NameCensus.

UK surname

Orpin

A French surname derived from a locative term referring to someone from Orpin.

In the 1881 census there were 267 people recorded with the Orpin surname, ranking it #10,573 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 410, ranked #11,674, down from #10,573 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Frittenden and Maidstone, Linton, Loddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Oxfordshire, Thurrock and Ashford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Orpin is 474 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 53.6%.

1881 census count

267

Ranked #10,573

Modern count

410

2016, ranked #11,674

Peak year

1911

474 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Orpin had 267 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,573 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 410 in 2016, ranked #11,674.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 474 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Orpin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Orpin surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Orpin 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 257 #8,596
1861 historical 165 #14,112
1881 historical 267 #10,573
1891 historical 346 #9,920
1901 historical 401 #9,472
1911 historical 474 #8,162
1997 modern 437 #10,299
1998 modern 457 #10,279
1999 modern 471 #10,098
2000 modern 450 #10,433
2001 modern 440 #10,434
2002 modern 447 #10,501
2003 modern 435 #10,571
2004 modern 413 #11,021
2005 modern 410 #10,979
2006 modern 413 #10,959
2007 modern 413 #11,100
2008 modern 417 #11,100
2009 modern 436 #10,965
2010 modern 430 #11,306
2011 modern 435 #11,066
2012 modern 428 #11,092
2013 modern 433 #11,184
2014 modern 421 #11,544
2015 modern 419 #11,483
2016 modern 410 #11,674

Geography

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Where Orpins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Frittenden, Maidstone, Linton, Loddington and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Oxfordshire, Thurrock, Ashford and Burnley. 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 Frittenden Kent
3 London parishes London 3
4 Maidstone, Linton, Loddington Kent
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Oxfordshire 005 South Oxfordshire
2 Thurrock 005 Thurrock
3 Ashford 012 Ashford
4 Ashford 013 Ashford
5 Burnley 007 Burnley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Orpin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Orpin

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Orpin, 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 Orpin surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Orpin household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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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, Orpin 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

Orpin 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

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

Meaning and origin of Orpin

The surname ORPIN is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "orpine," referring to a plant commonly known as the "stonecrop." This plant was often used for medicinal purposes and grew abundantly in certain regions of England.

The earliest recorded instances of the ORPIN surname can be found in historical records from the counties of Somerset and Dorset in southwestern England. The name was particularly prevalent in the village of Orpin Hay, located in the parish of Chard, Somerset. This place name is thought to have influenced the development of the surname.

One of the earliest documented references to the ORPIN surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset, dated 1327. These rolls were tax records that listed individuals by their names and occupations. In these records, the name is spelled as "Orpyn," reflecting the phonetic spelling of the time.

During the 14th century, the ORPIN surname began to spread to other parts of England. In the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1349, there is a record of a landowner named John Orpyn. This document provides valuable insight into the geographic distribution of the name during that era.

Notable individuals with the ORPIN surname throughout history include:

1. William Orpin (c. 1548-1616), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Semley in Wiltshire. 2. Robert Orpin (1711-1796), a prominent merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England, known for his involvement in the transatlantic trade. 3. Mary Orpin (1788-1868), a British botanist and illustrator recognized for her contributions to the study of British flora. 4. John Orpin (1831-1901), a successful entrepreneur from Sussex, England, who founded a successful brewery business in the late 19th century. 5. Arthur Orpin (1901-1976), a British artist and illustrator renowned for his landscape paintings and etchings of rural scenes in southern England.

Throughout its history, the ORPIN surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Orpyn, Orpyne, and Orpine, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic evolution of English over the centuries. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained closely tied to its botanical roots and the geographic regions where it first emerged.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Orpin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Orpin 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. Kent leads with 110 Orpins recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.33x.

County Total Index
Kent 110 12.33x
Middlesex 45 1.72x
Gloucestershire 38 7.41x
Bedfordshire 18 13.30x
Surrey 16 1.26x
Sussex 12 2.72x
Leicestershire 7 2.42x
Buckinghamshire 6 3.80x
Berkshire 5 2.55x
Essex 5 0.97x
Northamptonshire 4 1.63x
Renfrewshire 1 0.49x
Royal Navy 1 3.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Malling in Kent leads with 20 Orpins recorded in 1881 and an index of 995.02x.

