UK surname
An English surname derived from the medieval nickname for someone with rickets, a softening of bones.
In the 1881 census there were 219 people recorded with the Rickets surname, ranking it #12,122 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 62, ranked #34,227, down from #12,122 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to Winterbourne Strickland, Oaksey and St Leonard Shoreditch. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rickets is 390 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 71.7%.
1881 census count
219
Ranked #12,122
Modern count
62
2016, ranked #34,227
Peak year
1851
390 bearers
Map years
5
1851 to 1901
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Rickets surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Rickets surname density by area, 1881 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe 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 | 390 | #6,155 |
| 1861 | historical | 304 | #8,340 |
| 1881 | historical | 219 | #12,122 |
| 1891 | historical | 158 | #17,705 |
| 1901 | historical | 104 | #22,310 |
| 1911 | historical | 94 | #23,391 |
| 1997 | modern | 73 | #30,306 |
| 1998 | modern | 76 | #30,386 |
| 1999 | modern | 67 | #31,409 |
| 2000 | modern | 67 | #31,473 |
| 2001 | modern | 63 | #31,693 |
| 2002 | modern | 63 | #32,113 |
| 2003 | modern | 55 | #32,895 |
| 2004 | modern | 57 | #32,968 |
| 2005 | modern | 53 | #33,528 |
| 2006 | modern | 57 | #33,513 |
| 2007 | modern | 58 | #33,731 |
| 2008 | modern | 59 | #33,827 |
| 2009 | modern | 60 | #33,989 |
| 2010 | modern | 56 | #34,480 |
| 2011 | modern | 57 | #34,393 |
| 2012 | modern | 57 | #34,452 |
| 2013 | modern | 63 | #34,193 |
| 2014 | modern | 60 | #34,400 |
| 2015 | modern | 60 | #34,361 |
| 2016 | modern | 62 | #34,227 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around Winterbourne Strickland, Oaksey, St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winterbourne Strickland | Dorset |
| 2 | Oaksey | Wiltshire |
| 3 | St Leonard Shoreditch | London (East Districts) |
| 4 | London parishes | London 3 |
| 5 | Lambeth | London (South Districts) |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Rickets surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Rickets, 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
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Rickets surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Rickets household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Rickets is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Rickets is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Rickets, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Rickets is of English origin, deriving from the Middle English word "rickets," which referred to a disease characterized by softening and weakening of the bones. This condition, now known as rickets, results from a lack of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate, causing the bones to become soft and misshapen.
The name likely emerged in the late medieval period, possibly as a descriptive nickname for individuals who suffered from this condition or as a name denoting occupation or association with the treatment of rickets. The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 16th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Rickets, a yeoman from Gloucestershire, mentioned in records from 1567. In the same century, a Thomas Rickets was recorded in the parish registers of St. Michael's, Cornhill, London, in 1579.
The Rickets surname also appeared in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This early reference suggests that the name may have originated even earlier than the 16th century.
Among notable individuals bearing the surname Rickets throughout history is Sir Thomas Rickets (1608-1672), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench during the reign of Charles II. Another prominent figure was William Rickets (1680-1743), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. George in the East.
In the 19th century, Edward Rickets (1811-1882) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several Arctic expeditions and made significant contributions to the mapping of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. A contemporary of his, John Rickets (1819-1896), was a renowned English botanist and horticulturist known for his work on the cultivation of orchids.
More recently, Henry Rickets (1892-1974) was an American football player and coach who played for the University of Michigan and later served as the head coach for the University of Detroit Titans from 1931 to 1941.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rickets surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 47 Rickets' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.12x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Middlesex | 47 | 2.12x |
| Surrey | 30 | 2.78x |
| Somerset | 20 | 5.61x |
| Hampshire | 18 | 3.97x |
| Yorkshire | 14 | 0.64x |
| Wiltshire | 10 | 5.11x |
| Channel Islands | 9 | 13.72x |
| Essex | 8 | 1.83x |
| Gloucestershire | 8 | 1.84x |
| Glamorgan | 7 | 1.82x |
| Lancashire | 7 | 0.27x |
| Staffordshire | 7 | 0.94x |
| Denbighshire | 6 | 7.17x |
| Hertfordshire | 6 | 3.93x |
| Brecknockshire | 5 | 11.29x |
| Oxfordshire | 5 | 3.66x |
| Dorset | 4 | 2.75x |
| Warwickshire | 4 | 0.72x |
| Devon | 3 | 0.65x |
| Kent | 2 | 0.26x |
| Lanarkshire | 2 | 0.28x |
| Sussex | 2 | 0.54x |
| Monmouthshire | 1 | 0.62x |
| Montgomeryshire | 1 | 1.97x |
| Norfolk | 1 | 0.29x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Shoreditch London in Middlesex leads with 17 Rickets' recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.71x.
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Rickets surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| Mary | 15 |
| Elizabeth | 9 |
| Jane | 9 |
| Emily | 7 |
| Sarah | 6 |
| Alice | 4 |
| Julia | 4 |
| Martha | 4 |
| Ada | 3 |
| Ann | 3 |
| Annie | 3 |
| Eliza | 3 |
| Emma | 3 |
| Florance | 3 |
| Hannah | 3 |
| Rose | 3 |
| Caroline | 2 |
| Charlotte | 2 |
| Clara | 2 |
| Ellen | 2 |
| Kate | 2 |
| Margaret | 2 |
| Maria | 2 |
| Anne | 1 |
| Catherine | 1 |
| Chloe | 1 |
| E. | 1 |
| Eadieth | 1 |
| Esther | 1 |
| Fanny | 1 |
| Florence | 1 |
| Frances | 1 |
| Harriet | 1 |
| Hephzebeth | 1 |
| Isabel | 1 |
| Janette | 1 |
| Jemima | 1 |
| Juliann | 1 |
| Katherine | 1 |
| Kathleen | 1 |
| L. | 1 |
| Lily | 1 |
| Lizzie | 1 |
| Louisa | 1 |
| Louise | 1 |
| Lucy | 1 |
| Marria | 1 |
| Maud | 1 |
| Mercy | 1 |
| Winifred | 1 |
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Rickets surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
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 Rickets households.
FAQ
In 1881, 219 people were recorded with the Rickets surname. That placed it at #12,122 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 62 in 2016. That gives Rickets a modern rank of #34,227.
An English surname derived from the medieval nickname for someone with rickets, a softening of bones.
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Rickets bearers relative to the surrounding population.
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.