NameCensus.

UK surname

Nibbs

A variant of the surname Neebs, itself originating from a nickname for the given name Enoch.

In the 1881 census there were 126 people recorded with the Nibbs surname, ranking it #17,245 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 119, ranked #27,704, down from #17,245 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Harborough, Herefordshire and Brentwood.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nibbs is 165 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 5.6%.

1881 census count

126

Ranked #17,245

Modern count

119

2016, ranked #27,704

Peak year

1911

165 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nibbs had 126 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,245 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 119 in 2016, ranked #27,704.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 165 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Nibbs surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Nibbs surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Nibbs 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 120 #15,144
1861 historical 140 #16,169
1881 historical 126 #17,245
1891 historical 163 #17,300
1901 historical 161 #17,324
1911 historical 165 #16,808
1997 modern 129 #23,143
1998 modern 130 #23,603
1999 modern 135 #23,279
2000 modern 130 #23,785
2001 modern 129 #23,557
2002 modern 124 #24,616
2003 modern 123 #24,497
2004 modern 115 #25,740
2005 modern 117 #25,433
2006 modern 117 #25,695
2007 modern 121 #25,469
2008 modern 121 #25,785
2009 modern 124 #25,957
2010 modern 133 #25,379
2011 modern 125 #26,220
2012 modern 129 #25,705
2013 modern 125 #26,695
2014 modern 126 #26,781
2015 modern 122 #27,245
2016 modern 119 #27,704

Geography

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Where Nibbs' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Portsmouth, Portsea and St Giles Camberwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Harborough, Herefordshire and Brentwood. 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 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Harborough 008 Harborough
2 Herefordshire 006 Herefordshire, County of
3 Brentwood 007 Brentwood
4 Brentwood 004 Brentwood
5 Brentwood 008 Brentwood

Forenames

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First names often paired with Nibbs

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Nibbs

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Nibbs 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

Nibbs is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Nibbs falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Nibbs

The surname "NIBBS" is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cnibba," which means "hillock" or "small hill." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or on a small hill or elevated area of land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mention a John le Cnibbes. The prefix "le" was a common way of indicating a person's occupation, place of origin, or other distinguishing characteristic during that time.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Nybbes" and "Nibbes," reflecting the evolving nature of surnames and the lack of standardized spelling during that era. For example, a record from the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from 1490 mentions a William Nybbes.

The surname "NIBBS" may also have connections to certain place names, particularly those derived from Old English words related to hills or elevated areas. One possible example is the village of Knibbs Green in Worcestershire, which could have been a place of origin for some early bearers of the name.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname "NIBBS." One early example is John Nibbs, a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire in the late 16th century. Another is Sir Thomas Nibbs, who served as a member of Parliament for the borough of Cricklade in Wiltshire in the mid-17th century.

In the 18th century, there was Samuel Nibbs, a notable clockmaker and watchmaker who lived and worked in London from around 1720 to 1780. Additionally, John Nibbs (1791-1865) was a respected surgeon and medical writer who practiced in London and published several works on anatomy and surgery.

Moving into the 19th century, Sir George Hungerford Nibbs (1820-1894) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several Arctic expeditions and later served as a colonial governor in various parts of the British Empire.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname "NIBBS," highlighting its long-standing presence and various connections to different regions and occupations within England and the broader United Kingdom.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Nibbs families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nibbs 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. Surrey leads with 40 Nibbs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.63x.

County Total Index
Surrey 40 6.63x
Middlesex 23 1.86x
Buckinghamshire 9 12.02x
Yorkshire 9 0.73x
Hampshire 8 3.15x
Wiltshire 8 7.30x
Lancashire 7 0.48x
Kent 5 1.18x
Essex 3 1.23x
Sussex 3 1.44x
Warwickshire 2 0.64x
Brecknockshire 1 4.04x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.27x
Derbyshire 1 0.52x
Devon 1 0.39x
Northamptonshire 1 0.86x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.60x
Renfrewshire 1 1.04x
Royal Navy 1 6.78x
Staffordshire 1 0.24x
Wigtownshire 1 6.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Camberwell in Surrey leads with 16 Nibbs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.22x.

Place Total Index
Camberwell 16 20.22x
St Pancras London 12 12.04x
Newington 11 24.04x
Holy Trinity 9 30.49x
Bradford On Avon 8 227.92x
Portsea 8 16.08x
Lambeth 5 4.63x
Medmenham 5 3571.43x
Southwark St George Martyr 5 20.06x
Toxteth Park 4 8.04x
Brighton 3 7.12x
Islington London 3 2.50x
Maidstone 3 23.83x
Turton 3 124.48x
Woking 3 82.42x
Aylesford 2 170.94x
New Brentford 2 307.69x
Upton Cum Chalvey 2 67.11x
West Ham 2 3.71x
Weston Turville 2 571.43x
Birmingham 1 0.96x
Carlton 1 52.36x
Cottenham 1 96.15x
Glasbury 1 303.03x
Hammersmith London 1 3.28x
Inch 1 62.50x
Kensington London 1 1.45x
Knowle 1 156.25x
Measham 1 140.85x
Peterborough 1 11.85x
Port Glasgow 1 21.55x
Royal Navy 1 7.92x
St Andrew Holborn 1 23.81x
St Clement Danes London 1 39.06x
St Stephen Coleman Street 1 232.56x
Stoke Damerel 1 5.54x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 2.26x
Twickenham 1 18.83x
Walthamstow 1 11.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 6
William 5
John 4
Thomas 4
Walter 4
Arthur 3
Charles 3
James 3
Shirley 3
Albert 2
Edwin 2
Frederick 2
Joseph 2
Percy 2
Robert 2
Augustus 1
Benjamin 1
Daniel 1
Earnest 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Infant 1
Josiah 1
Paul 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
W.N. 1
Williams 1

FAQ

Nibbs surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nibbs surname in 1881?

In 1881, 126 people were recorded with the Nibbs surname. That placed it at #17,245 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nibbs surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 119 in 2016. That gives Nibbs a modern rank of #27,704.

What does the Nibbs surname mean?

A variant of the surname Neebs, itself originating from a nickname for the given name Enoch.

What does the Nibbs map show?

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