NameCensus.

UK surname

Rolph

A surname possibly derived from an Old English name meaning "wolf counsel".

In the 1881 census there were 1,102 people recorded with the Rolph surname, ranking it #3,605 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,460, ranked #4,219, down from #3,605 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lakenheath and Winterbourne, Westerleigh, Pucklechurch, Frampton Cotterel. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Torfaen and Forest Heath.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rolph is 1,604 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.5%.

1881 census count

1,102

Ranked #3,605

Modern count

1,460

2016, ranked #4,219

Peak year

2000

1,604 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rolph had 1,102 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,605 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,460 in 2016, ranked #4,219.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,553 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Rolph surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rolph surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rolph 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 691 #3,770
1861 historical 724 #3,759
1881 historical 1,102 #3,605
1891 historical 1,301 #3,328
1901 historical 1,399 #3,597
1911 historical 1,553 #3,120
1997 modern 1,542 #3,818
1998 modern 1,597 #3,849
1999 modern 1,599 #3,877
2000 modern 1,604 #3,849
2001 modern 1,570 #3,847
2002 modern 1,593 #3,869
2003 modern 1,508 #3,983
2004 modern 1,493 #4,021
2005 modern 1,458 #4,053
2006 modern 1,466 #4,046
2007 modern 1,480 #4,053
2008 modern 1,433 #4,179
2009 modern 1,476 #4,166
2010 modern 1,507 #4,171
2011 modern 1,469 #4,208
2012 modern 1,432 #4,234
2013 modern 1,489 #4,174
2014 modern 1,486 #4,200
2015 modern 1,476 #4,195
2016 modern 1,460 #4,219

Geography

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Where Rolphs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lakenheath, Winterbourne, Westerleigh, Pucklechurch, Frampton Cotterel and Hemel Hempstead. 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, Torfaen, Forest Heath and Uttlesford. 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 Lakenheath Suffolk
4 Winterbourne, Westerleigh, Pucklechurch, Frampton Cotterel Gloucestershire
5 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 019 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 Torfaen 003 Torfaen
3 Forest Heath 001 Forest Heath
4 Forest Heath 002 Forest Heath
5 Uttlesford 007 Uttlesford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rolph

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rolph

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

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Rolph 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

Rolph 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

Rolph 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 Rolph 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 Rolph, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rolph

The surname Rolph is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English personal name Rodwulf or Rodwolf. It is composed of the elements "rod" meaning "fame" and "wulf" meaning "wolf." The name was first found in Kent, a county in southeast England.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landholder named Rodulf in Kent. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.

Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Rolf, Rolfe, Rolff, and Roalf, reflecting regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping. Some of the earliest recorded instances of these variations include John Rolff mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 and William Rolf listed in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1344.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Rolph include Sir Samuel Rolph (1622-1702), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1683. Another prominent figure was John Rolph (1793-1870), a Canadian physician, politician, and one of the leaders of the Rebellion of 1837 in Upper Canada.

Other historical figures with the surname Rolph include Sir Thomas Rolph (1631-1689), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in the late 17th century, and Charles Rolph (1804-1884), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as the third Mayor of Toronto from 1845 to 1846.

The surname Rolph has also been associated with several place names, such as Rolph, a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, and Rolph Creek, a watercourse in Ontario, Canada, named after the Rolph family who settled in the area in the early 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rolph families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rolph 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. Essex leads with 252 Rolphs recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.86x.

County Total Index
Essex 252 11.86x
Suffolk 160 12.21x
Middlesex 154 1.43x
Hertfordshire 145 19.55x
Cambridgeshire 77 11.30x
Surrey 72 1.37x
Gloucestershire 46 2.18x
Berkshire 23 2.85x
Hampshire 22 1.00x
Norfolk 20 1.21x
Oxfordshire 16 2.41x
Lancashire 15 0.12x
Bedfordshire 10 1.79x
Buckinghamshire 10 1.54x
Sussex 10 0.55x
Kent 8 0.22x
Lincolnshire 8 0.47x
Staffordshire 8 0.22x
Warwickshire 8 0.29x
Glamorgan 6 0.32x
Leicestershire 5 0.42x
Somerset 5 0.29x
Huntingdonshire 4 1.87x
Yorkshire 4 0.04x
Northamptonshire 3 0.30x
Derbyshire 2 0.12x
Devon 2 0.09x
Durham 2 0.06x
Northumberland 2 0.12x
Monmouthshire 1 0.13x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.07x
Royal Navy 1 0.78x
Worcestershire 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. Lakenheath in Suffolk leads with 153 Rolphs recorded in 1881 and an index of 2210.98x.

