NameCensus.

UK surname

Ruffley

A surname of English origin suggesting someone who lived near a rough or overgrown area.

In the 1881 census there were 95 people recorded with the Ruffley surname, ranking it #20,349 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 93, ranked #31,945, down from #20,349 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Manchester and Liverpool.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ruffley is 106 in 2003. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.1%.

1881 census count

95

Ranked #20,349

Modern count

93

2016, ranked #31,945

Peak year

2003

106 bearers

Map years

1

1998 to 1998

Key insights

  • Ruffley had 95 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,349 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 93 in 2016, ranked #31,945.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 99 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Ruffley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ruffley surname density by area, 1998 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ruffley 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 53 #23,739
1861 historical 75 #24,238
1881 historical 95 #20,349
1891 historical 89 #25,542
1901 historical 98 #23,119
1911 historical 99 #22,850
1997 modern 104 #26,351
1998 modern 103 #27,141
1999 modern 104 #27,164
2000 modern 102 #27,425
2001 modern 103 #26,927
2002 modern 101 #27,766
2003 modern 106 #26,775
2004 modern 106 #27,045
2005 modern 97 #28,485
2006 modern 90 #29,893
2007 modern 95 #29,493
2008 modern 91 #30,431
2009 modern 92 #30,820
2010 modern 93 #31,239
2011 modern 93 #31,169
2012 modern 91 #31,659
2013 modern 97 #31,239
2014 modern 94 #31,909
2015 modern 94 #31,872
2016 modern 93 #31,945

Geography

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Where Ruffleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Manchester, Liverpool, North Somerset 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 003 Cheshire East
2 Manchester 054 Manchester
3 Liverpool 004 Liverpool
4 North Somerset 008 North Somerset
5 Denbighshire 017 Denbighshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ruffley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ruffley

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Ruffley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Ruffley 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Ruffley is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Ruffley 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

Ruffley falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ruffley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Ruffley

The surname Ruffley originates from England and is believed to have first emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. It is derived from an old English place name, likely referencing a location with a rugged or rough terrain, possibly characterized by hills or ridges. The name may have its roots in words like "rough" or "rugh" in Old English, or the Old French word "rufel," meaning rough or uneven.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ruffley can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a collection of inquisitions or rolls compiled in England between 1274 and 1275. This document mentions a "William de Rughleye" from Warwickshire, indicating the presence of the name in that region during the 13th century.

In the 14th century, the Ruffley surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Rughley," "Ruggeley," and "Ruggeley," reflecting the evolution of the name over time. The Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327 mention a "William de Rugeley," suggesting the name's association with the town of Rugeley in Staffordshire.

One notable individual bearing the Ruffley surname was Sir Thomas Ruffley (c. 1420 - 1490), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Staffordshire in 1472. He played a role in the Wars of the Roses, initially supporting the Yorkist cause but later switching allegiance to the Lancastrians.

Another historical figure with the Ruffley name was John Ruffley (1553 - 1620), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, from 1608 until his death.

In the 17th century, the Ruffley surname is associated with Edward Ruffley (1624 - 1685), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Bramber in Sussex from 1679 to 1685.

Moving into the 18th century, a prominent individual with the Ruffley name was Sir George Ruffley (1730 - 1802), a British naval officer who served as a captain in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.

The 19th century saw the birth of William Ruffley (1824 - 1903), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ruffley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ruffley 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 77 Ruffleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.00x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 77 7.00x
Warwickshire 9 3.85x
Staffordshire 7 2.24x
Norfolk 1 0.70x
Westmorland 1 4.91x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chorley in Lancashire leads with 17 Ruffleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 275.53x.

Place Total Index
Chorley 17 275.53x
Little Hulton 15 824.18x
Lowton 12 1600.00x
Worsley 11 162.24x
Birmingham 9 11.56x
Wolverhampton 7 29.11x
Salford 6 18.55x
Everton 4 11.41x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 3 94.64x
Farnworth 2 30.35x
Hulme 2 8.71x
Ashton In Makerfield 1 31.95x
Blackburn 1 3.42x
Garboldisham 1 500.00x
Hindley 1 21.32x
Kendal 1 26.81x
Manchester 1 2.02x
Wigan 1 6.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 7
Mary 7
Alice 5
Sarah 4
Annie 3
Hannah 3
Ann 2
Caroline 2
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Bridget 1
Charlotte 1
Diana 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Jane 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Margt. 1
Maria 1
Prudence 1
Rosetta 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
William 7
Thomas 6
James 4
Joseph 4
Robert 4
George 3
Henry 3
Alfred 1
Edward 1
Frederic 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1

FAQ

Ruffley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ruffley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 95 people were recorded with the Ruffley surname. That placed it at #20,349 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ruffley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 93 in 2016. That gives Ruffley a modern rank of #31,945.

What does the Ruffley surname mean?

A surname of English origin suggesting someone who lived near a rough or overgrown area.

What does the Ruffley map show?

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