NameCensus.

UK surname

Knibbs

Possibly derived from the Middle English "cnabben" meaning to knab or nibble.

In the 1881 census there were 731 people recorded with the Knibbs surname, ranking it #5,001 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,202, ranked #4,950, up from #5,001 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Akely and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Aylesbury Vale, East Hampshire and South Kesteven.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Knibbs is 1,283 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 64.4%.

1881 census count

731

Ranked #5,001

Modern count

1,202

2016, ranked #4,950

Peak year

2002

1,283 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Knibbs had 731 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,001 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,202 in 2016, ranked #4,950.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,113 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Knibbs surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Knibbs surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Knibbs 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 448 #5,502
1861 historical 414 #6,200
1881 historical 731 #5,001
1891 historical 817 #4,956
1901 historical 996 #4,780
1911 historical 1,113 #4,176
1997 modern 1,138 #4,931
1998 modern 1,228 #4,787
1999 modern 1,223 #4,841
2000 modern 1,243 #4,763
2001 modern 1,218 #4,743
2002 modern 1,283 #4,626
2003 modern 1,230 #4,710
2004 modern 1,195 #4,822
2005 modern 1,166 #4,880
2006 modern 1,179 #4,848
2007 modern 1,204 #4,804
2008 modern 1,225 #4,766
2009 modern 1,272 #4,707
2010 modern 1,282 #4,756
2011 modern 1,240 #4,852
2012 modern 1,221 #4,846
2013 modern 1,221 #4,919
2014 modern 1,210 #4,980
2015 modern 1,192 #5,004
2016 modern 1,202 #4,950

Geography

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Where Knibbs' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Akely, Manchester, Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken and Brackley St James and St Peter, Whitfield, Syresham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Aylesbury Vale, East Hampshire, South Kesteven and Bracknell Forest. 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 3
2 Akely Buckinghamshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire
5 Brackley St James and St Peter, Whitfield, Syresham Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Aylesbury Vale 002 Aylesbury Vale
2 East Hampshire 010 East Hampshire
3 South Kesteven 008 South Kesteven
4 Bracknell Forest 007 Bracknell Forest
5 Aylesbury Vale 001 Aylesbury Vale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Knibbs

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Knibbs

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Knibbs is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Knibbs 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

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

Meaning and origin of Knibbs

The surname KNIBBS originated in England, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cnybba," which means "knob" or "lump," and was likely used as a nickname for someone with a large or prominent nose or other physical feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KNIBBS surname can be found in the parish records of Derbyshire in the late 1500s, where the name was spelled as "Knybbe." Over time, the spelling evolved into its modern form, KNIBBS.

The KNIBBS surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire, where it was often associated with families living in rural areas or small villages. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include William Knybbe, who was recorded in the Derbyshire Parish Records in 1597, and John Knibbs, who was listed in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Staffordshire in 1666.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals with the KNIBBS surname made their mark in various fields. One of the most prominent was Sir Henry Knibbs (1774-1839), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Bath for his valor.

Another notable figure was George Knibbs (1858-1929), an Australian statistician and demographer who played a crucial role in the development of the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, now known as the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The KNIBBS surname also has connections to the literary world, with the English writer and poet John Knibbs (1670-1711) being one of its early representatives. Knibbs was known for his satirical works and was a contemporary of the famous poet Alexander Pope.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the KNIBBS surname dates back to the 17th century, with the arrival of Robert Knibbs in Virginia in 1635. Over the following centuries, the name spread across various states, with notable individuals such as John Knibbs (1758-1828), a prominent merchant and landowner in Massachusetts, and William Knibbs (1799-1876), a successful businessman and politician in Ohio.

Throughout its long history, the KNIBBS surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, artisans, soldiers, writers, and professionals, making it a diverse and enduring legacy that spans multiple continents and generations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Knibbs families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Knibbs 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. Oxfordshire leads with 109 Knibbs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.68x.

County Total Index
Oxfordshire 109 24.68x
Warwickshire 107 5.93x
Northamptonshire 91 13.53x
Middlesex 80 1.12x
Buckinghamshire 65 15.04x
Surrey 40 1.15x
Lancashire 38 0.45x
Berkshire 30 5.59x
Lincolnshire 19 1.66x
Kent 17 0.70x
Worcestershire 16 1.71x
Hampshire 14 0.96x
Yorkshire 14 0.20x
Derbyshire 11 0.98x
Denbighshire 10 3.70x
Leicestershire 9 1.14x
Staffordshire 9 0.37x
Huntingdonshire 8 5.63x
Cheshire 6 0.38x
Hertfordshire 6 1.22x
Devon 5 0.34x
Midlothian 5 0.52x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.88x
Caernarfonshire 3 1.04x
Glamorgan 3 0.24x
Sussex 3 0.25x
Essex 2 0.14x
Gloucestershire 2 0.14x
Somerset 2 0.17x
Bedfordshire 1 0.27x
Norfolk 1 0.09x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.10x
Shropshire 1 0.16x
Wiltshire 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Akeley in Buckinghamshire leads with 36 Knibbs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3789.47x.

