NameCensus.

UK surname

Rudland

From a surname referring to someone who lived in a rude or uncultivated area.

In the 1881 census there were 495 people recorded with the Rudland surname, ranking it #6,826 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 737, ranked #7,404, down from #6,826 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a and Feltwell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ipswich, Babergh and Mid Suffolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rudland is 781 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 48.9%.

1881 census count

495

Ranked #6,826

Modern count

737

2016, ranked #7,404

Peak year

2000

781 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rudland had 495 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,826 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 737 in 2016, ranked #7,404.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 685 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Rudland surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rudland surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rudland 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 471 #5,275
1861 historical 467 #5,562
1881 historical 495 #6,826
1891 historical 596 #6,422
1901 historical 644 #6,684
1911 historical 685 #6,182
1997 modern 748 #6,898
1998 modern 763 #7,006
1999 modern 771 #6,992
2000 modern 781 #6,908
2001 modern 755 #6,952
2002 modern 779 #6,925
2003 modern 751 #7,010
2004 modern 747 #7,040
2005 modern 725 #7,131
2006 modern 717 #7,226
2007 modern 718 #7,283
2008 modern 710 #7,396
2009 modern 726 #7,418
2010 modern 733 #7,504
2011 modern 744 #7,358
2012 modern 726 #7,415
2013 modern 745 #7,388
2014 modern 764 #7,253
2015 modern 740 #7,394
2016 modern 737 #7,404

Geography

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Where Rudlands are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a, Feltwell, Fakenham and Woolwich. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ipswich, Babergh and Mid Suffolk. 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 Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a Essex
3 Feltwell Norfolk
4 Fakenham Norfolk
5 Woolwich London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ipswich 013 Ipswich
2 Babergh 005 Babergh
3 Ipswich 002 Ipswich
4 Mid Suffolk 010 Mid Suffolk
5 Ipswich 008 Ipswich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rudland

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rudland

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Rudland surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Rudland household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Rudland is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Rudland is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Rudland

The surname Rudland is of English origin, traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from a place name, likely a locality or settlement in England. One possible source is the village of Rudland, located in the East Riding of Yorkshire, where the name may have been derived from the Old English words "rud" (meaning red) and "land" (referring to an area or estate).

Rudland is a locational surname, meaning it was originally taken by individuals who resided in or were associated with a specific place called Rudland. This practice of adopting surnames based on place names was common during the 11th and 12th centuries, particularly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

In ancient records, the name appears with various spellings, such as Rudlande, Rudlond, and Roudland, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and orthography common in medieval times. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a "Willelmus de Rudlande."

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not explicitly mention the Rudland surname. However, it does record several places with similar names, such as Roudham in Norfolk and Roudlant in Lincolnshire, which could be related to the origin of the Rudland name.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Rudland. One example is Sir John Rudland (c. 1520-1588), an English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another is William Rudland (1619-1668), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Whitby, Yorkshire.

In the 18th century, John Rudland (1742-1816) was a prominent English mathematician and astronomer, known for his work on the calculation of eclipses and the improvement of astronomical tables. Later, in the 19th century, Thomas Rudland (1818-1892) was a renowned British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former headquarters of the Prudential Assurance Company.

Another individual of note is Ethel Rudland (1885-1957), a British artist and illustrator who specialized in depicting scenes from rural life and the English countryside. Her works were widely published and exhibited during her lifetime.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rudland families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rudland 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. Suffolk leads with 98 Rudlands recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.63x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 98 16.63x
Norfolk 82 11.02x
Middlesex 78 1.61x
Kent 68 4.12x
Essex 47 4.92x
Surrey 26 1.10x
Yorkshire 21 0.44x
Warwickshire 12 0.98x
Staffordshire 9 0.55x
Lancashire 7 0.12x
Devon 6 0.60x
Somerset 6 0.77x
Cheshire 5 0.47x
Lincolnshire 5 0.65x
Sussex 5 0.61x
Oxfordshire 4 1.34x
Northamptonshire 3 0.66x
Dorset 2 0.63x
Hampshire 2 0.20x
Lanarkshire 2 0.13x
Bedfordshire 1 0.40x
Berkshire 1 0.28x
Channel Islands 1 0.70x
Durham 1 0.07x
Gloucestershire 1 0.11x
Leicestershire 1 0.19x
Northumberland 1 0.14x
Wiltshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Ham in Essex leads with 23 Rudlands recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.91x.

