NameCensus.

UK surname

Norbury

From the northern borough, referring to someone living north of a town or borough.

In the 1881 census there were 1,513 people recorded with the Norbury surname, ranking it #2,776 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,769, ranked #3,553, down from #2,776 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, Stockport and Wilmslow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Rotherham and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Norbury is 1,920 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.9%.

1881 census count

1,513

Ranked #2,776

Modern count

1,769

2016, ranked #3,553

Peak year

1998

1,920 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Norbury had 1,513 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,776 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,769 in 2016, ranked #3,553.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,853 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Norbury surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Norbury surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Norbury 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 1,010 #2,763
1861 historical 973 #2,856
1881 historical 1,513 #2,776
1891 historical 1,571 #2,827
1901 historical 1,694 #3,047
1911 historical 1,853 #2,666
1997 modern 1,801 #3,337
1998 modern 1,920 #3,261
1999 modern 1,918 #3,292
2000 modern 1,908 #3,291
2001 modern 1,862 #3,299
2002 modern 1,880 #3,331
2003 modern 1,855 #3,307
2004 modern 1,833 #3,341
2005 modern 1,822 #3,330
2006 modern 1,784 #3,400
2007 modern 1,775 #3,454
2008 modern 1,783 #3,458
2009 modern 1,816 #3,476
2010 modern 1,831 #3,514
2011 modern 1,809 #3,521
2012 modern 1,796 #3,488
2013 modern 1,818 #3,506
2014 modern 1,833 #3,500
2015 modern 1,774 #3,559
2016 modern 1,769 #3,553

Geography

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Where Norburys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, Stockport, Wilmslow, Manchester and Wakefield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Rotherham, Wakefield and South Staffordshire. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 Stockport Cheshire
3 Wilmslow Cheshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Wakefield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 007 Cheshire East
2 Cheshire East 012 Cheshire East
3 Rotherham 029 Rotherham
4 Wakefield 042 Wakefield
5 South Staffordshire 012 South Staffordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Norbury

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Norbury

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Norbury is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Norbury 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

Norbury 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 Norbury is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Norbury, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Norbury

The surname Norbury has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is a locational surname derived from the place name "Norbury," which refers to several villages and parishes in the counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Ranulf de Nordberie, indicating the presence of the name in Cheshire at that time.

The name Norbury is believed to be derived from the Old English words "nord" meaning "north" and "burh" meaning "fortified place" or "borough." This suggests that the original Norbury settlements were located in the northern regions of their respective counties.

In the 13th century, records show a Robert de Norburi holding lands in Staffordshire, indicating the spread of the surname beyond its initial areas of origin. Additionally, the variant spelling "Norbury" appears in the Derbyshire Pipe Rolls of 1272.

Notable individuals with the surname Norbury include Sir John Norbury (c. 1657-1737), an English judge and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, and Sir Henry Norbury (1682-1763), a British naval officer who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet.

In the 19th century, John Norbury (1787-1857) was a celebrated English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Cheshire, including the Grosvenor Bridge in Chester.

Another prominent figure was Sir Walter Norbury (1857-1938), a British civil servant who served as the Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service in London from 1918 to 1923.

Francis Norbury (1888-1966) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Hampshire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.

These examples illustrate the widespread presence of the Norbury surname across various professions and regions throughout history, reflecting its English heritage and locational origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Norbury families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Norbury 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. Lancashire leads with 603 Norburys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.44x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 603 3.44x
Cheshire 475 14.57x
Yorkshire 122 0.83x
Middlesex 60 0.41x
Warwickshire 43 1.15x
Staffordshire 41 0.82x
Worcestershire 37 1.92x
Hampshire 23 0.76x
Surrey 17 0.24x
Derbyshire 15 0.65x
Gloucestershire 11 0.38x
Radnorshire 10 8.39x
Flintshire 8 2.02x
Kent 6 0.12x
Norfolk 6 0.26x
Essex 4 0.14x
Glamorgan 4 0.16x
Midlothian 4 0.20x
Durham 3 0.07x
Lincolnshire 3 0.13x
Brecknockshire 2 0.68x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.22x
Denbighshire 2 0.36x
Dorset 2 0.21x
Leicestershire 2 0.12x
Shropshire 2 0.16x
Somerset 2 0.08x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.17x
Devon 1 0.03x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.25x
Sussex 1 0.04x
Wiltshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Macclesfield in Cheshire leads with 77 Norburys recorded in 1881 and an index of 53.14x.

