NameCensus.

UK surname

Scripps

A surname derived from the Old English "scribbe" meaning a strip of land or thin plot.

In the 1881 census there were 82 people recorded with the Scripps surname, ranking it #21,957 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 226, ranked #18,044, up from #21,957 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Enfield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Hertfordshire, Milton Keynes and Harlow.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Scripps is 251 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 175.6%.

1881 census count

82

Ranked #21,957

Modern count

226

2016, ranked #18,044

Peak year

2011

251 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Scripps had 82 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,957 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 226 in 2016, ranked #18,044.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 205 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Scripps surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Scripps surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Scripps 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 19 #29,904
1861 historical 32 #29,944
1881 historical 82 #21,957
1891 historical 137 #19,501
1901 historical 146 #18,335
1911 historical 205 #14,733
1997 modern 222 #16,508
1998 modern 238 #16,218
1999 modern 233 #16,554
2000 modern 236 #16,380
2001 modern 231 #16,365
2002 modern 227 #16,877
2003 modern 224 #16,859
2004 modern 218 #17,230
2005 modern 216 #17,283
2006 modern 217 #17,349
2007 modern 219 #17,425
2008 modern 227 #17,196
2009 modern 240 #16,896
2010 modern 246 #16,975
2011 modern 251 #16,589
2012 modern 231 #17,448
2013 modern 242 #17,158
2014 modern 242 #17,285
2015 modern 233 #17,627
2016 modern 226 #18,044

Geography

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Where Scripps' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Enfield, Bayford, Little Berkhamstead and Hormead, Great. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Hertfordshire, Milton Keynes and Harlow. 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 St Pancras London (North Districts)
3 Enfield Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
4 Bayford, Little Berkhamstead Hertfordshire
5 Hormead, Great Hertfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Hertfordshire 001 East Hertfordshire
2 East Hertfordshire 006 East Hertfordshire
3 East Hertfordshire 002 East Hertfordshire
4 Milton Keynes 002 Milton Keynes
5 Harlow 007 Harlow

Forenames

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First names often paired with Scripps

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Scripps

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Scripps, 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 Scripps surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Scripps 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Scripps 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

Scripps 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

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

Meaning and origin of Scripps

The surname Scripps is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "scrippe," which means a small bag or wallet. The name is thought to have initially referred to an occupation, possibly a maker or seller of small bags or pouches.

The Scripps surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Norfolk. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, where it is spelled "Scrippe."

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England, there are no direct mentions of the Scripps surname. However, there are references to places with similar names, such as Scribbanbyrig (later known as Shrivenham) in Berkshire and Scribanhyr (later Shrivenham) in Wiltshire.

The earliest known person with the surname Scripps was John Scripps, who was born around 1480 in Shelton, Norfolk, England. Another notable early bearer of the name was Henry Scripps, born in 1611 in Walsoken, Norfolk, who later immigrated to New England in the 17th century.

Throughout history, several individuals with the Scripps surname have achieved prominence in various fields. One such person was William Scripps, born in 1797 in Kent, England, who became a successful businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, in 1903.

Another notable Scripps was Edward Wyllis Scripps, born in 1854 in Rushville, Illinois, USA. He was a newspaper publisher and founder of the E.W. Scripps Company, a media conglomerate that owned several newspapers and television stations. His half-brother, James Edmund Scripps, born in 1835 in Rushville, was also involved in the family's publishing business.

In the 19th century, the Scripps surname was associated with several place names in England, such as Scripps Park in Lancashire and Scripps Green in Essex.

Overall, the Scripps surname has a long and rich history, originating from an Old English word and spanning multiple centuries, with notable bearers of the name making significant contributions in various fields.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Scripps families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Scripps 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. Hertfordshire leads with 59 Scripps' recorded in 1881 and an index of 107.02x.

County Total Index
Hertfordshire 59 107.02x
Middlesex 14 1.75x
Surrey 5 1.28x
Essex 2 1.27x
Buckinghamshire 1 2.07x
Kent 1 0.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barkway in Hertfordshire leads with 37 Scripps' recorded in 1881 and an index of 16818.18x.

Place Total Index
Barkway 37 16818.18x
Great Hormead 13 9285.71x
Braughing 7 2500.00x
Clapham 5 50.00x
Islington London 5 6.45x
St George Hanover 3 28.74x
Layston 2 689.66x
St Pancras London 2 3.11x
Folkestone 1 18.90x
Kensington London 1 2.25x
Leyton 1 36.76x
Little Brickhill 1 1428.57x
Mile End Old Town 1 7.92x
Paddington London 1 3.40x
South Mimms 1 90.91x
Walthamstow 1 17.61x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 6
David 5
William 5
James 3
Arthur 2
Daniel 2
John 2
Thomas 2
Charles 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Henry 1
Infant 1
Julius 1
Martin 1
Walter 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 Scripps households.

FAQ

Scripps surname: questions and answers

How common was the Scripps surname in 1881?

In 1881, 82 people were recorded with the Scripps surname. That placed it at #21,957 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Scripps surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 226 in 2016. That gives Scripps a modern rank of #18,044.

What does the Scripps surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English "scribbe" meaning a strip of land or thin plot.

What does the Scripps map show?

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