Place Total Index
Akeley 36 3789.47x
Aston 36 7.25x
Brackley St Peter 33 715.84x
Coventry Holy Trinity 17 31.58x
Deddington 16 334.03x
Oxford St Ebbe 16 123.08x
Birmingham 14 2.33x
Stoke 14 394.37x
Battersea 13 4.94x
Bethnal Green London 13 4.19x
Old Windsor 13 209.34x
St George Hanover Square 13 10.32x
Woodstock 13 469.31x
Cookham 12 71.73x
Billingborough 11 378.01x
Fringford 11 1089.11x
Swerford 11 1067.96x
Coventry St Michael 10 17.27x
Egham 10 46.75x
Levenshulme 10 114.55x
Portsea 10 3.48x
Pytchley 10 724.64x
Keystone 8 1379.31x
Chorlton On Medlock 7 5.19x
Dalton In Furness 7 21.37x
Finedon 7 118.85x
Finmere 7 985.92x
Higham Ferrers 7 191.78x
Oxford St Peter In East 7 411.76x
Oxford St Thomas 7 33.96x
St George In East London 7 10.41x
Banstead 6 63.56x
Dallington 6 151.90x
Harmondsworth 6 135.14x
Hemel Hempstead 6 27.01x
Irthlingborough 6 91.05x
Kensington London 6 1.51x
Leckhampstead 6 722.89x
Leicester St Margaret 6 3.10x
Rotherhithe 6 6.79x
Sheldon 6 612.24x
St Pancras London 6 1.04x
Wigginton 6 923.08x
Winshill 6 84.03x
Wrexham Regis 6 29.91x
Buckingham 5 56.88x
Faversham 5 21.50x
Isham 5 531.91x
Kings Norton 5 5.97x
Long Lawford 5 297.62x
Oldbury 5 10.88x
Shipley 5 13.60x
Shoreditch London 5 1.61x
Sutton Stoneferry 5 24.67x
Betchton 4 198.02x
Brailsford 4 251.57x
Broadwas 4 519.48x
Bromley 4 10.76x
Burton Upon Trent 4 7.08x
Charwelton 4 888.89x
Corringham 4 219.78x
Elsworth 4 242.42x
Eton 4 40.82x
Kidlington 4 116.96x
Llanbedr 4 199.01x
Newington 4 1.51x
St George Bloomsbury 4 9.75x
Bangor 3 10.76x
Bootle Cum Linacre 3 4.45x
Bow London 3 3.30x
Clewer 3 13.64x
Great Marlow 3 25.71x
Horninglow 3 26.39x
Millbrook 3 8.13x
North Bierley 3 7.84x
North Leith 3 6.77x
Northfleet 3 13.96x
Oxford St Giles 3 14.24x
Syresham 3 153.06x
Tormoham 3 4.76x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 55
Sarah 39
Elizabeth 29
Eliza 19
Ann 16
Ellen 11
Alice 10
Annie 10
Emma 9
Caroline 8
Emily 8
Jane 7
Charlotte 6
Martha 6
Catherine 5
Clara 5
Hannah 5
Harriett 5
Louisa 5
Edith 4
Fanny 4
Sophia 4
Ada 3
Harriet 3
Laura 3
Maria 3
Rosa 3
Rose 3
Agnes 2
Amelia 2
Elizebth 2
Elizth. 2
Florence 2
Jemima 2
Kate 2
Lizzie 2
Margaret 2
Matilda 2
Nellie 2
Phebe 2
Phoebe 2
Rebecca 2
Susan 2
Bessie 1
Carrie 1
Elizth.N. 1
Esther 1
Janey 1
Johanna 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 51
John 31
Thomas 26
George 25
Henry 25
James 24
Charles 22
Joseph 15
Edward 11
Alfred 9
Geo. 9
Arthur 8
Richard 8
Walter 8
Albert 7
Samuel 7
Edwin 6
Frederick 5
Harry 5
Ernest 4
Frank 3
Herbert 3
Isaac 3
Robert 3
Ambrose 2
Chas. 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Fredrick 2
Jesse 2
Phillip 2
Willm. 2
Wm. 2
Anthony 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Edwd. 1
Evan 1
Fredk. 1
H. 1
Humphry 1
Jonas 1
Jos. 1
Lewis 1
Moses 1
Ralph 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1
Wm.Heny. 1

FAQ

Knibbs surname: questions and answers

How common was the Knibbs surname in 1881?

In 1881, 731 people were recorded with the Knibbs surname. That placed it at #5,001 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Knibbs surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,202 in 2016. That gives Knibbs a modern rank of #4,950.

What does the Knibbs surname mean?

Possibly derived from the Middle English "cnabben" meaning to knab or nibble.

What does the Knibbs map show?

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