NameCensus.

UK surname

Selsby

In the 1881 census there were 135 people recorded with the Selsby surname, ranking it #16,515 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 112, ranked #28,844, down from #16,515 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gislingham and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Reigate and Banstead, Mid Sussex and Liverpool.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Selsby is 175 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 17.0%.

1881 census count

135

Ranked #16,515

Modern count

112

2016, ranked #28,844

Peak year

1901

175 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Selsby had 135 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,515 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016, ranked #28,844.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 175 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Selsby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Selsby surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Selsby 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 91 #18,187
1861 historical 129 #17,271
1881 historical 135 #16,515
1891 historical 158 #17,705
1901 historical 175 #16,469
1911 historical 172 #16,408
1997 modern 118 #24,423
1998 modern 108 #26,417
1999 modern 107 #26,754
2000 modern 105 #27,001
2001 modern 103 #26,927
2002 modern 110 #26,412
2003 modern 110 #26,220
2004 modern 112 #26,159
2005 modern 111 #26,260
2006 modern 116 #25,813
2007 modern 115 #26,348
2008 modern 112 #27,061
2009 modern 124 #25,957
2010 modern 122 #26,876
2011 modern 121 #26,789
2012 modern 104 #29,543
2013 modern 112 #28,675
2014 modern 114 #28,608
2015 modern 117 #27,982
2016 modern 112 #28,844

Geography

Back to top

Where Selsbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gislingham, Liverpool, Clayton and Ormskirk. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Reigate and Banstead, Mid Sussex, Liverpool and Braintree. 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 Gislingham Suffolk
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Clayton Sussex
5 Ormskirk Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Reigate and Banstead 016 Reigate and Banstead
2 Mid Sussex 017 Mid Sussex
3 Mid Sussex 016 Mid Sussex
4 Liverpool 035 Liverpool
5 Braintree 009 Braintree

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Selsby

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Selsby

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Selsby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Selsby household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Selsby is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Selsby 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

Selsby falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Selsby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Selsby 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. Sussex leads with 60 Selsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.83x.

County Total Index
Sussex 60 26.83x
Lancashire 41 2.60x
Suffolk 21 13.00x
Middlesex 6 0.45x
Surrey 3 0.46x
Bedfordshire 1 1.46x
Essex 1 0.38x
Northamptonshire 1 0.80x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.56x
Royal Navy 1 6.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cuckfield in Sussex leads with 20 Selsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 884.96x.

Place Total Index
Cuckfield 20 884.96x
Liverpool 16 16.73x
Clayton 15 1785.71x
Bickerstaffe 11 1067.96x
Westbourne 10 900.90x
Laxfield 8 2000.00x
Finningham 6 3157.89x
West Derby 6 13.03x
Brighton 5 11.08x
Twineham 5 3846.15x
Aughton 4 256.41x
Hackney London 4 5.38x
Burgh 3 2500.00x
Dennington 3 833.33x
Hastings St Mary 3 53.86x
Hampton Wick London 2 206.19x
Ardwick 1 7.04x
Arnold 1 38.31x
Banstead 1 57.14x
Bozeat 1 185.19x
Broadwater 1 19.49x
Camberwell 1 1.18x
Chester All Sts 1 476.19x
Hulme 1 3.04x
Ipswich St Mary Stoke 1 66.67x
Keymer 1 63.29x
Lambeth 1 0.86x
Lathom 1 52.63x
Luton 1 8.41x
Royal Navy 1 7.40x
Toxteth Park 1 1.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ellen 8
Elizabeth 7
Jane 6
Mary 6
Ann 5
Eliza 4
Emma 4
Margaret 4
Caroline 3
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Emily 2
Laura 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Amelia 1
Blanche 1
C. 1
Cathrine 1
E. 1
Francis 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Julia 1
Lillie 1
Maria 1
Rosa 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Henry 11
William 11
James 8
Thomas 6
John 4
Charles 3
George 3
Edward 2
Frederick 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Amos 1
Arthur 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Harry 1
Jabez 1
Oscar 1
Owen 1
Samuel 1
Walter 1
Wardin 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Selsby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Selsby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 135 people were recorded with the Selsby surname. That placed it at #16,515 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Selsby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016. That gives Selsby a modern rank of #28,844.

What does the Selsby map show?

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