NameCensus.

UK surname

Rockingham

A surname derived from a place name meaning "rock home" or "stony dwelling."

In the 1881 census there were 94 people recorded with the Rockingham surname, ranking it #20,467 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 129, ranked #26,270, down from #20,467 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Broughton, London parishes and St Anne Limehouse. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northampton, Breckland and Poole.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rockingham is 180 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.2%.

1881 census count

94

Ranked #20,467

Modern count

129

2016, ranked #26,270

Peak year

1911

180 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rockingham had 94 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,467 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 129 in 2016, ranked #26,270.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 180 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Rockingham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rockingham surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rockingham 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 53 #23,739
1861 historical 53 #27,253
1881 historical 94 #20,467
1891 historical 140 #19,193
1901 historical 159 #17,442
1911 historical 180 #15,961
1997 modern 136 #22,398
1998 modern 142 #22,406
1999 modern 142 #22,607
2000 modern 134 #23,358
2001 modern 134 #23,037
2002 modern 139 #22,991
2003 modern 130 #23,672
2004 modern 128 #24,117
2005 modern 121 #24,947
2006 modern 119 #25,413
2007 modern 119 #25,747
2008 modern 125 #25,249
2009 modern 136 #24,485
2010 modern 133 #25,379
2011 modern 134 #25,050
2012 modern 129 #25,705
2013 modern 132 #25,789
2014 modern 133 #25,851
2015 modern 130 #26,093
2016 modern 129 #26,270

Geography

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Where Rockinghams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Broughton, London parishes, St Anne Limehouse and Potterspury, Cosgrove. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northampton, Breckland, Poole, Kettering and Swale. 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 Broughton Northamptonshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Anne Limehouse London (East Districts)
4 Potterspury, Cosgrove Northamptonshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northampton 022 Northampton
2 Breckland 006 Breckland
3 Poole 014 Poole
4 Kettering 004 Kettering
5 Swale 013 Swale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rockingham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rockingham

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Rockingham is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Rockingham 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

Rockingham falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Rockingham is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Rockingham

The surname Rockingham originated in England, deriving from the place name Rockingham in Northamptonshire. The place name itself comes from the Old English words "rocc" meaning rock and "inga" meaning the people of, combined with "ham" meaning homestead or village. Thus, Rockingham refers to the village or homestead of the people by the rocks.

Rockingham was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Rochingham, an early spelling variation of the name. The town of Rockingham was mentioned in this great survey commissioned by William the Conqueror, indicating the name's antiquity.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Rockingham surname was Hugh de Rokingham, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195. These rolls were financial records kept by the English Crown.

Another early bearer of the name was William de Rokingham, a 13th-century English chronicler and Franciscan friar who wrote the Chronica de Gestis Regum Anglorum, a chronicle of English kings up to the year 1307.

In the 14th century, John de Rokyngham was a prominent English judge who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1349 to 1356.

During the Tudor period, Edward Rockingham (c. 1499-1570) was a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1554-1555.

A notable figure in the 18th century was Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham (1730-1782), a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1765 to 1766 and again in 1782. Although his family surname was originally Wentworth, he adopted the additional surname Rockingham upon inheriting the Rockingham estates.

The surname Rockingham has a long and distinguished history in England, with its roots dating back to the Norman Conquest and appearing in various records and chronicles over the centuries. The name's origins are firmly tied to the town of Rockingham in Northamptonshire, reflecting the importance of place names in the development of many English surnames.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rockingham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rockingham 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. Northamptonshire leads with 40 Rockinghams recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.89x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 40 45.89x
Middlesex 23 2.48x
Surrey 20 4.43x
Buckinghamshire 6 10.71x
Cheshire 3 1.47x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.70x
Lancashire 1 0.09x
Staffordshire 1 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Croydon in Surrey leads with 18 Rockinghams recorded in 1881 and an index of 71.83x.

Place Total Index
Croydon 18 71.83x
Limehouse London 13 127.83x
Daventry 11 894.31x
Broughton 8 2857.14x
Bradwell 6 759.49x
Wellingborough 6 136.99x
Blisworth 5 1470.59x
Passenham 4 1111.11x
Yardley Gobion 4 2105.26x
St Marylebone London 3 6.06x
Whitby 3 638.30x
Camberwell 2 3.38x
Islington London 2 2.23x
Shoreditch London 2 4.98x
St George Hanover 2 16.53x
Bromley London 1 4.90x
Finedon 1 131.58x
Spratton 1 384.62x
St Andrewthe Less 1 14.90x
Wolverhampton 1 4.16x
Wuerdle Wardle 1 29.94x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ann 6
Mary 6
Annie 3
Elizabeth 3
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Louisa 2
Adelaide 1
Alice 1
Bertha 1
Charlotte 1
Ebth. 1
Eliza 1
Esther 1
Harriet 1
June 1
Lottie 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Sealina 1
Selina 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
William 5
George 4
David 3
Henry 3
Richard 3
Samuel 3
Thomas 3
Wm. 3
Arthur 2
Francis 2
Isaac 2
Tom 2
Benjamin 1
Edward 1
Fleetwood 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Herbert 1
Joseph 1
Reuben 1
Sidney 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Rockingham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rockingham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 94 people were recorded with the Rockingham surname. That placed it at #20,467 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rockingham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 129 in 2016. That gives Rockingham a modern rank of #26,270.

What does the Rockingham surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name meaning "rock home" or "stony dwelling."

What does the Rockingham map show?

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