NameCensus.

UK surname

Rockliffe

In the 1881 census there were 224 people recorded with the Rockliffe surname, ranking it #11,970 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 301, ranked #14,696, down from #11,970 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, North Meols and St James Clerkenwell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, South Lakeland and Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rockliffe is 310 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.4%.

1881 census count

224

Ranked #11,970

Modern count

301

2016, ranked #14,696

Peak year

2014

310 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rockliffe had 224 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,970 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 301 in 2016, ranked #14,696.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 282 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Rockliffe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rockliffe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rockliffe 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 131 #14,243
1861 historical 89 #22,419
1881 historical 224 #11,970
1891 historical 252 #12,685
1901 historical 279 #12,225
1911 historical 282 #11,915
1997 modern 298 #13,593
1998 modern 296 #13,997
1999 modern 305 #13,808
2000 modern 302 #13,848
2001 modern 287 #14,131
2002 modern 286 #14,442
2003 modern 276 #14,604
2004 modern 265 #15,110
2005 modern 267 #14,954
2006 modern 267 #15,042
2007 modern 268 #15,172
2008 modern 263 #15,505
2009 modern 274 #15,395
2010 modern 289 #15,127
2011 modern 278 #15,390
2012 modern 303 #14,415
2013 modern 303 #14,651
2014 modern 310 #14,499
2015 modern 299 #14,796
2016 modern 301 #14,696

Geography

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Where Rockliffes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, North Meols, St James Clerkenwell, Gateshead and Cartmell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk, South Lakeland, Cheshire West and Chester and Sefton. 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 London parishes London 3
2 North Meols Lancashire
3 St James Clerkenwell London (Central Districts)
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Cartmell Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 013 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 South Lakeland 011 South Lakeland
3 Cheshire West and Chester 035 Cheshire West and Chester
4 Cheshire West and Chester 009 Cheshire West and Chester
5 Sefton 038 Sefton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rockliffe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rockliffe

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Rockliffe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Rockliffe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Rockliffe is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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 neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Rockliffe 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

Rockliffe falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Rockliffe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rockliffe 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. Lancashire leads with 128 Rockliffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.03x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 128 5.03x
Kent 31 4.23x
Middlesex 18 0.84x
Hampshire 17 3.86x
Lincolnshire 14 4.08x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.04x
Surrey 3 0.29x
Yorkshire 3 0.14x
Cheshire 2 0.42x
Essex 1 0.24x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chatham in Kent leads with 24 Rockliffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 119.17x.

Place Total Index
Chatham 24 119.17x
Ashton Under Lyne 23 41.32x
North Meols 20 80.22x
St Mary Extra 15 423.73x
Clerkenwell London 13 25.66x
Aughton 9 357.14x
Manchester 9 7.86x
Osmotherley 8 2285.71x
Birkdale 7 108.70x
Elton 7 79.55x
Everton 7 8.62x
Upper Holker 7 1166.67x
Castleton 6 23.59x
Deptford St Paul 5 8.85x
Wavertree 5 61.35x
Butterwick 4 1025.64x
Tottington Lower End 4 33.06x
Benniworth 3 1071.43x
Horncastle 3 84.75x
Islington London 3 1.44x
Lower Allithwaite 3 491.80x
Newark Upon Trent 3 28.85x
South Elkington 3 1153.85x
Standish With Langtree 3 95.54x
Bermondsey 2 3.13x
Denton 2 35.46x
Lostock Gralam 2 350.88x
Portsmouth 2 19.74x
Sculcoates 2 5.93x
West Derby 2 2.68x
Clifford Cum Boston 1 52.36x
East Broughton 1 136.99x
Eccleston In Prescot 1 7.82x
Gillingham 1 6.62x
Gorton 1 4.18x
Hornchurch 1 48.08x
Muckton 1 1428.57x
Paddington London 1 1.27x
Rainford 1 36.36x
St Pancras London 1 0.58x
Strood 1 23.92x
Toxteth Park 1 1.16x
Wandsworth 1 4.84x
Windle 1 6.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 15
John 12
Charles 8
Edward 8
James 8
Henry 7
Thomas 7
George 6
Robert 5
Joseph 4
Alfred 2
Francis 2
Richard 2
Richd. 2
Abel 1
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Edwin 1
Enoch 1
Isaiah 1
Jacob 1
Jas. 1
Michael 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Radolph 1
Robt. 1
Rutland 1
Saml. 1
Seth 1
Sidney 1
W.Z.W. 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Rockliffe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rockliffe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 224 people were recorded with the Rockliffe surname. That placed it at #11,970 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rockliffe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 301 in 2016. That gives Rockliffe a modern rank of #14,696.

What does the Rockliffe map show?

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