NameCensus.

UK surname

Rockall

In the 1881 census there were 150 people recorded with the Rockall surname, ranking it #15,489 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 362, ranked #12,810, up from #15,489 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Oxford City: St Ebbe, London parishes and St James Clerkenwell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Central Bedfordshire, Windsor and Maidenhead and West Lindsey.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rockall is 428 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 141.3%.

1881 census count

150

Ranked #15,489

Modern count

362

2016, ranked #12,810

Peak year

2002

428 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rockall had 150 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,489 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 362 in 2016, ranked #12,810.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 263 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Rockall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rockall surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rockall 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 102 #16,933
1861 historical 108 #19,856
1881 historical 150 #15,489
1891 historical 196 #15,163
1901 historical 227 #13,970
1911 historical 263 #12,473
1997 modern 386 #11,295
1998 modern 413 #11,092
1999 modern 406 #11,329
2000 modern 423 #10,941
2001 modern 409 #11,032
2002 modern 428 #10,880
2003 modern 405 #11,168
2004 modern 402 #11,244
2005 modern 382 #11,591
2006 modern 367 #12,016
2007 modern 371 #12,053
2008 modern 374 #12,086
2009 modern 383 #12,125
2010 modern 389 #12,251
2011 modern 382 #12,272
2012 modern 380 #12,177
2013 modern 389 #12,177
2014 modern 387 #12,299
2015 modern 370 #12,596
2016 modern 362 #12,810

Geography

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Where Rockalls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Oxford City: St Ebbe, London parishes, St James Clerkenwell, Beckenham and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Central Bedfordshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, West Lindsey, West Berkshire and Horsham. 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 Oxford City: St Ebbe Oxfordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St James Clerkenwell London (Central Districts)
4 Beckenham Kent
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Central Bedfordshire 010 Central Bedfordshire
2 Windsor and Maidenhead 005 Windsor and Maidenhead
3 West Lindsey 002 West Lindsey
4 West Berkshire 001 West Berkshire
5 Horsham 004 Horsham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rockall

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rockall

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

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Rockall 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

Rockall 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

Rockall falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Rockall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rockall 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 53 Rockalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.70x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 53 3.70x
Buckinghamshire 28 32.30x
Oxfordshire 25 28.24x
Surrey 16 2.29x
Kent 12 2.45x
Hampshire 7 2.38x
Berkshire 2 1.86x
Warwickshire 2 0.55x
Lincolnshire 1 0.44x
Royal Navy 1 5.85x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 39 Rockalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.06x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 39 28.06x
Upton Cum Chalvey 12 347.83x
Bromley 11 147.45x
Pyrton 8 2857.14x
Aldershot 7 71.14x
Oxford St Aldate 7 752.69x
Thames Ditton 7 482.76x
Watlington 7 769.23x
Wycombe 7 108.36x
Mile End Old Town 6 26.51x
Great Marlow 5 213.68x
Thorpe 4 1290.32x
St Marylebone London 3 3.92x
Streatham 3 28.20x
Turville 3 1500.00x
Aston 2 2.01x
Hackney London 2 2.49x
New Windsor 2 55.25x
Oxford St Ebbe 2 76.63x
Camberwell 1 1.09x
Ealing 1 7.81x
Fulham London 1 4.81x
Hambleden 1 135.14x
Iffley 1 133.33x
Kingston On Thames 1 5.96x
Margate St John Baptist 1 11.16x
Royal Navy 1 6.84x
St Botolph Lincoln 1 60.61x
St George Bloomsbury 1 12.15x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 8
George 7
John 6
Frederick 5
Arthur 4
Thomas 4
Henry 3
Joseph 3
Samuel 3
Walter 3
Alfred 2
Daniel 2
Jonathan 2
Owen 2
Reuben 2
Richard 2
Augustus 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
David 1
Edward 1
Elah 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Herbert 1
Humpy 1
James 1
Joe 1
Laurence 1
Louis 1
Willm 1

FAQ

Rockall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rockall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 150 people were recorded with the Rockall surname. That placed it at #15,489 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rockall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 362 in 2016. That gives Rockall a modern rank of #12,810.

What does the Rockall map show?

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