NameCensus.

UK surname

Scarborough

A locational surname referring to someone from the coastal town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England.

In the 1881 census there were 839 people recorded with the Scarborough surname, ranking it #4,495 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,352, ranked #4,459, up from #4,495 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lincoln St Botolph, Barking and Halifax. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bassetlaw, Sheffield and North Kesteven.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Scarborough is 1,436 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 61.1%.

1881 census count

839

Ranked #4,495

Modern count

1,352

2016, ranked #4,459

Peak year

1998

1,436 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Scarborough had 839 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,495 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,352 in 2016, ranked #4,459.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,287 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Scarborough surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Scarborough surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Scarborough 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 560 #4,524
1861 historical 555 #4,747
1881 historical 839 #4,495
1891 historical 1,040 #4,019
1901 historical 1,138 #4,268
1911 historical 1,287 #3,697
1997 modern 1,395 #4,149
1998 modern 1,436 #4,195
1999 modern 1,434 #4,220
2000 modern 1,419 #4,243
2001 modern 1,381 #4,259
2002 modern 1,401 #4,292
2003 modern 1,368 #4,297
2004 modern 1,361 #4,326
2005 modern 1,341 #4,325
2006 modern 1,354 #4,310
2007 modern 1,348 #4,358
2008 modern 1,350 #4,372
2009 modern 1,382 #4,374
2010 modern 1,409 #4,381
2011 modern 1,388 #4,389
2012 modern 1,355 #4,412
2013 modern 1,375 #4,436
2014 modern 1,381 #4,439
2015 modern 1,360 #4,453
2016 modern 1,352 #4,459

Geography

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Where Scarboroughs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lincoln St Botolph, Barking, Halifax, London parishes and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bassetlaw, Sheffield and North Kesteven. 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 Lincoln St Botolph Lincolnshire
2 Barking Essex
3 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
4 London parishes London 3
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bassetlaw 015 Bassetlaw
2 Bassetlaw 008 Bassetlaw
3 Sheffield 039 Sheffield
4 North Kesteven 003 North Kesteven
5 North Kesteven 007 North Kesteven

Forenames

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First names often paired with Scarborough

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Scarborough

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Scarborough surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Scarborough 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Scarborough 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

Scarborough 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

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

Meaning and origin of Scarborough

The surname Scarborough originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, deriving from the town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire. The name is believed to come from the Old Norse words 'sker' meaning a long rock or cliff, and 'burg' meaning a fortified place or town, referring to the town's location on a headland overlooking the North Sea.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Scarborough can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled 'Scardeburg'. This entry refers to the town itself and suggests the name was already well-established by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show a John de Scardeburgh, who was a prominent ecclesiastic and served as Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1245 to 1248. This early use of the surname suggests it had already been adopted by some families by this time.

During the 14th century, the name appears in various forms such as Scardeburg, Scardeburghe, and Scareburgh. One notable bearer was Sir John Scarborough (c.1310-1374), a wealthy landowner and member of the gentry from Yorkshire.

In the 16th century, the spelling of the surname became more standardized as Scarborough. Sir Charles Scarborough (1616-1694) was a prominent English mathematician, physician, and philosopher who served as the principal physician to King Charles II and King James II.

Other notable individuals with the surname Scarborough include Robert Scarborough (c.1635-1694), an English explorer and colonial official who served as the first governor of East New Jersey; Sir Robert Scarborough (1753-1833), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars; and Dorothy Scarborough (1878-1935), an American writer and literary critic from Texas.

While the surname Scarborough remains most prevalent in England, particularly in the Yorkshire region, it has also been carried to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora over the centuries, becoming well-established in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Scarborough families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Scarborough 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. Yorkshire leads with 200 Scarboroughs recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.45x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 200 2.45x
Lincolnshire 178 13.49x
Middlesex 83 1.01x
Essex 62 3.81x
Leicestershire 53 5.79x
Lancashire 49 0.50x
Nottinghamshire 43 3.87x
Surrey 39 0.97x
Derbyshire 24 1.86x
Kent 20 0.71x
Bedfordshire 18 4.21x
Durham 17 0.69x
Westmorland 16 8.82x
Channel Islands 6 2.45x
Hampshire 6 0.35x
Lanarkshire 6 0.22x
Norfolk 5 0.39x
Hertfordshire 4 0.70x
Devon 3 0.17x
Cheshire 2 0.11x
Northamptonshire 2 0.26x
Warwickshire 2 0.10x
Worcestershire 2 0.19x
Berkshire 1 0.16x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.20x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.19x
Renfrewshire 1 0.16x
Royal Navy 1 1.02x
Sussex 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barking in Essex leads with 35 Scarboroughs recorded in 1881 and an index of 73.44x.

