NameCensus.

UK surname

Ornsby

In the 1881 census there were 83 people recorded with the Ornsby surname, ranking it #21,808 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 132, ranked #25,882, down from #21,808 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Clee and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham and North Tyneside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ornsby is 142 in 2006. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 59.0%.

1881 census count

83

Ranked #21,808

Modern count

132

2016, ranked #25,882

Peak year

2006

142 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ornsby had 83 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,808 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016, ranked #25,882.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 102 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Ornsby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ornsby surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ornsby 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 33 #27,390
1861 historical 58 #26,585
1881 historical 83 #21,808
1891 historical 89 #25,542
1901 historical 73 #26,069
1911 historical 102 #22,465
1997 modern 130 #23,021
1998 modern 137 #22,922
1999 modern 134 #23,378
2000 modern 130 #23,785
2001 modern 127 #23,781
2002 modern 133 #23,585
2003 modern 130 #23,672
2004 modern 131 #23,756
2005 modern 133 #23,502
2006 modern 142 #22,724
2007 modern 138 #23,478
2008 modern 133 #24,350
2009 modern 128 #25,427
2010 modern 139 #24,688
2011 modern 132 #25,303
2012 modern 121 #26,829
2013 modern 126 #26,585
2014 modern 126 #26,781
2015 modern 131 #25,979
2016 modern 132 #25,882

Geography

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Where Ornsbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Clee, Gateshead, Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) and St Dunstan Stepney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham and North Tyneside. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Clee Lincolnshire
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) Northumberland
5 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 058 County Durham
2 North Tyneside 022 North Tyneside
3 North Tyneside 027 North Tyneside
4 North Tyneside 017 North Tyneside
5 North Tyneside 023 North Tyneside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ornsby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ornsby

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Ornsby is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ornsby 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

Ornsby 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 Ornsby is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Ornsby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ornsby 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 22 Ornsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.69x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 22 2.69x
Gloucestershire 10 6.22x
Lincolnshire 10 7.63x
Durham 8 3.28x
Cumberland 7 9.92x
Lanarkshire 7 2.64x
Northumberland 7 5.74x
Devon 4 2.35x
Kent 3 1.07x
Yorkshire 2 0.25x
Glamorgan 1 0.70x
Royal Navy 1 10.25x
Staffordshire 1 0.36x
Surrey 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Mile End Old Town in Middlesex leads with 12 Ornsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 92.81x.

Place Total Index
Mile End Old Town 12 92.81x
Cheltenham 10 80.71x
Clee With Weelsby 10 348.43x
Bromley London 9 49.94x
Barony 7 10.44x
Broom 5 2500.00x
Fenrother 5 25000.00x
Preston Quarter 5 252.53x
Folkestone 3 55.35x
Dearham 2 215.05x
Plymouth Charles The 2 26.63x
Plymouth St Andrew 2 15.22x
Stockton On Tees 2 17.02x
Tynemouth 2 30.63x
Armthorpe 1 909.09x
Battersea 1 3.32x
Benfieldside 1 62.50x
Crowle 1 125.00x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 3.41x
Swansea Town 1 8.55x
Whitechapel London 1 12.39x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 7
Robert 6
George 2
Henry 2
William 2
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Infant 1
James 1
Joseph 1
Samuel 1
Thomas 1
Walter 1
Wilfred 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 Ornsby households.

FAQ

Ornsby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ornsby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 83 people were recorded with the Ornsby surname. That placed it at #21,808 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ornsby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 132 in 2016. That gives Ornsby a modern rank of #25,882.

What does the Ornsby map show?

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