NameCensus.

UK surname

Ruttle

An English surname derived from a place name containing the Old English elements "hryðer" meaning cattle and "hyll" meaning hill.

In the 1881 census there were 27 people recorded with the Ruttle surname, ranking it #29,793 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 122, ranked #27,255, up from #29,793 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chorley, Wandsworth and Kirklees.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ruttle is 135 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 351.9%.

1881 census count

27

Ranked #29,793

Modern count

122

2016, ranked #27,255

Peak year

2011

135 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ruttle had 27 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,793 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 122 in 2016, ranked #27,255.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 48 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Ruttle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ruttle surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ruttle 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 15 #30,614
1861 historical 48 #27,896
1881 historical 27 #29,793
1891 historical 46 #30,657
1901 historical 38 #29,914
1911 historical 48 #28,006
1997 modern 94 #27,781
1998 modern 101 #27,479
1999 modern 105 #27,035
2000 modern 105 #27,001
2001 modern 104 #26,765
2002 modern 112 #26,165
2003 modern 105 #26,940
2004 modern 104 #27,338
2005 modern 96 #28,671
2006 modern 105 #27,479
2007 modern 107 #27,557
2008 modern 112 #27,061
2009 modern 126 #25,686
2010 modern 130 #25,775
2011 modern 135 #24,922
2012 modern 123 #26,561
2013 modern 132 #25,789
2014 modern 132 #25,971
2015 modern 121 #27,405
2016 modern 122 #27,255

Geography

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Where Ruttles 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 Chorley, Wandsworth, Kirklees and Dacorum. 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 Chorley 007 Chorley
2 Chorley 011 Chorley
3 Wandsworth 015 Wandsworth
4 Kirklees 044 Kirklees
5 Dacorum 002 Dacorum

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ruttle

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ruttle

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Ruttle is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Ruttle is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Ruttle

The surname Ruttle is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name such as Routle or Roothill, which were small villages or hamlets in various parts of the country.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John de Routle, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1268. This suggests that the name may have its roots in that region, although it is not certain.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, including Rothell, Routtell, and Routel, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common in medieval times. The Ruttle spelling seems to have become more standardized by the 16th century.

The Ruttle name appears in several historical records and documents, including the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332, where a Richard Rothell is listed. The name is also found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1395, mentioning a Thomas Routtell.

One notable bearer of the Ruttle surname was Sir William Ruttle, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 16th century. He was a landowner in Gloucestershire and held various positions of local importance.

In the 17th century, the Ruttle family seemed to have spread to other parts of England, as evidenced by the birth of John Ruttle in Oxfordshire in 1625. Another individual of note was Samuel Ruttle, who was born in Lincolnshire in 1650 and went on to become a respected clergyman.

The 18th century saw the emergence of several individuals with the Ruttle surname who made their mark in various fields. One such person was Edward Ruttle, a merchant and businessman from Bristol, born in 1706. Another was Thomas Ruttle, a renowned author and poet from Yorkshire, who lived from 1728 to 1798.

In the 19th century, the Ruttle name continued to be represented across different professions and social strata. Of particular note was Sir Henry Ruttle, a prominent industrialist and philanthropist from Lancashire, who was born in 1812 and made significant contributions to the development of his local community.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ruttle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ruttle 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. Hampshire leads with 7 Ruttles recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.52x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 7 12.52x
Middlesex 7 2.57x
Devon 4 7.04x
Lancashire 4 1.24x
Staffordshire 2 2.17x
Channel Islands 1 12.36x
Cheshire 1 1.66x
Hertfordshire 1 5.32x
Norfolk 1 2.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Portsea in Hampshire leads with 7 Ruttles recorded in 1881 and an index of 63.87x.

Place Total Index
Portsea 7 63.87x
St Marylebone London 5 34.32x
Accrington 4 136.05x
Stonehouse East 4 1379.31x
Newcastle Under Lyme 2 122.70x
Westminster St John 2 60.24x
Great Yarmouth 1 28.74x
Runcorn 1 71.94x
St Peter Port 1 66.67x
Watford 1 68.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3
Caroline 2
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Fanny 1
Kate 1
Margaret 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 4
William 3
Joseph 2
Robert 2
Archibald 1
David 1
Edward 1
Halick 1
James 1
Thomas 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Ruttle households.

FAQ

Ruttle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ruttle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 27 people were recorded with the Ruttle surname. That placed it at #29,793 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ruttle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 122 in 2016. That gives Ruttle a modern rank of #27,255.

What does the Ruttle surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name containing the Old English elements "hryðer" meaning cattle and "hyll" meaning hill.

What does the Ruttle map show?

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