NameCensus.

UK surname

Dodsley

In the 1881 census there were 141 people recorded with the Dodsley surname, ranking it #16,091 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 249, ranked #16,847, down from #16,091 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Basford, Skegby and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Amber Valley, Huntingdonshire and Bradford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dodsley is 284 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 76.6%.

1881 census count

141

Ranked #16,091

Modern count

249

2016, ranked #16,847

Peak year

2002

284 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dodsley had 141 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,091 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 249 in 2016, ranked #16,847.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 276 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Dodsley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dodsley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dodsley 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 114 #15,716
1861 historical 104 #20,477
1881 historical 141 #16,091
1891 historical 203 #14,754
1901 historical 255 #12,965
1911 historical 276 #12,099
1997 modern 282 #14,072
1998 modern 283 #14,442
1999 modern 282 #14,545
2000 modern 276 #14,724
2001 modern 271 #14,691
2002 modern 284 #14,524
2003 modern 272 #14,746
2004 modern 279 #14,578
2005 modern 270 #14,822
2006 modern 261 #15,289
2007 modern 252 #15,815
2008 modern 248 #16,163
2009 modern 250 #16,421
2010 modern 264 #16,163
2011 modern 258 #16,284
2012 modern 243 #16,839
2013 modern 239 #17,307
2014 modern 246 #17,079
2015 modern 252 #16,705
2016 modern 249 #16,847

Geography

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Where Dodsleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Basford, Skegby, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Pleasley and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Amber Valley, Huntingdonshire, Bradford, Erewash and Ashfield. 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 Basford Nottinghamshire
2 Skegby Nottinghamshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 Pleasley Nottinghamshire
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Amber Valley 017 Amber Valley
2 Huntingdonshire 003 Huntingdonshire
3 Bradford 058 Bradford
4 Erewash 009 Erewash
5 Ashfield 011 Ashfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dodsley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dodsley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dodsley, 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 Dodsley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dodsley 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Dodsley is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dodsley is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dodsley 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 Dodsley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Dodsley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dodsley 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 82 Dodsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 44.23x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 82 44.23x
Derbyshire 12 5.57x
Yorkshire 12 0.88x
Essex 9 3.31x
Staffordshire 7 1.51x
Warwickshire 6 1.73x
Hertfordshire 4 4.22x
Leicestershire 4 2.62x
Norfolk 3 1.42x
Durham 1 0.24x
Middlesex 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 23 Dodsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 47.97x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 23 47.97x
Basford 15 175.64x
Leyton 9 192.31x
Bulwell 8 198.51x
Sutton 8 516.13x
Eastwood 7 421.69x
Greasley 7 167.46x
Walsall Foreign 7 29.19x
Birmingham 6 5.19x
Pleasley 6 1111.11x
Beeston 5 234.74x
Heanor 5 155.28x
Mansfield 5 77.88x
Leicester St Mary 4 32.47x
Skegby 4 350.88x
St Albans St Peter 4 125.00x
Ecclesall Bierlow 3 10.82x
Lenton 3 68.65x
Wymondham 3 138.89x
Bramcote 1 285.71x
Darlington 1 6.33x
Elmton 1 416.67x
Nottingham St Nicholas 1 39.68x
Nottingham St Peter 1 48.31x
St Pancras London 1 0.90x
Woodborough 1 238.10x
Worksop 1 18.18x
York St Mary Castlegate 1 250.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Sarah 9
Elizabeth 7
Eliza 4
Emma 4
Ann 3
Alice 2
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Florence 2
Harriet 2
Harriett 2
Louisa 2
Adelaide 1
Angliss 1
Anne 1
Augusta 1
Beatrice 1
Druscilla 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Eveline 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Henrietta 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Lavinia 1
Margarit 1
Martha 1
Priscilla 1
Rose 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 10
Joseph 6
Thomas 4
Charles 3
James 3
Robert 3
Samuel 3
Albert 2
Alvery 2
Arthur 2
David 2
Emanuel 2
Harry 2
Alfred 1
Alonzo 1
George 1
Henry 1
Reuben 1
Robt.M.E.W. 1
Sam 1
Saml. 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Dodsley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dodsley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 141 people were recorded with the Dodsley surname. That placed it at #16,091 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dodsley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 249 in 2016. That gives Dodsley a modern rank of #16,847.

What does the Dodsley map show?

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