Place Total Index
Macclesfield 77 53.14x
West Derby 45 8.78x
Salford 41 7.95x
Gorton 35 21.25x
Chorlton On Medlock 34 12.21x
Hulme 32 8.75x
Bromsgrove 28 43.14x
Bollin Fee 27 186.72x
Mobberley 27 362.90x
Liverpool 26 2.44x
Warrington 24 11.55x
Withington 23 40.74x
Manchester 22 2.79x
Oldham 21 3.71x
Stoke Upon Trent 21 3.97x
Bradford 20 5.65x
Pendleton In Salford 20 9.58x
Fulshaw 19 316.67x
Stockport 18 10.73x
Over Alderley 17 841.58x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 16 30.10x
Chorley In Macclesfield 15 151.06x
Everton 15 2.69x
Smallwood 15 513.70x
St Pancras London 15 1.26x
Coventry St Michael 14 11.70x
Eling 14 45.66x
Manningham 14 7.76x
Aston 13 1.27x
Blatchinworth 13 32.58x
Heaton Norris 13 13.03x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 13 19.12x
Ardwick 12 7.59x
Cheadle 12 19.27x
Eccleston In Prescot 12 13.64x
Old Withington 12 408.16x
Ashton Under Lyne 11 2.87x
Knutsford Nether 11 55.81x
Stretford 11 11.41x
Birmingham 10 0.81x
Bowdon 10 77.28x
Broughton In Salford 10 6.24x
Hurdsfield 10 49.85x
Norbury 10 131.75x
North Meols 10 5.83x
Toft 10 1136.36x
Wakefield 10 8.90x
Widnes 10 7.91x
Chadderton 9 10.51x
Lancaster 9 8.63x
Lyndhurst 9 108.56x
Odd Rode 9 55.73x
Rhayader 9 200.00x
Barton Upon Irwell 8 6.06x
Blackley 8 26.04x
Mottram St Andrew 8 432.43x
Nether Alderley 8 275.86x
Pownall Fee 8 54.87x
Toxteth Park 8 1.35x
Ashley 7 358.97x
Bollington In 7 24.12x
Chester St John Baptist 7 11.95x
Chorlton Cum Hardy 7 60.24x
Derby St Alkmund 7 10.10x
Great Budworth 7 121.11x
Lambeth 7 0.54x
Leigh 7 29.90x
Levenshulme 7 38.80x
Newton In Makerfield 7 13.05x
Runcorn 7 9.31x
Saddleworth 7 6.20x
St Luke London 7 2.96x
Stone 7 10.98x
Wolstanton 7 4.62x
Appleton 6 81.19x
Barnsley 6 3.97x
Bromborough 6 88.63x
Congleton 6 10.65x
Coventry Holy Trinity 6 5.40x
Windle 6 6.08x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 104
Thomas 71
William 70
James 48
Joseph 44
George 35
Henry 29
Samuel 26
Charles 22
Arthur 17
Alfred 16
Robert 16
Edward 12
Wm. 11
Frederick 9
Richard 9
Walter 9
Albert 8
Philip 8
Frank 7
Thos. 7
David 6
Harry 6
Edwin 5
Peter 5
Francis 4
Herbert 4
Saml. 4
Bradford 3
Ernest 3
Fred 3
Ralph 3
Benjamin 2
Harvey 2
Isaac 2
J. 2
Jno. 2
Joel 2
Jonathan 2
Jos. 2
Joshua 2
Josiah 2
Sidney 2
Tom 2
Willoughby 2
Chas.Wm. 1
Clarence 1
Eugene 1
F. 1
Felix 1

FAQ

Norbury surname: questions and answers

How common was the Norbury surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,513 people were recorded with the Norbury surname. That placed it at #2,776 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Norbury surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,769 in 2016. That gives Norbury a modern rank of #3,553.

What does the Norbury surname mean?

From the northern borough, referring to someone living north of a town or borough.

What does the Norbury map show?

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