NameCensus.

UK surname

Dinsley

In the 1881 census there were 123 people recorded with the Dinsley surname, ranking it #17,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 229, ranked #17,878, down from #17,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Whitby and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Selby, County Durham and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dinsley is 253 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 86.2%.

1881 census count

123

Ranked #17,506

Modern count

229

2016, ranked #17,878

Peak year

2009

253 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dinsley had 123 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 229 in 2016, ranked #17,878.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 147 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Dinsley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dinsley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dinsley 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 48 #24,615
1861 historical 95 #21,768
1881 historical 123 #17,506
1891 historical 147 #18,592
1901 historical 119 #20,624
1911 historical 137 #18,880
1997 modern 222 #16,508
1998 modern 227 #16,754
1999 modern 225 #16,931
2000 modern 225 #16,891
2001 modern 221 #16,848
2002 modern 229 #16,771
2003 modern 220 #17,033
2004 modern 226 #16,829
2005 modern 226 #16,782
2006 modern 230 #16,690
2007 modern 235 #16,668
2008 modern 248 #16,163
2009 modern 253 #16,283
2010 modern 241 #17,186
2011 modern 250 #16,637
2012 modern 228 #17,584
2013 modern 236 #17,472
2014 modern 233 #17,707
2015 modern 232 #17,689
2016 modern 229 #17,878

Geography

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Where Dinsleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Whitby, Gateshead, Auckland St Andrew and Brancepeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Selby, County Durham, Northumberland and Darlington. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Whitby Yorkshire, North Riding
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Auckland St Andrew Durham
5 Brancepeth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Selby 005 Selby
2 County Durham 053 County Durham
3 Northumberland 028 Northumberland
4 County Durham 048 County Durham
5 Darlington 012 Darlington

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dinsley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dinsley

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Dinsley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dinsley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Dinsley is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Dinsley is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dinsley falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Dinsley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dinsley 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. Durham leads with 57 Dinsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.97x.

County Total Index
Durham 57 15.97x
Yorkshire 32 2.69x
Warwickshire 20 6.61x
Derbyshire 9 4.79x
Lancashire 4 0.28x
Middlesex 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Coundon in Durham leads with 19 Dinsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1310.34x.

Place Total Index
Coundon 19 1310.34x
Aston 12 14.40x
Chilton 9 810.81x
Derby St Werburgh 9 82.95x
Gateshead 9 33.67x
Birmingham 8 7.93x
Croft 8 3636.36x
Whitby 7 174.56x
South Bedburn Hamsterley 6 4285.71x
Westoe 6 29.64x
Wrelton 5 5555.56x
Manchester 4 6.25x
North Cowton 4 3333.33x
Barughs Ambo 2 1818.18x
Bishop Auckland 2 41.75x
Leeds 2 2.98x
Tudhoe 2 64.10x
Willington 2 97.09x
Bilsdale West Side 1 1666.67x
Bishopwearmouth 1 3.26x
Darlington 1 7.26x
Morley 1 16.18x
Pickering 1 66.67x
Twickenham 1 19.46x
Weaverthorpe 1 384.62x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Elizabeth 7
Jane 6
Hannah 5
Annie 3
Frances 3
Agnes 2
Dorothy 2
Ellen 2
Isabel 2
Martha 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Dora 1
Edith 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Georgina 1
Grace 1
Guelor 1
M. 1
M.A. 1
Margaret 1
May 1
Mgt. 1
Polly 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 10
Henry 8
George 6
John 5
Thomas 5
Edward 4
Stephen 3
Harry 2
Joseph 2
Robert 2
Charles 1
F. 1
F.M. 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Harriet 1
Herbert 1
James 1
Jonathon 1
Miles 1
Richard 1
W.H. 1

FAQ

Dinsley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dinsley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 123 people were recorded with the Dinsley surname. That placed it at #17,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dinsley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 229 in 2016. That gives Dinsley a modern rank of #17,878.

What does the Dinsley map show?

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