NameCensus.

UK surname

Mawby

A locational surname denoting a person from Mawby, an English place in Yorkshire.

In the 1881 census there were 855 people recorded with the Mawby surname, ranking it #4,423 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,036, ranked #5,626, down from #4,423 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wigston, Magna, Gillmorton and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolsover, Fenland and Harborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mawby is 1,170 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.2%.

1881 census count

855

Ranked #4,423

Modern count

1,036

2016, ranked #5,626

Peak year

1999

1,170 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mawby had 855 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,423 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,036 in 2016, ranked #5,626.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,159 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mawby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mawby surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mawby 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 531 #4,730
1861 historical 570 #4,616
1881 historical 855 #4,423
1891 historical 888 #4,636
1901 historical 1,159 #4,211
1911 historical 1,129 #4,124
1997 modern 1,078 #5,166
1998 modern 1,141 #5,100
1999 modern 1,170 #5,035
2000 modern 1,152 #5,072
2001 modern 1,137 #5,040
2002 modern 1,167 #5,027
2003 modern 1,137 #5,040
2004 modern 1,091 #5,222
2005 modern 1,057 #5,304
2006 modern 1,066 #5,265
2007 modern 1,065 #5,321
2008 modern 1,082 #5,288
2009 modern 1,107 #5,301
2010 modern 1,101 #5,435
2011 modern 1,069 #5,504
2012 modern 1,060 #5,452
2013 modern 1,066 #5,528
2014 modern 1,079 #5,501
2015 modern 1,062 #5,527
2016 modern 1,036 #5,626

Geography

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Where Mawbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wigston, Magna, Gillmorton, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, Peatling, Magna and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolsover, Fenland, Harborough 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 Wigston, Magna Leicestershire
2 Gillmorton Leicestershire
3 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
4 Peatling, Magna Leicestershire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolsover 004 Bolsover
2 Fenland 006 Fenland
3 Harborough 006 Harborough
4 Rugby 012 Rugby
5 Rugby 002 Rugby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mawby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mawby

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Mawby 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

Mawby 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

Mawby falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Mawby

The surname MAWBY is of English origin, believed to have originated in the Yorkshire region during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "ma" meaning "more" or "moor" and "by" meaning a village or settlement, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a moor or in a moorland settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MAWBY can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax returns of 1379, where a John de Mawby is listed, indicating the presence of the name in the region during that time. The name also appears in various historical records and documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, with variations in spelling such as Mawbie, Maubie, and Mauby.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was William MAWBY, who was born in Yorkshire around 1520. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region, and his family's coat of arms was recorded in the Visitation of Yorkshire in 1585.

Another notable figure was Robert MAWBY, born in Yorkshire in 1635. He was a nonconformist minister and a vocal opponent of the Church of England during the religious turmoil of the 17th century. He was imprisoned for his beliefs and wrote several treatises defending his position.

In the 18th century, John MAWBY (1714-1789) was a notable clockmaker and watchmaker from London. He was appointed Clockmaker to King George III and is remembered for his innovative timepiece designs and contributions to the field of horology.

Moving into the 19th century, Sir Frederick MAWBY (1809-1892) was a British engineer and inventor. He is best known for his work on the development of the screw propeller and its application in marine propulsion systems.

Another notable bearer of the name was Arthur MAWBY (1860-1932), a renowned British architect who designed several notable buildings in London and other parts of England during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

While the MAWBY surname is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the historical record, with its origins tracing back to the moorlands of medieval Yorkshire and its bearers contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mawby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mawby 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 300 Mawbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.79x.

County Total Index
Leicestershire 300 32.79x
Northamptonshire 160 20.61x
Warwickshire 124 5.96x
Staffordshire 45 1.62x
Middlesex 34 0.41x
Norfolk 29 2.29x
Lincolnshire 26 1.97x
Kent 21 0.75x
Derbyshire 19 1.47x
Surrey 15 0.37x
Yorkshire 12 0.15x
Gloucestershire 10 0.62x
Cheshire 8 0.44x
Nottinghamshire 8 0.72x
Buckinghamshire 5 1.00x
Cumberland 5 0.70x
Flintshire 4 1.80x
Northumberland 3 0.24x
Berkshire 2 0.32x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.38x
Glamorgan 2 0.14x
Hampshire 2 0.12x
Hertfordshire 2 0.35x
Rutland 2 3.30x
Denbighshire 1 0.32x
Essex 1 0.06x
Herefordshire 1 0.30x
Suffolk 1 0.10x
Sussex 1 0.07x
Worcestershire 1 0.09x

