NameCensus.

UK surname

Ribchester

In the 1881 census there were 140 people recorded with the Ribchester surname, ranking it #16,151 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 156, ranked #23,098, down from #16,151 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lancaster Borough, Bebbington and Lancaster. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Preston, Rochdale and Blackburn with Darwen.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ribchester is 191 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.4%.

1881 census count

140

Ranked #16,151

Modern count

156

2016, ranked #23,098

Peak year

1901

191 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ribchester had 140 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,151 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016, ranked #23,098.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 191 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Ribchester surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ribchester surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ribchester 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 65 #21,747
1861 historical 97 #21,503
1881 historical 140 #16,151
1891 historical 170 #16,816
1901 historical 191 #15,579
1911 historical 157 #17,348
1997 modern 177 #19,018
1998 modern 185 #18,973
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 177 #19,634
2001 modern 174 #19,562
2002 modern 184 #19,275
2003 modern 184 #19,075
2004 modern 178 #19,603
2005 modern 175 #19,727
2006 modern 183 #19,326
2007 modern 185 #19,402
2008 modern 173 #20,465
2009 modern 176 #20,632
2010 modern 178 #20,965
2011 modern 167 #21,642
2012 modern 154 #22,870
2013 modern 147 #23,977
2014 modern 156 #23,231
2015 modern 153 #23,413
2016 modern 156 #23,098

Geography

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Where Ribchesters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lancaster Borough, Bebbington, Lancaster, Preston and Garstang. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Preston, Rochdale, Blackburn with Darwen, South Ribble and Bolton. 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 Lancaster Borough Lancashire
2 Bebbington Cheshire
3 Lancaster Lancashire
4 Preston Lancashire
5 Garstang Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Preston 011 Preston
2 Rochdale 014 Rochdale
3 Blackburn with Darwen 011 Blackburn with Darwen
4 South Ribble 013 South Ribble
5 Bolton 031 Bolton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ribchester

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ribchester

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Ribchester surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Ribchester 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Ribchester 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

Ribchester is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ribchester falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Ribchester families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ribchester 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 109 Ribchesters recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.73x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 109 6.73x
Cheshire 12 3.98x
Northumberland 10 4.92x
Cumberland 7 5.95x
Westmorland 2 6.66x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 37 Ribchesters recorded in 1881 and an index of 85.35x.

Place Total Index
Preston 37 85.35x
Garstang 11 2972.97x
Huncoat 11 2558.14x
Birkenhead 8 33.29x
Longbenton 8 93.02x
Walmersley Cum 8 308.88x
St Cuthbert W O 7 122.16x
Lancaster 4 41.49x
Liverpool 4 4.06x
Manchester 4 5.49x
Skerton 4 300.75x
Tranmere 4 36.10x
Claughton In Garstang 3 1153.85x
Nether Wyresdale 3 1071.43x
Pilling 3 394.74x
Fulwood 2 114.29x
Hulme 2 5.91x
Nateby 2 1111.11x
Poulton Barre 2 108.70x
Walton Le Dale 2 45.98x
Accrington 1 6.79x
Bleasdale 1 526.32x
Coxlodge 1 64.94x
Eachwick 1 3333.33x
Newchurch 1 7.55x
Over Wyresdale 1 416.67x
Quernmore 1 370.37x
Scotforth 1 95.24x
Stretford 1 11.22x
Underbarrow Bradley 1 454.55x
Undermilbeck 1 101.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Alice 7
Margaret 7
Ann 6
Ellen 5
Elizabeth 4
Isabella 4
Jane 3
Sarah 3
Catharine 2
Emma 2
Margarat 2
Susannah 2
Annie 1
Eliz. 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Kate 1
Lucy 1
Margt. 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
Nancy 1
Rosanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
James 11
Joseph 6
Thomas 6
George 5
William 4
Peter 3
Robert 3
Richard 2
Thos. 2
Abel 1
Alfred 1
Christopher 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Geo.H. 1
Jas. 1
Jeremiah 1
Jno. 1
Jno.W. 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Ribchester surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ribchester surname in 1881?

In 1881, 140 people were recorded with the Ribchester surname. That placed it at #16,151 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ribchester surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016. That gives Ribchester a modern rank of #23,098.

What does the Ribchester map show?

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