NameCensus.

UK surname

Osborn

Derived from a place name meaning "Osbeorn's town," referring to a settlement associated with someone bearing that name.

In the 1881 census there were 6,245 people recorded with the Osborn surname, ranking it #693 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,899, ranked #1,382, down from #693 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and St Dunstan Stepney. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Cannock Chase and Bromley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Osborn is 7,042 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 21.6%.

1881 census count

6,245

Ranked #693

Modern count

4,899

2016, ranked #1,382

Peak year

1911

7,042 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Osborn had 6,245 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #693 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,899 in 2016, ranked #1,382.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,042 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Osborn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Osborn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Osborn 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 5,631 #493
1861 historical 4,403 #644
1881 historical 6,245 #693
1891 historical 5,635 #833
1901 historical 5,907 #938
1911 historical 7,042 #736
1997 modern 5,274 #1,234
1998 modern 5,406 #1,257
1999 modern 5,399 #1,273
2000 modern 5,375 #1,269
2001 modern 5,236 #1,272
2002 modern 5,315 #1,279
2003 modern 5,099 #1,300
2004 modern 5,063 #1,307
2005 modern 4,941 #1,320
2006 modern 4,919 #1,330
2007 modern 4,893 #1,348
2008 modern 4,896 #1,356
2009 modern 5,031 #1,355
2010 modern 5,072 #1,371
2011 modern 4,966 #1,380
2012 modern 4,842 #1,386
2013 modern 4,950 #1,382
2014 modern 5,005 #1,371
2015 modern 4,923 #1,384
2016 modern 4,899 #1,382

Geography

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Where Osborns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, St Dunstan Stepney and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Cannock Chase, Bromley and Ipswich. 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 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 029 Cornwall
2 Cannock Chase 003 Cannock Chase
3 Cornwall 048 Cornwall
4 Bromley 011 Bromley
5 Ipswich 004 Ipswich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Osborn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Osborn

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Osborn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Osborn household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Osborn 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.

Read profile summary

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

Osborn 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

Osborn falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Osborn

The surname Osborn originated in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name Osbeorn, which means "divine bear" or "bear revered by God." The name was initially used as a given name before becoming a hereditary surname.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Osbern and Osberne. These early spellings reflect the variations in spelling that were common before standardization occurred.

In the 13th century, the name began to appear in its modern form, Osborn, and variants such as Osborne and Osburn were also recorded. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and scribal errors.

The Osborn surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire in the medieval period. It is believed that some early bearers of the name may have taken their surname from place names like Osborn in Staffordshire or Osborn Parva in Nottinghamshire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Osborn was John Osborn, who was born around 1250 in Derbyshire. He is mentioned in local records from the late 13th century.

Another notable figure was Sir Peter Osborn (c. 1510-1592), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1583. He was a prominent figure in the city's commercial and political life during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, Francis Osborn (1592-1659) was a British writer and advisor to King Charles I. He authored several works on historical and political subjects, including "Advice to a Son" and "Traditional Memoirs on the Reign of King James I."

