NameCensus.

UK surname

Dunsby

In the 1881 census there were 150 people recorded with the Dunsby surname, ranking it #15,489 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 280, ranked #15,491, down from #15,489 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cassington, Burton-on-Trent and Willesden. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stratford-on-Avon, Richmond upon Thames and Rotherham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dunsby is 319 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 86.7%.

1881 census count

150

Ranked #15,489

Modern count

280

2016, ranked #15,491

Peak year

2002

319 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dunsby had 150 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,489 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 280 in 2016, ranked #15,491.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 256 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dunsby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dunsby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dunsby 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 76 #20,127
1861 historical 96 #21,648
1881 historical 150 #15,489
1891 historical 199 #14,977
1901 historical 225 #14,047
1911 historical 256 #12,688
1997 modern 272 #14,451
1998 modern 311 #13,550
1999 modern 315 #13,524
2000 modern 308 #13,685
2001 modern 302 #13,668
2002 modern 319 #13,448
2003 modern 294 #14,002
2004 modern 288 #14,254
2005 modern 279 #14,480
2006 modern 280 #14,535
2007 modern 285 #14,527
2008 modern 291 #14,430
2009 modern 296 #14,557
2010 modern 289 #15,127
2011 modern 283 #15,193
2012 modern 287 #14,978
2013 modern 285 #15,313
2014 modern 288 #15,285
2015 modern 278 #15,586
2016 modern 280 #15,491

Geography

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Where Dunsbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cassington, Burton-on-Trent, Willesden, London parishes and Langley Marish. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stratford-on-Avon, Richmond upon Thames, Rotherham, Mid Devon and Watford. 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 Cassington Oxfordshire
2 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
3 Willesden Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
4 London parishes London 1
5 Langley Marish Buckinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stratford-on-Avon 007 Stratford-on-Avon
2 Richmond upon Thames 013 Richmond upon Thames
3 Rotherham 013 Rotherham
4 Mid Devon 003 Mid Devon
5 Watford 012 Watford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dunsby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dunsby

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

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Dunsby is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Dunsby is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Dunsby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dunsby 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. Oxfordshire leads with 53 Dunsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 58.66x.

County Total Index
Oxfordshire 53 58.66x
Middlesex 20 1.37x
Staffordshire 17 3.44x
Warwickshire 12 3.25x
Surrey 10 1.40x
Wiltshire 10 7.73x
Buckinghamshire 8 9.04x
Hampshire 6 2.00x
Worcestershire 5 2.62x
Dorset 2 2.08x
Lancashire 2 0.12x
Berkshire 1 0.91x
Hertfordshire 1 0.99x
Leicestershire 1 0.62x
Sussex 1 0.41x
Yorkshire 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. Cassington in Oxfordshire leads with 14 Dunsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 8235.29x.

Place Total Index
Cassington 14 8235.29x
Birmingham 12 9.76x
Yarnton 12 8571.43x
Croydon 8 20.22x
Horninglow 8 343.35x
Burton Upon Trent 7 60.61x
Marlborough St Mary Virgin 7 769.23x
Minster Lovell 7 2692.31x
Willesden 7 50.76x
Hound 6 294.12x
Langley Marish 6 550.46x
Worcester St Clement 5 413.22x
Charlbury 4 396.04x
Leafield 4 1111.11x
Oxford St Aldate 4 421.05x
Beaminster 2 186.92x
Burton Extra 2 70.67x
Fulham London 2 9.43x
Hornsey 2 10.81x
Horton 2 465.12x
Kirtlington 2 555.56x
Mile End Old Town London 2 6.42x
Oxford St Giles 2 46.40x
St Pancras London 2 1.70x
Twickenham 2 31.90x
Widnes 2 15.97x
Woodstock 2 350.88x
Barnsley 1 6.69x
Beddington 1 36.23x
Brighton 1 2.01x
Chelsea London 1 2.27x
Coggs 1 285.71x
Donhead St Andrew 1 250.00x
Hertford St Andrew 1 80.00x
Kensington London 1 1.23x
Loddington 1 1428.57x
Ogbourne St Andrew 1 454.55x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 1 93.46x
Preshute 1 125.00x
Rotherhithe 1 5.53x
Tilehurst 1 45.05x
Tottenham 1 4.29x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
Charles 6
Henry 6
George 5
Samuel 4
Thomas 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Edward 3
James 3
Robert 3
Frank 2
Fredk. 2
Harry 2
John 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Elias 1
Esau 1
Frederick 1
Gideon 1
Herbert 1
Joseph 1
Lewis 1
Matthew 1
Richard 1
Thos.Wm. 1

FAQ

Dunsby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dunsby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 150 people were recorded with the Dunsby surname. That placed it at #15,489 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dunsby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 280 in 2016. That gives Dunsby a modern rank of #15,491.

What does the Dunsby map show?

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