NameCensus.

UK surname

Disley

In the 1881 census there were 603 people recorded with the Disley surname, ranking it #5,808 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,056, ranked #5,522, up from #5,808 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, West Derby and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Lancashire, Waverley and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Disley is 1,124 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 75.1%.

1881 census count

603

Ranked #5,808

Modern count

1,056

2016, ranked #5,522

Peak year

1999

1,124 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Disley had 603 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,808 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,056 in 2016, ranked #5,522.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 979 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Disley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Disley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Disley 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 217 #9,784
1861 historical 258 #9,603
1881 historical 603 #5,808
1891 historical 702 #5,586
1901 historical 798 #5,664
1911 historical 979 #4,621
1997 modern 1,071 #5,194
1998 modern 1,078 #5,343
1999 modern 1,124 #5,203
2000 modern 1,119 #5,196
2001 modern 1,103 #5,160
2002 modern 1,113 #5,227
2003 modern 1,120 #5,104
2004 modern 1,124 #5,092
2005 modern 1,063 #5,285
2006 modern 1,041 #5,395
2007 modern 1,043 #5,429
2008 modern 1,045 #5,451
2009 modern 1,092 #5,353
2010 modern 1,098 #5,444
2011 modern 1,071 #5,492
2012 modern 1,042 #5,540
2013 modern 1,081 #5,457
2014 modern 1,092 #5,431
2015 modern 1,072 #5,468
2016 modern 1,056 #5,522

Geography

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Where Disleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, West Derby, Liverpool, Ormskirk and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Lancashire, Waverley and Wigan. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 West Derby Lancashire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Ormskirk Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Lancashire 004 West Lancashire
2 Waverley 013 Waverley
3 Wigan 016 Wigan
4 Wigan 027 Wigan
5 Wigan 019 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Disley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Disley

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Disley is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Disley is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Disley 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 Disley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Disley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Disley 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. Lancashire leads with 474 Disleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.81x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 474 6.81x
Middlesex 36 0.61x
Cheshire 12 0.93x
Shropshire 12 2.37x
Yorkshire 12 0.21x
Montgomeryshire 10 7.44x
Durham 9 0.52x
Essex 7 0.60x
Merionethshire 7 6.53x
Staffordshire 4 0.20x
Surrey 4 0.14x
Northumberland 3 0.34x
Sussex 3 0.30x
Glamorgan 2 0.20x
Warwickshire 2 0.14x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.28x
Derbyshire 1 0.11x
Radnorshire 1 2.11x
Suffolk 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Derby in Lancashire leads with 36 Disleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.69x.

Place Total Index
West Derby 36 17.69x
Lathom 28 333.33x
Great Bolton 27 29.30x
Wigan 27 27.77x
Liverpool 25 5.92x
Everton 24 10.82x
Ince In Makerfield 23 71.05x
Spotland 23 29.74x
Newchurch 22 38.66x
Scarisbrick 19 235.15x
Tonge With Haulgh 17 125.55x
Little Bolton 16 17.89x
Westleigh 15 94.94x
Radcliffe 14 41.75x
Blackburn 13 7.02x
Billington 12 422.54x
Pemberton 12 43.26x
Bromley London 10 7.75x
Ashton In Makerfield 9 45.43x
Astley 9 167.60x
Castle Eden 9 508.47x
Mawdesley 9 481.28x
Wavertree 9 40.41x
Skipton 8 43.76x
Talyllyn 7 166.67x
Aughton 6 87.08x
Fulham London 6 7.06x
Openshaw 6 18.42x
St Giles In Fields London 6 20.86x
Walton On Hill 6 15.92x
West Ham 6 2.35x
Burscough 5 471.70x
Hulme 5 3.44x
Kerry 5 123.76x
Little Hulton 5 43.40x
Manchester 5 1.60x
Westbury 5 191.57x
Abram 4 74.91x
Bootle Cum Linacre 4 7.24x
Burnley 4 6.83x
Castleton 4 5.76x
Chester St Bridget 4 180.18x
Westminster St James 4 6.64x
Buxted 3 77.52x
Clun Eddycliff 3 312.50x
Elswick 3 4.31x
Hackney London 3 0.91x
Higher Booths 3 23.92x
Kirkham 3 32.61x
Newington 3 1.39x
North Meols 3 4.41x
Skircoat 3 13.09x
Standish With Langtree 3 35.01x
Thornton In Fylde 3 19.71x
Wallasey 3 68.18x
Aspull 2 12.22x
Berriew 2 54.05x
Cannock 2 5.79x
Churchstoke 2 79.05x
Gorton 2 3.06x
Harpurhey 2 20.73x
Llandaff 2 5.89x
Paddington London 2 0.93x
St Gilesin Fields London 2 40.32x
Tranmere 2 4.21x
Widnes 2 3.99x
Bradford 1 0.71x
Bromfield 1 88.50x
Hyde 1 2.62x
Leamington 1 10.20x
Littonand Cascob 1 277.78x
Minsterley 1 53.48x
Montford 1 100.00x
Ormskirk 1 7.51x
Shadwell London 1 6.09x
Skelmersdale 1 8.63x
St George Bloomsbury 1 2.97x
Tottenham 1 1.07x
Weeton With Preece 1 116.28x
Worsley 1 2.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 48
Elizabeth 28
Ellen 22
Jane 22
Margaret 22
Sarah 22
Alice 19
Ann 11
Eliza 8
Martha 7
Catherine 4
Hannah 4
Amelia 3
Annie 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Anne 2
Betsy 2
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Dorothy 2
Eleanor 2
Esther 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Harriet 2
Isabella 2
Rachel 2
Selina 2
Bertha 1
Bridget 1
Cassandra 1
Deborah 1
Dinah 1
Dorcas 1
E. 1
Edith 1
Elizabath 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth. 1
Francis 1
Grace 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Judith 1
Kitty 1
Lilly 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 49
John 40
James 31
Thomas 31
Richard 23
Henry 20
Charles 10
George 10
Robert 10
Joseph 8
Samuel 7
Arthur 5
Edward 4
Alfred 3
Harry 3
Walter 3
Wm. 3
Albert 2
Alexander 2
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
Hugh 2
Peter 2
Abraham 1
Bartholemew 1
Bartholomew 1
Cartwright 1
Edwd. 1
Edwd.Hy. 1
Edwin 1
Elias 1
Elizabeth 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Geo.Rd. 1
Jonas 1
Jonathan 1
Maden 1
Matthias 1
Middleton 1
Osmond 1
Ralph 1
Rd. 1
Reginald 1
Rich.Frederick 1
Robt. 1
Stanley 1
Valentine 1
Wm.Henry 1
Wm.S. 1

FAQ

Disley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Disley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 603 people were recorded with the Disley surname. That placed it at #5,808 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Disley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,056 in 2016. That gives Disley a modern rank of #5,522.

What does the Disley map show?

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