The Osborn family also had connections to the American colonies. Thomas Osborn (1632-1689) was an early settler in East Hampton, Long Island, and served as a magistrate and deputy to the General Court of Connecticut.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Osborn was Sherard Osborn (1822-1875), a British naval officer and explorer who conducted surveys and expeditions in the Arctic regions. He published several books about his experiences, including "Stray Leaves from an Arctic Journal" and "The Discovery of the North-West Passage."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Osborn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Osborn 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 1,364 Osborns recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.24x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,364 2.24x
Essex 440 3.67x
Surrey 386 1.30x
Kent 340 1.64x
Northamptonshire 315 5.51x
Cornwall 269 3.91x
Bedfordshire 257 8.17x
Suffolk 253 3.42x
Warwickshire 247 1.61x
Yorkshire 209 0.35x
Devon 207 1.64x
Sussex 204 1.99x
Norfolk 178 1.90x
Lincolnshire 161 1.66x
Hertfordshire 154 3.68x
Hampshire 110 0.88x
Buckinghamshire 108 2.94x
Worcestershire 100 1.26x
Staffordshire 95 0.46x
Nottinghamshire 89 1.09x
Lancashire 84 0.12x
Gloucestershire 81 0.68x
Cambridgeshire 75 1.95x
Leicestershire 74 1.10x
Cumberland 57 1.09x
Durham 50 0.28x
Somerset 35 0.36x
Glamorgan 32 0.30x
Dorset 30 0.75x
Rutland 29 6.50x
Berkshire 27 0.59x
Northumberland 24 0.27x
Monmouthshire 20 0.46x
Derbyshire 19 0.20x
Wiltshire 18 0.33x
Cheshire 17 0.13x
Oxfordshire 14 0.37x
Huntingdonshire 13 1.08x
Herefordshire 10 0.40x
Perthshire 9 0.33x
Caernarfonshire 6 0.24x
Lanarkshire 5 0.03x
Royal Navy 4 0.55x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.12x
Flintshire 2 0.12x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.10x
Radnorshire 2 0.41x
Ayrshire 1 0.02x
Midlothian 1 0.01x
Renfrewshire 1 0.02x
Shropshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 129 Osborns recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.89x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 129 4.89x
Islington London 124 2.10x
Birmingham 98 1.92x
Lambeth 96 1.81x
St Pancras London 86 1.76x
Mile End Old Town 85 8.86x
Hackney London 69 2.02x
Shoreditch London 67 2.54x
St Marylebone London 60 1.85x
Battersea 53 2.37x
Bromley London 52 3.89x
Aston 51 1.21x
Deptford St Paul 49 3.06x
Egloshayle 48 148.75x
Leigh 48 115.05x
Kensington London 46 1.36x
Camberwell 45 1.16x
Gillingham 42 9.82x
Greenwich 42 4.34x
West Ham 42 1.59x
Bow London 41 5.30x
Luton 38 6.97x
Zennor 38 299.92x
Hammersmith London 37 2.47x
Poplar London 33 2.88x
Clerkenwell London 31 2.16x
Newington 31 1.38x
Ipswich St Clement 30 15.94x
Chelsea London 29 1.58x
Daventry 28 34.62x
Hemel Hempstead 28 14.83x
Rugby 28 13.50x
Great Yarmouth 27 3.49x
Hornsey 27 3.51x
Paddington London 27 1.21x
Rotherhithe 27 3.60x
Hampstead London 26 2.75x
Holme St Cuthbert 26 167.31x
St George Hanover 25 3.15x
Brightside Bierlow 24 2.03x
Bromley 24 7.59x
Kings Norton 24 3.37x
Streatham 24 5.32x
Thurleigh 23 183.27x
Tottenham 23 2.38x
Westminster St James 23 3.68x
Hillmorton 22 80.47x
St Columb Major 22 38.52x
Earls Colne 21 63.44x
Farnham 21 201.15x
Great Grimsby 21 3.40x
Worcester St Peter 21 13.98x
Chalgrave 20 109.83x
Lewisham 19 1.72x
Leyton Low 19 7.79x
Limehouse London 19 2.85x
Liverpool 19 0.43x
Tring 19 16.99x
Eastbourne 18 3.82x
Grantham 18 14.21x
Hanwell 18 16.70x
Kelvedon 18 56.29x
St Enoder 18 76.96x
Toddington 18 39.88x
Wellingborough 18 6.26x
Acton 17 4.77x
Farthingstone 17 264.39x
Tavistock 17 11.79x
Wednesbury 17 3.32x
Abthorpe 16 167.19x
Harborne 16 2.43x
Maresfield 16 37.05x
Otley 16 120.94x
St Austell 16 6.80x
St Wenn 16 142.10x
Fulham London 15 1.70x
Leicester St Margaret 15 0.91x
Lowestoft 15 4.29x
Mattishall 15 80.21x
Willesden 15 2.62x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 357
Elizabeth 269
Sarah 215
Emma 134
Jane 127
Ann 113
Alice 106
Eliza 106
Emily 96
Ellen 81
Annie 73
Hannah 60
Louisa 51
Edith 49
Martha 47
Harriet 42
Charlotte 41
Ada 40
Florence 40
Maria 40
Caroline 33
Fanny 33
Margaret 33
Susan 32
Lucy 29
Clara 27
Kate 26
Catherine 22
Harriett 20
Anne 19
Frances 19
Laura 19
Matilda 19
Amy 18
Jessie 18
Julia 18
Susannah 18
Rose 17
Helen 16
Sophia 15
Eleanor 14
Gertrude 14
Minnie 14
Agnes 12
Amelia 12
Grace 12
Rebecca 12
Esther 11
Maud 11
Elizth. 10

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 423
John 327
George 242
Thomas 210
James 174
Henry 150
Charles 138
Joseph 88
Alfred 84
Frederick 78
Edward 76
Robert 65
Arthur 64
Walter 59
Harry 48
Richard 47
Albert 45
Samuel 42
Ernest 29
Herbert 25
Francis 21
David 19
Frank 18
Edwin 17
Isaac 17
Fred 14
Benjamin 13
Wm. 13
Stephen 12
Fredrick 10
Matthew 10
Daniel 9
Abraham 8
Geo. 8
Percy 8
Philip 8
Thos. 8
Sydney 7
Frederic 6
Jabez 6
Chas. 5
Fredk. 5
Oliver 5
Tom 5
Willm. 5
Leonard 4
Lewis 4
Luke 4
Phillip 4
S. 4

FAQ

Osborn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Osborn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,245 people were recorded with the Osborn surname. That placed it at #693 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Osborn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,899 in 2016. That gives Osborn a modern rank of #1,382.

What does the Osborn surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "Osbeorn's town," referring to a settlement associated with someone bearing that name.

What does the Osborn map show?

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