NameCensus.

UK surname

Ringe

A topographic name denoting someone who lived near a ring-shaped object or circle of land.

In the 1881 census there were 137 people recorded with the Ringe surname, ranking it #16,358 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 131, ranked #26,004, down from #16,358 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochester, Silkstone and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Westminster, Charnwood and Newham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ringe is 235 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.4%.

1881 census count

137

Ranked #16,358

Modern count

131

2016, ranked #26,004

Peak year

1911

235 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ringe had 137 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,358 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016, ranked #26,004.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 235 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Ringe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ringe surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Ringe 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 127 #14,547
1861 historical 126 #17,569
1881 historical 137 #16,358
1891 historical 179 #16,198
1901 historical 206 #14,845
1911 historical 235 #13,484
1997 modern 151 #21,034
1998 modern 157 #21,058
1999 modern 151 #21,740
2000 modern 156 #21,235
2001 modern 154 #21,122
2002 modern 159 #21,086
2003 modern 146 #22,069
2004 modern 146 #22,202
2005 modern 134 #23,406
2006 modern 131 #23,942
2007 modern 141 #23,137
2008 modern 133 #24,350
2009 modern 143 #23,686
2010 modern 151 #23,377
2011 modern 143 #24,056
2012 modern 130 #25,559
2013 modern 135 #25,395
2014 modern 133 #25,851
2015 modern 128 #26,356
2016 modern 131 #26,004

Geography

Back to top

Where Ringes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochester, Silkstone, St Pancras, St John Hampstead and Ipswich St Mary Stoke. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Westminster, Charnwood, Newham, Luton and Huntingdonshire. 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 Rochester Kent
2 Silkstone Yorkshire, West Riding
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 St John Hampstead London (North Districts)
5 Ipswich St Mary Stoke Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Westminster 022 Westminster
2 Charnwood 014 Charnwood
3 Newham 031 Newham
4 Luton 018 Luton
5 Huntingdonshire 003 Huntingdonshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Ringe

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Ringe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ringe, 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 Ringe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Ringe 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Ringe is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Ringe is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ringe falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Ringe

The surname Ringe is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. Originally, the name was derived from the old German word "ring," which referred to a circular enclosure or a ring-shaped settlement. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have resided in such a settlement or near a distinctive circular feature.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Ringe surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval records from the Margraviate of Meissen, which is now part of Saxony, Germany. This document, dating back to the 13th century, includes references to individuals with the name Ringe or variations like Ringhe.

In the 14th century, the Ringe surname appeared in the Bürger-Buch, a citizen registry from the city of Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in urban areas during that time period.

One notable individual bearing the Ringe surname was Johann Ringe, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1499 to 1561. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and served as a minister in various cities, including Wittenberg and Leipzig.

Another historical figure was Friedrich Ringe, a German composer and organist who lived from 1836 to 1897. He was known for his contributions to church music and served as an organist in several churches in Saxony.

In the 18th century, the Ringe surname was also found in records from the region of Pomerania, which was then part of Prussia (now divided between Germany and Poland). One such example is Johann Ringe, a farmer and landowner who was born in 1725 in the village of Krugsdorf, near the town of Greifenhagen.

The Ringe surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Ringenburg, a small town in Lower Saxony, and Ringenwalde, a former village in Pomerania (now part of Poland).

Other notable individuals with the Ringe surname include Heinrich Ringe (1819-1886), a German painter and art teacher from Dresden, and Ernst Ringe (1892-1960), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Ringe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ringe 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. Middlesex leads with 39 Ringes recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.92x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 39 2.92x
Essex 30 11.37x
Suffolk 21 12.90x
Yorkshire 13 0.98x
Kent 11 2.41x
Cambridgeshire 8 9.45x
Durham 4 1.01x
Surrey 4 0.61x
Northamptonshire 2 1.59x
Hampshire 1 0.37x
Hertfordshire 1 1.09x
Lancashire 1 0.06x
Lincolnshire 1 0.47x
Norfolk 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hampstead London in Middlesex leads with 16 Ringes recorded in 1881 and an index of 76.89x.

Place Total Index
Hampstead London 16 76.89x
West Ham 13 22.32x
Thurgoland 11 1235.96x
Marks Tey 9 4736.84x
Ipswich St Mary Stoke 7 463.58x
Rochester St Margaret 7 145.53x
Stonham Earl 6 2068.97x
Westminster St John 6 36.88x
St Pancras London 5 4.65x
All Saints Cambridge 4 677.97x
Kensington London 4 5.38x
St Andrewthe Less 4 41.37x
St Marylebone London 4 5.61x
Tollesbury 4 606.06x
Westoe 4 17.75x
Ipswich St Margaret 3 54.35x
Woodham Mortimer 3 2000.00x
Burgh 2 1666.67x
Erith 2 44.54x
Gillingham 2 21.28x
Harrington 2 2000.00x
Kingston On Thames 2 12.79x
Willesden 2 15.87x
Barking 1 119.05x
Bermondsey 1 2.51x
Bradwell 1 222.22x
Broughton In Salford 1 6.90x
Donington 1 129.87x
East Harling 1 204.08x
Eye 1 95.24x
Hasketon 1 454.55x
Newington 1 2.03x
Odiham 1 83.33x
St Anne Soho London 1 13.11x
St Luke London 1 4.67x
Tring 1 40.65x
Yedingham 1 1666.67x
York St Maurice 1 40.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Ann 5
Eliza 4
Alice 3
Elizabeth 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Jane 2
May 2
Minnie 2
Sarah 2
Agnes 1
Amelia 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Hannah 1
Julia 1
Lilian 1
M.A. 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Mina 1
Rachel 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Susannah 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Charles 8
William 8
Henry 6
George 5
John 5
Arthur 4
James 4
Thomas 4
Walter 3
Abraham 2
Edward 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Augustus 1
Chas 1
Daisey 1
Ellen 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Fritz 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Isac 1
Laurence 1
Nath. 1
Paul 1
Sprofield 1
Stanley 1

FAQ

Ringe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ringe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 137 people were recorded with the Ringe surname. That placed it at #16,358 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ringe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016. That gives Ringe a modern rank of #26,004.

What does the Ringe surname mean?

A topographic name denoting someone who lived near a ring-shaped object or circle of land.

What does the Ringe map show?

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