NameCensus.

UK surname

Rollins

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "Hroda's link," referring to a ridge or hill.

In the 1881 census there were 660 people recorded with the Rollins surname, ranking it #5,439 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,223, ranked #4,867, up from #5,439 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wigan and Cannock. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Cannock Chase and Coventry.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rollins is 1,245 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 85.3%.

1881 census count

660

Ranked #5,439

Modern count

1,223

2016, ranked #4,867

Peak year

2011

1,245 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rollins had 660 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,439 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,223 in 2016, ranked #4,867.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 845 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Rollins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rollins surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rollins 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 422 #5,779
1861 historical 499 #5,242
1881 historical 660 #5,439
1891 historical 685 #5,716
1901 historical 839 #5,422
1911 historical 845 #5,249
1997 modern 1,187 #4,751
1998 modern 1,226 #4,792
1999 modern 1,235 #4,797
2000 modern 1,207 #4,877
2001 modern 1,195 #4,812
2002 modern 1,200 #4,905
2003 modern 1,149 #4,997
2004 modern 1,182 #4,872
2005 modern 1,162 #4,891
2006 modern 1,162 #4,898
2007 modern 1,165 #4,932
2008 modern 1,177 #4,917
2009 modern 1,200 #4,939
2010 modern 1,244 #4,897
2011 modern 1,245 #4,834
2012 modern 1,201 #4,911
2013 modern 1,236 #4,869
2014 modern 1,238 #4,878
2015 modern 1,234 #4,848
2016 modern 1,223 #4,867

Geography

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Where Rollins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Wigan, Cannock and Snitterfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Cannock Chase, Coventry, Hinckley and Bosworth and Scarborough. 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 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Wigan Lancashire
4 Cannock Staffordshire
5 Snitterfield Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 032 County Durham
2 Cannock Chase 002 Cannock Chase
3 Coventry 035 Coventry
4 Hinckley and Bosworth 008 Hinckley and Bosworth
5 Scarborough 001 Scarborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rollins

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rollins

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Rollins surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Rollins household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Rollins is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Rollins is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rollins falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Rollins

The surname Rollins has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "rollin," meaning "little roller," which referred to someone who worked with a type of cylindrical object or tool. The name likely originated as an occupational surname for a person whose job involved rolling or handling rolls of cloth, parchment, or other materials.

The earliest recorded instance of the Rollins surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which listed a Richard Rollins in Oxfordshire. In the 14th century, the name appeared as "Rollyns" in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327. The variants "Rollings" and "Rollyngs" were also used in medieval times.

The Rollins surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was William Rollins, a member of the Virginia Company who sailed to the Virginia Colony in 1607 and became one of the first English settlers in the New World. John Rollins (1732-1795) was a prominent merchant and landowner in New Hampshire, who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress during the American Revolution.

In the 19th century, Edward H. Rollins (1824-1889) was a prominent American politician and businessman who served as a member of Congress and as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue under President Ulysses S. Grant. James Sidney Rollins (1812-1888) was a politician and educator from Missouri who played a key role in the founding of the University of Missouri.

Another notable bearer of the Rollins surname was Walter H. Rollins (1867-1945), a successful businessman and philanthropist from New Hampshire who founded the Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, in 1885. The college was named in honor of his father, Alonzo W. Rollins, and the Rollins family's contributions to the institution have been significant throughout its history.

The Rollins surname has also been connected to various place names, such as Rollins Brook in New Hampshire and Rollins Township in Michigan. These locations were likely named after early settlers or landowners with the Rollins surname, reflecting the influence and presence of this family name in different parts of the United States and beyond.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rollins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rollins 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 82 Rollins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.08x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 82 1.08x
Warwickshire 70 4.32x
Staffordshire 62 2.86x
Yorkshire 57 0.89x
Worcestershire 45 5.36x
Middlesex 42 0.65x
Surrey 30 0.96x
Northamptonshire 23 3.80x
Buckinghamshire 22 5.66x
Lincolnshire 21 2.04x
Gloucestershire 19 1.51x
Hampshire 19 1.44x
Bedfordshire 15 4.51x
Derbyshire 14 1.39x
Somerset 13 1.26x
Kent 12 0.55x
Sussex 12 1.11x
Cambridgeshire 11 2.70x
Durham 10 0.52x
Monmouthshire 8 1.72x
Northumberland 8 0.84x
Pembrokeshire 7 3.43x
Herefordshire 6 2.28x
Berkshire 5 1.04x
Cornwall 5 0.69x
Oxfordshire 5 1.26x
Wiltshire 5 0.88x
Cheshire 4 0.28x
Huntingdonshire 4 3.13x
Leicestershire 4 0.56x
Norfolk 4 0.40x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.46x
Dorset 3 0.71x
Glamorgan 2 0.18x
Hertfordshire 2 0.45x
Shropshire 2 0.36x
Channel Islands 1 0.53x
Devon 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bromsgrove in Worcestershire leads with 20 Rollins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 70.80x.

