NameCensus.

UK surname

Raleigh

From an English place name meaning "red clearing" or "roe deer clearing," derived from Old English words.

In the 1881 census there were 86 people recorded with the Raleigh surname, ranking it #21,449 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 125, ranked #26,827, down from #21,449 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Surrey Heath, Exeter and Hammersmith and Fulham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Raleigh is 152 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.3%.

1881 census count

86

Ranked #21,449

Modern count

125

2016, ranked #26,827

Peak year

1998

152 bearers

Map years

5

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Raleigh had 86 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,449 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016, ranked #26,827.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 125 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Raleigh surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Raleigh surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Raleigh 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 81 #19,457
1861 historical 103 #20,650
1881 historical 86 #21,449
1891 historical 90 #25,399
1901 historical 125 #20,061
1911 historical 83 #24,531
1997 modern 148 #21,295
1998 modern 152 #21,481
1999 modern 150 #21,826
2000 modern 140 #22,752
2001 modern 134 #23,037
2002 modern 135 #23,398
2003 modern 128 #23,890
2004 modern 130 #23,902
2005 modern 126 #24,287
2006 modern 126 #24,493
2007 modern 131 #24,282
2008 modern 129 #24,790
2009 modern 137 #24,371
2010 modern 135 #25,127
2011 modern 137 #24,716
2012 modern 143 #24,019
2013 modern 138 #25,020
2014 modern 134 #25,711
2015 modern 129 #26,226
2016 modern 125 #26,827

Geography

Back to top

Where Raleighs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Toxteth Park, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Surrey Heath, Exeter, Hammersmith and Fulham, Sutton and Cheshire West and Chester. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Toxteth Park Lancashire
4 Govan Combination Lanark
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Surrey Heath 001 Surrey Heath
2 Exeter 006 Exeter
3 Hammersmith and Fulham 008 Hammersmith and Fulham
4 Sutton 017 Sutton
5 Cheshire West and Chester 015 Cheshire West and Chester

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Raleigh

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Raleigh

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Raleigh, 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 Raleigh surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Raleigh 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

European Enclaves

Within London, Raleigh 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

Raleigh is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Raleigh falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Raleigh is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 40-50 mbit/s.

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

7
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Raleigh

The surname Raleigh originated in England, derived from the place name Raleigh, a parish in the county of Devon. The name is thought to come from the Old English words "ra" meaning a meadow or clearing, and "leah" meaning a woodland or grove, suggesting that the name referred to a clearing in a wooded area.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the first comprehensive survey of land ownership in England, the place name is recorded as "Ralegam". This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Raleigh was Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1554-1618), an English explorer, writer, and courtier. He was born in Devon and is renowned for his efforts in establishing the first English settlement in North America, on Roanoke Island, and for introducing tobacco and potatoes to England.

Another notable figure with the surname Raleigh was Sir Carew Raleigh (1550-1625), a younger son of Walter Raleigh and an English colonist who served as Governor of Jersey. He played a role in the early colonization efforts of Virginia and was involved in the establishment of Jamestown.

In the 16th century, the surname Raleigh was also associated with the Raleigh family, a prominent English gentry family with roots in Devon. One member of this family was Sir John Raleigh (c. 1537-1618), an English landowner and Member of Parliament.

The surname Raleigh has also been linked to several place names in England, such as Raleigh (Devon), Raleigh (Somerset), and Raleigh (Kent), further emphasizing the name's connection to specific geographic locations.

Another individual of historical significance with the surname Raleigh was Thomas Raleigh (1667-1711), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Dean of Wells Cathedral and authored several religious works.

While the surname Raleigh is not among the most common in modern times, its long history and association with notable figures in English history make it a significant part of the country's onomastic heritage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Raleigh families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Raleigh 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. Lancashire leads with 21 Raleighs recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.11x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 21 2.11x
Yorkshire 18 2.17x
Kirkcudbrightshire 10 82.37x
Middlesex 8 0.95x
Lanarkshire 6 2.21x
Somerset 6 4.44x
Midlothian 5 4.45x
Perthshire 2 5.31x
Anglesey 1 6.73x
Devon 1 0.57x
Dumfriesshire 1 5.40x
Glamorgan 1 0.68x
Kincardineshire 1 9.79x
Oxfordshire 1 1.93x
Staffordshire 1 0.35x
Stirlingshire 1 3.23x
Surrey 1 0.24x
Sussex 1 0.71x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 8 Raleighs recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.23x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 8 13.23x
Featherstone 7 752.69x
Urr 7 443.04x
Kensington London 6 12.87x
Swainswick 6 3333.33x
Everton 5 15.76x
Skeffling 5 10000.00x
Toxteth Park 5 14.84x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 8.85x
Govan 4 5.96x
Borgue 3 909.09x
Drypool 3 236.22x
Dunblane 2 222.22x
Hamilton 2 26.42x
Sculcoates 2 15.17x
Batley 1 12.66x
Bletchington 1 588.24x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 12.66x
Bow London 1 9.36x
Bury 1 8.80x
Cramond 1 117.65x
Drymen 1 243.90x
Dumfries 1 54.64x
Glenbervie 1 357.14x
Llanrhyddlad 1 555.56x
Margam 1 61.35x
Penge 1 18.66x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 7.43x
Preston 1 3.76x
Rudgwick 1 312.50x
Rugeley 1 49.26x
St George Hanover 1 9.13x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Raleigh surname: questions and answers

How common was the Raleigh surname in 1881?

In 1881, 86 people were recorded with the Raleigh surname. That placed it at #21,449 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Raleigh surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016. That gives Raleigh a modern rank of #26,827.

What does the Raleigh surname mean?

From an English place name meaning "red clearing" or "roe deer clearing," derived from Old English words.

What does the Raleigh map show?

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