Place Total Index
Lakenheath 153 2210.98x
Hemel Hempstead 39 116.70x
Great Easton 30 1041.67x
Fulbourn 29 444.79x
Thaxted 28 397.16x
Kensington London 26 4.35x
High Roothing 25 1515.15x
Fryerning 23 888.03x
Islington London 21 2.01x
Kimpton 20 574.71x
Barking 17 27.36x
Reigate Borough 17 140.61x
Walthamstow 17 22.24x
South Stoneham 16 33.44x
St Marylebone London 15 2.61x
Westerleigh 14 295.98x
Chelmsford 13 35.68x
Frampton Cotterell 13 175.44x
Prittlewell 13 44.17x
Reading St Giles 12 15.14x
Watford 12 20.87x
Swaffham Bulbeck 11 401.46x
Feltwell Feltwell Anchor 10 332.23x
Writtle 10 115.21x
Berkhampstead 9 53.99x
Clapham 9 6.69x
Lambeth 9 0.96x
Lambourn 9 112.50x
Luton 9 9.33x
St Andrewthe Less 9 11.56x
Camberwell 8 1.16x
Chesterton 8 38.08x
Hackney London 8 1.33x
Ingatestone 8 234.60x
Poplar London 8 3.94x
South Mimms 8 54.24x
St George Hanover 8 5.70x
St Pancras London 8 0.92x
Aldbury 7 208.33x
Bermondsey 7 2.19x
Horninglow 7 40.91x
Kings Walden 7 167.06x
Northchurch 7 88.38x
St Albans St Peter 7 27.98x
St Giles Cambridge 7 79.55x
Thundersley 7 364.58x
Wheathampstead 7 81.68x
Brandon 6 67.49x
East Ham 6 15.22x
Grays Thurrock 6 30.40x
Oxford St Ebbe 6 30.67x
Redbourn 6 74.07x
St Albans St Stephen 6 92.59x
Bethnal Green London 5 1.07x
Bushey 5 28.31x
Buttsbury 5 301.20x
Grantham 5 22.30x
Hendon 5 12.92x
Knighton 5 74.29x
Roath 5 5.88x
Shenfield 5 90.74x
St George In East 5 6.83x
Tytherington 5 304.88x
West Ham 5 1.07x
Acton 4 6.34x
Aston 4 0.54x
Birmingham 4 0.44x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 4 2.01x
Chadwell St Mary 4 184.33x
Hatfield 4 26.61x
Holy Trinity 4 1.56x
Hornsey 4 2.94x
Liverpool 4 0.52x
Margaretting 4 206.19x
Shoreditch London 4 0.86x
Southwark St George Martyr 4 1.85x
Tilty 4 1176.47x
West Derby 4 1.07x
Westfield 4 103.36x
Woodstone 4 118.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 59
William 52
John 33
Charles 32
James 27
Thomas 27
Henry 19
Arthur 18
Alfred 17
Frederick 14
Joseph 14
Walter 13
Edward 12
Herbert 11
Frank 8
Richard 8
Robert 8
Ernest 7
Harry 7
Albert 6
Francis 6
Elijah 4
Evans 4
Willie 4
Aaron 3
Daniel 3
David 3
Fredk. 3
Lewis 3
Mark 3
Peter 3
Samuel 3
Stephen 3
Wm. 3
Andrew 2
Benjamin 2
Chas. 2
Edmund 2
Geo. 2
Infant 2
Isaac 2
Vincent 2
Archible 1
Charley 1
Elias 1
Evan 1
Ezekiel 1
Ezra 1
Henery 1
Wm.Jos. 1

FAQ

Rolph surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rolph surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,102 people were recorded with the Rolph surname. That placed it at #3,605 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rolph surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,460 in 2016. That gives Rolph a modern rank of #4,219.

What does the Rolph surname mean?

A surname possibly derived from an Old English name meaning "wolf counsel".

What does the Rolph map show?

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