NameCensus.

UK surname

Rawlins

Derived from a place name meaning "Rawland's son," referring to someone living on rough or uncultivated land.

In the 1881 census there were 1,738 people recorded with the Rawlins surname, ranking it #2,485 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,520, ranked #2,624, down from #2,485 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and St Matthew Bethnal Green. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wrexham, North Warwickshire and Eden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rawlins is 2,569 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.0%.

1881 census count

1,738

Ranked #2,485

Modern count

2,520

2016, ranked #2,624

Peak year

2000

2,569 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rawlins had 1,738 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,485 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,520 in 2016, ranked #2,624.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,179 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Rawlins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rawlins surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rawlins 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 1,477 #1,940
1861 historical 1,278 #2,233
1881 historical 1,738 #2,485
1891 historical 1,781 #2,566
1901 historical 2,111 #2,546
1911 historical 2,179 #2,311
1997 modern 2,393 #2,617
1998 modern 2,547 #2,563
1999 modern 2,549 #2,584
2000 modern 2,569 #2,550
2001 modern 2,478 #2,583
2002 modern 2,520 #2,598
2003 modern 2,468 #2,594
2004 modern 2,438 #2,626
2005 modern 2,387 #2,642
2006 modern 2,385 #2,645
2007 modern 2,400 #2,658
2008 modern 2,394 #2,679
2009 modern 2,468 #2,678
2010 modern 2,535 #2,666
2011 modern 2,550 #2,626
2012 modern 2,482 #2,639
2013 modern 2,559 #2,612
2014 modern 2,550 #2,634
2015 modern 2,525 #2,636
2016 modern 2,520 #2,624

Geography

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Where Rawlins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, St Matthew Bethnal Green and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wrexham, North Warwickshire, Eden, Wiltshire and South Somerset. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wrexham 003 Wrexham
2 North Warwickshire 004 North Warwickshire
3 Eden 007 Eden
4 Wiltshire 054 Wiltshire
5 South Somerset 019 South Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rawlins

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rawlins

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

Rawlins 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

Rawlins falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Rawlins

The surname Rawlins is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Rāwlīn," which is a diminutive of the Germanic name "Radulf" or "Raoul." The name Radulf itself is composed of the elements "rad" (meaning counsel or advice) and "wulf" (meaning wolf).

One of the earliest known references to the Rawlins surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a person named William Raulyn is recorded in Oxfordshire. Another early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, which mentions a John Raulyn.

The surname Rawlins may also have connections to certain place names in England, such as Rawlinson in Lancashire, which was recorded as "Raulundesun" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This place name is likely derived from an Old English personal name and the word "tun" (meaning settlement or enclosure).

In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Rawlins was John Rawlins (c. 1330-1406), a English theologian and academic who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1395 to 1398.

In the 16th century, Sir Walter Rawlins (c. 1535-1593) was a prominent English sailor and explorer who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his famous circumnavigation of the world from 1577 to 1580.

Another notable bearer of the Rawlins surname was Thomas Rawlins (1620-1670), an English Puritan clergyman and author who was a member of the Westminster Assembly and served as the principal of St. Alban Hall, Oxford.

During the 17th century, John Rawlins (1642-1686) was an English Baptist minister and writer who published several works on theology and religious controversies.

In the 18th century, William Rawlins (1727-1796) was a British naval officer and explorer who served as a captain in the Royal Navy and conducted surveys and explorations in the South Pacific and along the coasts of Australia and New Zealand.

While the surname Rawlins has a long history in England, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the majority of its historical roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to its English origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rawlins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rawlins 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. Middlesex leads with 258 Rawlins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.52x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 258 1.52x
Warwickshire 147 3.43x
Surrey 113 1.36x
Yorkshire 104 0.62x
Staffordshire 102 1.78x
Somerset 89 3.25x
Wiltshire 87 5.79x
Lancashire 86 0.43x
Hampshire 75 2.15x
Bedfordshire 64 7.27x
Northamptonshire 60 3.75x
Oxfordshire 53 5.05x
Buckinghamshire 45 4.38x
Sussex 42 1.47x
Derbyshire 40 1.50x
Gloucestershire 35 1.05x
Dorset 34 3.05x
Kent 34 0.59x
Worcestershire 32 1.44x
Hertfordshire 30 2.56x
Essex 27 0.80x
Shropshire 27 1.84x
Berkshire 26 2.04x
Cheshire 21 0.56x
Leicestershire 20 1.06x
Glamorgan 17 0.57x
Devon 15 0.42x
Dumfriesshire 9 2.40x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.31x
Monmouthshire 6 0.49x
Durham 5 0.10x
Flintshire 5 1.09x
Lincolnshire 4 0.15x
Brecknockshire 3 0.88x
Denbighshire 3 0.47x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 1.22x
Norfolk 3 0.11x
Channel Islands 2 0.40x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.59x
Northumberland 2 0.08x
Anglesey 1 0.33x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.09x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.26x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.19x
Royal Navy 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 66 Rawlins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.59x.