Place Total Index
West Ham 23 10.91x
Welney 22 1294.12x
Hadleigh 16 279.72x
Islington London 13 2.77x
Chatham 12 26.43x
Feltwell 12 833.33x
Plumstead 12 21.81x
Bentley 11 1641.79x
Mile End Old Town 11 14.40x
Enfield 10 31.50x
Fakenham 10 273.22x
Woolwich 10 16.40x
Belstead 9 1698.11x
Harkstead 9 1451.61x
Holy Trinity 9 7.80x
Edgbaston 8 21.15x
Lambeth 8 1.90x
Newton 8 1081.08x
Offton 8 1379.31x
South Lynn 8 95.24x
Timworth 8 2666.67x
Barnham 7 921.05x
St Marylebone London 7 2.71x
Farnborough 6 248.96x
Great Bolton 6 7.89x
Lyncombe Widcombe 6 29.43x
St Pauls Cray 6 476.19x
Wiggenhall St Peter 6 2500.00x
Bethnal Green London 5 2.38x
Clawton 5 675.68x
Colchester St Giles 5 52.97x
Dewsbury 5 10.17x
Greenwich 5 6.49x
Horton Kirby 5 196.08x
Mirfield 5 19.00x
Ollerton 5 1041.67x
Richmond 5 15.13x
St Mary Cray 5 158.23x
Stoke Ferry 5 442.48x
Wretton 5 925.93x
Caversham 4 66.89x
Croydon 4 3.06x
Harwich St Nicholas 4 54.20x
Kensington London 4 1.49x
Leigh Field 4 851.06x
Southwark St Saviour 4 16.08x
St Pancras London 4 1.03x
Clee With Weelsby 3 17.71x
Foleshill 3 23.36x
Fulham London 3 4.28x
Great Oakley 3 196.08x
Hampton London 3 37.74x
Hitcham 3 201.34x
Leyton Low 3 15.46x
Narborough 3 416.67x
Northampton All Sts 3 19.43x
St George Bloomsbury 3 10.81x
St Luke London 3 3.87x
Sutton At Hone 3 87.46x
Tendring 3 214.29x
Watton 3 128.21x
Aldham 2 512.82x
Bere Regis 2 93.90x
Camberwell 2 0.65x
Chelsea London 2 1.37x
East Donyland 2 86.96x
Flowton 2 714.29x
Glasgow 2 0.72x
Hastings St Mary In The 2 11.49x
Helhoughton 2 363.64x
Leeds 2 0.74x
Newcastle Under Lyme 2 6.92x
Putney 2 9.07x
Shoreditch London 2 0.95x
Southminster 2 95.24x
St Andrew Holborn 2 12.20x
Sudbury All Sts 2 111.11x
West Bromwich 2 2.14x
Capel St Mary 1 105.26x
Colchester St Mary At 1 29.50x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Elizabeth 19
Sarah 19
Emma 15
Ann 12
Eliza 12
Alice 11
Jane 9
Ellen 8
Louisa 7
Maria 7
Annie 6
Martha 6
Margaret 5
Charlotte 4
Eleanor 4
Hannah 4
Harriett 4
Rose 4
Emily 3
Florence 3
Harriet 3
Laura 3
Lucy 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Clara 2
Edith 2
Ethel 2
Grace 2
Helen 2
Jeanette 2
Julia 2
Susan 2
Amanda 1
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Annetta 1
Beatrice 1
Cornelia 1
Effie 1
Elenor 1
Elisabeth 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth. 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Gipsie 1
Girtrude 1
Virginia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 37
John 25
Henry 17
Thomas 16
James 14
George 12
Arthur 10
Robert 9
Charles 8
Alfred 6
Edward 6
Daniel 4
Joseph 4
Walter 4
Francis 3
Frank 3
Harry 3
Isaac 3
Richard 3
Benjamin 2
David 2
Edwin 2
Frederick 2
Geo. 2
Leonard 2
Roger 2
Authr. 1
Benj. 1
Cain 1
Chas. 1
Clarence 1
Edgar 1
Edwd. 1
Ernest 1
Giles 1
Harrington 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Hy. 1
Jacob 1
Jonathan 1
Josiah 1
Lionel 1
Melville 1
Merchant 1
Philliph 1
Reuben 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Rudland surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rudland surname in 1881?

In 1881, 495 people were recorded with the Rudland surname. That placed it at #6,826 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rudland surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 737 in 2016. That gives Rudland a modern rank of #7,404.

What does the Rudland surname mean?

From a surname referring to someone who lived in a rude or uncultivated area.

What does the Rudland map show?

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