NameCensus.

UK surname

Runham

In the 1881 census there were 147 people recorded with the Runham surname, ranking it #15,674 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 241, ranked #17,233, down from #15,674 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict and Chesterton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Torbay.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Runham is 290 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 63.9%.

1881 census count

147

Ranked #15,674

Modern count

241

2016, ranked #17,233

Peak year

2000

290 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Runham had 147 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,674 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 241 in 2016, ranked #17,233.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 264 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Runham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Runham surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Runham 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 95 #17,707
1861 historical 118 #18,512
1881 historical 147 #15,674
1891 historical 212 #14,318
1901 historical 211 #14,647
1911 historical 264 #12,449
1997 modern 264 #14,734
1998 modern 265 #15,087
1999 modern 283 #14,501
2000 modern 290 #14,237
2001 modern 275 #14,540
2002 modern 283 #14,559
2003 modern 278 #14,540
2004 modern 287 #14,286
2005 modern 272 #14,742
2006 modern 274 #14,769
2007 modern 275 #14,888
2008 modern 284 #14,687
2009 modern 285 #14,944
2010 modern 273 #15,764
2011 modern 264 #16,016
2012 modern 248 #16,618
2013 modern 250 #16,778
2014 modern 253 #16,774
2015 modern 241 #17,235
2016 modern 241 #17,233

Geography

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Where Runhams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict, Chesterton and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Torbay and County Durham. 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 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire
4 Chesterton Cambridgeshire
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Cambridgeshire 015 South Cambridgeshire
2 South Cambridgeshire 017 South Cambridgeshire
3 Huntingdonshire 013 Huntingdonshire
4 Torbay 019 Torbay
5 County Durham 021 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Runham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Runham

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

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Runham is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Runham is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Runham falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Runham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Runham 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. Cambridgeshire leads with 65 Runhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 72.56x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 65 72.56x
Middlesex 33 2.33x
Surrey 15 2.18x
Kent 10 2.07x
Yorkshire 9 0.64x
Staffordshire 8 1.68x
Hertfordshire 2 2.05x
Bedfordshire 1 1.37x
Somerset 1 0.44x
Sussex 1 0.42x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sawston in Cambridgeshire leads with 18 Runhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 2093.02x.

Place Total Index
Sawston 18 2093.02x
Chesterton 15 543.48x
Chelsea London 14 32.85x
Deptford St Paul 9 24.18x
St Luke London 9 39.68x
Lambeth 8 6.49x
Walsall Foreign 8 32.44x
Whittlesford 8 1951.22x
St Andrewthe Less 7 68.43x
St Peter Cambridge 6 2000.00x
Bethnal Green London 5 8.14x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 5 141.64x
Penge 5 55.37x
Bowling 4 28.82x
Harston 4 1052.63x
St Giles Cambridge 3 258.62x
Fen Ditton 2 625.00x
Wonersh 2 232.56x
Babraham 1 769.23x
Bengeo 1 88.50x
Bishops Hull 1 135.14x
Greenwich 1 4.44x
Linton 1 117.65x
Preston 1 24.04x
Sacombe 1 769.23x
St George Hanover 1 5.42x
St Matthew Friday 1 5000.00x
St Vedast Foster Lane 1 1111.11x
Stoke Newington London 1 9.07x
Westminster St 1 19.19x
Wrestlingworth 1 322.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 5
Alice 4
Sarah 4
Annie 3
Edith 3
Emily 3
Lydia 3
Catherine 2
Clara 2
Florence 2
Harriet 2
Martha 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Ann 1
Berthar 1
Betsy 1
Charlotte 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Emaline 1
Emma 1
Eusebia 1
Fanney 1
Hannah 1
Hilder 1
Jane 1
Kisiah 1
Laura 1
Louise 1
Maggie 1
Maria 1
Marian 1
Maud 1
Rhoda 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Runham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Runham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 147 people were recorded with the Runham surname. That placed it at #15,674 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Runham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 241 in 2016. That gives Runham a modern rank of #17,233.

What does the Runham map show?

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