Place Total Index
West Malling 20 995.02x
Frittenden 19 2289.16x
Harrold 11 1195.65x
Islington London 10 3.95x
Westbury On Severn East 9 77.65x
Fairford 8 583.94x
Long Ditton 8 384.62x
Tonbridge 8 24.87x
Woodchurch 8 720.72x
Birling 7 886.08x
Gloucester St John Baptist 7 211.48x
Leybourne 7 2800.00x
Stoke 7 116.47x
Fulham London 6 15.83x
Headcorn 6 447.76x
Lavendon 6 845.07x
Broadwater 5 49.46x
East Malling 5 234.74x
Leicester St Margaret 5 7.07x
Reading St Mary 5 31.81x
St Mary Le Strand 5 602.41x
Stalisfield 5 1666.67x
Ticehurst 5 185.19x
Canterbury St Mary 4 66.78x
Cheltenham 4 10.11x
Hammersmith London 4 6.21x
St Clement Danes 4 94.56x
Tottenham 4 9.61x
West Ham 4 3.51x
Clerkenwell London 3 4.86x
Kensington London 3 2.06x
Bromham 2 689.66x
Chatham 2 8.15x
Faversham 2 23.50x
Gillingham 2 10.88x
Gloucester St Catherine 2 138.89x
Great Shurdington 2 1052.63x
Kempston 2 65.15x
Kettering 2 20.12x
Leicester All Sts 2 35.15x
Littleworth 2 400.00x
Luton 2 8.54x
Ringstead 2 235.29x
St George Hanover 2 5.86x
Staplehurst 2 136.99x
Trottiscliffe 2 769.23x
Wateringbury 2 170.94x
Acol 1 370.37x
Ashford 1 11.51x
Bedford St Peter 1 28.41x
Berkeley 1 35.09x
Bethnal Green London 1 0.88x
Brighton 1 1.12x
Bromley London 1 1.74x
East Ham 1 10.44x
Eastry 1 80.65x
Edmonton 1 4.75x
Harrietsham 1 163.93x
Maidstone 1 3.76x
Margate St John Baptist 1 6.12x
Royal Navy 1 3.76x
Snodland 1 39.53x
St Giles In Fields 1 11.09x
Strood 1 19.65x
Stroud 1 10.02x
Subdeanery 1 29.94x
Sutton 1 10.85x
West Dean 1 12.00x
West Greenock 1 2.75x
Whitcombe Magna 1 714.29x
Wrotham 1 33.90x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 9
Alice 6
Harriet 6
Jane 6
Sarah 6
Annie 5
Eliza 5
Ellen 5
Ann 4
Emily 4
Fanny 4
Maria 4
Emma 3
Kate 3
Lucy 3
Ada 2
Bertha 2
Caroline 2
Catherine 2
Clara 2
Frances 2
Henrietta 2
Rose 2
... 1
...ily 1
...th 1
Adah 1
Adelaide 1
Allice 1
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Bertie 1
Cecil 1
Elizth. 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Jemmima 1
Leah 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Marion 1
Philis 1
Rosa 1
Sophie 1
Susan 1
Susanna 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 19
John 14
George 13
Charles 9
James 9
Henry 8
Edward 6
Alfred 5
Harry 5
Thomas 5
Frank 4
Robert 4
Joseph 3
... 2
Arthur 2
Walter 2
...ie 1
Abraham 1
Albert 1
Alister 1
Charlie 1
Daniel 1
Ebenezer 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Farrin 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Isaac 1
J. 1
Jane 1
Jessee 1
Louis 1
Percy 1
Phillip 1
Richard 1
Roland 1
Stephen 1
Tom 1
Victor 1
Wilfred 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Orpin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Orpin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 267 people were recorded with the Orpin surname. That placed it at #10,573 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Orpin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 410 in 2016. That gives Orpin a modern rank of #11,674.

What does the Orpin surname mean?

A French surname derived from a locative term referring to someone from Orpin.

What does the Orpin map show?

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