NameCensus.

UK surname

Hubbard

An occupational surname referring to a producer or seller of hubbard, a type of saltwater fish.

In the 1881 census there were 7,280 people recorded with the Hubbard surname, ranking it #586 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,105, ranked #720, down from #586 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lambeth and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mid Suffolk, Leicester and South Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hubbard is 10,215 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.1%.

1881 census count

7,280

Ranked #586

Modern count

9,105

2016, ranked #720

Peak year

1911

10,215 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hubbard had 7,280 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #586 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,105 in 2016, ranked #720.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 10,215 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hubbard surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hubbard surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hubbard 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 4,393 #644
1861 historical 4,463 #634
1881 historical 7,280 #586
1891 historical 7,653 #588
1901 historical 9,279 #564
1911 historical 10,215 #482
1997 modern 9,568 #656
1998 modern 9,921 #654
1999 modern 9,987 #655
2000 modern 9,834 #661
2001 modern 9,587 #664
2002 modern 9,692 #674
2003 modern 9,434 #679
2004 modern 9,462 #674
2005 modern 9,230 #681
2006 modern 9,171 #690
2007 modern 9,133 #700
2008 modern 9,064 #705
2009 modern 9,318 #704
2010 modern 9,520 #706
2011 modern 9,336 #708
2012 modern 9,106 #711
2013 modern 9,283 #710
2014 modern 9,316 #713
2015 modern 9,181 #714
2016 modern 9,105 #720

Geography

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Where Hubbards are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lambeth, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mid Suffolk, Leicester, South Norfolk and Harborough. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mid Suffolk 002 Mid Suffolk
2 Leicester 039 Leicester
3 Leicester 036 Leicester
4 South Norfolk 011 South Norfolk
5 Harborough 003 Harborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hubbard

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hubbard

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Hubbard is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hubbard is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hubbard falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hubbard

The surname Hubbard is an English name that originated in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hubba" meaning a knoll or small hill, and "hyrde" meaning a herdsman or shepherd. The name initially referred to someone who tended livestock on a small hill or raised area of land.

This occupational surname first appeared in records from the county of Yorkshire in northern England, where many early Hubbard families lived and worked as shepherds or livestock farmers on the rolling hills and dales of the region. Early spellings of the name included Huberd, Hubard, and Hubberde.

One of the earliest known references to the name Hubbard can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record from the reign of King Edward I. The entry lists a Walter Huberd from Yorkshire. Another early record is the Wakefield Court Rolls of 1275, which mention a Robert Hubard.

In the 14th century, the surname Hubbard began to spread beyond Yorkshire as families migrated to other parts of England. The name can be found in various medieval records and documents, such as the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which include a John Hubbard from Lincolnshire.

Prominent individuals with the surname Hubbard throughout history include William Hubbard (1621-1704), an early colonial historian and minister in Massachusetts; Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915), an American writer, publisher, and philosopher known for founding the Roycroft artisan community; Gardiner Greene Hubbard (1822-1897), an American philanthropist and founder of the National Geographic Society; and Thomas Hubbard (1586-1639), an early English settler and landowner in colonial Virginia.

Another notable figure was Edmund Hubbard (c.1460-1515), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1512. He was involved in the construction of several notable buildings in the city, including the famous Hubbard's Hall.

