NameCensus.

UK surname

Royds

A topographic surname derived from a northern English dialect term for a clearing in a forest or wood.

In the 1881 census there were 489 people recorded with the Royds surname, ranking it #6,883 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 308, ranked #14,479, down from #6,883 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Bury and Halifax. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan, Rochdale and Bury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Royds is 515 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 37.0%.

1881 census count

489

Ranked #6,883

Modern count

308

2016, ranked #14,479

Peak year

1901

515 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Royds had 489 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,883 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 308 in 2016, ranked #14,479.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 515 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Royds surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Royds surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Royds 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 350 #6,733
1861 historical 371 #6,875
1881 historical 489 #6,883
1891 historical 490 #7,550
1901 historical 515 #7,878
1911 historical 501 #7,820
1997 modern 304 #13,409
1998 modern 309 #13,612
1999 modern 312 #13,615
2000 modern 320 #13,360
2001 modern 312 #13,392
2002 modern 301 #13,962
2003 modern 297 #13,917
2004 modern 286 #14,312
2005 modern 292 #14,072
2006 modern 298 #13,973
2007 modern 295 #14,198
2008 modern 286 #14,618
2009 modern 297 #14,519
2010 modern 309 #14,420
2011 modern 306 #14,410
2012 modern 311 #14,173
2013 modern 310 #14,403
2014 modern 316 #14,301
2015 modern 308 #14,463
2016 modern 308 #14,479

Geography

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Where Royds' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Bury, Halifax, Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) and Prestwich. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan, Rochdale and Bury. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Bury Lancashire
3 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) Lancashire
5 Prestwich Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 024 Wigan
2 Rochdale 010 Rochdale
3 Rochdale 013 Rochdale
4 Rochdale 018 Rochdale
5 Bury 006 Bury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Royds

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Royds

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Royds, 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 Royds surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Royds 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Royds is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Royds is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Royds falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Royds

The surname ROYDS is of English origin, derived from a place name in Yorkshire, England. It is believed to have originated in the early 13th century from the Old English words "ryge" meaning "ridge" and "hyll" meaning "hill," referring to a ridge or hill in the area.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be Roydes, dating back to the 13th century Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. It is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, recorded as Righehill, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the place name from which the surname was derived.

In the 14th century, the name was recorded as Ryggehyll in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Records of 1379. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, ROYDS, which first appeared in the Yorkshire Parish Registers in the late 16th century.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John de Roydes, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Charters of 1275. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Royds (1555-1625), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire in the early 17th century.

In the 18th century, Samuel Royds (1744-1824) was a prominent English banker and merchant from Leeds, Yorkshire. His son, Samuel Royds (1776-1855), followed in his footsteps and became a successful banker and philanthropist, known for his contributions to the development of Leeds.

During the 19th century, Edmund Royds (1810-1887) was a notable English businessman and landowner from Yorkshire, while Charles Royds (1853-1938) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in several Antarctic expeditions.

Another bearer of the name was Sir Clement Royds (1898-1983), a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the British Ambassador to Thailand and later became the Governor of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) from 1949 to 1953.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Royds families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Royds 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 366 Royds' recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.45x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 366 6.45x
Cheshire 31 2.94x
Yorkshire 29 0.61x
Bedfordshire 13 5.25x
Warwickshire 13 1.08x
Hertfordshire 11 3.34x
Staffordshire 7 0.43x
Berkshire 5 1.39x
Hampshire 4 0.41x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.69x
Essex 2 0.21x
Middlesex 2 0.04x
Sussex 2 0.25x
Flintshire 1 0.78x
Northamptonshire 1 0.22x
Royal Navy 1 1.76x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Spotland in Lancashire leads with 71 Royds' recorded in 1881 and an index of 112.59x.

Place Total Index
Spotland 71 112.59x
Wuerdle Wardle 51 296.17x
Heap 48 159.57x
Oldham 25 13.66x
Bury 19 29.33x
Castleton 19 33.55x
Crompton 17 105.26x
Butterworth 16 115.77x
Birtle Cum Bamford 14 378.38x
Blatchinworth 13 100.70x
Little Barford 11 3548.39x
Birmingham 10 2.49x
Denton 9 71.60x
Heysham 9 873.79x
Malpas 9 576.92x
Skircoat 9 48.18x
Chadderton 8 28.85x
Haslingden 8 34.07x
Huddersfield 8 11.59x
Wardleworth 8 24.68x
Aldenham 7 233.33x
Sowerby In Halifax 7 45.19x
Coddington 6 3157.89x
Thornton In Fylde 6 48.35x
Haughton 5 609.76x
Hyde 5 16.06x
Tonge 5 42.02x
Toxteth Park 5 2.60x
Brereton Cum Smethwick 4 400.00x
North Mimms 4 193.24x
Reading St Giles 4 11.36x
Aston 3 0.90x
Burnley 3 6.28x
Hartford 3 125.52x
Southampton St Mary 3 4.87x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 2 11.63x
Bedford St Peter 2 31.10x
Dukinfield 2 4.10x
Eccleshall 2 32.68x
Harpurhey 2 25.41x
Hove 2 5.66x
Kelvedon Hatch 2 327.87x
Liverpool 2 0.58x
Manchester 2 0.78x
Middleton In Oldham 2 11.76x
Paddington London 2 1.14x
Wales 2 53.48x
Wycombe 2 9.29x
Accrington 1 1.94x
Chelford 1 196.08x
Dallington 1 37.88x
Great Crosby 1 6.47x
Great Mollington 1 256.41x
Holywell 1 6.20x
Hopwood 1 13.50x
Lytham 1 11.55x
Northowram 1 3.01x
Royal Navy 1 2.05x
South Stoneham 1 4.71x
Warfield 1 30.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 36
Sarah 31
Elizabeth 16
Alice 12
Jane 11
Ann 10
Betty 9
Emily 9
Emma 8
Ellen 7
Hannah 7
Martha 6
Annie 5
Esther 5
Charlotte 4
Eliza 4
Harriet 4
Caroline 3
Fanny 3
Florence 3
Margaret 3
Rachel 3
Susan 3
Agnes 2
Anne 2
Bertha 2
Hester 2
Isabella 2
Matilda 2
Amy 1
Beatrice 1
Blanche 1
Bridget 1
Constance 1
Cornelia 1
Dinah 1
Dorothy 1
Eliz. 1
Eliz.Ann 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.Ann 1
Ella 1
Evelyn 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 32
James 24
William 18
Robert 14
Thomas 12
Charles 10
Edmund 10
George 8
Samuel 8
Albert 7
Ernest 6
Richard 6
Abraham 5
Arthur 4
Clement 4
Joseph 4
Edward 3
Henry 3
Andrew 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Harold 2
Isaac 2
Peter 2
Wilfred 2
Daniel 1
Edgar 1
Edwd. 1
Elizabeth 1
Emmensal 1
Fred. 1
Gilbert 1
Hanson 1
Harry 1
Harvey 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Jas.Thos. 1
Jonathan 1
Joshua 1
Llewdyn 1
Luke 1
Matthew 1
Mortimor 1
Nathanael 1
Percy 1
Ratcliffe 1
Saml. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Royds surname: questions and answers

How common was the Royds surname in 1881?

In 1881, 489 people were recorded with the Royds surname. That placed it at #6,883 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Royds surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 308 in 2016. That gives Royds a modern rank of #14,479.

What does the Royds surname mean?

A topographic surname derived from a northern English dialect term for a clearing in a forest or wood.

What does the Royds map show?

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