NameCensus.

UK surname

Oversby

In the 1881 census there were 169 people recorded with the Oversby surname, ranking it #14,324 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 189, ranked #20,334, down from #14,324 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sedbergh, Toxteth Park and Auckland St Andrew. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Craven, South Lakeland and Torridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Oversby is 249 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.8%.

1881 census count

169

Ranked #14,324

Modern count

189

2016, ranked #20,334

Peak year

1911

249 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Oversby had 169 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,324 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 189 in 2016, ranked #20,334.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 249 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Oversby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Oversby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Oversby 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 117 #15,456
1861 historical 118 #18,512
1881 historical 169 #14,324
1891 historical 200 #14,913
1901 historical 241 #13,417
1911 historical 249 #12,951
1997 modern 209 #17,157
1998 modern 209 #17,650
1999 modern 200 #18,237
2000 modern 191 #18,752
2001 modern 189 #18,590
2002 modern 190 #18,889
2003 modern 194 #18,463
2004 modern 200 #18,213
2005 modern 195 #18,458
2006 modern 189 #18,961
2007 modern 191 #19,031
2008 modern 190 #19,246
2009 modern 192 #19,527
2010 modern 194 #19,819
2011 modern 182 #20,495
2012 modern 183 #20,356
2013 modern 189 #20,273
2014 modern 195 #20,036
2015 modern 187 #20,502
2016 modern 189 #20,334

Geography

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Where Oversbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sedbergh, Toxteth Park, Auckland St Andrew, West Derby and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Craven, South Lakeland and Torridge. 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 Sedbergh Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Toxteth Park Lancashire
3 Auckland St Andrew Durham
4 West Derby Lancashire
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Craven 001 Craven
2 South Lakeland 009 South Lakeland
3 Craven 002 Craven
4 South Lakeland 011 South Lakeland
5 Torridge 006 Torridge

Forenames

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First names often paired with Oversby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Oversby

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

Ageing Communities

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

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Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Oversby is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Oversby is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Oversby falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Oversby is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Oversby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Oversby 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. Yorkshire leads with 73 Oversbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.47x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 73 4.47x
Lancashire 42 2.15x
Durham 36 7.34x
Westmorland 15 41.40x
Midlothian 2 0.91x
Staffordshire 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dent in Yorkshire leads with 42 Oversbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6176.47x.

Place Total Index
Dent 42 6176.47x
Sunderland Bridge 18 2307.69x
Old Park 12 2307.69x
Firbank 11 9166.67x
Bradford 9 22.76x
West Derby 9 15.73x
Garsdale 7 2058.82x
Priest Hutton 6 5000.00x
Warton With Lindeth 6 731.71x
Horton In Bradford 5 19.60x
Tottington Lower End 5 53.76x
Ulverston 4 70.18x
Blackburn 3 5.76x
Hornby 3 1500.00x
Keighley 3 17.23x
Sedbergh 3 500.00x
Witton Le Wear 3 215.83x
Gateshead 2 5.45x
Preston 2 3.82x
Sedburgh 2 294.12x
Barrow In Furness 1 3.76x
Beetham 1 178.57x
Borwick 1 714.29x
Carnforth 1 93.46x
Clapham Cum Newby 1 263.16x
Edinburgh St Marys 1 23.31x
Everton 1 1.60x
Gomersal 1 13.12x
Kirkby Lonsdale 1 102.04x
Middleton 1 769.23x
Orton 1 92.59x
Rocester 1 144.93x
South Leith 1 4.02x
Willington 1 35.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Margaret 12
Elizabeth 10
Mary 9
Jane 7
Sarah 6
Isabella 5
Agnes 4
Alice 4
Ann 4
Annie 4
Ellen 3
Barbara 2
Eleanor 2
Martha 2
Abigail 1
Anna 1
Catherine 1
Fanny 1
Hannah 1
Izatt 1
Jamen 1
Judith 1
Lily 1
Lizie 1
Louisa 1
Marion 1
Mersey 1
Rose 1
Tamar 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 13
John 13
Thomas 10
William 8
Edward 6
Oliver 5
Richard 4
James 3
Joseph 2
Robert 2
Alfred 1
Charlie 1
Christopher 1
Chs.A. 1
Lindsey 1
Matthew 1
Miles 1
Robt. 1
Samuel 1
Stephen 1
Sylvester 1
Wilson 1

FAQ

Oversby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Oversby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 169 people were recorded with the Oversby surname. That placed it at #14,324 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Oversby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 189 in 2016. That gives Oversby a modern rank of #20,334.

What does the Oversby map show?

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