NameCensus.

UK surname

Holborn

An English locational surname referring to someone who lived in or near the area of Holborn, London.

In the 1881 census there were 310 people recorded with the Holborn surname, ranking it #9,488 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 417, ranked #11,504, down from #9,488 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cave, South, Darlington and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carmarthenshire, Northumberland and Reading.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Holborn is 437 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.5%.

1881 census count

310

Ranked #9,488

Modern count

417

2016, ranked #11,504

Peak year

2002

437 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Holborn had 310 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,488 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 417 in 2016, ranked #11,504.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 428 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Holborn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Holborn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Holborn 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 219 #9,712
1861 historical 201 #11,949
1881 historical 310 #9,488
1891 historical 373 #9,367
1901 historical 368 #10,057
1911 historical 428 #8,827
1997 modern 415 #10,709
1998 modern 424 #10,880
1999 modern 427 #10,919
2000 modern 424 #10,919
2001 modern 422 #10,773
2002 modern 437 #10,693
2003 modern 423 #10,805
2004 modern 411 #11,053
2005 modern 409 #10,999
2006 modern 416 #10,912
2007 modern 406 #11,249
2008 modern 402 #11,419
2009 modern 400 #11,729
2010 modern 428 #11,352
2011 modern 413 #11,560
2012 modern 419 #11,295
2013 modern 429 #11,280
2014 modern 428 #11,371
2015 modern 421 #11,435
2016 modern 417 #11,504

Geography

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Where Holborns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cave, South, Darlington, London parishes, Terrington St Clement, Terrington St John and St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Carmarthenshire, Northumberland, Reading, Mendip and Kingston upon Hull. 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 Cave, South Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Darlington Durham
3 London parishes London 3
4 Terrington St Clement, Terrington St John Cambridgeshire
5 St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carmarthenshire 024 Carmarthenshire
2 Northumberland 001 Northumberland
3 Reading 011 Reading
4 Mendip 007 Mendip
5 Kingston upon Hull 024 Kingston upon Hull, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Holborn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Holborn

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Holborn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Holborn household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Holborn 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

Holborn 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

Holborn falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Holborn

The surname Holborn has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the place name Holborn, which refers to a district in the London borough of Camden. The name Holborn itself is thought to come from the Old English words "hol" and "burna," meaning "hollow brook" or "stream in a hollow."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Holborn surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the Holborn name was already established in England by the late 11th century.

Over the centuries, the surname Holborn has been spelled in various ways, including Hollborne, Hollbourne, and Holburn. This variation in spelling was common in earlier times when standardized spelling was less established.

Some notable individuals with the Holborn surname throughout history include:

1. John Holborn (c. 1440 - c. 1505), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 1495.

2. William Holborn (1571 - 1645), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis in the early 17th century.

3. Robert Holborn (1661 - 1724), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London, including St. Paul's Cathedral.

4. Elizabeth Holborn (1773 - 1858), a British author and poet who wrote several works on religious and moral themes.

5. Sir Frederic Holborn (1858 - 1931), a British lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Justice of Appeal in the early 20th century.

While the Holborn surname is not among the most common in England, it has a long and rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period and the place name from which it originated.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Holborn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Holborn 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. Yorkshire leads with 78 Holborns recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.62x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 78 2.62x
Surrey 31 2.12x
Middlesex 28 0.93x
Durham 27 3.02x
Norfolk 21 4.55x
Bedfordshire 15 9.64x
Kent 13 1.27x
Lanarkshire 11 1.13x
Somerset 11 2.27x
Midlothian 10 2.48x
Fife 9 5.06x
Lancashire 9 0.25x
Gloucestershire 7 1.19x
Essex 6 1.01x
Cornwall 5 1.47x
Renfrewshire 5 2.15x
Glamorgan 4 0.76x
Cambridgeshire 3 1.58x
Channel Islands 3 3.37x
Derbyshire 2 0.43x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.49x
Ayrshire 1 0.44x
Berkshire 1 0.44x
Leicestershire 1 0.30x
Northamptonshire 1 0.35x
Northumberland 1 0.22x
Royal Navy 1 2.79x
Staffordshire 1 0.10x
Worcestershire 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wrestlingworth in Bedfordshire leads with 15 Holborns recorded in 1881 and an index of 2238.81x.

