
Middlesex 7 1.53x
Lancashire 5 0.92x
Yorkshire 5 1.10x
Kent 4 2.56x
Hampshire 3 3.19x
Hertfordshire 3 9.50x
Surrey 3 1.34x
Buckinghamshire 1 3.61x
Cambridgeshire 1 3.44x
Cheshire 1 0.99x
Dorset 1 3.32x
Essex 1 1.11x
Gloucestershire 1 1.11x
Shropshire 1 2.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Walsall Foreign in Staffordshire leads with 10 Dimsdales recorded in 1881 and an index of 125.16x.

Place Total Index
Walsall Foreign 10 125.16x
Colne 4 246.91x
Essendon 3 3000.00x
Brading 2 160.00x
Newington 2 11.81x
North Deighton 2 10000.00x
Ramsgate 2 78.43x
St George Hanover Square 2 24.75x
St Pancras London 2 5.42x
Blackburn 1 6.91x
Carisbrooke 1 76.92x
Congleton 1 57.14x
Croydon 1 8.06x
Dorchester Holy Trinity 1 416.67x
East Ham 1 59.52x
Eton 1 158.73x
Fulham London 1 15.04x
Islington London 1 2.25x
Leeds 1 3.90x
Northfleet 1 72.46x
Norton In Hales 1 1666.67x
Sheffield 1 6.92x
St Edward Cambridge 1 1111.11x
Stone In Dartford 1 250.00x
Stroud 1 57.14x
Westminster St John 1 17.92x
York St Mary 1 53.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 5
Ann 2
Catherine 2
Mary 2
Phoebe 2
Sarah 2
Alice 1
Cecelia 1
Ceclia 1
Clara 1
Florence 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Jamima 1
Jemima 1
Rebecca 1
Rebekah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 5
Robert 4
Charles 2
James 2
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Frederic 1
Henry 1
Marcus 1
Thomas 1
William 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 Dimsdale households.

FAQ

Dimsdale surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dimsdale surname in 1881?

In 1881, 48 people were recorded with the Dimsdale surname. That placed it at #26,869 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dimsdale surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 75 in 2016. That gives Dimsdale a modern rank of #33,377.

What does the Dimsdale surname mean?

An English habitational surname referring to someone from Dimsdale, a parish in Shropshire.

What does the Dimsdale map show?

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