NameCensus.

UK surname

Milby

A locational surname derived from a place named "Milby" in England.

In the 1881 census there were 48 people recorded with the Milby surname, ranking it #26,869 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 179, ranked #21,086, up from #26,869 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Lakeland, Gatehouse and Barrow-in-Furness.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Milby is 185 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 272.9%.

1881 census count

48

Ranked #26,869

Modern count

179

2016, ranked #21,086

Peak year

2002

185 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Milby had 48 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #26,869 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 179 in 2016, ranked #21,086.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 63 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Milby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Milby surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Milby 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 19 #29,904
1861 historical 49 #27,768
1881 historical 48 #26,869
1891 historical 63 #28,881
1901 historical 51 #28,492
1911 historical 39 #29,025
1997 modern 173 #19,295
1998 modern 173 #19,821
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 174 #19,829
2001 modern 171 #19,770
2002 modern 185 #19,212
2003 modern 174 #19,760
2004 modern 176 #19,731
2005 modern 177 #19,598
2006 modern 175 #19,850
2007 modern 177 #19,965
2008 modern 184 #19,666
2009 modern 178 #20,486
2010 modern 180 #20,812
2011 modern 183 #20,425
2012 modern 178 #20,758
2013 modern 180 #20,954
2014 modern 178 #21,259
2015 modern 178 #21,149
2016 modern 179 #21,086

Geography

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Where Milbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Lakeland, Gatehouse, Barrow-in-Furness and Rhins North. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Lakeland 012 South Lakeland
2 Gatehouse Dumfries and Galloway
3 South Lakeland 014 South Lakeland
4 Barrow-in-Furness 002 Barrow-in-Furness
5 Rhins North Dumfries and Galloway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Milby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Milby

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Milby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Milby household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Milby 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

Milby is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Milby falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Milby

The surname MILBY is of English origin, arising in the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Milby, which was likely a small village or hamlet. The name Milby itself is thought to have derived from the Old English words "mylen" meaning "mill" and "by" meaning "a farmstead or village."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MILBY can be found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire, a legal record dating back to 1208, where a John de Milby is mentioned. The Feet of Fines were documents recording the transfer of land ownership, indicating that individuals with the MILBY surname were landowners in Yorkshire during this time.

In the 13th century, the name MILBY appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census-like records of landowners and tenants in various English counties. This suggests that the MILBY surname had spread to other parts of the country by this period.

A notable individual bearing the MILBY surname was Sir John Milby (1540-1612), who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in 1593 and 1601. He was also a prominent landowner and justice of the peace in the county.

Another early record of the MILBY name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls for Nottinghamshire in 1524, where a Richard Milby is listed as a taxpayer. This indicates that the surname had established itself in different regions of England by the 16th century.

In the 17th century, a John Milby (1615-1683) was a notable Puritan clergyman and author, known for his sermons and religious writings. He served as a minister in various parishes in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

The MILBY surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Milby in Lincolnshire and Milby Hill in Northumberland. These locations may have been named after early settlers with the MILBY surname or vice versa.

Throughout history, variations in spelling have occurred, such as Milbye, Mylby, and Mylbie. However, the MILBY spelling has remained the most common form of the surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Milby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Milby 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. Wigtownshire leads with 18 Milbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 289.86x.

County Total Index
Wigtownshire 18 289.86x
Lancashire 10 1.80x
Cumberland 7 17.37x
Durham 4 2.87x
Dunbartonshire 3 23.85x
Cheshire 2 1.94x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 29.54x
Essex 1 1.08x
Glamorgan 1 1.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Inch in Wigtownshire leads with 10 Milbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1639.34x.

Place Total Index
Inch 10 1639.34x
Beckermet St John 6 6000.00x
Dalton In Furness 5 233.64x
Leswalt 5 1162.79x
Heworth 4 145.99x
Dumbarton 3 171.43x
Preston 3 20.19x
Whithorn 3 638.30x
Moreton 2 2000.00x
Urr 2 227.27x
Cardiff St John 1 37.59x
Colton 1 344.83x
Drigg Carleton 1 1111.11x
Walton Le Dale 1 67.11x
West Ham 1 4.90x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Hannah 3
Mary 3
Bridget 1
Dinah 1
Eleanor 1
Jane 1
Margaret 1
Marion 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 4
James 2
John 2
Thomas 2
George 1
Samuel 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Milby households.

FAQ

Milby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Milby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 48 people were recorded with the Milby surname. That placed it at #26,869 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Milby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 179 in 2016. That gives Milby a modern rank of #21,086.

What does the Milby surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place named "Milby" in England.

What does the Milby map show?

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