NameCensus.

UK surname

Grayling

In the 1881 census there were 180 people recorded with the Grayling surname, ranking it #13,735 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 233, ranked #17,625, down from #13,735 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Loughton, Walton and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wealden, Stevenage and Exeter.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Grayling is 251 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.4%.

1881 census count

180

Ranked #13,735

Modern count

233

2016, ranked #17,625

Peak year

2002

251 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Grayling had 180 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,735 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016, ranked #17,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 211 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Grayling surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Grayling surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Grayling 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 119 #15,247
1861 historical 105 #20,298
1881 historical 180 #13,735
1891 historical 159 #17,636
1901 historical 189 #15,684
1911 historical 211 #14,467
1997 modern 247 #15,399
1998 modern 250 #15,675
1999 modern 245 #16,012
2000 modern 248 #15,827
2001 modern 238 #16,004
2002 modern 251 #15,770
2003 modern 244 #15,861
2004 modern 237 #16,283
2005 modern 231 #16,529
2006 modern 230 #16,690
2007 modern 234 #16,706
2008 modern 226 #17,238
2009 modern 224 #17,685
2010 modern 239 #17,280
2011 modern 240 #17,093
2012 modern 222 #17,921
2013 modern 239 #17,307
2014 modern 239 #17,429
2015 modern 239 #17,322
2016 modern 233 #17,625

Geography

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Where Graylings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Loughton, Walton, London parishes, Felixstow and Navestock. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wealden, Stevenage, Exeter, North Hertfordshire and Broxtowe. 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 Loughton Essex
2 Walton Suffolk
3 London parishes London 3
4 Felixstow Suffolk
5 Navestock Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wealden 017 Wealden
2 Stevenage 006 Stevenage
3 Exeter 010 Exeter
4 North Hertfordshire 005 North Hertfordshire
5 Broxtowe 007 Broxtowe

Forenames

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First names often paired with Grayling

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Grayling

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Grayling surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Grayling household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Grayling is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Grayling is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Grayling falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Grayling families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Grayling 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. Sussex leads with 49 Graylings recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.55x.

County Total Index
Sussex 49 16.55x
Middlesex 45 2.56x
Essex 35 10.10x
Kent 28 4.67x
Suffolk 11 5.14x
Surrey 8 0.94x
Huntingdonshire 2 5.74x
Hampshire 1 0.28x
Royal Navy 1 4.78x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Navestock in Essex leads with 14 Graylings recorded in 1881 and an index of 2800.00x.

Place Total Index
Navestock 14 2800.00x
Bethnal Green London 10 13.11x
Lewes All Sts 10 847.46x
Islington London 9 5.29x
Walton 9 1168.83x
West Ham 8 10.45x
Brighton 7 11.72x
Shoreditch London 7 9.20x
Arlington 6 1714.29x
Folkestone 6 51.64x
Goldhanger 6 2000.00x
Hellingly 6 606.06x
Eastbourne 5 36.71x
Loughton 5 292.40x
Mile End Old Town London 5 13.38x
Sittingbourne 5 105.71x
South Malling 5 1136.36x
Hailsham 4 223.46x
Lewisham 4 12.52x
Southwark Christchurch 4 48.60x
Streatham 4 30.70x
Berwick 3 3000.00x
Clerkenwell London 3 7.24x
Greenwich 3 10.73x
Hackney London 3 3.05x
Lee 3 34.48x
Acton 2 19.44x
Canterbury St Paul 2 185.19x
Felixstow 2 384.62x
Fulham London 2 7.86x
Hougham 2 56.18x
Old Weston 2 1000.00x
St Pancras London 2 1.42x
Barking 1 9.86x
Bromley 1 10.95x
Chalvington 1 1250.00x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.16x
Finchley 1 14.86x
Lewes St Ann 1 99.01x
Lewes St Michael 1 169.49x
Mile End New Town London 1 28.82x
Petersfield 1 101.01x
Royal Navy 1 5.59x
South Weald 1 33.67x
Woolwich 1 4.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 10
Alice 9
Ann 5
Ellen 5
Emma 5
Sarah 5
Margaret 4
Rebecca 4
Ada 3
Eliza 3
Mary 3
Barbara 2
Emily 2
Frances 2
Gertrude 2
Jane 2
Louisa 2
Martha 2
Ruth 2
Agnes 1
Allice 1
Amelia 1
Bessy 1
Catherine 1
Charlott 1
Dorothy 1
Elizth. 1
Ellena 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1
Maud 1
Naomi 1
Philadelphia 1
Rosa 1
Rosabell 1
Rose 1
Sofia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 11
William 11
James 7
Thomas 6
Charles 5
George 5
Henry 5
Joseph 4
Edward 3
Ernest 3
Harry 3
Richard 3
Samuel 3
Arthur 2
Alma 1
Branstone 1
Ephriam 1
Frederick 1
Herbert 1
Hosier 1
Jeremiah 1
Moses 1
Philip 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Grayling surname: questions and answers

How common was the Grayling surname in 1881?

In 1881, 180 people were recorded with the Grayling surname. That placed it at #13,735 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Grayling surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016. That gives Grayling a modern rank of #17,625.

What does the Grayling map show?

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