Place Total Index
Aston 66 5.59x
Sheffield 40 7.46x
St Pancras London 37 2.71x
Bethnal Green London 28 3.79x
Brightside Bierlow 22 6.66x
Shoreditch London 22 2.99x
Marsh Gibbon 21 486.11x
Kensington London 19 2.01x
Trentham 19 38.94x
Hampstead London 18 6.80x
Camberwell 17 1.57x
Mile End Old Town 17 6.34x
Bermondsey 16 3.16x
Landford 16 1045.75x
St Marylebone London 16 1.76x
Stone 16 21.81x
Stogursey 15 204.36x
Renhold 14 460.53x
Stoke Upon Trent 14 2.30x
Subdeanery 13 59.80x
Westminster St 13 20.75x
Clapham 12 5.65x
Deptford St Paul 12 2.68x
Lambeth 12 0.81x
Little Bowden 12 215.05x
Marshwood 12 615.38x
Oxford St Ebbe 12 38.85x
Preston 12 2.22x
Taunton St James 12 30.08x
Bedford St Paul 11 18.23x
Birmingham 11 0.77x
Dean 11 384.62x
Hackney London 11 1.15x
Islington London 11 0.67x
Milton Under Wychwood 11 226.34x
Warwick St Nicholas 11 35.00x
Bowdon 10 67.16x
Heeley 10 19.54x
Leyton Low 10 14.67x
Reading St Mary 10 9.79x
Southampton St Mary 10 4.57x
Taunton St Mary 10 19.92x
Warwick St Mary 10 26.88x
Wilton 10 94.07x
Battersea 9 1.44x
Burton Extra 9 27.36x
Cheltenham 9 3.50x
East Barnet 9 38.74x
Egham 9 17.71x
Manchester 9 0.99x
Merthyr Tydfil 9 3.16x
Northampton St Peter 9 92.69x
Paddington London 9 1.44x
Southwark St George Martyr 9 2.63x
Towcester 9 54.61x
Uttoxeter 9 30.65x
Cople 8 299.63x
Kineton 8 130.51x
Leamington Priors 8 7.59x
Liverpool 8 0.65x
Oxford St Thomas 8 16.34x
Toxteth Park 8 1.17x
Walcot 8 5.49x
Weston Super Mare 8 11.58x
Willesden 8 4.99x
Woodford 8 312.50x
Bedminster 7 2.72x
Bromley London 7 1.87x
Cardiff St John 7 7.24x
Dumfries 7 18.90x
Durrington 7 307.02x
Earls Barton 7 51.36x
Fisherton Anger 7 25.16x
Lyncombe Widcombe 7 9.77x
Nottingham St Mary 7 1.18x
Portsea 7 1.03x
Shrewsbury St Mary 7 12.08x
Upton Cum Chalvey 7 17.10x
West Ham 7 0.95x
Yardley 7 12.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 109
Sarah 69
Elizabeth 55
Ann 40
Eliza 38
Emma 32
Jane 32
Annie 30
Alice 28
Ellen 23
Emily 20
Maria 17
Fanny 15
Louisa 14
Martha 14
Harriet 13
Margaret 11
Ada 10
Anne 10
Catherine 10
Clara 9
Edith 9
Hannah 9
Kate 9
Susan 9
Florence 8
Frances 8
Charlotte 7
Ethel 7
Isabella 6
Agnes 5
Amy 5
Caroline 5
Harriett 5
Helen 5
Rosa 5
Rose 5
Amelia 4
Beatrice 4
Elizth. 4
Esther 4
Julia 4
Selina 4
Grace 3
Henrietta 3
Jessie 3
Matilda 3
Maud 3
May 3
Rebecca 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 102
John 74
George 54
Thomas 54
James 45
Henry 42
Charles 36
Arthur 34
Alfred 31
Edward 28
Joseph 22
Richard 17
Frank 15
Albert 14
Walter 13
Edwin 12
Robert 12
Francis 11
Frederick 11
Samuel 9
Harry 8
Herbert 8
Benjamin 7
David 7
Fredrick 7
Wm. 7
Ernest 6
Alexander 4
Fredk. 4
Geo. 4
Thos. 4
Amos 3
Archibald 3
Chas. 3
Isaac 3
Jesse 3
Leonard 3
Mark 3
Percy 3
Peter 3
Sidney 3
Daniel 2
Fred 2
Lewis 2
Paul 2
Reuben 2
Robt. 2
Stanley 2
Stephen 2
Sydney 2

FAQ

Rawlins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rawlins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,738 people were recorded with the Rawlins surname. That placed it at #2,485 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rawlins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,520 in 2016. That gives Rawlins a modern rank of #2,624.

What does the Rawlins surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "Rawland's son," referring to someone living on rough or uncultivated land.

What does the Rawlins map show?

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