NameCensus.

UK surname

Kemball

In the 1881 census there were 96 people recorded with the Kemball surname, ranking it #20,248 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 90, ranked #32,202, down from #20,248 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Chigwell, London parishes and Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Holland, Suffolk Coastal and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kemball is 140 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 6.3%.

1881 census count

96

Ranked #20,248

Modern count

90

2016, ranked #32,202

Peak year

1911

140 bearers

Map years

4

1851 to 1911

Key insights

  • Kemball had 96 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,248 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 140 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Kemball surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kemball surname density by area, 1911 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Kemball 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 102 #16,933
1861 historical 85 #22,922
1881 historical 96 #20,248
1891 historical 124 #20,818
1901 historical 126 #19,970
1911 historical 140 #18,657
1997 modern 98 #27,179
1998 modern 96 #28,188
1999 modern 97 #28,187
2000 modern 100 #27,695
2001 modern 93 #28,382
2002 modern 97 #28,383
2003 modern 100 #27,722
2004 modern 101 #27,813
2005 modern 105 #27,203
2006 modern 99 #28,453
2007 modern 99 #28,852
2008 modern 95 #29,822
2009 modern 93 #30,682
2010 modern 98 #30,540
2011 modern 97 #30,552
2012 modern 88 #32,064
2013 modern 94 #31,656
2014 modern 90 #32,309
2015 modern 92 #32,075
2016 modern 90 #32,202

Geography

Back to top

Where Kemballs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Chigwell, London parishes, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a, Boxford, Groton and St Matthew Bethnal Green. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Holland, Suffolk Coastal, Cheshire East, Westminster and Stockport. 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 Chigwell Essex
2 London parishes London 3
3 Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a Essex
4 Boxford, Groton Suffolk
5 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Holland 008 South Holland
2 Suffolk Coastal 007 Suffolk Coastal
3 Cheshire East 028 Cheshire East
4 Westminster 021 Westminster
5 Stockport 027 Stockport

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Kemball

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Kemball

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kemball, 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 Kemball surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Kemball 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Kemball is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kemball is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kemball 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 Kemball is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Kemball families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kemball 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. Suffolk leads with 31 Kemballs recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.18x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 31 27.18x
Kent 21 6.57x
Middlesex 13 1.39x
Essex 11 5.95x
Gloucestershire 7 3.81x
Norfolk 4 2.78x
Lancashire 3 0.27x
Surrey 3 0.66x
Hampshire 1 0.52x
Sussex 1 0.63x
Wiltshire 1 1.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Risby in Suffolk leads with 8 Kemballs recorded in 1881 and an index of 5714.29x.

Place Total Index
Risby 8 5714.29x
Bethnal Green London 6 14.75x
Groton 6 4000.00x
Plumstead 6 56.34x
Boxford 5 2380.95x
Clifton 5 53.88x
Ipswich St Helen 5 370.37x
Stansted 5 3846.15x
Brockdish 4 2857.14x
Colchester St Giles 4 218.58x
Deal 4 147.06x
Mile End Old Town London 4 20.07x
Bow London 3 25.17x
Little Bolton 3 20.99x
West Ham 3 7.35x
Bristol St Stephen 2 416.67x
Brundish 2 1666.67x
Colchester St Mary At 2 303.03x
Folkestone 2 32.26x
Harkstead 2 1666.67x
Holbrook 2 800.00x
Milton In Gravesend 2 41.75x
Bermondsey 1 3.59x
Brighton 1 3.14x
Chislehurst 1 58.48x
Colchester St James 1 133.33x
Colchester St Peter 1 135.14x
Crayford 1 71.43x
Croydon 1 3.95x
Egham 1 35.71x
Fonthill Gifford 1 666.67x
Ipswich St Mary Stoke 1 94.34x
Whippingham 1 68.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 8
George 5
John 5
Frederick 4
Alfred 3
James 3
Richard 3
Robert 3
Charles 2
Francis 2
Henry 2
Percy 2
Alexr.G. 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Frederic 1
Fredrick 1
Hubert 1
Hugh 1
Jno. 1
Oswald 1

FAQ

Kemball surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kemball surname in 1881?

In 1881, 96 people were recorded with the Kemball surname. That placed it at #20,248 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kemball surname today?

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

What does the Kemball map show?

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