NameCensus.

UK surname

Ormsby

A locational surname derived from a place in England meaning "Orm's farmstead or village."

In the 1881 census there were 365 people recorded with the Ormsby surname, ranking it #8,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 700, ranked #7,703, up from #8,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burton (by Lincoln), Lincoln St Botolph and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Drylaw, Tameside and West Dorset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ormsby is 726 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 91.8%.

1881 census count

365

Ranked #8,506

Modern count

700

2016, ranked #7,703

Peak year

2010

726 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ormsby had 365 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 700 in 2016, ranked #7,703.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 438 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Ormsby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ormsby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ormsby 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 223 #9,562
1861 historical 197 #12,166
1881 historical 365 #8,506
1891 historical 400 #8,878
1901 historical 438 #8,881
1911 historical 354 #10,192
1997 modern 688 #7,344
1998 modern 713 #7,369
1999 modern 699 #7,525
2000 modern 684 #7,625
2001 modern 672 #7,595
2002 modern 701 #7,501
2003 modern 684 #7,529
2004 modern 677 #7,607
2005 modern 667 #7,633
2006 modern 661 #7,713
2007 modern 670 #7,695
2008 modern 676 #7,683
2009 modern 703 #7,617
2010 modern 726 #7,568
2011 modern 699 #7,701
2012 modern 683 #7,759
2013 modern 701 #7,717
2014 modern 701 #7,761
2015 modern 688 #7,828
2016 modern 700 #7,703

Geography

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Where Ormsbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Burton (by Lincoln), Lincoln St Botolph, Manchester, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Drylaw, Tameside, West Dorset, Mearnskirk and South Kirkhill and Derbyshire Dales. 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 Burton (by Lincoln) Lincolnshire
2 Lincoln St Botolph Lincolnshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Drylaw City of Edinburgh
2 Tameside 015 Tameside
3 West Dorset 003 West Dorset
4 Mearnskirk and South Kirkhill East Renfrewshire
5 Derbyshire Dales 008 Derbyshire Dales

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ormsby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ormsby

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

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Ormsby is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Ormsby 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

Ormsby falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Ormsby

The surname Ormsby has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old Norse words "ormr" meaning serpent or dragon, and "by" meaning a farmstead or village. This suggests that the name originated from a settlement, possibly called Ormsby, where individuals may have lived near or were associated with a serpent-like shape or emblem.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and tenants throughout England after the Norman Conquest. The entry mentions an individual named Orme, who held lands in Lincolnshire. This could be an early variant of the surname Ormsby.

Over the centuries, the name has been spelled in various ways, including Ormesby, Ormsby, Ormesbi, and Ormisby, reflecting regional variations and evolving spelling conventions. Some of these variations are also found in place names across England, such as Ormesby in Norfolk and Ormesby St. Margaret in Yorkshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Ormsby include:

1. John Ormsby (1829-1895), an English scholar and translator best known for his acclaimed English translation of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote.

2. Sir Lambert Ormsby (1619-1688), an Irish soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and fought in the English Civil War.

3. William Gregory Ormsby (1832-1889), an Irish-born Anglican priest and author who became the Archdeacon of Northumberland.

4. Leonard Ormsby-Gore (1825-1904), a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Shropshire.

5. John Ormsby Evelyn Heathcoat-Amory (1886-1954), a British Conservative politician and Member of Parliament for Tiverton.

