NameCensus.

UK surname

Orsborn

A surname of Germanic origin meaning "bear's stream".

In the 1881 census there were 145 people recorded with the Orsborn surname, ranking it #15,838 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 149, ranked #23,844, down from #15,838 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Canons Ashby, London parishes and Easton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Basingstoke and Deane, Shropshire and Central Bedfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Orsborn is 439 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.8%.

1881 census count

145

Ranked #15,838

Modern count

149

2016, ranked #23,844

Peak year

1851

439 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Orsborn had 145 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,838 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 149 in 2016, ranked #23,844.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 439 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Orsborn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Orsborn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Orsborn 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 439 #5,600
1861 historical 247 #9,977
1881 historical 145 #15,838
1891 historical 124 #20,818
1901 historical 121 #20,444
1911 historical 152 #17,712
1997 modern 167 #19,722
1998 modern 173 #19,821
1999 modern 163 #20,698
2000 modern 161 #20,822
2001 modern 160 #20,616
2002 modern 161 #20,925
2003 modern 159 #20,881
2004 modern 158 #21,077
2005 modern 163 #20,627
2006 modern 159 #21,148
2007 modern 164 #20,973
2008 modern 161 #21,431
2009 modern 165 #21,552
2010 modern 168 #21,733
2011 modern 170 #21,407
2012 modern 156 #22,645
2013 modern 152 #23,438
2014 modern 149 #23,969
2015 modern 145 #24,246
2016 modern 149 #23,844

Geography

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Where Orsborns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Canons Ashby, London parishes, Easton and Weston and Loys Weedon. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Basingstoke and Deane, Shropshire, Central Bedfordshire, Birmingham and Kettering. 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 Canons Ashby Northamptonshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Easton Suffolk
4 London parishes London 3
5 Weston and Loys Weedon Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Basingstoke and Deane 010 Basingstoke and Deane
2 Shropshire 038 Shropshire
3 Central Bedfordshire 017 Central Bedfordshire
4 Birmingham 133 Birmingham
5 Kettering 006 Kettering

Forenames

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First names often paired with Orsborn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Orsborn

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

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Orsborn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Orsborn 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 many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Orsborn is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Orsborn 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

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

Meaning and origin of Orsborn

The surname Orsborn is of English origin, originating in the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "or," meaning "over or across," and "burn," meaning "a stream or brook." Thus, the surname likely referred to someone who lived near a stream or brook that had to be crossed.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Orsborn surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Orseburne." This entry suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.

The Orsborn surname has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Orsborne, Osborne, Osburne, and Osburn. These variations reflect the fluid nature of English orthography and pronunciation before standardization.

Orsborn can also be traced to several place names in England, such as Osborn in Nottinghamshire and Osbaston in Leicestershire. It's possible that some Orsborn families adopted their surnames from these locations.

Notable individuals bearing the Orsborn surname include:

1. Sir Peter Orsborn (c. 1420-1487), a prominent English lawyer and statesman during the Wars of the Roses. 2. Thomas Orsborn (1548-1616), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the vicar of Childwall in Lancashire. 3. Elizabeth Orsborn (c. 1650-1725), an English Quaker writer and preacher known for her religious works. 4. William Orsborn (1698-1774), an English clockmaker and inventor who developed improvements in clock escapement mechanisms. 5. John Orsborn (1788-1856), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a renowned maritime author.

While these are just a few examples, the Orsborn surname has a rich history spanning centuries in England, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Orsborn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Orsborn 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. Suffolk leads with 29 Orsborns recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.84x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 29 16.84x
Middlesex 26 1.84x
Norfolk 23 10.58x
Sussex 20 8.39x
Hampshire 11 3.79x
Cambridgeshire 8 8.93x
Gloucestershire 7 2.52x
Northamptonshire 7 5.26x
Buckinghamshire 6 7.02x
Warwickshire 3 0.84x
Bedfordshire 1 1.37x
Lancashire 1 0.06x
Lincolnshire 1 0.44x
Surrey 1 0.15x
Yorkshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. South Ambersham in Sussex leads with 18 Orsborns recorded in 1881 and an index of 30000.00x.

Place Total Index
South Ambersham 18 30000.00x
Chelsea London 14 32.85x
Catton 10 2777.78x
Easton 10 4761.90x
Burgh 9 7500.00x
Hildersham 8 6666.67x
St Bartholomew Great 8 620.16x
Kislingbury 6 1764.71x
Westbury 6 3000.00x
Ryde 5 80.26x
Ditchingham 4 769.23x
Gorleston 4 91.32x
Portsea 4 7.04x
Sutton 4 2222.22x
Tewkesbury 4 161.29x
Cheltenham 3 14.02x
Leamington Priors 3 34.17x
Westminster St John 3 17.42x
Woolpit 3 600.00x
Bawburgh 2 952.38x
Subdeanary 2 312.50x
Warblington 2 173.91x
Attleborough 1 90.91x
Campsea Ash 1 526.32x
Coleby 1 476.19x
Culpho 1 3333.33x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 1 15.31x
Lambeth 1 0.81x
Northill 1 144.93x
Norwich St Clement 1 39.68x
Offton 1 588.24x
Skelton In Guisbrough 1 26.39x
Warkworth 1 83.33x
West Derby 1 2.04x
Westminster St James 1 6.88x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Orsborn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Orsborn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 145 people were recorded with the Orsborn surname. That placed it at #15,838 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Orsborn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 149 in 2016. That gives Orsborn a modern rank of #23,844.

What does the Orsborn surname mean?

A surname of Germanic origin meaning "bear's stream".

What does the Orsborn map show?

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