Place Total Index
Wrestlingworth 15 2238.81x
Terrington St Clement 11 526.32x
Darlington 10 28.98x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 10 6.18x
South Cave 10 1010.10x
Abbotshall 9 135.34x
Lambeth 9 3.44x
Govan 8 3.33x
Sculcoates 8 16.95x
Westoe 8 15.79x
Barnsley 7 22.79x
Bermondsey 7 7.83x
Bethnal Green London 7 5.36x
Guisbrough 7 107.53x
Islington London 7 2.40x
Churchill 6 779.22x
Colchester St Nicholas 6 1132.08x
Southcoates 6 36.30x
Southwark St George Martyr 6 9.92x
St Peters 6 126.58x
Bristol St James In 5 57.67x
Crowan 5 2272.73x
Eskdaleside 5 342.47x
Linthorpe 5 28.14x
Norwich St Simon St Jude 5 1388.89x
West Greenock 5 11.96x
York St Giles In 5 177.94x
York St Mary 5 40.55x
Bradford 4 5.55x
Camberwell 4 2.08x
Cogan 4 512.82x
Falmouth 4 33.22x
Folkestone 4 20.12x
Hornby In Northallerton 4 1481.48x
Newington 4 3.60x
Owthorne 4 714.29x
Ratcliffe London 4 24.11x
West Derby 4 3.84x
Bow London 3 7.84x
Kensington London 3 1.80x
St Helier 3 10.35x
Stockton On Tees 3 6.96x
Wrelton 3 1250.00x
Barony 2 0.81x
Bishopton 2 555.56x
Chesterfield 2 11.34x
Great Crosby 2 20.58x
Herne 2 44.05x
Hornsey 2 5.26x
Hulme 2 2.69x
Mordon 2 1111.11x
Papplewick 2 588.24x
Sprowston 2 98.04x
Tilney All Sts 2 344.83x
Wisbech St Peter 2 20.96x
Beith 1 14.90x
Bristol St Paul In 1 6.37x
Byker 1 4.52x
Chatham 1 3.55x
Clifton In York 1 16.05x
Everton 1 0.88x
Glen Parva 1 128.21x
Hampstead London 1 2.14x
Horningsea 1 238.10x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 1 7.21x
Kings Norton 1 2.84x
Madron Penzance 1 8.08x
New Windsor 1 13.19x
Northallerton 1 26.32x
Painswick 1 23.98x
Rowley Regis 1 3.54x
Royal Navy 1 3.27x
Rutherglen 1 7.02x
Scagglethorpe 1 384.62x
St Marylebone London 1 0.62x
Stranton 1 3.32x
Sunderland 1 6.34x
Thorner 1 104.17x
Wandsworth 1 3.46x
Whilton 1 277.78x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 14
Sarah 11
Ann 7
Annie 7
Margaret 5
Alice 4
Anne 4
Eliza 4
Amelia 3
Caroline 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Florence 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Charlotte 2
Emma 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Fanny 2
Harriet 2
Jane 2
Lizzie 2
Lucy 2
Amy 1
Bessie 1
Catherine 1
Celia 1
Eleanor 1
Elisabeth 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth 1
Elizth. 1
Elsie 1
Frances 1
Hariet 1
Lavinia 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Louiza 1
M. 1
Maria 1
Marian 1
Maud 1
Muriel 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Rosamond 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 25
Henry 11
Thomas 11
Robert 10
Charles 8
George 8
James 7
John 6
Arthur 5
Frederick 4
Alfred 3
Joseph 3
Matthew 3
Albert 2
Frank 2
Samuel 2
A.Charles 1
August 1
Chas. 1
Dick 1
E.Henry 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fredk. 1
Hans 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Mark 1
Michael 1
Richard 1
Robt. 1
Solomon 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Holborn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Holborn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 310 people were recorded with the Holborn surname. That placed it at #9,488 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Holborn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 417 in 2016. That gives Holborn a modern rank of #11,504.

What does the Holborn surname mean?

An English locational surname referring to someone who lived in or near the area of Holborn, London.

What does the Holborn map show?

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