NameCensus.

UK surname

Robley

A surname derived from a place name associated with Robert, a common English given name.

In the 1881 census there were 159 people recorded with the Robley surname, ranking it #14,935 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 193, ranked #20,039, down from #14,935 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Carlisle St Cuthbert and Warden, Black Carts and Ryehill. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carlisle, Eden and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Robley is 220 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.4%.

1881 census count

159

Ranked #14,935

Modern count

193

2016, ranked #20,039

Peak year

1901

220 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Robley had 159 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,935 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 193 in 2016, ranked #20,039.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 220 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Robley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Robley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Robley 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 136 #13,892
1861 historical 154 #14,963
1881 historical 159 #14,935
1891 historical 171 #16,733
1901 historical 220 #14,245
1911 historical 198 #15,058
1997 modern 197 #17,792
1998 modern 199 #18,177
1999 modern 207 #17,855
2000 modern 197 #18,384
2001 modern 188 #18,652
2002 modern 190 #18,889
2003 modern 192 #18,568
2004 modern 191 #18,723
2005 modern 184 #19,117
2006 modern 181 #19,466
2007 modern 188 #19,204
2008 modern 200 #18,640
2009 modern 200 #19,028
2010 modern 202 #19,322
2011 modern 198 #19,410
2012 modern 196 #19,463
2013 modern 206 #19,153
2014 modern 207 #19,259
2015 modern 195 #19,909
2016 modern 193 #20,039

Geography

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Where Robleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Carlisle St Cuthbert, Warden, Black Carts and Ryehill, Gateshead and Wetheral. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Carlisle, Eden, Northumberland and County Durham. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Carlisle St Cuthbert Cumberland
3 Warden, Black Carts and Ryehill Northumberland
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Wetheral Cumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carlisle 007 Carlisle
2 Eden 002 Eden
3 Northumberland 040 Northumberland
4 Carlisle 001 Carlisle
5 County Durham 010 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Robley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Robley

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Robley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Robley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Robley is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Robley is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Robley 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 Robley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Robley

The surname Robley is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "rob" meaning a robber or plunderer, and "leah" meaning a clearing or meadow. This combination suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a clearing frequented by robbers or plunderers.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Robley can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex, a legal document from 1285, which refers to a John de Robleye. This early spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time.

The Robley surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327, where it appears as "Robertus Robley." This entry provides evidence of the name's presence in different regions of England during the medieval period.

In the 16th century, the name is recorded in the Parish Registers of St. Michael's Church in Coventry, where a Thomas Robley was baptized in 1589. This suggests the surname had spread to the West Midlands region by this time.

Notable individuals with the Robley surname throughout history include Sir Hugh Robley (1510-1578), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Shropshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another individual of note is Captain John Robley (1685-1742), a renowned British naval officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession.

Other notable figures bearing the Robley name include William Robley (1732-1805), an English clergyman and author of several theological works, and Sarah Robley (1765-1853), a pioneering educator and founder of one of the first schools for the education of young women in London.

Furthermore, the Robley surname has ties to several place names in England, such as Robley Hill in Staffordshire and Robley Moor in Derbyshire, suggesting the name's geographical origins and potential connections to specific localities.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Robley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Robley 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. Cumberland leads with 74 Robleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 55.08x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 74 55.08x
Northumberland 21 9.04x
Lancashire 18 0.97x
Durham 17 3.66x
Yorkshire 9 0.58x
Dunbartonshire 7 16.69x
Perthshire 5 7.14x
Somerset 5 1.99x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.06x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 4.43x
Lanarkshire 1 0.20x
Midlothian 1 0.48x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Cuthbert W O in Cumberland leads with 18 Robleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 274.81x.

Place Total Index
St Cuthbert W O 18 274.81x
Warden 15 3191.49x
Staffield 9 6923.08x
Conside Knitsley 8 221.61x
Crosscanonby 8 180.18x
Flimby 8 701.75x
Row 7 128.91x
St Cuthbert W O Brisco 6 4000.00x
Leeds 5 5.73x
Little Dunkeld 5 420.17x
Timsbury 5 657.89x
Ulverston 5 92.76x
Wetheral 5 280.90x
Beckermet St John 4 1212.12x
Croglin 4 3076.92x
Harton 4 218.58x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 4 19.89x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 4 28.84x
St Cuthbert W O Harraby 4 2222.22x
Bradford 3 34.60x
Hulme 3 7.76x
Manchester 3 3.60x
Toxteth Park 3 4.78x
Gargrave 2 289.86x
Hensingham 2 181.82x
St Mary Within 2 119.05x
Benfieldside 1 32.79x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 3.40x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 1.19x
Govan 1 0.80x
Kelton 1 53.76x
Lazonby 1 285.71x
Letwell 1 1666.67x
Morpeth Castle 1 833.33x
Skelton 1 256.41x
Stanwix 1 91.74x
Wark 1 370.37x
Workington 1 13.00x
Wycombe 1 14.22x
York Marygate St Olave 1 169.49x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Robley 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
Jane 7
Annie 6
Sarah 6
Ann 5
Hannah 4
Isabella 4
Margaret 3
Harriet 2
Lilly 2
Martha 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Blanch 1
Eliza 1
Fanny 1
Henrietta 1
Isabell 1
Janmi 1
Joseph 1
Louisa 1
Marrion 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 10
Joseph 9
Thomas 9
Edward 3
George 3
Henry 3
Robert 3
Frederick 2
Isaac 2
James 2
Richard 2
Arthur 1
Jonathan 1
Jos. 1
Nevison 1
Norison 1
Rd. 1
Thos. 1
Wilfred 1

FAQ

Robley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Robley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 159 people were recorded with the Robley surname. That placed it at #14,935 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Robley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 193 in 2016. That gives Robley a modern rank of #20,039.

What does the Robley surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name associated with Robert, a common English given name.

What does the Robley map show?

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