NameCensus.

UK surname

Ribbens

A surname derived from a diminutive or nickname meaning "little rib or ridge."

In the 1881 census there were 32 people recorded with the Ribbens surname, ranking it #29,082 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 134, ranked #25,636, up from #29,082 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dartford, Gravesham and Machars North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ribbens is 158 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 318.8%.

1881 census count

32

Ranked #29,082

Modern count

134

2016, ranked #25,636

Peak year

2000

158 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ribbens had 32 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,082 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016, ranked #25,636.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 97 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Ribbens surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ribbens surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ribbens 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 44 #25,328
1861 historical 38 #29,216
1881 historical 32 #29,082
1891 historical 50 #30,253
1901 historical 82 #25,019
1911 historical 97 #23,076
1997 modern 150 #21,119
1998 modern 157 #21,058
1999 modern 155 #21,375
2000 modern 158 #21,055
2001 modern 157 #20,884
2002 modern 147 #22,197
2003 modern 151 #21,574
2004 modern 143 #22,471
2005 modern 142 #22,577
2006 modern 143 #22,619
2007 modern 139 #23,377
2008 modern 141 #23,383
2009 modern 142 #23,791
2010 modern 147 #23,809
2011 modern 137 #24,716
2012 modern 129 #25,705
2013 modern 137 #25,149
2014 modern 139 #25,093
2015 modern 137 #25,226
2016 modern 134 #25,636

Geography

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Where Ribbens' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dartford, Gravesham and Machars North. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dartford 004 Dartford
2 Gravesham 001 Gravesham
3 Machars North Dumfries and Galloway
4 Gravesham 007 Gravesham
5 Gravesham 009 Gravesham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ribbens

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ribbens

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

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Ribbens surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Ribbens household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Ribbens is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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 neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ribbens is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ribbens falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ribbens is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Ribbens

The surname Ribbens has its origins in the Netherlands, and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "ribbenkraag," which refers to a type of ruff or collar worn around the neck during that period. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold these collars.

The earliest recorded instance of the Ribbens surname appears in a Dutch census record from 1598, where a man named Pieter Ribbens is listed as a resident of Amsterdam. There are also references to a Ribbens family living in the town of Hoorn in the early 1600s.

In the 17th century, the name Ribbens can be found in various Dutch church records and legal documents. One notable figure was Cornelis Ribbens, a merchant and ship owner from Rotterdam who was born in 1632 and died in 1701. He was involved in the Dutch East India Company's trade with the East Indies.

The Ribbens surname also has ties to the town of Delft, with several Ribbens families recorded as living there in the 1700s. One of these was the family of Johannes Ribbens, a prominent textile merchant who was born in 1725 and died in 1798.

As the Dutch established colonies in various parts of the world, the Ribbens name also spread to other countries. In the 19th century, there are records of Ribbens families living in South Africa, where the name was sometimes spelled as "Ribbens" or "Ribbons."

Other notable individuals with the Ribbens surname include Adriaan Ribbens, a Dutch painter born in 1876 who was known for his landscapes and still life works. There was also Pieter Ribbens, a Dutch architect born in 1918 who designed several notable buildings in Rotterdam and other cities in the Netherlands.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ribbens families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ribbens 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. Kent leads with 23 Ribbens' recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.60x.

County Total Index
Kent 23 21.60x
Surrey 7 4.60x
Hampshire 1 1.56x
Norfolk 1 2.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gillingham in Kent leads with 7 Ribbens' recorded in 1881 and an index of 319.63x.

Place Total Index
Gillingham 7 319.63x
Rochester St Margaret 7 625.00x
Orpington 3 909.09x
Beddington 2 338.98x
Camberwell 2 10.04x
Gravesend 2 222.22x
Lambeth 2 7.35x
Margate St John Baptist 2 102.56x
Stoke 2 3333.33x
Banham 1 833.33x
Croydon 1 11.85x
Southampton All Sts 1 90.91x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 4
Annie 2
Harriett 2
Mary 2
Ann 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Jane 1
Janet 1
Martha 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 4
George 2
Henery 2
Richard 2
Charles 1
Edward 1
Frank 1
James 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Ribbens households.

FAQ

Ribbens surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ribbens surname in 1881?

In 1881, 32 people were recorded with the Ribbens surname. That placed it at #29,082 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ribbens surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016. That gives Ribbens a modern rank of #25,636.

What does the Ribbens surname mean?

A surname derived from a diminutive or nickname meaning "little rib or ridge."

What does the Ribbens map show?

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