NameCensus.

UK surname

Probyn

In the 1881 census there were 269 people recorded with the Probyn surname, ranking it #10,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 453, ranked #10,748, down from #10,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Monmouth and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Maidstone.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Probyn is 529 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 68.4%.

1881 census count

269

Ranked #10,506

Modern count

453

2016, ranked #10,748

Peak year

1999

529 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Probyn had 269 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 453 in 2016, ranked #10,748.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 439 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Probyn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Probyn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Probyn 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 179 #11,346
1861 historical 138 #16,365
1881 historical 269 #10,506
1891 historical 299 #11,140
1901 historical 373 #9,948
1911 historical 439 #8,671
1997 modern 443 #10,189
1998 modern 514 #9,383
1999 modern 529 #9,245
2000 modern 503 #9,589
2001 modern 501 #9,448
2002 modern 500 #9,625
2003 modern 483 #9,735
2004 modern 504 #9,468
2005 modern 481 #9,702
2006 modern 468 #9,952
2007 modern 462 #10,143
2008 modern 461 #10,235
2009 modern 483 #10,114
2010 modern 490 #10,211
2011 modern 478 #10,299
2012 modern 466 #10,403
2013 modern 473 #10,436
2014 modern 472 #10,525
2015 modern 459 #10,667
2016 modern 453 #10,748

Geography

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Where Probyns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Monmouth, London parishes, Ross Foreign and Ross Borough and Newent. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St Edmundsbury, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Maidstone, Stafford and Herefordshire. 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 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
2 Monmouth Monmouthshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 Ross Foreign and Ross Borough Herefordshire
5 Newent Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury
2 Rhondda Cynon Taf 031 Rhondda Cynon Taf
3 Maidstone 006 Maidstone
4 Stafford 001 Stafford
5 Herefordshire 023 Herefordshire, County of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Probyn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Probyn

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Probyn, 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 Probyn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Probyn 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Probyn is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Probyn is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Probyn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Probyn 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. Gloucestershire leads with 82 Probyns recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.93x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 82 15.93x
Middlesex 34 1.30x
Monmouthshire 34 17.92x
Herefordshire 26 24.17x
Lancashire 13 0.42x
Surrey 11 0.86x
Staffordshire 8 0.90x
Sussex 8 1.81x
Radnorshire 7 33.07x
Yorkshire 7 0.27x
Kent 6 0.67x
Warwickshire 6 0.91x
Dorset 4 2.32x
Northamptonshire 4 1.62x
Worcestershire 4 1.17x
Glamorgan 3 0.66x
Cardiganshire 2 3.12x
Cheshire 2 0.35x
Somerset 2 0.47x
Wiltshire 2 0.86x
Brecknockshire 1 1.91x
Oxfordshire 1 0.62x
Pembrokeshire 1 1.20x
Suffolk 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gloucester Barton St Mary in Gloucestershire leads with 14 Probyns recorded in 1881 and an index of 148.62x.

Place Total Index
Gloucester Barton St Mary 14 148.62x
Gloucester St John Baptist 12 361.45x
Newent 12 458.02x
Trevethin 12 67.00x
Poplar London 10 20.19x
Ross 10 233.64x
Gloucester Barton St 9 298.01x
Lambeth 8 3.50x
Westbury On Severn East 8 68.79x
Gloucester St Owen 7 1250.00x
Monmouth 7 139.17x
Presteigne 7 522.39x
Islington London 6 2.36x
Llanover 6 92.59x
Much Marcle 6 769.23x
West Derby 6 6.59x
Birmingham 5 2.27x
Castleford 5 52.80x
Worth 5 155.76x
Clifton 4 15.37x
Flaxley 4 344.83x
Huntley 4 1052.63x
Kensington London 4 2.74x
Linton In Newent 4 481.93x
Little Houghton 4 869.57x
Salford 4 4.37x
St George Hanover 4 11.68x
Haresfield 3 588.24x
Marnhull 3 240.00x
Sittingbourne 3 42.43x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 3.19x
Cheltenham 2 5.04x
Devizes St James 2 64.94x
Hammersmith London 2 3.09x
Herne 2 50.51x
Kew 2 270.27x
Kingswinford 2 6.22x
Leigh 2 48.08x
Llanafan 2 357.14x
Merthyr Tydfil 2 4.55x
Paddington London 2 2.07x
Penalt 2 465.12x
St Pancras London 2 0.95x
St Woollos 2 9.45x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 1.47x
Bathwick 1 21.41x
Brighton 1 1.12x
Bromsberrow 1 416.67x
Burghill 1 81.97x
Burslem 1 3.94x
Chipping Norton 1 26.67x
Croughton 1 3333.33x
Dixton Newton 1 833.33x
Eastbourne 1 4.91x
Edgbaston 1 4.87x
Horton 1 92.59x
Hove 1 5.15x
Ledbury 1 27.03x
Llangattock 1 23.42x
Manningham 1 3.12x
Margate St John Baptist 1 6.10x
Pencoyd 1 555.56x
Peterstow 1 303.03x
Poole St James 1 15.46x
Raglan 1 153.85x
Reigate Foreign 1 7.23x
Roath 1 4.82x
Skircoat 1 9.76x
St Giles In Fields 1 11.05x
St Marylebone London 1 0.71x
Tenby St Mary In 1 23.58x
Tettenhall 1 18.45x
Tottenham 1 2.39x
Westbury On Severn 1 49.02x
Westminster St James 1 3.71x
Weston 1 30.77x
Weston Under Penyard 1 133.33x
Wickham Market 1 75.76x
Worcester All Sts 1 50.25x
Worcester St Peter 1 15.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 22
Elizabeth 9
Emily 8
Eliza 7
Alice 6
Edith 6
Emma 6
Caroline 5
Charlotte 5
Annie 4
Fanny 4
Hannah 4
Jane 4
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Florence 3
Agnes 2
Blanche 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Lydia 2
Mabel 2
Margaret 2
Martha 2
Anne 1
Barbara 1
Beese 1
Bertha 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Dora 1
Ellen 1
Ethel 1
Evelyn 1
Flora 1
Francess 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Gusta 1
Gwendoline 1
Henreatta 1
Henrietta 1
Hilda 1
Isabel 1
Juliana 1
Katherine 1
Lillie 1
Lucy 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 18
John 12
Thomas 12
Frederick 8
Charles 7
George 6
Alfred 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Frank 3
Harry 3
Henry 3
James 3
Edmund 2
Hubert 2
Percy 2
Richard 2
Sydney 2
Alfd.Brewerton 1
Christopher 1
Clifford 1
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Edwd.T. 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Granville 1
Howard 1
Joseph 1
Lesley 1
Leslie 1
Moreland 1
Samuel 1
Stanley 1
Stephen 1
Tom 1
Walter 1
Wilfred 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1
Wm.Chas. 1

FAQ

Probyn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Probyn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 269 people were recorded with the Probyn surname. That placed it at #10,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Probyn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 453 in 2016. That gives Probyn a modern rank of #10,748.

What does the Probyn map show?

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