NameCensus.

UK surname

Gabbitas

A locational surname derived from the placename "Gabbitis" in Normandy.

In the 1881 census there were 210 people recorded with the Gabbitas surname, ranking it #12,440 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 507, ranked #9,897, up from #12,440 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Worksop, Mattersey and Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bassetlaw, Rotherham and Wiltshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gabbitas is 545 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 141.4%.

1881 census count

210

Ranked #12,440

Modern count

507

2016, ranked #9,897

Peak year

2002

545 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gabbitas had 210 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,440 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 507 in 2016, ranked #9,897.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 395 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Gabbitas surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gabbitas surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gabbitas 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 129 #14,406
1861 historical 197 #12,166
1881 historical 210 #12,440
1891 historical 289 #11,425
1901 historical 361 #10,196
1911 historical 395 #9,373
1997 modern 508 #9,195
1998 modern 535 #9,118
1999 modern 533 #9,197
2000 modern 523 #9,304
2001 modern 521 #9,174
2002 modern 545 #9,038
2003 modern 517 #9,268
2004 modern 520 #9,244
2005 modern 518 #9,208
2006 modern 522 #9,183
2007 modern 513 #9,393
2008 modern 503 #9,590
2009 modern 520 #9,568
2010 modern 523 #9,726
2011 modern 530 #9,541
2012 modern 512 #9,693
2013 modern 529 #9,619
2014 modern 530 #9,669
2015 modern 522 #9,710
2016 modern 507 #9,897

Geography

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Where Gabbitas' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Worksop, Mattersey, Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton, Gainsborough, Paddocks and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bassetlaw, Rotherham, Wiltshire and Newark and Sherwood. 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 Worksop Nottinghamshire
2 Mattersey Nottinghamshire
3 Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton Nottinghamshire
4 Gainsborough, Paddocks Lincolnshire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bassetlaw 016 Bassetlaw
2 Rotherham 009 Rotherham
3 Wiltshire 002 Wiltshire
4 Newark and Sherwood 009 Newark and Sherwood
5 Newark and Sherwood 011 Newark and Sherwood

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gabbitas

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gabbitas

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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Gabbitas is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Gabbitas is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gabbitas falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Gabbitas

The surname Gabbitas originates from England in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the old English words "gab" meaning "to mock or deride" and "hitt" meaning "to strike or beat". This suggests the name may have initially referred to a jester or comic performer who entertained crowds by mocking or striking others in jest.

Records show the name was present in various areas across southern England during the Middle Ages, with early spellings including Gabbites, Gabbyttys, and Gabyttas. While not found in the Domesday Book from 1086, the surname does appear in tax rolls from 1273 in Somerset under the spelling Gabbitis.

One of the earliest recorded individuals was Robert Gabbitas, born around 1420 in Devonshire. Another early bearer was John Gabbyttas, listed in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1497.

In the 16th century, a Gabbitas family was established in the village of Kenilworth in Warwickshire. William Gabbitas, born in 1564, served as a constable there. His grandson, also named William Gabbitas (1602-1677), became a prominent landowner and magistrate in the area.

During the English Civil War, Captain Thomas Gabbitas (1618-1689) fought for the Parliamentarian forces against King Charles I. He later received land grants in Ireland as part of the Commonwealth settlement.

A branch of the family tree moved to London in the 1700s. Nathaniel Gabbitas (1737-1818) was a respected physician who published medical treatises on diseases like scurvy and consumption.

By the 19th century, some Gabbitas individuals had migrated to America and other British colonies. Joseph Gabbitas (1801-1879) emigrated from Yorkshire to Ontario, Canada around 1835 and established a farm there.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gabbitas families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gabbitas 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 69 Gabbitas' recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.99x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 69 24.99x
Lincolnshire 45 13.74x
Yorkshire 45 2.22x
Middlesex 14 0.68x
Essex 11 2.72x
Surrey 11 1.10x
Derbyshire 10 3.12x
Lancashire 2 0.08x
Berkshire 1 0.65x
Dorset 1 0.74x
Leicestershire 1 0.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newark Upon Trent in Nottinghamshire leads with 22 Gabbitas' recorded in 1881 and an index of 221.77x.

Place Total Index
Newark Upon Trent 22 221.77x
Worksop 18 219.78x
Gainsborough 11 142.49x
Mattersey 10 4166.67x
West Ham 10 11.20x
Fenton 8 3200.00x
Battersea 7 9.29x
Great Hale 7 1400.00x
Handsworth 7 130.35x
Market Rasen 7 382.51x
Rawmarsh 7 97.63x
Sheffield 7 10.83x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 6 31.73x
Doncaster 6 40.46x
Ecclesfield 6 40.32x
Alfreton 5 51.33x
Bow London 5 19.17x
Chelsea London 5 8.10x
Beighton 4 275.86x
Nottingham St Mary 4 5.60x
St Botolph Lincoln 4 170.21x
Bethnal Green London 3 3.37x
Colsterworth 3 434.78x
Croydon 3 5.41x
East Retford 3 125.00x
Misterton 3 352.94x
Sutton In Ashfield 3 50.08x
Balderton 2 263.16x
Lathom 2 68.03x
Rotherham 2 17.48x
Allington 1 83.33x
Babworth 1 196.08x
Brampton 1 1428.57x
Clarborough 1 48.31x
Clowne 1 78.74x
East Markham 1 188.68x
East Stoke 1 666.67x
Halstead 1 21.19x
Horton In Bradford 1 3.15x
Ingham 1 238.10x
Kirk Sandall 1 588.24x
Lambeth 1 0.56x
North Carlton 1 909.09x
North Willingham 1 666.67x
Old Windsor 1 56.18x
Paddington London 1 1.33x
South Frodingham 1 769.23x
Sprotborough 1 625.00x
St Peterin Eastgate 1 99.01x
Tugby 1 416.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 19
George 13
John 13
Thomas 10
Arthur 6
Henry 5
James 4
Walter 4
Frederick 3
Joseph 3
Edward 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Derby 1
Edwd.George 1
Ernest 1
Garibaldi 1
Gladstone 1
Joe 1
Napoleon 1
Reuben 1
Richard 1
Rystal 1
Samuel 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Gabbitas surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gabbitas surname in 1881?

In 1881, 210 people were recorded with the Gabbitas surname. That placed it at #12,440 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gabbitas surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 507 in 2016. That gives Gabbitas a modern rank of #9,897.

What does the Gabbitas surname mean?

A locational surname derived from the placename "Gabbitis" in Normandy.

What does the Gabbitas map show?

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