NameCensus.

UK surname

Dorling

In the 1881 census there were 504 people recorded with the Dorling surname, ranking it #6,740 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 803, ranked #6,890, down from #6,740 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St James, St Leonard Shoreditch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, Thurrock and Mid Suffolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dorling is 897 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 59.3%.

1881 census count

504

Ranked #6,740

Modern count

803

2016, ranked #6,890

Peak year

1911

897 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dorling had 504 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,740 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 803 in 2016, ranked #6,890.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 897 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dorling surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dorling surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dorling 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 384 #6,235
1861 historical 410 #6,264
1881 historical 504 #6,740
1891 historical 678 #5,761
1901 historical 677 #6,444
1911 historical 897 #4,968
1997 modern 849 #6,247
1998 modern 892 #6,203
1999 modern 896 #6,222
2000 modern 880 #6,272
2001 modern 856 #6,301
2002 modern 843 #6,506
2003 modern 807 #6,607
2004 modern 815 #6,561
2005 modern 765 #6,847
2006 modern 753 #6,963
2007 modern 762 #6,964
2008 modern 758 #7,050
2009 modern 797 #6,912
2010 modern 811 #6,940
2011 modern 803 #6,927
2012 modern 787 #6,938
2013 modern 803 #6,933
2014 modern 808 #6,936
2015 modern 796 #6,960
2016 modern 803 #6,890

Geography

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Where Dorlings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St James, St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes, Freckenham and West Stow, Chimney Mills. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St Edmundsbury, Thurrock, Mid Suffolk and Torbay. 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 St James Suffolk
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Freckenham Suffolk
5 West Stow, Chimney Mills Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 008 St Edmundsbury
2 Thurrock 001 Thurrock
3 Mid Suffolk 002 Mid Suffolk
4 St Edmundsbury 007 St Edmundsbury
5 Torbay 018 Torbay

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dorling

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dorling

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Dorling 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

Dorling 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

Dorling falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Dorling families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dorling 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. Suffolk leads with 253 Dorlings recorded in 1881 and an index of 42.00x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 253 42.00x
Middlesex 72 1.46x
Surrey 52 2.16x
Essex 34 3.48x
Yorkshire 23 0.47x
Norfolk 22 2.89x
Warwickshire 9 0.72x
Kent 8 0.47x
Derbyshire 6 0.77x
Dorset 6 1.85x
Cambridgeshire 5 1.60x
Durham 4 0.27x
Lancashire 3 0.05x
Sussex 3 0.36x
Royal Navy 2 3.39x
Berkshire 1 0.27x
Cumberland 1 0.23x
Gloucestershire 1 0.10x
Herefordshire 1 0.49x
Midlothian 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bury St Edmunds St James in Suffolk leads with 32 Dorlings recorded in 1881 and an index of 198.88x.

Place Total Index
Bury St Edmunds St James 32 198.88x
West Stow 21 6562.50x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 16 141.47x
Freckenham 16 2539.68x
Wandsworth 14 29.41x
Brandon 13 317.85x
Barton Mills 12 1500.00x
Ipswich St Margaret 12 58.71x
Lambeth 12 2.78x
Shoreditch London 12 5.60x
Wangford 12 1061.95x
Walthamstow 11 31.30x
West Ham 10 4.64x
Bacton 9 825.69x
Birmingham 9 2.17x
Mildenhall 9 140.63x
St George In East London 9 19.35x
Bermondsey 8 5.43x
Bethnal Green London 8 3.72x
Bromley London 8 7.35x
Hadleigh 8 136.99x
Ipswich St Peter 8 98.64x
Ardsley 7 123.89x
Cockfield 7 443.04x
Culford 7 1372.55x
Haughley 7 466.67x
St Marylebone London 7 2.65x
Streatham 7 19.08x
Woodford 7 63.35x
Derby St Peter 6 24.33x
Hilborough 6 1052.63x
Icklingham 6 833.33x
Kirkley 6 119.05x
Palgrave 6 472.44x
Sherborne 6 62.76x
Barnsley 5 9.89x
Poplar London 5 5.36x
Ashbocking 4 740.74x
Brent Eleigh 4 1025.64x
Combs 4 199.01x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 4 29.28x
Hackney London 4 1.44x
Ipswich St Helen 4 56.02x
Lackford 4 1333.33x
Middlesbrough 4 6.27x
Oulton 4 197.04x
St George Hanover Square 4 4.59x
Westminster St John 4 6.64x
Wetherden 4 476.19x
Wetheringsett Cum 4 228.57x
Brighton 3 1.78x
Clerkenwell London 3 2.57x
Darlington 3 5.28x
Framlingham 3 70.09x
Great Ashfield 3 447.76x
Kirkdale 3 3.04x
Battersea 2 1.10x
East Ham 2 11.04x
Great Bealings 2 408.16x
Kingston On Thames 2 3.45x
Lewisham 2 2.22x
Little Stonham 2 384.62x
Newington 2 1.09x
Newmarket St Mary 2 43.29x
Saxstead 2 350.88x
St Botolph Aldgate London 2 19.65x
St George Bloomsbury 2 7.05x
Stonham Aspall 2 162.60x
Walsham Le Willows 2 99.50x
West Ardsley 2 33.90x
Wickham Skeith 2 235.29x
Wimbledon 2 7.39x
Woolwich 2 3.21x
Clifton 1 2.04x
Dovercourt 1 29.15x
Glencorse 1 39.37x
Hornsey 1 1.60x
Kensington London 1 0.36x
Westley 1 370.37x
Westminster St James 1 1.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 25
Sarah 18
Elizabeth 14
Eliza 13
Emma 12
Ann 9
Ellen 8
Alice 7
Maria 7
Martha 6
Caroline 5
Florence 5
Anna 4
Annie 4
Edith 4
Fanny 4
Harriet 4
Jane 4
Kate 4
Louisa 4
Margaret 4
Agnes 3
Amelia 3
Catherine 3
Charlotte 3
Harriett 3
Rosa 3
Rose 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Betsy 2
Clara 2
Emily 2
Grace 2
Hannah 2
Lilian 2
May 2
Minnie 2
Rachel 2
Rebecca 2
Selina 2
Sophia 2
Amy 1
Berther 1
Betsey 1
Elisa 1
Eliz. 1
Elizh.J. 1
Hepzibah 1
Isabella 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 26
John 24
James 21
Charles 15
George 15
Robert 15
Edward 11
Walter 11
Arthur 10
Frederick 10
Samuel 7
Thomas 7
Henry 6
Alfred 5
Ernest 5
Benjamin 3
Oliver 3
Albert 2
Edmund 2
Fred 2
Fredk. 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Jos. 2
Reuben 2
Richard 2
Wm. 2
Cecil 1
Chas. 1
Cook 1
Donald 1
Edgar 1
Esau 1
Fletcher 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fredk.Willm. 1
Horace 1
Jesse 1
Joe 1
Mark 1
Mary 1
Montague 1
Phillip 1
Ready 1
Roger 1
Rollo 1
Thos.D. 1
Wiliam 1
Wm.F. 1

FAQ

Dorling surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dorling surname in 1881?

In 1881, 504 people were recorded with the Dorling surname. That placed it at #6,740 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dorling surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 803 in 2016. That gives Dorling a modern rank of #6,890.

What does the Dorling map show?

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