NameCensus.

UK surname

Kilborn

A locational surname derived from a place in Bedfordshire, England or Kilwinning, Scotland.

In the 1881 census there were 130 people recorded with the Kilborn surname, ranking it #16,911 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 123, ranked #27,115, down from #16,911 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wellingborough, Burton-on-Trent and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kettering, Daventry and Northampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kilborn is 192 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 5.4%.

1881 census count

130

Ranked #16,911

Modern count

123

2016, ranked #27,115

Peak year

1911

192 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kilborn had 130 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,911 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 123 in 2016, ranked #27,115.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 192 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Kilborn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kilborn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kilborn 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 101 #17,036
1861 historical 76 #24,114
1881 historical 130 #16,911
1891 historical 160 #17,555
1901 historical 151 #17,988
1911 historical 192 #15,342
1997 modern 130 #23,021
1998 modern 134 #23,202
1999 modern 142 #22,607
2000 modern 134 #23,358
2001 modern 132 #23,230
2002 modern 132 #23,680
2003 modern 134 #23,260
2004 modern 134 #23,425
2005 modern 124 #24,529
2006 modern 129 #24,165
2007 modern 120 #25,606
2008 modern 120 #25,922
2009 modern 121 #26,373
2010 modern 125 #26,448
2011 modern 122 #26,647
2012 modern 124 #26,432
2013 modern 122 #27,122
2014 modern 122 #27,358
2015 modern 123 #27,088
2016 modern 123 #27,115

Geography

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Where Kilborns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wellingborough, Burton-on-Trent, London parishes, Braybrook and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kettering, Daventry, Northampton, Reigate and Banstead and North Tyneside. 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 Wellingborough Northamptonshire
2 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Braybrook Leicestershire
5 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kettering 002 Kettering
2 Daventry 001 Daventry
3 Northampton 017 Northampton
4 Reigate and Banstead 018 Reigate and Banstead
5 North Tyneside 005 North Tyneside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kilborn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kilborn

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Kilborn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Kilborn household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Kilborn 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

Kilborn is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kilborn falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kilborn 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Kilborn

The surname Kilborn originated in England and is derived from a place name meaning "stream of the kilns" or "brook by the kiln." It is believed to have emerged in the 12th or 13th century, with early records showing variations in spelling such as Kilburne and Kilbourne.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1275, which mentions a Hugo de Kilburne. Another early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, listing a William de Kylburne.

The surname is thought to have originated in the county of Derbyshire, where there is a village called Kilburn. This place name is derived from the Old English words "cycelen" meaning kiln and "burna" meaning stream or brook.

In the 16th century, the Kilborn surname appeared in various parish records across England, such as those of St. Dunstan's in Stepney, London, where a Thomas Kilborne was listed in 1568. Another early record is from the parish of St. Mary Magdalen in Canterbury, Kent, where a John Kilborne was baptized in 1585.

Notable individuals with the Kilborn surname throughout history include:

1. John Kilborn (c. 1580-1654), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works. 2. Thomas Kilborn (1718-1789), a British soldier and officer in the American Revolutionary War. 3. Benjamin Kilborn (1785-1859), an American Baptist minister and missionary who served in Burma (Myanmar). 4. William Kilborn (1837-1908), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament. 5. Ralph Kilborn (1890-1962), a Canadian journalist and broadcaster known for his work with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

While the Kilborn surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly North America, through immigration and migration.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kilborn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kilborn 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. Northamptonshire leads with 66 Kilborns recorded in 1881 and an index of 55.35x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 66 55.35x
Lancashire 17 1.13x
Leicestershire 17 12.09x
Essex 8 3.20x
Norfolk 7 3.59x
Lincolnshire 6 2.96x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.76x
Cheshire 2 0.71x
Middlesex 2 0.16x
Bedfordshire 1 1.52x
Yorkshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Desborough in Northamptonshire leads with 16 Kilborns recorded in 1881 and an index of 1777.78x.

Place Total Index
Desborough 16 1777.78x
Braybrooke 13 8125.00x
Castle Donnington 12 1025.64x
Chorlton On Medlock 12 50.21x
Rothwell 8 666.67x
Wellingborough 8 133.33x
Danbury 7 1666.67x
Heckingham 7 5000.00x
Market Deeping 6 1132.08x
Stanion 6 4000.00x
Kettering 5 103.73x
Ecton 4 1481.48x
Manchester 4 5.91x
Market Harborough 3 468.75x
Northampton St Sepulchre 3 49.42x
Nottingham St Mary 3 6.79x
Dukinfield 2 15.47x
Beaumont 1 526.32x
Bradford 1 3.29x
Burton Latimer 1 138.89x
Farndish 1 3333.33x
Great Easton 1 434.78x
Islington London 1 0.81x
Kingsthorpe 1 75.19x
Loddington 1 909.09x
Lutterworth 1 116.28x
Paddington London 1 2.15x
Walmersley Cum 1 41.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Elizabeth 6
Ann 4
Caroline 3
Emily 3
Harriet 3
Maria 3
Alice 2
Edith 2
Emma 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Hannah 2
Helen 2
Sarah 2
Annie 1
Bertha 1
C. 1
Catherine 1
Cecelia 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Ethel 1
Idi 1
Isabella 1
Lilly 1
Margerett 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Pheobe 1
Rowana 1
Viley 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Kilborn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kilborn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 130 people were recorded with the Kilborn surname. That placed it at #16,911 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kilborn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 123 in 2016. That gives Kilborn a modern rank of #27,115.

What does the Kilborn surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place in Bedfordshire, England or Kilwinning, Scotland.

What does the Kilborn map show?

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