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 91 Mawbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.78x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Margaret 91 40.78x
Aston 31 5.41x
Whetstone 17 507.46x
Northampton St Giles 14 47.35x
Northampton St Sepulchre 14 35.45x
Wigston Magna 14 115.32x
Barwell 12 247.93x
Leicester All Sts 12 66.78x
Peatling Magna 12 2142.86x
Braunston 11 363.04x
Floore 11 378.01x
Gilmorton 11 604.40x
Kibworth Beauchamp 11 347.00x
Kingsthorpe 11 127.46x
Leicester St Mary 11 14.88x
Lutterworth 11 197.13x
Newcastle Under Lyme 11 22.32x
Spalding 11 42.00x
Birmingham 10 1.44x
Coventry Holy Trinity 10 16.09x
Crick 10 381.68x
Eydon 10 787.40x
Hackleton 10 934.58x
Milton In Gravesend 10 23.69x
Northampton Priory St 10 21.47x
Arnesby 9 756.30x
Countesthorpe 9 288.46x
Hockwold Cum Wilton 9 416.67x
Irthlingborough 9 118.27x
Leicester St Martin 9 146.58x
Bilton 8 166.67x
Cirencester 8 36.51x
Hungarton 8 640.00x
Kimcote Knaptoft 8 634.92x
Lambeth 8 1.11x
Shoreditch London 8 2.24x
Tamworth 8 53.69x
Tilney All Sts 8 500.00x
Birkenhead 7 4.82x
Chilvers Coton 7 81.78x
Great Glenn 7 288.07x
Handsworth 7 10.20x
Harborne 7 7.84x
Nottingham St Mary 7 2.43x
Preston Deanery 7 2333.33x
Rugby 7 24.86x
Bourn 6 56.29x
Burbage 6 125.52x
Clay Coton 6 2142.86x
Coventry St Michael 6 8.98x
Derby St Peter 6 14.58x
Foleshill 6 27.40x
Hillingdon 6 22.81x
Hillmorton 6 161.73x
Long Buckby 6 83.57x
Nuneaton 6 24.89x
Southam 6 118.58x
Stoke Upon Trent 6 2.03x
Tipton 6 7.03x
Braunstone 5 877.19x
Bruntingthorpe 5 581.40x
Deptford St Paul 5 2.30x
Derby St Werburgh 5 6.70x
Hornsey 5 4.79x
Long Lawford 5 257.73x
Newington 5 1.64x
Swineshead 5 115.21x
Workington 5 12.29x
Wortley In Bramley 5 7.72x
Belper 4 15.97x
Crayford 4 32.52x
Hawarden 4 22.95x
Leicester St Leonard 4 46.19x
Monks Kirby 4 87.34x
Poplar London 4 2.57x
South Kilworth 4 336.13x
South Lynn 4 27.93x
Stretton On Dunsmore 4 210.53x
Watford 4 305.34x
Fillongley 3 101.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 60
William 57
Thomas 36
George 32
Joseph 28
Charles 17
James 14
Alfred 11
Henry 10
Samuel 10
Tom 8
Arthur 7
Frederick 7
Harry 7
Robert 6
Frank 5
Allen 4
Edward 4
Edwin 4
Benjamin 3
Herbert 3
Isaac 3
Stephen 3
Walter 3
Amos 2
Chas. 2
Daniel 2
David 2
Edmund 2
Ellis 2
Ernest 2
Fred 2
Fredk. 2
Fredrick 2
Jno. 2
Martin 2
Nathaniel 2
Willm. 2
Wm. 2
Andrew 1
Arron 1
Claude 1
Ellen 1
Enos 1
Francis 1
Jonathan 1
Josep 1
Joshua 1
Josiah 1
York 1

FAQ

Mawby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mawby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 855 people were recorded with the Mawby surname. That placed it at #4,423 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mawby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,036 in 2016. That gives Mawby a modern rank of #5,626.

What does the Mawby surname mean?

A locational surname denoting a person from Mawby, an English place in Yorkshire.

What does the Mawby map show?

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