NameCensus.

UK surname

Ragsdale

An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "valley of the roe deer" or "valley of rags."

In the 1881 census there were 100 people recorded with the Ragsdale surname, ranking it #19,750 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 158, ranked #22,904, down from #19,750 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes and Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolsover, Newark and Sherwood and Mansfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ragsdale is 170 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 58.0%.

1881 census count

100

Ranked #19,750

Modern count

158

2016, ranked #22,904

Peak year

1998

170 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ragsdale had 100 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,750 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 158 in 2016, ranked #22,904.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 151 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Ragsdale surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ragsdale surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ragsdale 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 76 #20,127
1861 historical 71 #24,765
1881 historical 100 #19,750
1891 historical 126 #20,604
1901 historical 125 #20,061
1911 historical 151 #17,797
1997 modern 165 #19,861
1998 modern 170 #20,030
1999 modern 160 #20,943
2000 modern 167 #20,332
2001 modern 167 #20,060
2002 modern 168 #20,396
2003 modern 156 #21,115
2004 modern 155 #21,352
2005 modern 146 #22,146
2006 modern 150 #21,915
2007 modern 146 #22,596
2008 modern 140 #23,511
2009 modern 148 #23,141
2010 modern 150 #23,482
2011 modern 143 #24,056
2012 modern 160 #22,260
2013 modern 159 #22,706
2014 modern 162 #22,624
2015 modern 154 #23,306
2016 modern 158 #22,904

Geography

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Where Ragsdales are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes, Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton, Gedling and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolsover, Newark and Sherwood, Mansfield, Rotherham and Bassetlaw. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton Nottinghamshire
4 Gedling Nottinghamshire
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolsover 007 Bolsover
2 Newark and Sherwood 011 Newark and Sherwood
3 Mansfield 005 Mansfield
4 Rotherham 007 Rotherham
5 Bassetlaw 008 Bassetlaw

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ragsdale

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ragsdale

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Ragsdale surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Ragsdale 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Ragsdale 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

Ragsdale is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ragsdale falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Ragsdale

The surname Ragsdale is of English origin, deriving from a placename in the county of Lancashire. It is believed to have emerged during the 13th century, initially taking the form of "Raggesdale" or "Raggesdeill", referring to a valley or dale associated with a person named Ragg or Ragge. These old English personal names were derived from the Norse word "raggr", meaning shaggy or unkempt.

Records from the 13th and 14th centuries indicate the name was concentrated in the areas around Clitheroe and Pendle Hill in Lancashire. One of the earliest known references is in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332, which mention a Adam de Raggesdeill residing in the village of Whalley.

By the 16th century, the spelling had evolved closer to its modern form, appearing in parish records as Ragsdale, Raggesdale, and Raggisdale. The earliest recorded birth of a Ragsdale was that of Robert Ragsdale in Clitheroe in 1586.

While the name was largely confined to Lancashire for several centuries, it gradually spread across England in the 17th and 18th centuries. Notable individuals bearing the surname during this time include William Ragsdale (1633-1711), a prominent merchant and landowner in Oxfordshire, and John Ragsdale (1675-1744), a renowned clockmaker from London.

As the British Empire expanded, the name also found its way to various colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances in North America was that of Thomas Ragsdale, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635. Another notable early settler was Captain Edward Ragsdale (1624-1676), who served in the Virginia militia and was granted land in what is now Surry County.

Other notable individuals with the surname include Sir Michael Ragsdale (1728-1810), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, and James Ragsdale (1838-1912), a Union Army veteran and lawyer who later became a judge in Arkansas.

Throughout its history, the surname Ragsdale has maintained a strong presence in both the United Kingdom and the United States, with various spellings and variations emerging over time, such as Ragsdale, Ragdale, and Ragsdill.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ragsdale families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ragsdale 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 71 Ragsdales recorded in 1881 and an index of 54.00x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 71 54.00x
Lincolnshire 8 5.13x
Middlesex 4 0.41x
Derbyshire 3 1.96x
Kent 3 0.90x
Warwickshire 3 1.22x
Durham 2 0.69x
Lancashire 2 0.17x
Surrey 2 0.42x
Yorkshire 2 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Carlton in Nottinghamshire leads with 16 Ragsdales recorded in 1881 and an index of 1066.67x.

Place Total Index
Carlton 16 1066.67x
Nottingham St Mary 10 29.40x
Bingham 7 1250.00x
Grove 6 15000.00x
Snenton 6 116.05x
South Collingham 6 2307.69x
West Bridgford 5 3846.15x
Deeping St Nicholas 4 869.57x
Hucknall Torkard 4 120.12x
Alfreton 3 64.66x
Basford 3 49.51x
Flintham 3 2307.69x
Leek Wootten 3 2307.69x
Market Deeping 3 750.00x
Newark Upon Trent 3 63.42x
Poplar London 3 16.30x
Greenwich 2 12.88x
South Shields 2 77.22x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 10.19x
Ash Next Sandwich 1 135.14x
Barrowby 1 370.37x
Blackley 1 49.26x
Granby Sutton 1 769.23x
Middleton In Oldham 1 28.82x
Nottingham St Peter 1 68.03x
Ormesby 1 38.46x
Skircoat 1 26.25x
St Pancras London 1 1.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Eliza 5
Elizabeth 4
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Ada 2
Annie 2
Emma 2
Hannah 2
Martha 2
Alice 1
Amelia 1
Eleanor 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Grace 1
James 1
Jane 1
Lonie 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
Maria 1
Ruth 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 8
John 8
William 8
Henry 7
Joseph 3
Herbert 2
James 2
Mark 2
Thomas 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Frank 1
Jervis 1
Mathew 1
Samuel 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Ragsdale surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ragsdale surname in 1881?

In 1881, 100 people were recorded with the Ragsdale surname. That placed it at #19,750 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ragsdale surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 158 in 2016. That gives Ragsdale a modern rank of #22,904.

What does the Ragsdale surname mean?

An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "valley of the roe deer" or "valley of rags."

What does the Ragsdale map show?

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