NameCensus.

UK surname

Espley

In the 1881 census there were 246 people recorded with the Espley surname, ranking it #11,201 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 505, ranked #9,919, up from #11,201 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Biddulph, Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors and Tipton otherwise Tibington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Denbighshire, Newcastle-under-Lyme and King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Espley is 534 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 105.3%.

1881 census count

246

Ranked #11,201

Modern count

505

2016, ranked #9,919

Peak year

2002

534 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Espley had 246 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,201 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 505 in 2016, ranked #9,919.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 406 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Espley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Espley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Espley 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 131 #14,243
1861 historical 127 #17,469
1881 historical 246 #11,201
1891 historical 292 #11,351
1901 historical 329 #10,927
1911 historical 406 #9,196
1997 modern 434 #10,361
1998 modern 497 #9,638
1999 modern 505 #9,587
2000 modern 518 #9,366
2001 modern 509 #9,323
2002 modern 534 #9,190
2003 modern 504 #9,433
2004 modern 502 #9,497
2005 modern 487 #9,621
2006 modern 487 #9,664
2007 modern 504 #9,508
2008 modern 485 #9,864
2009 modern 502 #9,818
2010 modern 527 #9,667
2011 modern 528 #9,572
2012 modern 515 #9,663
2013 modern 516 #9,783
2014 modern 519 #9,818
2015 modern 502 #9,972
2016 modern 505 #9,919

Geography

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Where Espleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Biddulph, Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors, Tipton otherwise Tibington, Castle Church and Burslem. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Denbighshire, Newcastle-under-Lyme, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and Shropshire. 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 Biddulph Cheshire
2 Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors Shropshire
3 Tipton otherwise Tibington Staffordshire
4 Castle Church Staffordshire
5 Burslem Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Denbighshire 004 Denbighshire
2 Newcastle-under-Lyme 009 Newcastle-under-Lyme
3 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 003 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
4 Shropshire 005 Shropshire
5 Newcastle-under-Lyme 014 Newcastle-under-Lyme

Forenames

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First names often paired with Espley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Espley

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Espley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Espley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Espley is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Espley 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

Espley falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Espley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Espley 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. Staffordshire leads with 117 Espleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.44x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 117 14.44x
Cheshire 43 8.12x
Shropshire 39 18.81x
Lancashire 9 0.32x
Nottinghamshire 9 2.78x
Worcestershire 9 2.87x
Yorkshire 9 0.38x
Middlesex 5 0.21x
Warwickshire 5 0.83x
Suffolk 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 25 Espleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.11x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 25 29.11x
Drayton In Hales 18 421.55x
Castle Church 13 266.94x
Newcastle Under Lyme 13 90.72x
Burslem 11 47.41x
Tipton 11 44.35x
Brinnington 8 161.62x
Eccleshall 8 260.59x
Monks Coppenhall 8 40.02x
Wellington 8 68.67x
Biddulph 7 153.17x
Brampton Bierlow 7 230.26x
Claughton With Grange 7 290.46x
Dudley 7 18.37x
Macclesfield 7 29.74x
Shrewsbury St Mary 7 85.57x
Norton In Moors 6 139.86x
West Bromwich 6 12.94x
Aston 5 3.00x
Islington London 5 2.15x
Nottingham St Mary 5 5.98x
Bredbury 4 130.29x
Cheadle 4 39.53x
Tillington 4 1818.18x
Cheslyn Hay 3 202.70x
Ercall Magna 3 202.70x
Habergham Eaves 3 11.53x
Mansfield 3 26.81x
Pendleton In Salford 3 8.84x
Willenhall 3 19.78x
Wolstanton Chesterton 3 72.46x
Alsager 2 151.52x
Evesham St Lawrence 2 120.48x
Sandbach 2 44.25x
Barton Upon Irwell 1 4.66x
Baschurch 1 70.42x
Burton Upon Trent 1 5.28x
Gnosall 1 51.28x
Huyton With Roby 1 29.94x
Ilketshall St John 1 1666.67x
Leeds 1 0.74x
Liverpool 1 0.58x
Radford Lenton 1 125.00x
Rugeley 1 17.21x
Shrewsbury St Alkmond 1 86.96x
Shrewsbury St Chad 1 13.74x
Sutton In Macclesfield 1 18.18x
Upperthong 1 49.51x
Wolverhampton 1 1.61x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 17
Sarah 12
Alice 6
Ann 6
Elizabeth 6
Emma 5
Jane 5
Eliza 4
Ellen 4
Edith 3
Martha 3
Annie 2
Clara 2
Emily 2
Hannah 2
Harriet 2
Harriett 2
Lucy 2
Ruth 2
Abigal 1
Ada 1
Annis 1
Ashwell 1
Beatrice 1
Bertha 1
Blanche 1
Charlotte 1
Christina 1
Daisy 1
Elenor 1
Elizth 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Hellen 1
Hennrietta 1
Lavinia 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Maud 1
Mercy 1
Milley 1
Minnie 1
Rose 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 16
John 15
William 13
George 11
James 8
Richard 7
Frederick 6
Charles 5
Enoch 5
Henry 5
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Joseph 4
Walter 3
Benjamin 2
Daniel 2
Herbert 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Wm. 2
Abraham 1
Bernard 1
Christopher 1
Clarence 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Isaac 1
Richd.J. 1
Stewart 1
Thos. 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Espley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Espley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 246 people were recorded with the Espley surname. That placed it at #11,201 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Espley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 505 in 2016. That gives Espley a modern rank of #9,919.

What does the Espley map show?

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