NameCensus.

UK surname

Ralfe

In the 1881 census there were 108 people recorded with the Ralfe surname, ranking it #18,888 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 97, ranked #31,585, down from #18,888 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Erith, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Waverley, Mendip and Wirral.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ralfe is 225 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 10.2%.

1881 census count

108

Ranked #18,888

Modern count

97

2016, ranked #31,585

Peak year

1861

225 bearers

Map years

4

1861 to 1911

Key insights

  • Ralfe had 108 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,888 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 97 in 2016, ranked #31,585.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 225 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Mature Families.

Ralfe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ralfe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ralfe 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 62 #22,232
1861 historical 225 #10,843
1881 historical 108 #18,888
1891 historical 165 #17,143
1901 historical 94 #23,588
1911 historical 123 #20,128
1997 modern 97 #27,342
1998 modern 95 #28,303
1999 modern 113 #25,913
2000 modern 102 #27,425
2001 modern 95 #28,101
2002 modern 101 #27,766
2003 modern 102 #27,383
2004 modern 98 #28,297
2005 modern 89 #29,683
2006 modern 97 #28,793
2007 modern 96 #29,339
2008 modern 98 #29,355
2009 modern 103 #29,127
2010 modern 114 #28,017
2011 modern 112 #28,117
2012 modern 98 #30,612
2013 modern 103 #30,235
2014 modern 103 #30,539
2015 modern 104 #30,269
2016 modern 97 #31,585

Geography

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Where Ralfes are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Waverley, Mendip, Wirral, Medway and St Albans. 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 Erith Kent
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Waverley 016 Waverley
2 Mendip 010 Mendip
3 Wirral 033 Wirral
4 Medway 008 Medway
5 St Albans 017 St Albans

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ralfe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ralfe

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

Established Mature Families

Nationally, the Ralfe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Mature Families, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Ralfe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Married couples predominate, many with older dependent children. Detached housing is common. Homeownership rates are the highest within this Supergroup. The presence of some students suggests that households are towards the end of a child rearing phase. Many residents have degree level qualifications, and the occupational profile is heavily skewed towards managerial and professional occupations. Residential developments commonly occur on the periphery of major urban cities or conurbations.

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Ralfe is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Ralfe 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

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

1881 census detail

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Ralfe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ralfe 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. Surrey leads with 28 Ralfes recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.41x.

County Total Index
Surrey 28 5.41x
Kent 17 4.69x
Sussex 15 8.37x
Middlesex 10 0.94x
Berkshire 7 8.77x
Glamorgan 6 3.24x
Northumberland 6 3.79x
Cambridgeshire 5 7.43x
Hampshire 4 1.84x
Midlothian 2 1.40x
Oxfordshire 2 3.05x
Wiltshire 2 2.13x
Dorset 1 1.43x
Lancashire 1 0.08x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.70x
Royal Navy 1 7.89x
Yorkshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Camberwell in Surrey leads with 12 Ralfes recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.67x.

Place Total Index
Camberwell 12 17.67x
Brighton 10 27.65x
Beckenham 6 126.58x
Beenham 6 3157.89x
Benwell 6 346.82x
Gelligaer 6 141.84x
March 5 222.22x
New Romney 5 1351.35x
Newington 5 12.73x
Croydon 4 13.91x
Erith 4 112.04x
Streatham 4 50.70x
Broadwater 3 72.99x
Northwood 3 96.77x
Edinburgh New 2 180.18x
Hornsey 2 14.88x
Ickford 2 1428.57x
St Marylebone London 2 3.52x
Amesbury 1 243.90x
Arborfield 1 1000.00x
Chatham 1 10.02x
Chelsea London 1 3.12x
Clerkenwell London 1 3.99x
Everton 1 2.49x
Guestling 1 344.83x
Hampstead London 1 6.04x
Hastings St Leonards 1 38.02x
Lambeth 1 1.08x
Leeds 1 1.68x
Mile End Old Town 1 5.96x
Minster In Sheppey 1 16.64x
North Muskham 1 500.00x
Penge 1 14.73x
Portland 1 26.67x
Richmond 1 13.77x
Royal Navy 1 9.23x
St George Hanover 1 7.20x
St Mary Extra 1 57.14x
St Pancras London 1 1.17x
Tidcombe Fosbury 1 1000.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Frederick 7
William 6
John 4
George 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Edwin 2
James 2
Robert 2
Stephen 2
Albert 1
Alexander 1
Archd.Wm. 1
Arthur 1
Chas. 1
Douglas 1
Edward 1
Edwd.Walter 1
Francis 1
Fredk. 1
Haffenden 1
Henry 1
Jas. 1
Leonard 1
Percy 1
R. 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Ralfe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ralfe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 108 people were recorded with the Ralfe surname. That placed it at #18,888 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ralfe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 97 in 2016. That gives Ralfe a modern rank of #31,585.

What does the Ralfe map show?

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