NameCensus.

UK surname

Gribbon

A surname referring to a woodworker or carpenter.

In the 1881 census there were 170 people recorded with the Gribbon surname, ranking it #14,265 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 324, ranked #13,966, up from #14,265 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Monkland, St Bees and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Garthamlock, Auchinlea and Gartloch, Breckland and Craigend and Ruchazie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gribbon is 365 in 2004. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 90.6%.

1881 census count

170

Ranked #14,265

Modern count

324

2016, ranked #13,966

Peak year

2004

365 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gribbon had 170 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,265 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 324 in 2016, ranked #13,966.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 262 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Gribbon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gribbon surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Gribbon 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 106 #16,512
1861 historical 152 #15,126
1881 historical 170 #14,265
1891 historical 237 #13,242
1901 historical 262 #12,740
1911 historical 88 #24,041
1997 modern 350 #12,172
1998 modern 346 #12,630
1999 modern 349 #12,638
2000 modern 357 #12,380
2001 modern 347 #12,449
2002 modern 360 #12,360
2003 modern 354 #12,319
2004 modern 365 #12,077
2005 modern 346 #12,464
2006 modern 337 #12,810
2007 modern 325 #13,291
2008 modern 318 #13,604
2009 modern 317 #13,899
2010 modern 324 #13,979
2011 modern 329 #13,694
2012 modern 321 #13,836
2013 modern 330 #13,777
2014 modern 331 #13,851
2015 modern 321 #14,062
2016 modern 324 #13,966

Geography

Back to top

Where Gribbons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Monkland, St Bees, Govan Combination, Manchester and Long Benton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Garthamlock, Auchinlea and Gartloch, Breckland, Craigend and Ruchazie, Shepway and Newcastle upon Tyne. 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 New Monkland Lanark
2 St Bees Cumberland
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Long Benton Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Garthamlock, Auchinlea and Gartloch Glasgow City
2 Breckland 007 Breckland
3 Craigend and Ruchazie Glasgow City
4 Shepway 010 Shepway
5 Newcastle upon Tyne 021 Newcastle upon Tyne

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Gribbon

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Gribbon

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gribbon, 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 Gribbon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Gribbon 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, Gribbon 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

Gribbon is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gribbon 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 Gribbon 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 - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Gribbon, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Gribbon

The surname Gribbon is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "grib" meaning "grip" or "grasp" and "hunta" meaning "hunter." It likely emerged in the 11th century as an occupational surname for a hunter or forester. The earliest recorded instance of the name comes from the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gribehunta" in Gloucestershire.

In the 12th century, the name was found in various forms such as Gribhunt, Gribbon, and Gribbyn in records from Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. These regional variations suggest the name was well-established across northern England during this time.

A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Gribbon, a knight who fought for King Edward III at the Battle of Crécy in 1346. He hailed from a prominent Gribbon family in Derbyshire.

During the 16th century, the Gribbon name was also present in parts of Scotland, likely due to migration from northern England. One example is Robert Gribbon, a merchant from Edinburgh born in 1527.

The surname Gribbon can be traced back to various place names in England, such as Gribben Head in Cornwall and Gribbon in Lancashire. These place names likely derived from the Old English words "grib" and "hunta," further solidifying the name's origins.

In the 17th century, records show a Thomas Gribbon born in 1612 in York, who was a prominent landowner and local magistrate. Another notable figure was William Gribbon, born in 1674 in Cheshire, who was a renowned scholar and author of several works on philosophy and theology.

By the 18th century, the Gribbon name had spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Ireland. One example is James Gribbon, born in 1745 in County Antrim, who was a renowned poet and playwright.

Throughout its history, the surname Gribbon has maintained a strong presence in England, particularly in the northern counties, but has also found roots in Scotland and Ireland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Gribbon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gribbon 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. Lanarkshire leads with 89 Gribbons recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.60x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 89 16.60x
Lancashire 20 1.02x
Northumberland 8 3.24x
Yorkshire 8 0.49x
Staffordshire 7 1.25x
Cumberland 6 4.20x
Dumfriesshire 5 13.65x
West Lothian 5 20.02x
Cornwall 4 2.13x
Middlesex 4 0.24x
Renfrewshire 4 3.11x
Kent 3 0.53x
Glamorgan 2 0.69x
Ayrshire 1 0.81x
Devon 1 0.29x
Durham 1 0.20x
Midlothian 1 0.45x
Northamptonshire 1 0.64x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 24 Gribbons recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.68x.

Place Total Index
Barony 24 17.68x
Glasgow 22 23.10x
Govan 12 9.05x
Dalziel 11 190.64x
New Monkland 10 63.09x
Newcastle Under Lyme 7 70.71x
Westgate 7 45.81x
West Derby 6 10.42x
Cadder 5 126.26x
Rutherglen 5 63.53x
Bootle Cum Linacre 4 25.59x
Camborne 4 51.68x
Dumfries 4 110.80x
Hammersmith London 4 9.79x
Houston Killallan 4 322.58x
Kirkdale 4 12.08x
Normanby In 4 91.12x
Chorlton On Medlock 3 9.60x
Lofthouse 3 122.45x
Woolwich 3 14.35x
Aberavon 2 75.19x
Arlecdon 2 52.63x
Carriden 2 176.99x
Linlithgow 2 62.50x
Boness 1 29.07x
Cleator 1 16.84x
Devonport 1 25.19x
Egremont 1 29.41x
Harton 1 51.28x
Holywood 1 163.93x
Liverpool 1 0.84x
Lowick 1 116.28x
Middlesbrough 1 4.67x
Northampton St Sepulchre 1 12.61x
Preston Quarter 1 25.00x
Stevenston 1 30.96x
Toxteth Park 1 1.50x
Walton Le Dale 1 18.90x
West Calder 1 22.83x
Workington 1 12.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 8
William 3
Bernard 2
Francis 2
Henry 2
James 2
Thomas 2
Walter 2
Alex 1
Edward 1
Edwd.J.E. 1
Hugh 1
Joseph 1
Owen 1
Patrick 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Gribbon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gribbon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 170 people were recorded with the Gribbon surname. That placed it at #14,265 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gribbon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 324 in 2016. That gives Gribbon a modern rank of #13,966.

What does the Gribbon surname mean?

A surname referring to a woodworker or carpenter.

What does the Gribbon map show?

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