NameCensus.

UK surname

Oakham

In the 1881 census there were 88 people recorded with the Oakham surname, ranking it #21,211 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 90, ranked #32,202, down from #21,211 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Barking and St Leonard Bromley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Isle of Wight, Wiltshire and Merton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Oakham is 159 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.3%.

1881 census count

88

Ranked #21,211

Modern count

90

2016, ranked #32,202

Peak year

1911

159 bearers

Map years

4

1891 to 1998

Key insights

  • Oakham had 88 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,211 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016, ranked #32,202.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 159 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Oakham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Oakham surname density by area, 1998 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Oakham 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 65 #21,747
1861 historical 81 #23,431
1881 historical 88 #21,211
1891 historical 108 #22,828
1901 historical 124 #20,163
1911 historical 159 #17,219
1997 modern 119 #24,302
1998 modern 127 #23,940
1999 modern 123 #24,643
2000 modern 114 #25,717
2001 modern 112 #25,644
2002 modern 121 #24,984
2003 modern 116 #25,415
2004 modern 113 #25,999
2005 modern 102 #27,689
2006 modern 98 #28,621
2007 modern 97 #29,156
2008 modern 90 #30,567
2009 modern 95 #30,393
2010 modern 101 #30,078
2011 modern 106 #29,157
2012 modern 108 #28,849
2013 modern 98 #31,078
2014 modern 99 #31,186
2015 modern 97 #31,499
2016 modern 90 #32,202

Geography

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Where Oakhams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Barking, St Leonard Bromley and St George the Martyr. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Isle of Wight, Wiltshire, Merton and Sutton. 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 Barking Essex
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Leonard Bromley London (East Districts)
5 St George the Martyr London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Isle of Wight 018 Isle of Wight
2 Isle of Wight 012 Isle of Wight
3 Wiltshire 047 Wiltshire
4 Merton 025 Merton
5 Sutton 009 Sutton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Oakham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Oakham

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

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Oakham surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Oakham household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Oakham is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

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Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Oakham is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Oakham 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 Oakham 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 Oakham, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Oakham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Oakham 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. Middlesex leads with 69 Oakhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.04x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 69 8.04x
Essex 5 2.95x
Gloucestershire 4 2.38x
Surrey 3 0.72x
Yorkshire 2 0.24x
Cheshire 1 0.53x
Devon 1 0.56x
Leicestershire 1 1.05x
Lincolnshire 1 0.73x
Worcestershire 1 0.89x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Fulham London in Middlesex leads with 29 Oakhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 232.93x.

Place Total Index
Fulham London 29 232.93x
Chelsea London 22 85.07x
St George Hanover 9 80.36x
Bromley London 5 26.48x
Salperton 4 10000.00x
Walthamstow 4 65.57x
Lambeth 3 4.01x
Kensington London 2 4.19x
Knottingley 2 134.23x
St Marylebone London 2 4.36x
Exeter St Sidwell 1 24.45x
Great Grimsby 1 11.48x
Leicester St Margaret 1 4.31x
Loughton 1 119.05x
Macclesfield 1 11.88x
Worcester St John 1 74.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Elizabeth 5
Annie 4
Eliza 3
Emily 3
Hannah 3
Jane 3
Alice 2
Ellen 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Allen 1
Ann 1
Ant.B. 1
Caroline 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Harriet 1
Jessie 1
Louisa 1
Malvina 1
Maria 1
Rebecca 1
Sharlotte 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
William 6
James 5
Frederick 4
Charles 2
David 2
George 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Albert 1
Edward 1
H. 1
Harry 1
Henery 1
Henry 1
Joseph 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 Oakham households.

FAQ

Oakham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Oakham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 88 people were recorded with the Oakham surname. That placed it at #21,211 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Oakham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016. That gives Oakham a modern rank of #32,202.

What does the Oakham map show?

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