NameCensus.

UK surname

Royles

In the 1881 census there were 174 people recorded with the Royles surname, ranking it #14,042 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 309, ranked #14,442, down from #14,042 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bury, Kirkham and Denbigh, Henllan. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Denbighshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Royles is 317 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 77.6%.

1881 census count

174

Ranked #14,042

Modern count

309

2016, ranked #14,442

Peak year

2010

317 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Royles had 174 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,042 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 309 in 2016, ranked #14,442.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 246 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Royles surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Royles surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Royles 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 120 #15,144
1861 historical 181 #12,997
1881 historical 174 #14,042
1891 historical 208 #14,496
1901 historical 212 #14,611
1911 historical 246 #13,054
1997 modern 280 #14,136
1998 modern 286 #14,318
1999 modern 281 #14,578
2000 modern 301 #13,873
2001 modern 291 #14,000
2002 modern 292 #14,236
2003 modern 287 #14,219
2004 modern 282 #14,451
2005 modern 278 #14,511
2006 modern 295 #14,053
2007 modern 305 #13,891
2008 modern 306 #13,943
2009 modern 310 #14,113
2010 modern 317 #14,166
2011 modern 316 #14,092
2012 modern 307 #14,288
2013 modern 315 #14,245
2014 modern 314 #14,371
2015 modern 313 #14,313
2016 modern 309 #14,442

Geography

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Where Royles' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bury, Kirkham, Denbigh, Henllan, Eccleshall and Eccles. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Denbighshire. 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 Bury Lancashire
2 Kirkham Lancashire
3 Denbigh, Henllan Denbighshire
4 Eccleshall Staffordshire
5 Eccles Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gloucester 004 Gloucester
2 Tewkesbury 006 Tewkesbury
3 Denbighshire 008 Denbighshire
4 Denbighshire 017 Denbighshire
5 Gloucester 012 Gloucester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Royles

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Royles

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Royles, 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 Royles surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Royles 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Royles is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Royles 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

Royles falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Royles is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Royles families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Royles 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 72 Royles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.60x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 72 3.60x
Cheshire 21 5.64x
Denbighshire 19 29.81x
Yorkshire 17 1.02x
Staffordshire 15 2.63x
Northamptonshire 13 8.19x
Flintshire 9 19.84x
Nottinghamshire 4 1.76x
Derbyshire 1 0.38x
Essex 1 0.30x
Midlothian 1 0.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bury in Lancashire leads with 20 Royles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 87.45x.

Place Total Index
Bury 20 87.45x
Kirkham 20 754.72x
Brackley St James 13 3611.11x
Dukinfield 13 75.54x
Eccleshall 10 462.96x
Upper Hallam 10 689.66x
Bodfari 7 2692.31x
Little Bolton 7 27.20x
Ruthin 7 1076.92x
Ecclesall Bierlow 6 17.64x
Henllan 6 368.10x
Ashton On Mersey 5 259.07x
Denbigh 5 195.31x
Pendleton In Salford 5 20.96x
Barrow In Furness 4 14.69x
Thornton In Fylde 4 91.32x
Wellow 4 1904.76x
Layton With Warbreck 3 40.82x
Worsley 3 24.31x
Ashton Under Lyne 2 4.57x
Ashton In Makerfield 1 17.54x
Colchester St Peter 1 75.19x
Croxall 1 833.33x
Cuddington In Northwich 1 416.67x
Dymeirchion 1 263.16x
Everton 1 1.57x
Handsworth 1 22.62x
Kingsley 1 144.93x
Leith South 1 322.58x
Litton 1 238.10x
Oldham 1 1.55x
Parr 1 13.97x
Ranton 1 625.00x
St Asaph Cil Owen 1 416.67x
Stafford St Mary 1 12.41x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 1.66x
Weaverham Cum Milton 1 102.04x
Yoxall 1 133.33x
Ysceifiog 1 142.86x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Thomas 14
William 10
John 9
James 6
Edward 5
Robert 4
Charles 3
Richard 3
Walter 3
Benjamin 2
Dennis 2
George 2
Jno. 2
Joseph 2
Adam 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Chas.H. 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred. 1
Frederick 1
Jeremy 1
Jno.W. 1
Joshua 1
Samuel 1
Silas 1
Thoms. 1
Thos. 1
Willaim 1
Wm 1

FAQ

Royles surname: questions and answers

How common was the Royles surname in 1881?

In 1881, 174 people were recorded with the Royles surname. That placed it at #14,042 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Royles surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 309 in 2016. That gives Royles a modern rank of #14,442.

What does the Royles map show?

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