While the surname Ormsby has roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through British emigration and colonization. However, the historical origins and early references to the name remain closely tied to its English heritage and the medieval period.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ormsby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ormsby 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 96 Ormsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.27x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 96 2.27x
Yorkshire 55 1.56x
Cheshire 22 2.80x
Lincolnshire 22 3.86x
Middlesex 22 0.62x
Northumberland 20 3.78x
Durham 16 1.51x
Angus 15 4.55x
Cornwall 10 2.48x
Surrey 10 0.58x
Wigtownshire 10 21.16x
Wiltshire 10 3.18x
Buteshire 7 32.45x
Fife 6 2.85x
Kent 6 0.49x
Hampshire 5 0.69x
Ayrshire 4 1.50x
Stirlingshire 4 3.05x
Worcestershire 4 0.86x
Lanarkshire 3 0.26x
Norfolk 3 0.55x
Hertfordshire 2 0.82x
Leicestershire 2 0.51x
Midlothian 2 0.42x
Pembrokeshire 2 1.77x
Berkshire 1 0.37x
Cumberland 1 0.33x
Gloucestershire 1 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.21x
Somerset 1 0.17x
Sussex 1 0.17x
West Lothian 1 1.87x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 45 Ormsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.54x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 45 17.54x
Tynemouth 12 42.30x
Burton By Lincoln 11 3235.29x
Everton 11 8.17x
Birkenhead 10 15.96x
Madron 10 306.75x
St Nicholas Lincoln 10 183.82x
Leeds 9 4.52x
Milford 9 532.54x
Liff Benvie 8 15.98x
Dundee 7 5.69x
East Rainton 7 341.46x
Manchester 7 3.68x
Rothesay 7 66.99x
Salford 7 5.63x
Toxteth Park 7 4.89x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 6 49.71x
Byker 6 22.91x
Penninghame 6 124.48x
Ravenfield 6 2857.14x
Saline 6 512.82x
York St Lawrence 6 163.04x
Bootle Cum Linacre 5 14.90x
Dewsbury 5 13.82x
Dukinfield 5 13.77x
Hammersmith London 5 5.70x
Oxton 5 112.61x
East Hartburn 4 909.09x
Halifax 4 7.72x
Kirkcolm 4 176.21x
St George Hanover 4 8.61x
St Pancras London 4 1.40x
St Quivox 4 44.40x
Stirling 4 24.15x
Thames Ditton 4 111.11x
Aberford 3 375.00x
Folkestone 3 12.73x
Hartlepool 3 19.93x
Horton In Bradford 3 5.45x
Islington London 3 0.87x
Portsea 3 2.10x
Preston 3 2.65x
St Marylebone London 3 1.58x
Yardley 3 25.21x
Barony 2 0.69x
Camberwell 2 0.88x
Chipping Barnet 2 46.62x
Croydon 2 2.08x
Dilham 2 384.62x
Fishlake 2 298.51x
Gate Fulford 2 24.27x
Helsby 2 202.02x
Leicester St Margaret 2 2.08x
Southcoates 2 10.21x
Tenby St Mary In 2 34.72x
West Derby 2 1.62x
Woolwich 2 4.46x
York St Maurice 2 30.12x
Aldershot 1 4.09x
Britford 1 48.08x
Broughton In Salford 1 2.59x
Chirton 1 8.34x
Clevedon 1 16.78x
Cookham 1 12.00x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.52x
Gateshead 1 1.26x
Govan 1 0.35x
Haydock 1 13.74x
Hindley 1 5.55x
Lambeth 1 0.32x
Newington 1 0.76x
North Bailey South 1 188.68x
Nottingham St Mary 1 0.81x
Oldham 1 0.73x
Spotland 1 2.13x
St Faith Winchester 1 29.41x
St James Isle Of Grain 1 294.12x
Warden 1 92.59x
West Calder 1 10.64x
Westminster St James 1 2.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 26
Elizabeth 10
Sarah 7
Bridget 6
Catherine 6
Ellen 6
Alice 5
Annie 5
Martha 5
Ann 4
Eliza 4
Emma 4
Jane 4
Rebecca 4
Anne 3
Charlotte 3
Frances 3
Caroline 2
Eleanor 2
Emily 2
Esther 2
Fanny 2
Lucy 2
Margaret 2
Maria 2
Clara 1
Constance 1
E.A. 1
Edille 1
Edith 1
Eliz.Ann 1
Elizth. 1
Emmeline 1
Eugenie 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Helena 1
Isabel 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Kathleen 1
Lillian 1
Louisa 1
Mabel 1
Marie 1
Matilda 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 22
John 20
George 12
Charles 10
Thomas 8
Henry 7
Joseph 6
Richard 6
Arthur 5
Frank 4
James 4
Robert 4
Harry 3
Patrick 3
Robt. 3
Stephen 3
Wm. 3
Edward 2
Edwd. 2
Francis 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Altert 1
Barnard 1
David 1
Duke 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Geo.Wm. 1
J.W. 1
Matthias 1
Michael 1
Montagu 1
Olliver 1
Philip 1
Rowland 1
Samuel 1
Vincent 1
W.D. 1

FAQ

Ormsby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ormsby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 365 people were recorded with the Ormsby surname. That placed it at #8,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ormsby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 700 in 2016. That gives Ormsby a modern rank of #7,703.

What does the Ormsby surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place in England meaning "Orm's farmstead or village."

What does the Ormsby map show?

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