NameCensus.

UK surname

Dobner

An English surname derived from a German occupational name for a maker of clay pots or tiles.

In the 1881 census there were 86 people recorded with the Dobner surname, ranking it #21,449 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 97, ranked #31,585, down from #21,449 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Eton, Upton with Chalvey and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tendring, Havant and Vale of White Horse.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dobner is 123 in 2003. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 12.8%.

1881 census count

86

Ranked #21,449

Modern count

97

2016, ranked #31,585

Peak year

2003

123 bearers

Map years

2

1911 to 2006

Key insights

  • Dobner had 86 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,449 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 97 in 2016, ranked #31,585.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 100 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dobner surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dobner surname density by area, 2006 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dobner 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 36 #26,838
1861 historical 39 #29,099
1881 historical 86 #21,449
1891 historical 86 #25,951
1901 historical 86 #24,508
1911 historical 100 #22,717
1997 modern 107 #25,924
1998 modern 99 #27,785
1999 modern 117 #25,362
2000 modern 111 #26,111
2001 modern 114 #25,344
2002 modern 122 #24,874
2003 modern 123 #24,497
2004 modern 123 #24,679
2005 modern 120 #25,066
2006 modern 120 #25,269
2007 modern 117 #26,066
2008 modern 112 #27,061
2009 modern 116 #27,062
2010 modern 119 #27,250
2011 modern 114 #27,784
2012 modern 110 #28,514
2013 modern 108 #29,379
2014 modern 100 #31,033
2015 modern 103 #30,444
2016 modern 97 #31,585

Geography

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Where Dobners are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Eton, Upton with Chalvey, London parishes, Queenborough and New Windsor, Clewer. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tendring, Havant, Vale of White Horse, Swale and Great Yarmouth. 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 Eton Buckinghamshire
2 Upton with Chalvey Buckinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Queenborough Kent
5 New Windsor, Clewer Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tendring 003 Tendring
2 Havant 015 Havant
3 Vale of White Horse 009 Vale of White Horse
4 Swale 004 Swale
5 Great Yarmouth 012 Great Yarmouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dobner

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dobner

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dobner, 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 Dobner surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Dobner 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Dobner is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Dobner 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

Dobner 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 Dobner 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 Dobner, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dobner

The surname Dobner is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the late Middle Ages in the regions of modern-day Germany. It is believed to be derived from the German word "dobe," which means "dove" or "pigeon," suggesting that the name may have initially been given as a nickname to someone who resembled or kept these birds.

One of the earliest known records of the Dobner surname dates back to the 15th century, when a Johannes Dobner was mentioned in a document from the town of Erfurt, in what is now the state of Thuringia, Germany. This indicates that the name was already established in the region by that time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Dobner surname appeared in various historical records and documents across different parts of Germany. For instance, a Hans Dobner was mentioned in a church registry from the city of Leipzig in 1587, while a Christoph Dobner was recorded as a landowner in the village of Dietersheim, near Nuremberg, in 1642.

The earliest known individual of note with the Dobner surname was Johann Dobner, a German theologian and author who lived from 1642 to 1699. He was born in Nuremberg and later became a Lutheran minister and wrote several religious works during his lifetime.

Another notable figure was Johann Gabriel Dobner, a German historian and librarian who lived from 1719 to 1790. He was born in Breslau, which is now part of modern-day Poland, and is best known for his work on the history of Bohemia and the city of Prague.

In the 19th century, Karl Dobner, a German artist and lithographer, gained recognition for his landscape paintings and lithographs depicting scenes from the Bavarian Alps. He was born in Munich in 1825 and lived until 1894.

The Dobner surname can also be found in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration patterns over the centuries. For example, a Johann Dobner was recorded as a resident of the town of Znaim, in what is now the Czech Republic, in the late 16th century.

While the Dobner name has its roots in Germany, it has spread to various parts of the world through emigration, particularly to North America and other regions with significant German immigrant populations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dobner families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dobner 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. Berkshire leads with 48 Dobners recorded in 1881 and an index of 76.24x.

County Total Index
Berkshire 48 76.24x
Buckinghamshire 18 35.50x
Middlesex 10 1.19x
Durham 5 2.00x
Surrey 4 0.98x
Lancashire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Clewer in Berkshire leads with 38 Dobners recorded in 1881 and an index of 1472.87x.

Place Total Index
Clewer 38 1472.87x
Eton 10 869.57x
New Windsor 10 471.70x
Islington London 6 7.38x
Upton Cum Chalvey 6 297.03x
Tudhoe 5 229.36x
Mile End Old Town London 3 16.81x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 17.77x
Wycombe 2 52.91x
Chertsey 1 37.88x
Garston 1 34.01x
Staines 1 75.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Alice 4
Sarah 4
Emily 2
Emma 2
Harriet 2
Helena 2
Jane 2
Louisa 2
Louise 2
Lucy 2
Margaret 2
Ann 1
Beatrice 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Elizabeth 1
Esther 1
Linee 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Alfred 4
Charles 4
Robert 4
Frederick 3
William 3
Arthur 2
George 2
Henry 2
John 2
Thomas 2
Walter 2
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Enock 1
Ernest 1
Harry 1
Infant 1
James 1
Richard 1
Will. 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Dobner surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dobner surname in 1881?

In 1881, 86 people were recorded with the Dobner surname. That placed it at #21,449 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dobner surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 97 in 2016. That gives Dobner a modern rank of #31,585.

What does the Dobner surname mean?

An English surname derived from a German occupational name for a maker of clay pots or tiles.

What does the Dobner map show?

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