NameCensus.

UK surname

Elsby

In the 1881 census there were 181 people recorded with the Elsby surname, ranking it #13,690 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 372, ranked #12,539, up from #13,690 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolstanton, Burslem and Sandbach. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North East Lincolnshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Yoker South.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Elsby is 430 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 105.5%.

1881 census count

181

Ranked #13,690

Modern count

372

2016, ranked #12,539

Peak year

1998

430 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Elsby had 181 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,690 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 372 in 2016, ranked #12,539.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 263 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Elsby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Elsby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Elsby 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 181 #11,256
1861 historical 146 #15,628
1881 historical 181 #13,690
1891 historical 212 #14,318
1901 historical 259 #12,848
1911 historical 263 #12,473
1997 modern 340 #12,428
1998 modern 430 #10,772
1999 modern 424 #10,969
2000 modern 422 #10,960
2001 modern 403 #11,163
2002 modern 412 #11,192
2003 modern 411 #11,044
2004 modern 411 #11,053
2005 modern 401 #11,165
2006 modern 392 #11,418
2007 modern 393 #11,526
2008 modern 397 #11,556
2009 modern 391 #11,925
2010 modern 401 #11,973
2011 modern 395 #11,966
2012 modern 379 #12,192
2013 modern 385 #12,270
2014 modern 388 #12,280
2015 modern 372 #12,544
2016 modern 372 #12,539

Geography

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Where Elsbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolstanton, Burslem, Sandbach, Leigh and Coppenhall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North East Lincolnshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Yoker South, Cheshire East and East Staffordshire. 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 Wolstanton Staffordshire
2 Burslem Staffordshire
3 Sandbach Cheshire
4 Leigh Lancashire
5 Coppenhall Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North East Lincolnshire 001 North East Lincolnshire
2 Stoke-on-Trent 007 Stoke-on-Trent
3 Yoker South Glasgow City
4 Cheshire East 030 Cheshire East
5 East Staffordshire 007 East Staffordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Elsby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Elsby

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Elsby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Elsby 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Elsby 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

Elsby 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

Elsby falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Elsby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Elsby 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. Cheshire leads with 65 Elsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.68x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 65 16.68x
Staffordshire 56 9.40x
Lancashire 35 1.67x
Middlesex 7 0.40x
Derbyshire 4 1.45x
Yorkshire 4 0.23x
Surrey 3 0.35x
Lincolnshire 2 0.71x
Caernarfonshire 1 1.40x
Essex 1 0.29x
Hampshire 1 0.28x
Hertfordshire 1 0.82x
Warwickshire 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sandbach in Cheshire leads with 18 Elsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 542.17x.

Place Total Index
Sandbach 18 542.17x
Wolstanton 17 93.92x
Burslem 15 87.87x
Monks Coppenhall 12 81.58x
Bosley 9 3750.00x
Litherland 9 205.48x
Lower Bebington 8 344.83x
Stoke Upon Trent 8 12.66x
Audley 7 118.64x
Elton In Congleton 7 2121.21x
Burton Upon Trent 6 43.04x
Little Lever 6 223.88x
Congleton 5 74.29x
Kensington London 5 5.09x
Balby Cum Hexthorpe 4 191.39x
Shardlow 4 769.23x
Toxteth Park 4 5.64x
Widnes 4 26.47x
Bradwall 3 750.00x
Oldham 3 4.44x
Wolstanton Knutton 3 82.42x
Ince In Makerfield 2 20.51x
Salford 2 3.25x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 2 50.38x
West Derby 2 3.26x
Woking 2 38.61x
Bushey 1 34.48x
Eccleston In Prescot 1 9.51x
Edgbaston 1 7.25x
Farnborough 1 26.32x
Fulham London 1 3.91x
Hackney London 1 1.01x
Heaton Norris 1 8.39x
Knutsford Nether 1 42.37x
Llanbeblig 1 13.81x
Lower Darwen 1 36.36x
Macclesfield 1 5.77x
Newton In Northwich 1 84.03x
West Ham 1 1.30x
Wimbledon 1 10.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 8
Annie 7
Sarah 7
Eliza 5
Jane 4
Martha 4
Ann 3
Charlotte 3
Maria 3
Anne 2
Caroline 2
Emma 2
Hannah 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Amelia 1
Anoris 1
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Dorshey 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eunice 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Infant 1
Jessie 1
Lizzie 1
Marie 1
May 1
Nellie 1
Pamatice 1
Rachel 1
Rosa 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Elsby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Elsby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 181 people were recorded with the Elsby surname. That placed it at #13,690 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Elsby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 372 in 2016. That gives Elsby a modern rank of #12,539.

What does the Elsby map show?

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