NameCensus.

UK surname

Dobby

In the 1881 census there were 331 people recorded with the Dobby surname, ranking it #9,071 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 274, ranked #15,759, down from #9,071 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Calverley, London parishes and Ryton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gateshead, Wyre and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dobby is 443 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 17.2%.

1881 census count

331

Ranked #9,071

Modern count

274

2016, ranked #15,759

Peak year

1911

443 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dobby had 331 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,071 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 274 in 2016, ranked #15,759.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 443 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Dobby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dobby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dobby 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 266 #9,318
1881 historical 331 #9,071
1891 historical 389 #9,085
1901 historical 438 #8,881
1911 historical 443 #8,611
1997 modern 322 #12,914
1998 modern 338 #12,829
1999 modern 334 #13,022
2000 modern 328 #13,129
2001 modern 308 #13,519
2002 modern 311 #13,666
2003 modern 303 #13,718
2004 modern 289 #14,219
2005 modern 293 #14,030
2006 modern 300 #13,911
2007 modern 289 #14,401
2008 modern 294 #14,327
2009 modern 291 #14,742
2010 modern 304 #14,591
2011 modern 304 #14,475
2012 modern 284 #15,090
2013 modern 275 #15,719
2014 modern 274 #15,877
2015 modern 273 #15,789
2016 modern 274 #15,759

Geography

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Where Dobbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Calverley, London parishes, Ryton and Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gateshead, Wyre and Leeds. 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 Calverley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Ryton Durham
5 Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gateshead 001 Gateshead
2 Wyre 004 Wyre
3 Gateshead 021 Gateshead
4 Gateshead 002 Gateshead
5 Leeds 057 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dobby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dobby

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Dobby 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

Dobby is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dobby falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Dobby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dobby 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. Yorkshire leads with 169 Dobbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.28x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 169 5.28x
Middlesex 38 1.18x
Surrey 34 2.16x
Durham 31 3.23x
Kent 11 1.00x
Northumberland 11 2.29x
Lancashire 9 0.23x
Lincolnshire 8 1.55x
Bedfordshire 5 2.99x
Gloucestershire 3 0.47x
Cornwall 2 0.55x
Essex 2 0.31x
Northamptonshire 2 0.66x
Sussex 2 0.37x
Worcestershire 2 0.47x
Cheshire 1 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishop Monkton in Yorkshire leads with 20 Dobbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3773.58x.

Place Total Index
Bishop Monkton 20 3773.58x
Leeds 18 9.96x
Bradford 17 21.95x
Bermondsey 13 13.52x
Bedale 12 1034.48x
Linthorpe 12 62.86x
Plumstead 11 29.96x
Dacre 10 1408.45x
East Molesey 9 246.58x
Exelby Leeming Newton 9 1184.21x
Ryton 9 266.27x
Ripon 8 107.82x
Cowpen 7 63.29x
Hackney London 7 3.87x
Hessay 7 7000.00x
High Low Bishopside 7 246.48x
Lambeth 7 2.49x
St Pancras London 7 2.69x
Ardwick 6 17.36x
Cornsay 6 231.66x
Shoreditch London 6 4.29x
South Shields 6 70.09x
Bedford St Paul 5 43.59x
Follifoot 5 909.09x
Hutton Rudby 5 520.83x
Manningham 5 12.68x
Shipley 5 30.12x
Whitcliffe Cum Thorpe 5 1724.14x
Chathill 4 5714.29x
Falsgrave 4 84.93x
Manthorpe Cum Little 4 101.27x
St Luke London 4 7.72x
St Nicholas Lincoln 4 81.14x
Auckland St Andrew 3 118.11x
Bristol St James St Paul 3 14.21x
Ealing 3 10.40x
Mile End Old Town London 3 4.37x
Newington 3 2.52x
Stranton 3 9.28x
Bowling 2 6.31x
Brighton 2 1.82x
Calstock 2 27.89x
Clerkenwell London 2 2.62x
Darlington 2 5.39x
Dudley 2 3.90x
Elvington 2 476.19x
Islington London 2 0.64x
Kirkby Malzeard 2 285.71x
Leigh 2 90.09x
Middlesbrough 2 4.80x
Pollards Land 2 294.12x
Shadwell London 2 22.12x
St George Hanover Square 2 3.52x
West Derby 2 1.78x
Bingley 1 4.91x
Bishop Thornton 1 188.68x
Burton Latimer 1 54.64x
Camberwell 1 0.48x
Crick 1 97.09x
East Layton 1 588.24x
Elland Cum Greetland 1 6.94x
Higher Bebington 1 21.93x
Horton In Bradford 1 2.00x
Hovingham 1 151.52x
Keighley 1 2.93x
Marnham 1 454.55x
Pontefract 1 14.51x
Ripley 1 285.71x
Rotherhithe 1 2.51x
South Stainley With 1 416.67x
Swinton In Rotherham 1 11.82x
Warrington 1 2.20x
Whorlton 1 133.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 26
Sarah 15
Jane 14
Elizabeth 13
Ann 8
Ada 6
Hannah 6
Margaret 6
Louisa 5
Alice 4
Annie 4
Edith 4
Ellen 4
Clara 3
Emily 3
Lilly 3
Beatrice 2
Charlotte 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Harriet 2
Isabella 2
Lydia 2
Maria 2
Minnie 2
Olive 2
Susan 2
Caroline 1
Diana 1
Dorothy 1
E.S. 1
Elizth. 1
Ella 1
Eva 1
Florence 1
Florry 1
Frances 1
Georgina 1
Harriotte 1
Kate 1
Letitia 1
Lily 1
Lissie 1
Lizzie 1
Margaretta 1
Margeret 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Maude 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 21
William 21
John 18
James 12
Henry 10
George 7
Richard 5
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Christopher 4
Robert 4
Edward 3
Ernest 3
Joseph 3
Philip 3
Walter 3
Abraham 2
Albert 2
Frederick 2
David 1
Edwin 1
Enoch 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Frede 1
Geo.Philip 1
Henery 1
Herbert 1
Hewson 1
Horner 1
Isaac 1
Lawrance 1
Luke 1
Michael 1
N.S. 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
Willis 1

FAQ

Dobby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dobby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 331 people were recorded with the Dobby surname. That placed it at #9,071 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dobby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 274 in 2016. That gives Dobby a modern rank of #15,759.

What does the Dobby map show?

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