The surname Hubbard has a long and rich history, with roots dating back to the medieval era in England. Its origins as an occupational name reflect the agricultural and pastoral traditions of the regions where it first appeared.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hubbard families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hubbard 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. Middlesex leads with 1,109 Hubbards recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.56x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,109 1.56x
Norfolk 973 8.91x
Leicestershire 899 11.42x
Surrey 607 1.75x
Kent 545 2.25x
Suffolk 372 4.30x
Essex 328 2.34x
Warwickshire 270 1.51x
Yorkshire 231 0.33x
Lincolnshire 225 1.98x
Staffordshire 218 0.91x
Sussex 193 1.61x
Lancashire 165 0.20x
Nottinghamshire 156 1.63x
Cambridgeshire 104 2.31x
Derbyshire 84 0.76x
Durham 84 0.40x
Worcestershire 84 0.91x
Somerset 77 0.67x
Northamptonshire 63 0.94x
Huntingdonshire 60 4.25x
Rutland 59 11.31x
Hertfordshire 49 1.00x
Hampshire 46 0.32x
Cheshire 38 0.24x
Gloucestershire 32 0.23x
Devon 29 0.20x
Bedfordshire 28 0.76x
Buckinghamshire 26 0.61x
Glamorgan 14 0.11x
Oxfordshire 12 0.27x
Shropshire 11 0.18x
Berkshire 10 0.19x
Denbighshire 10 0.37x
Northumberland 9 0.09x
Cornwall 8 0.10x
Lanarkshire 7 0.03x
Royal Navy 7 0.83x
Cumberland 6 0.10x
Perthshire 6 0.19x
Wiltshire 6 0.10x
Westmorland 5 0.32x
Herefordshire 4 0.14x
Carmarthenshire 2 0.07x
Channel Islands 2 0.10x
Renfrewshire 2 0.04x
Dorset 1 0.02x
Monmouthshire 1 0.02x
Orkney 1 0.13x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.04x
Radnorshire 1 0.17x
Wigtownshire 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leicester St Mary in Leicestershire leads with 117 Hubbards recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.39x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Mary 117 18.39x
Lambeth 113 1.82x
Leicester St Margaret 111 5.78x
Aston 102 2.07x
Islington London 101 1.47x
Great Yarmouth 91 10.06x
Shoreditch London 91 2.96x
Bethnal Green London 90 2.92x
St Pancras London 83 1.45x
West Ham 79 2.55x
Camberwell 76 1.68x
Battersea 72 2.75x
Countesthorpe 72 267.96x
Loughborough 71 19.87x
Walsham Le Willows 66 228.53x
Hackney London 64 1.61x
Newington 56 2.13x
Bromley London 50 3.20x
Chartham 48 79.48x
Croydon 48 2.50x
Nottingham St Mary 45 1.82x
Chelsea London 44 2.06x
Kensington London 43 1.09x
Clerkenwell London 40 2.39x
Kings Norton 40 4.81x
Mile End Old Town London 40 2.65x
Southwark St George Martyr 40 2.80x
Paddington London 38 1.46x
St George Hanover Square 38 3.04x
Darlaston 37 11.17x
Witham 37 51.24x
Lewisham 36 2.79x
Poplar London 36 2.69x
Hilborough 35 425.79x
Birmingham 31 0.52x
Willesden 31 4.63x
Wolverhampton 31 1.68x
Everton 30 1.12x
Caistor Next Yarmouth 29 75.44x
Clapham 28 3.15x
Narborough 28 129.81x
Burton Upon Trent 27 4.81x
Heigham 27 4.61x
Willoughby Waterless 27 351.56x
Lakenham 26 16.76x
Sittingbourne 26 13.59x
Bitteswell 25 282.49x
Eaton 25 293.08x
Langham 25 150.78x
St Marylebone London 25 0.66x
Thetford St Mary 25 84.09x
Tonbridge 25 2.86x
Wymeswold 25 109.84x
Morton In Bourn 24 103.90x
St Andrewthe Less 24 4.67x
Deptford St Paul 23 1.23x
Gorleston 23 10.47x
Dedham 22 51.74x
Ipswich St Margaret 22 7.49x
Southwick 21 10.49x
Terrington St Clement 21 42.57x
Wigston Magna 21 20.11x
Barrow Upon Soar 20 30.75x
Brighton 20 0.83x
Broadwater 20 7.28x
Great Grimsby 20 2.77x
Syston 20 27.13x
Bow London 19 2.10x
Burnham Overy 19 126.67x
Dickleburgh 19 94.29x
Dudley 19 1.69x
Lowestoft 19 4.65x
Luton 19 2.98x
Ecclesfield 18 3.49x
Sheffield 18 0.80x
Somerby 18 139.21x
Wood Ditton 18 47.86x
Chatham 17 2.55x
Godmersham 17 195.40x
Grays Thurrock 17 13.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 421
Elizabeth 290
Sarah 278
Eliza 147
Emma 141
Ann 131
Alice 122
Emily 118
Ellen 98
Jane 92
Annie 83
Harriet 73
Louisa 67
Martha 62
Maria 58
Edith 55
Hannah 54
Florence 50
Charlotte 48
Kate 44
Fanny 42
Caroline 39
Ada 37
Harriett 34
Susan 33
Lucy 29
Margaret 28
Clara 27
Anne 26
Catherine 26
Esther 26
Rebecca 25
Rose 24
Frances 23
Matilda 23
Minnie 22
Susannah 22
Sophia 20
Amelia 18
Agnes 17
Julia 17
Ethel 16
Gertrude 16
Jessie 16
Selina 16
Amy 14
Lydia 13
Grace 12
Isabella 12
Ruth 12

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 468
John 375
George 289
James 217
Thomas 216
Charles 189
Henry 176
Arthur 116
Edward 94
Joseph 91
Robert 89
Alfred 87
Harry 72
Frederick 70
Albert 63
Samuel 58
Walter 58
Richard 56
Ernest 32
Frank 29
Herbert 25
Stephen 24
Wm. 23
Daniel 21
Benjamin 19
Edwin 19
David 18
Fred 16
Percy 16
Fredrick 13
Isaac 13
Chas. 12
Francis 11
Fredk. 11
Geo. 11
Thos. 11
Tom 11
Leonard 10
Robt. 9
Sidney 9
Willm. 8
Horace 7
Christopher 6
Jesse 6
Josiah 6
Peter 6
Edgar 5
Edmund 5
Elijah 5
Job 5

FAQ

Hubbard surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hubbard surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,280 people were recorded with the Hubbard surname. That placed it at #586 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hubbard surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,105 in 2016. That gives Hubbard a modern rank of #720.

What does the Hubbard surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a producer or seller of hubbard, a type of saltwater fish.

What does the Hubbard map show?

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