NameCensus.

UK surname

Hibben

A surname likely derived from a place name in England or Scotland.

In the 1881 census there were 68 people recorded with the Hibben surname, ranking it #23,950 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 90, ranked #32,202, down from #23,950 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Minster, Swanscombe and Dartford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pembrokeshire, Neath Port Talbot and Colchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hibben is 110 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.4%.

1881 census count

68

Ranked #23,950

Modern count

90

2016, ranked #32,202

Peak year

1911

110 bearers

Map years

3

1891 to 1911

Key insights

  • Hibben had 68 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,950 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016, ranked #32,202.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 110 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Hibben surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hibben surname density by area, 1911 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hibben 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 15 #30,614
1861 historical 77 #23,975
1881 historical 68 #23,950
1891 historical 100 #24,045
1901 historical 106 #22,076
1911 historical 110 #21,519
1997 modern 95 #27,638
1998 modern 84 #29,537
1999 modern 89 #29,168
2000 modern 88 #29,284
2001 modern 82 #29,714
2002 modern 90 #29,314
2003 modern 83 #30,088
2004 modern 89 #29,623
2005 modern 93 #29,133
2006 modern 97 #28,793
2007 modern 98 #29,019
2008 modern 98 #29,355
2009 modern 96 #30,239
2010 modern 98 #30,540
2011 modern 100 #30,058
2012 modern 99 #30,442
2013 modern 103 #30,235
2014 modern 95 #31,792
2015 modern 90 #32,245
2016 modern 90 #32,202

Geography

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Where Hibbens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Minster, Swanscombe, Dartford, Stone-near-Dartford and Bexley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pembrokeshire, Neath Port Talbot, Colchester, Canterbury and Maidstone. 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 Minster Kent
2 Swanscombe Kent
3 Dartford Kent
4 Stone-near-Dartford Kent
5 Bexley Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pembrokeshire 006 Pembrokeshire
2 Neath Port Talbot 013 Neath Port Talbot
3 Colchester 021 Colchester
4 Canterbury 006 Canterbury
5 Maidstone 015 Maidstone

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hibben

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hibben

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Hibben 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

Hibben is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hibben 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 Hibben is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hibben

The surname Hibben is believed to have originated in the northern regions of England, particularly in the counties of Northumberland and Yorkshire, during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hib" or "hibbe," which referred to a hill or a hilly area. This suggests that the name may have initially been a locational surname, given to individuals who resided near or on a hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hibben can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where it appears as "Hibben." In the Hundred Rolls of Northumberland, compiled in the 13th century, the name is listed as "Hybbyn," further indicating its regional origins.

The Hibben surname has also been linked to several place names in northern England, such as Hibbin, a small hamlet in the North Yorkshire Moors, and Hibburn, a village near Hexham in Northumberland. These place names likely originated from the same Old English root words as the surname itself.

In the 14th century, records show a Robert Hibben who was a landowner in the village of Warkworth, Northumberland. Another notable early bearer of the name was William Hibben, a merchant who lived in York in the late 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the British Empire expanded and colonization efforts increased, many individuals with the surname Hibben migrated to other parts of the world, including North America and the Caribbean. One such individual was John Hibben, an English colonist who settled in Barbados in the mid-17th century.

In the late 18th century, a prominent figure named James Hibben was born in Scotland. He later became a respected minister and educator in the United States, serving as the president of Princeton University from 1845 to 1854.

Another noteworthy bearer of the Hibben surname was Samuel Hibben, a Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania who fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.

In the 19th century, Charles Godfrey Hibben, born in 1838 in New Jersey, gained recognition as a renowned lawyer and judge, serving as a Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1891 to 1911.

While the surname Hibben is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history and can be traced back to its roots in the rugged landscapes of northern England, where it likely originated as a locational name for those residing near or on a hill.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hibben families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hibben 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. Kent leads with 58 Hibbens recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.63x.

County Total Index
Kent 58 25.63x
Norfolk 8 7.85x
Hampshire 1 0.74x
Middlesex 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bexley in Kent leads with 26 Hibbens recorded in 1881 and an index of 1300.00x.

Place Total Index
Bexley 26 1300.00x
Stone In Dartford 14 2413.79x
Great Yarmouth 8 94.67x
Minster In Sheppey 8 213.33x
Swanscombe 8 784.31x
Chelsea London 1 5.01x
Foots Cray 1 232.56x
Maidstone 1 14.84x
Portsea 1 3.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 3
Alice 2
Emma 2
Mary 2
Ann 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Eliza 1
Elizath. 1
Ella 1
Ellen 1
Florence 1
Harriet 1
Jane 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Lela 1
Lydia 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Maude 1
Mercy 1
Sarah 1
Theophila 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Edward 4
James 4
Alfred 3
John 3
Robert 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
George 2
Percy 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Earnest 1
Edgar 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Infant 1
Jas. 1
Josiah 1
Thos. 1
William 1
Willie 1
Wm.Robert 1

FAQ

Hibben surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hibben surname in 1881?

In 1881, 68 people were recorded with the Hibben surname. That placed it at #23,950 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hibben surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016. That gives Hibben a modern rank of #32,202.

What does the Hibben surname mean?

A surname likely derived from a place name in England or Scotland.

What does the Hibben map show?

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