NameCensus.

UK surname

Ribbons

In the 1881 census there were 212 people recorded with the Ribbons surname, ranking it #12,373 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 197, ranked #19,777, down from #12,373 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Horsford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Neath Port Talbot, Kirklees and Pembrokeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ribbons is 325 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 7.1%.

1881 census count

212

Ranked #12,373

Modern count

197

2016, ranked #19,777

Peak year

1911

325 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ribbons had 212 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,373 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 197 in 2016, ranked #19,777.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 325 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Ribbons surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ribbons surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ribbons 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 110 #16,093
1861 historical 200 #12,005
1881 historical 212 #12,373
1891 historical 297 #11,192
1901 historical 308 #11,446
1911 historical 325 #10,783
1997 modern 225 #16,352
1998 modern 241 #16,065
1999 modern 232 #16,594
2000 modern 235 #16,423
2001 modern 223 #16,765
2002 modern 218 #17,338
2003 modern 205 #17,851
2004 modern 207 #17,821
2005 modern 205 #17,838
2006 modern 199 #18,357
2007 modern 205 #18,194
2008 modern 205 #18,359
2009 modern 197 #19,218
2010 modern 209 #18,893
2011 modern 210 #18,677
2012 modern 202 #19,084
2013 modern 207 #19,093
2014 modern 207 #19,259
2015 modern 199 #19,640
2016 modern 197 #19,777

Geography

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Where Ribbons' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Horsford and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Neath Port Talbot, Kirklees, Pembrokeshire and Lancaster. 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 Horsford Norfolk
5 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Neath Port Talbot 004 Neath Port Talbot
2 Kirklees 059 Kirklees
3 Pembrokeshire 002 Pembrokeshire
4 Kirklees 041 Kirklees
5 Lancaster 001 Lancaster

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ribbons

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ribbons

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

Spacious Rural Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Ribbons is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Ribbons 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

Ribbons 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 Ribbons is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Ribbons families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ribbons 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. Norfolk leads with 106 Ribbons' recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.03x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 106 33.03x
Middlesex 32 1.53x
Surrey 21 2.06x
Essex 11 2.67x
Yorkshire 10 0.48x
Kent 9 1.26x
Suffolk 9 3.54x
Perthshire 7 7.47x
Lancashire 6 0.24x
Berkshire 1 0.64x
Hampshire 1 0.23x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Drayton in Norfolk leads with 46 Ribbons' recorded in 1881 and an index of 15862.07x.

Place Total Index
Drayton 46 15862.07x
West Ham 11 12.09x
Great Yarmouth 9 33.85x
Bermondsey 7 11.26x
East Harling 7 921.05x
Taverham 7 4666.67x
Clapham 6 23.00x
Costessey 6 869.57x
New Buckenham 6 1500.00x
St Pancras London 6 3.57x
Bethnal Green London 5 5.51x
Farnley In Bramley 5 193.80x
Methven 5 364.96x
Thetford St Mary 5 574.71x
Tibenham 5 1111.11x
Banham 4 487.80x
Ipswich St Peter 4 116.96x
Islington London 4 1.98x
Mile End New Town 4 140.35x
Poplar London 4 10.15x
Battersea 3 3.91x
Halifax 3 9.88x
Hulme 3 5.80x
Ipswich St Margaret 3 34.76x
Moss Side 3 23.02x
St George Hanover 3 11.01x
Barnes 2 46.51x
Bromley London 2 4.36x
Deptford St Paul 2 3.64x
Hoo St Mary 2 909.09x
Kingsdown In Dartford 2 666.67x
Lowestoft 2 16.65x
Scarning 2 416.67x
Thorpe Next Norwich 2 58.82x
Whinburgh 2 1250.00x
Camberwell 1 0.75x
Croydon 1 1.77x
Eltham 1 23.98x
Fowlis Wester 1 125.00x
Healaugh 1 588.24x
Hockering 1 370.37x
Isleworth 1 10.78x
Kensington London 1 0.86x
Lee 1 9.67x
Madderty 1 263.16x
Mile End Old Town 1 3.03x
New Windsor 1 18.98x
Norwich St James 1 39.68x
Norwich St Stephen 1 33.90x
Nottingham St Mary 1 1.37x
Portsmouth 1 10.15x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 2.38x
St George In East 1 7.04x
Sutton 1 42.37x
Swanscombe 1 31.25x
West Bradenham 1 454.55x
Wreningham 1 285.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 16
Elizabeth 8
Hannah 7
Ellen 5
Sarah 5
Eliza 4
Emma 4
Florence 4
Alice 3
Caroline 3
Emily 3
Frances 3
Jane 3
Julia 3
Ann 2
Elizth. 2
Ethel 2
Harriet 2
Laura 2
Maria 2
Rosa 2
Sophia 2
Agnas 1
Agnes 1
Bessie 1
Betsy 1
Catherine 1
E. 1
Edith 1
Ellena 1
Francis 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Jennie 1
Leah 1
Lousia 1
Lucy 1
M.A. 1
Martha 1
Maryanne 1
Matilda 1
Maud 1
Polly 1
Rose 1
Rosetta 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
William 8
Charles 7
Samuel 6
Edward 5
Frederick 4
George 4
Henry 4
James 4
Paul 4
Francis 3
Herbert 3
Thomas 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Robert 2
Stephen 2
Benjamin 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Ebenezer 1
Edwin 1
Ellis 1
Ernest 1
Fredrick 1
Gabriel 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Jabez 1
Jas. 1
Jn. 1
Jos.Lovelace 1
Ladbroke 1
Robt. 1
Sidney 1
Stephan 1
Timothy 1
W.C. 1
Walter 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Ribbons surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ribbons surname in 1881?

In 1881, 212 people were recorded with the Ribbons surname. That placed it at #12,373 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ribbons surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 197 in 2016. That gives Ribbons a modern rank of #19,777.

What does the Ribbons map show?

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