NameCensus.

UK surname

Kemble

A locational surname derived from the place name Kemble in Gloucestershire, England.

In the 1881 census there were 499 people recorded with the Kemble surname, ranking it #6,784 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 705, ranked #7,661, down from #6,784 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cheriton Bishop, London parishes and Battersea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cardiff, Teignbridge and Milton Keynes.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kemble is 767 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.3%.

1881 census count

499

Ranked #6,784

Modern count

705

2016, ranked #7,661

Peak year

1999

767 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kemble had 499 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,784 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 705 in 2016, ranked #7,661.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 720 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Kemble surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kemble surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kemble 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 381 #6,272
1861 historical 307 #8,262
1881 historical 499 #6,784
1891 historical 560 #6,775
1901 historical 653 #6,621
1911 historical 720 #5,933
1997 modern 733 #6,988
1998 modern 760 #7,025
1999 modern 767 #7,011
2000 modern 747 #7,124
2001 modern 733 #7,096
2002 modern 726 #7,299
2003 modern 710 #7,296
2004 modern 718 #7,237
2005 modern 707 #7,271
2006 modern 684 #7,510
2007 modern 679 #7,623
2008 modern 684 #7,615
2009 modern 691 #7,717
2010 modern 704 #7,746
2011 modern 698 #7,706
2012 modern 705 #7,562
2013 modern 726 #7,527
2014 modern 728 #7,553
2015 modern 722 #7,543
2016 modern 705 #7,661

Geography

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Where Kembles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cheriton Bishop, London parishes, Battersea and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cardiff, Teignbridge and Milton Keynes. 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 Cheriton Bishop Devon
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Battersea London (South Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cardiff 039 Cardiff
2 Cardiff 041 Cardiff
3 Teignbridge 004 Teignbridge
4 Milton Keynes 003 Milton Keynes
5 Cardiff 045 Cardiff

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kemble

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kemble

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

Challenged Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Kemble 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

Kemble is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kemble 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 Kemble 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 Kemble, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Kemble

The surname Kemble has its roots in England and is believed to have originated from the Old English word "kembol," which means "the ridge between two furrows." It is thought to have derived from a place name referring to a settlement on a ridge or hill.

Kemble is a locational surname, which means it was originally taken from the name of a place where the first bearers of the name resided. The earliest recorded mention of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Kembol" in reference to a settlement in Wiltshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Kemble, who lived in the 13th century and was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1221. Another early record is from the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, which mentions a William Kemble in 1273.

The Kemble family had a notable presence in the village of Presteigne, located on the border of Radnorshire and Herefordshire. This area was known as "Kemble's Country" due to the prevalence of the surname in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries.

One of the most famous individuals with the Kemble surname was John Philip Kemble, an acclaimed English actor and theatre manager who lived from 1757 to 1823. He was part of the illustrious Kemble family, which included his sister, Sarah Kemble Siddons, who was widely regarded as one of the greatest tragic actresses of the 18th century.

Another notable figure was Fanny Kemble, an English actress and author born in 1809. She was the daughter of Charles Kemble, a prominent actor and the youngest son of Roger Kemble, who was the patriarch of the renowned theatrical family.

Roger Kemble himself was an important figure, being a successful actor and theatre manager in the 18th century. He was born in 1721 and passed away in 1802, leaving behind a legacy that his children and grandchildren would carry forward in the world of theatre.

In addition to the theatrical Kemble family, there was also Sir Robert Kemble, a British diplomat and statesman who lived from 1671 to 1718. He served as the Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and was knighted for his services to the Crown.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kemble families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kemble 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 91 Kembles recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.88x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 91 1.88x
Surrey 84 3.56x
Devon 62 6.16x
Wiltshire 44 10.28x
Lancashire 35 0.61x
Essex 23 2.41x
Kent 19 1.15x
Suffolk 19 3.22x
Gloucestershire 15 1.58x
Yorkshire 13 0.27x
Oxfordshire 11 3.68x
Sussex 10 1.23x
Berkshire 8 2.20x
Cornwall 8 1.46x
Staffordshire 8 0.49x
Glamorgan 7 0.83x
Norfolk 7 0.94x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.92x
Shropshire 5 1.20x
Somerset 5 0.64x
Derbyshire 4 0.53x
Hampshire 4 0.40x
Warwickshire 3 0.25x
Cumberland 2 0.48x
Bedfordshire 1 0.40x
Leicestershire 1 0.19x
Royal Navy 1 1.73x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Battersea in Surrey leads with 29 Kembles recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.29x.