Place Total Index
Barking 35 73.44x
Haworth 34 174.90x
Halifax 25 20.82x
Keighley 23 26.39x
Scarborough 21 28.26x
Leicester St Margaret 19 8.52x
Holy Trinity 18 9.15x
West Ham 18 5.00x
Beetham 15 537.63x
St Martin Lincoln 14 114.38x
St Pancras London 14 2.11x
Camberwell 13 2.47x
Basford 12 23.41x
Clowne 12 233.46x
Lambeth 11 1.53x
Grantham 10 58.14x
Hornsey 10 9.58x
Spilsby 10 238.66x
South Witham 9 775.86x
Allerton 8 76.78x
Ashford 8 29.18x
Bingley 8 15.36x
Edmonton 8 12.03x
Great Bowden 8 96.15x
Great Grimsby 8 9.55x
Great Little Marsden 8 17.83x
Headingley Cum Burley 8 15.20x
Hindley 8 19.16x
Islington London 8 1.00x
Manchester 8 1.82x
Skircoat 8 24.81x
Braceby 7 2121.21x
Colmworth 7 642.20x
Donington On Bain 7 522.39x
Elston 7 542.64x
Luton 7 9.46x
Normanby By Spital 7 625.00x
St Swithin Lincoln 7 33.73x
Alfreton 6 15.29x
Barnsley 6 7.11x
Barony 6 0.89x
Bottesford 6 618.56x
Claythorpe 6 2400.00x
Colne 6 20.57x
Deptford St Paul 6 2.76x
Hartlepool 6 17.20x
Newington 6 26.64x
Owmby 6 800.00x
Sapperton 6 1463.41x
Southwark Christchurch 6 15.52x
St Helier 6 7.54x
St Marylebone London 6 1.36x
St Nicholas Lincoln 6 47.58x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 6 32.33x
Chelsea London 5 2.01x
Dunston 5 227.27x
Elland Cum Greetland 5 13.57x
Newark Upon Trent 5 12.51x
North Bierley 5 11.33x
Nottingham St Mary 5 1.74x
Scraptoft 5 1428.57x
St George Hanover 5 4.64x
Wainfleet All Sts 5 130.21x
Aldershot 4 7.06x
Bermondsey 4 1.63x
Bishopwearmouth 4 1.90x
Clee With Weelsby 4 13.85x
Flintham 4 370.37x
Great Yarmouth 4 3.81x
Hatfield 4 34.69x
Hungerton Cum Wyville 4 1212.12x
Louth 4 13.23x
Newington 4 1.31x
Nottingham St Peter 4 32.26x
Shoreditch London 4 1.12x
St Luke London 4 3.02x
Wardleworth 4 7.15x
Whittington 4 22.37x
Sutton St Mary St James 3 193.55x
Welton Melton 3 125.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 56
William 42
George 36
James 26
Joseph 25
Thomas 24
Robert 20
Henry 19
Charles 15
David 9
Edward 9
Walter 9
Frederick 8
Alfred 7
Samuel 7
Harry 6
Arthur 5
Ernest 5
Geo. 5
Christopher 4
Fred 4
Stephen 4
Tom 4
Frank 3
Jonas 3
Jonathan 3
Richard 3
Thos. 3
Willie 3
Abraham 2
Benjamin 2
Edwin 2
Herbert 2
Joe 2
Luke 2
Matthew 2
Preston 2
Reuben 2
Wm. 2
Bernard 1
Chs.Hy. 1
Curtis 1
Daniel 1
Darius 1
Ferdinand 1
Ferdinands 1
Francis 1
Freddy 1
Fredk. 1
Jonathon 1

FAQ

Scarborough surname: questions and answers

How common was the Scarborough surname in 1881?

In 1881, 839 people were recorded with the Scarborough surname. That placed it at #4,495 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Scarborough surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,352 in 2016. That gives Scarborough a modern rank of #4,459.

What does the Scarborough surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from the coastal town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England.

What does the Scarborough map show?

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