NameCensus.

UK surname

Kilbourne

An English toponymic surname derived from places meaning "stream by a kiln" or "kiln stream."

In the 1881 census there were 104 people recorded with the Kilbourne surname, ranking it #19,296 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 150, ranked #23,724, down from #19,296 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sawley, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Leicester, Derbyshire Dales and Erewash.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kilbourne is 193 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 44.2%.

1881 census count

104

Ranked #19,296

Modern count

150

2016, ranked #23,724

Peak year

1911

193 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kilbourne had 104 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,296 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 150 in 2016, ranked #23,724.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 193 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Kilbourne surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kilbourne surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kilbourne 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 68 #21,302
1861 historical 61 #26,170
1881 historical 104 #19,296
1891 historical 119 #21,415
1901 historical 176 #16,401
1911 historical 193 #15,294
1997 modern 169 #19,578
1998 modern 170 #20,030
1999 modern 168 #20,312
2000 modern 167 #20,332
2001 modern 163 #20,372
2002 modern 163 #20,767
2003 modern 156 #21,115
2004 modern 156 #21,261
2005 modern 147 #22,057
2006 modern 147 #22,221
2007 modern 153 #21,912
2008 modern 154 #22,034
2009 modern 166 #21,469
2010 modern 162 #22,292
2011 modern 151 #23,204
2012 modern 145 #23,780
2013 modern 146 #24,107
2014 modern 146 #24,274
2015 modern 149 #23,817
2016 modern 150 #23,724

Geography

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Where Kilbournes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sawley, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars, Hallaton and Ashby-de-la-Zouch. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Leicester, Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, Oadby and Wigston and Leeds. 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 Sawley Derbyshire
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
4 Hallaton Rutland
5 Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Leicester 026 Leicester
2 Derbyshire Dales 007 Derbyshire Dales
3 Erewash 012 Erewash
4 Oadby and Wigston 009 Oadby and Wigston
5 Leeds 035 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kilbourne

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kilbourne

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kilbourne, 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 Kilbourne surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Kilbourne 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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Kilbourne is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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 very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kilbourne 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

Kilbourne falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kilbourne is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Kilbourne

The surname Kilbourne has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cyl" meaning "kiln" and "burna" meaning "stream," suggesting a connection to an area near a stream or river where kilns were located.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Kilbourne can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England, completed in 1086 under the direction of William the Conqueror. It mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Chilburne, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the surname.

During the Middle Ages, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire, where several villages and hamlets bore similar names, such as Kilburn, Kilborne, and Kilbourne. These place names likely influenced the evolution of the surname.

One notable figure in the history of the Kilbourne name was Sir John Kilbourne, who lived in the 14th century and served as a knight and landowner in Wiltshire. Another was William Kilbourne, born in 1616, who was among the early Puritan settlers in Massachusetts Bay Colony and became a prominent figure in the town of Rowley.

In the 17th century, the Kilbourne family played a significant role in the English Civil War. Colonel Thomas Kilbourne (1619-1682) was a staunch Parliamentarian and served under Oliver Cromwell's command during the conflict.

As the Kilbourne family spread across England and later to the American colonies, various spellings emerged, including Kilborn, Kilbourn, and Kilburn. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was James Kilbourne (1770-1850), an American surveyor and politician who co-founded the city of Columbus, Ohio.

Another notable figure was John Kilbourne (1786-1857), an American Baptist minister and educator who served as the first president of Brown University from 1799 to 1826, playing a crucial role in the institution's early development.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kilbourne families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kilbourne 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. Leicestershire leads with 36 Kilbournes recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.32x.

County Total Index
Leicestershire 36 32.32x
Derbyshire 19 12.08x
Nottinghamshire 12 8.86x
Staffordshire 7 2.06x
Surrey 7 1.43x
Essex 5 2.52x
Middlesex 5 0.50x
Northamptonshire 5 5.29x
Norfolk 3 1.94x
Suffolk 3 2.45x
Warwickshire 1 0.39x

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 Margaret in Leicestershire leads with 11 Kilbournes recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.50x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Margaret 11 40.50x
Hallaton 8 3200.00x
Camberwell 6 9.35x
Leicester St Nicholas 6 952.38x
Sawley 6 1276.60x
Walsall Foreign 6 34.25x
Selston 5 331.13x
Stapenhill 5 213.68x
West Ham 5 11.42x
Chilwell 4 1111.11x
Long Eaton 4 192.31x
Loughborough 4 79.21x
Brafield On Green 3 1578.95x
Ilkeston 3 68.03x
Leicester All Sts 3 136.99x
Mile End Old Town London 3 14.03x
Stanstead 3 2307.69x
Geddington 2 666.67x
Leicester St Mary 2 22.22x
Nottingham St Mary 2 5.71x
St Pancras London 2 2.47x
Walsoken 2 215.05x
Alburgh 1 476.19x
Ashby De La Zouch 1 38.76x
Branstone 1 294.12x
Castle Donnington 1 108.70x
Derby St Werburgh 1 11.01x
Lambeth 1 1.14x
Leamington Priors 1 16.05x
West Bridgford 1 769.23x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 7
Elizabeth 6
Mary 5
Emily 4
Eliza 3
Ellen 3
Ann 2
Annie 2
Jane 2
Lizzie 2
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Catherine 1
Edith 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Georgeina 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Jemima 1
Kate 1
Kezia 1
Lucy 1
Martha 1
Voiletta 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 9
William 7
Samuel 6
John 5
Albert 2
Francis 2
Thomas 2
Walter 2
Abram 1
Arthur 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Henry 1
Isaac 1
Philip 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Robt. 1
Simon 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Kilbourne surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kilbourne surname in 1881?

In 1881, 104 people were recorded with the Kilbourne surname. That placed it at #19,296 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kilbourne surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 150 in 2016. That gives Kilbourne a modern rank of #23,724.

What does the Kilbourne surname mean?

An English toponymic surname derived from places meaning "stream by a kiln" or "kiln stream."

What does the Kilbourne map show?

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