NameCensus.

UK surname

Lamley

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "farm or clearing by the stream".

In the 1881 census there were 67 people recorded with the Lamley surname, ranking it #24,104 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 96, ranked #31,684, down from #24,104 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Tamworth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Harborough, Warwick and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lamley is 198 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.3%.

1881 census count

67

Ranked #24,104

Modern count

96

2016, ranked #31,684

Peak year

1861

198 bearers

Map years

3

1851 to 1891

Key insights

  • Lamley had 67 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,104 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 96 in 2016, ranked #31,684.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 198 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Lamley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lamley surname density by area, 1891 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Lamley 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 125 #14,700
1861 historical 198 #12,114
1881 historical 67 #24,104
1891 historical 136 #19,601
1901 historical 87 #24,386
1911 historical 94 #23,391
1997 modern 89 #28,490
1998 modern 88 #29,131
1999 modern 89 #29,168
2000 modern 98 #27,988
2001 modern 93 #28,382
2002 modern 88 #29,534
2003 modern 84 #29,978
2004 modern 87 #29,897
2005 modern 96 #28,671
2006 modern 95 #29,113
2007 modern 99 #28,852
2008 modern 91 #30,431
2009 modern 92 #30,820
2010 modern 99 #30,397
2011 modern 101 #29,938
2012 modern 92 #31,528
2013 modern 102 #30,415
2014 modern 99 #31,186
2015 modern 97 #31,499
2016 modern 96 #31,684

Geography

Back to top

Where Lamleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Tamworth and Kenilworth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Harborough, Warwick, Cornwall, Lancaster and Rugby. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 1
3 Tamworth Staffordshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Kenilworth Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Harborough 010 Harborough
2 Warwick 002 Warwick
3 Cornwall 013 Cornwall
4 Lancaster 019 Lancaster
5 Rugby 005 Rugby

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Lamley

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Lamley

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Lamley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Lamley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

European Enclaves

Within London, Lamley is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Lamley 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

Lamley falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Lamley 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 Lamley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Lamley

The surname Lamley is of English origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lam" meaning "lamb" and "leah" signifying "clearing" or "meadow." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been individuals residing in a hamlet or settlement where lambs grazed in the surrounding meadows.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lamley can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, a comprehensive survey of landowners conducted in 1273 during the reign of King Edward I. This document mentions a certain Robertus de Lamlee, indicating the presence of the name in the county of Norfolk during the 13th century.

In the 16th century, the Lamley surname appears in various historical records, including parish registers and tax rolls. One notable example is John Lamley, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich, who lived from 1525 to 1589. His legacy is commemorated in the Lamley Room, a historic chamber located within the Norwich Guildhall.

The Lamley surname also has ties to the village of Lambley in Nottinghamshire, which may have served as a source for the name's origin or an early settlement for some of its bearers. Records from the 17th century mention individuals such as William Lamley, born in 1623, and Thomas Lamley, born in 1675, both hailing from this region.

Another noteworthy figure bearing the Lamley surname was Sir Charles Lamley, a British naval officer who served during the 18th century. Born in 1720, he distinguished himself in various naval engagements and was knighted for his bravery and leadership during the Seven Years' War.

The Lamley name also found its way across the Atlantic, with one of the earliest recorded instances being that of Robert Lamley, who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634. This suggests that individuals with this surname were among the early English settlers in Colonial America.

Other notable individuals with the Lamley surname include William Lamley, a prominent lawyer and judge in New York City in the late 18th century, and James Lamley, a British explorer and naturalist who documented the flora and fauna of Australia in the early 19th century, born in 1785 and died in 1848.

While the Lamley surname may not be as widespread as some others, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, military officers, lawyers, and explorers.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Lamley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lamley 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 13 Lamleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.76x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 13 14.76x
Middlesex 10 1.53x
Northamptonshire 7 11.39x
Warwickshire 7 4.25x
Northumberland 6 6.17x
Leicestershire 4 5.52x
Suffolk 4 5.03x
Durham 3 1.54x
Lancashire 3 0.39x
Lincolnshire 3 2.87x
Oxfordshire 2 4.96x
Worcestershire 2 2.34x
Derbyshire 1 0.98x
Gloucestershire 1 0.78x
Kent 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nuthall in Nottinghamshire leads with 8 Lamleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2424.24x.

Place Total Index
Nuthall 8 2424.24x
Finedon 7 1296.30x
Arrow 5 6250.00x
Byker 5 103.95x
Nottingham St Mary 5 21.95x
St George Hanover Square 5 43.44x
Ipswich St Clement 4 198.02x
Kensington London 4 11.01x
Bishopwearmouth 3 17.97x
Bloxham 2 500.00x
Kenilworth 2 215.05x
Leicester St Leonard 2 289.86x
Leire 2 3333.33x
Cheltenham 1 10.11x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 8.12x
Friskney 1 303.03x
Halesowen 1 133.33x
Lewisham 1 8.41x
Sawley 1 322.58x
Sedgebrook 1 2000.00x
Somerby In Grantham 1 370.37x
St Marylebone London 1 2.87x
Wavertree 1 40.32x
West Derby 1 4.41x
Westgate 1 16.61x
Worcester St Clement 1 185.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 6
Mary 4
Martha 3
Sarah 3
Ethel 2
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Bertha 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Chartte. 1
Emily 1
Harriet 1
Jane 1
Katie 1
Matilda 1
Phoebe 1
Rosa 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Lamley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lamley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 67 people were recorded with the Lamley surname. That placed it at #24,104 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lamley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 96 in 2016. That gives Lamley a modern rank of #31,684.

What does the Lamley surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "farm or clearing by the stream".

What does the Lamley map show?

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