NameCensus.

UK surname

Ridgeon

In the 1881 census there were 118 people recorded with the Ridgeon surname, ranking it #17,935 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 350, ranked #13,152, up from #17,935 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Clacton, Great, London parishes and Hawstead, Hardwick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, York and Merthyr Tydfil.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ridgeon is 377 in 2007. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 196.6%.

1881 census count

118

Ranked #17,935

Modern count

350

2016, ranked #13,152

Peak year

2007

377 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ridgeon had 118 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,935 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 350 in 2016, ranked #13,152.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 272 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Ridgeon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ridgeon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ridgeon 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 92 #18,050
1861 historical 126 #17,569
1881 historical 118 #17,935
1891 historical 196 #15,163
1901 historical 230 #13,851
1911 historical 272 #12,205
1997 modern 334 #12,591
1998 modern 362 #12,259
1999 modern 361 #12,347
2000 modern 351 #12,534
2001 modern 345 #12,504
2002 modern 350 #12,620
2003 modern 352 #12,365
2004 modern 347 #12,516
2005 modern 357 #12,194
2006 modern 364 #12,106
2007 modern 377 #11,900
2008 modern 371 #12,155
2009 modern 367 #12,501
2010 modern 364 #12,851
2011 modern 360 #12,832
2012 modern 354 #12,851
2013 modern 359 #12,917
2014 modern 359 #13,025
2015 modern 354 #13,063
2016 modern 350 #13,152

Geography

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Where Ridgeons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Clacton, Great, London parishes, Hawstead, Hardwick, St James and Thorpe-by-Ixworth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St Edmundsbury, York, Merthyr Tydfil and Bournemouth. 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 Clacton, Great Essex
2 London parishes London 1
3 Hawstead, Hardwick Suffolk
4 St James Suffolk
5 Thorpe-by-Ixworth Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 005 St Edmundsbury
2 St Edmundsbury 009 St Edmundsbury
3 York 002 York
4 Merthyr Tydfil 007 Merthyr Tydfil
5 Bournemouth 019 Bournemouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ridgeon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ridgeon

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Ridgeon is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ridgeon 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

Ridgeon 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 Ridgeon 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 Ridgeon, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Ridgeon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ridgeon 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. Suffolk leads with 80 Ridgeons recorded in 1881 and an index of 57.06x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 80 57.06x
Essex 12 5.28x
Middlesex 7 0.61x
Berkshire 5 5.79x
Nottinghamshire 5 3.22x
Norfolk 3 1.70x
Sussex 2 1.03x
Hampshire 1 0.42x
Lancashire 1 0.07x
Staffordshire 1 0.26x
Surrey 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bury St Edmunds St Mary in Suffolk leads with 17 Ridgeons recorded in 1881 and an index of 646.39x.

Place Total Index
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 17 646.39x
Hawstead 11 8461.54x
Bury St Edmunds St James 10 267.38x
Thorpe By Ixworth 9 15000.00x
West Ham 8 15.95x
Nowton 6 8571.43x
Bardwell 5 1666.67x
Washbrook 5 3571.43x
Mistley 4 655.74x
Old Newton 4 1481.48x
Rougham 4 1250.00x
Worksop 4 86.96x
Chelsea London 3 8.65x
Clewer 3 84.75x
Great Welnetham 3 1764.71x
Great Yarmouth 3 20.46x
Barningham 2 1176.47x
Brighton 2 5.11x
New Windsor 2 68.97x
St George Hanover 2 13.32x
Chadderton 1 14.97x
Culford 1 833.33x
East Leake 1 270.27x
Edwardstone 1 588.24x
Hadleigh 1 73.53x
Hendon 1 24.15x
Lambeth 1 1.00x
Little Livermere 1 1428.57x
Paddington London 1 2.36x
Portsea 1 2.16x
Wolverhampton 1 3.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 8
Mary 6
Alice 4
Eliza 4
Elizabeth 3
Emma 3
Martha 3
Adelaide 2
Annie 2
Emily 2
Ester 2
Harriet 2
Jane 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Anny 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Lilvan 1
Matilda 1
Nelly 1
Rebeckah 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 6
William 6
Thomas 5
Alfred 4
George 4
John 4
Arthur 3
Benjamin 2
David 2
Frederick 2
Wm. 2
Charles 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Fred.James 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Isaac 1
Jeremiah 1
Mathias 1
Patrick 1
Prince 1
Robert 1
Tom 1
Walter 1
Watson 1

FAQ

Ridgeon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ridgeon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 118 people were recorded with the Ridgeon surname. That placed it at #17,935 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ridgeon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 350 in 2016. That gives Ridgeon a modern rank of #13,152.

What does the Ridgeon map show?

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