Place Total Index
Bromsgrove 20 70.80x
Aston 17 3.81x
Fenny Stratford 17 461.96x
Snitterfield 16 893.85x
Cannock 15 39.62x
West Bromwich 15 12.07x
Edworth 14 5600.00x
Pemberton 14 46.02x
Birmingham 11 2.04x
Ealing 10 17.41x
Ecclesall Bierlow 10 7.72x
Heskin 10 1190.48x
Nether Hallam 9 10.44x
Putney 9 30.72x
Wolverhampton 9 5.39x
Aunsby 8 2580.65x
Bottisham 8 230.55x
Brighton 8 3.66x
Lee 8 25.12x
Newcastle On Tyne St 8 16.14x
Romsley 8 879.12x
Brightside Bierlow 7 5.60x
Coppull 7 172.41x
Coventry St Michael 7 13.44x
Dodderhill 7 195.53x
Garston 7 31.10x
Kippax 7 125.00x
Pembroke St Mary 7 26.61x
Shepton Mallet 7 60.29x
Toxteth Park 7 2.71x
Trevethin 7 15.95x
Wandsworth 7 11.31x
West Derby 7 3.14x
Chesterfield 6 15.90x
Featherstone 6 83.92x
Handsworth 6 35.63x
Hasland 6 58.54x
Northampton Priory St 6 16.54x
Roxholme 6 2307.69x
St Marylebone London 6 1.75x
St Pancras London 6 1.16x
Wellingborough 6 19.74x
Battersea 5 2.11x
Buckingham 5 63.29x
Feckenham 5 52.03x
Frome 5 20.20x
Handsworth 5 9.35x
Hayes 5 76.22x
Holmside 5 106.16x
Ince In Makerfield 5 14.09x
Sheffield 5 2.47x
Southampton St Mary 5 6.03x
Stafford St Mary 5 16.28x
Stanwick 5 347.22x
Westbury On Severn East 5 17.54x
Boldre 4 84.75x
Conside Knitsley 4 26.90x
Droitwich St Andrew 4 188.68x
Grainthorpe 4 259.74x
Gt Milton 4 298.51x
Kenilworth 4 43.76x
Lambeth 4 0.71x
Liverpool 4 0.86x
Long Itchington 4 157.48x
Lydney 4 61.44x
Norwood 4 27.21x
Paddington London 4 1.69x
Stibbington 4 333.33x
Tanworth 4 93.46x
Walsall Foreign 4 3.57x
Lambourn 3 62.76x
Millbrook 3 9.04x
Piddington 3 267.86x
Ruardean 3 105.26x
Salford 3 1.34x
St Austell 3 12.06x
St Briavels 3 184.05x
Swindon 3 6.80x
Wavertree 3 12.29x
Wisbech St Peter 3 14.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 48
Elizabeth 26
Sarah 25
Jane 20
Ann 19
Emma 14
Annie 13
Ellen 11
Alice 9
Eliza 8
Martha 8
Emily 7
Anne 6
Hannah 5
Harriet 5
Margaret 5
Ada 4
Clara 4
Edith 4
Lydia 4
Amy 3
Caroline 3
Charlotte 3
Louisa 3
Maria 3
Anna 2
Eleanor 2
Florence 2
Gertrude 2
Harriett 2
Helen 2
Kate 2
Lizzie 2
Matilda 2
Mercy 2
Rosa 2
Rosina 2
Selina 2
Susannah 2
Barbara 1
Bertha 1
Bessie 1
Bridget 1
Elh. 1
Elizth. 1
Emm 1
Isabella 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 50
William 47
Thomas 26
James 23
George 20
Joseph 19
Charles 13
Henry 13
Benjamin 7
Albert 6
Robert 5
Arthur 4
Edward 4
Ernest 4
Francis 4
Harry 4
Herbert 4
Thos. 4
Walter 4
Alfred 3
Frank 3
Frederick 3
Matthew 3
Richard 3
Chas. 2
Edmund 2
Geo. 2
Isaac 2
Samuel 2
Seth 2
Willm. 2
Bertie 1
Dominick 1
Ebenezer 1
Fredrick 1
Geog. 1
Harvey 1
I.Warren 1
Jethro 1
Joshua 1
Josiah 1
Levi 1
Moses 1
Oliver 1
Oscar 1
Patrick 1
Ralph 1
Sarah 1
Sidney 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Rollins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rollins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 660 people were recorded with the Rollins surname. That placed it at #5,439 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rollins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,223 in 2016. That gives Rollins a modern rank of #4,867.

What does the Rollins surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name meaning "Hroda's link," referring to a ridge or hill.

What does the Rollins map show?

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