Place Total Index
Battersea 29 16.29x
Tedburn St Mary 18 1698.11x
Lambeth 17 4.03x
Islington London 12 2.56x
Swindon 12 36.16x
Camberwell 11 3.56x
Brighton 10 6.08x
Bromley London 10 9.39x
Ewell 10 200.80x
Stratton St Margaret 10 152.44x
Acton 9 937.50x
Boxford 9 825.69x
Leckhampton 9 153.85x
Lewisham 9 10.22x
Oxford St Ebbe 9 102.39x
Thorverton 9 588.24x
Allerton 8 583.94x
Liverpool 8 2.29x
St George Martyr London 8 81.63x
Norwood 7 63.29x
St Pancras London 7 1.80x
Bridford 6 833.33x
Brightside Bierlow 6 6.38x
Cardiff St Mary 6 12.93x
Kensington London 6 2.23x
Kingston On Thames 6 10.60x
Malmesbury St Paul 6 163.04x
Nottingham St Mary 6 3.56x
Stoke Upon Trent 6 3.46x
Berwick St John 5 781.25x
Cheriton Bishop 5 510.20x
Clerkenwell London 5 4.38x
Eltham 5 51.71x
Great Yarmouth 5 8.11x
Manchester 5 1.94x
Mevagissey 5 137.36x
Rodbourne Cheney 5 151.52x
St Anne Soho London 5 18.10x
Whitchurch 5 61.65x
Barking 4 14.31x
East Harptree 4 366.97x
Glossop Dale 4 11.28x
Hackney London 4 1.47x
Kirkdale 4 4.14x
Reading St Mary 4 13.75x
Runwell 4 714.29x
Salford 4 2.37x
St Marylebone London 4 1.55x
Stapleford Abbots 4 493.83x
Stokeinteignhead 4 370.37x
Wroughton 4 107.82x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 3 6.72x
Barnstaple 3 18.98x
Cheltenham 3 4.10x
Croydon 3 2.29x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 3.08x
St Clement 3 52.45x
St Luke London 3 3.87x
West Teignmouth 3 38.96x
Westbury On Trym 3 9.33x
Westminster St John 3 5.09x
Wolborough 3 23.57x
Birmingham 2 0.49x
Chingford 2 86.96x
Colchester St Giles 2 21.19x
Cookham 2 17.67x
Ealing 2 4.63x
Exeter St Thomas The 2 19.47x
Horbury 2 23.84x
Latchingdon Snoreham 2 219.78x
Pyrton 2 212.77x
Shrivenham 2 111.11x
South Mimms 2 30.17x
Southminster 2 95.24x
St Cuthbert W O 2 9.85x
St Martin In Fields 2 6.90x
Swaffham 2 33.06x
Walton On Hill 2 6.43x
Wanborough 2 136.99x
West Hanningfield 2 281.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 32
John 31
Charles 16
James 16
Henry 14
George 13
Robert 11
Thomas 11
Samuel 9
Arthur 8
Walter 5
Joseph 4
Alfred 3
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Richard 3
Albert 2
Edwin 2
Eli 2
Harold 2
Isaac 2
Lemuel 2
Bartlett 1
Benjamin 1
Chas. 1
David 1
Enos 1
Ernest 1
F.W. 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fredk 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Harray 1
Horatio 1
Hutton 1
Israel 1
J. 1
Nathanil 1
Nicholas 1
Oliver 1
Raymond 1
Richd. 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
W. 1

FAQ

Kemble surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kemble surname in 1881?

In 1881, 499 people were recorded with the Kemble surname. That placed it at #6,784 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kemble surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 705 in 2016. That gives Kemble a modern rank of #7,661.

What does the Kemble surname mean?

A locational surname derived from the place name Kemble in Gloucestershire, England.

What does the Kemble map show?

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