NameCensus.

UK surname

Silsby

A locational surname originating in Shropshire, England.

In the 1881 census there were 149 people recorded with the Silsby surname, ranking it #15,551 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 211, ranked #18,904, down from #15,551 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hurstpierpoint, Newport Pagnell and Brighton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wellingborough, Brighton and Hove and Adur.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Silsby is 227 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.6%.

1881 census count

149

Ranked #15,551

Modern count

211

2016, ranked #18,904

Peak year

1911

227 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Silsby had 149 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,551 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 211 in 2016, ranked #18,904.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 227 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Silsby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Silsby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Silsby 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 89 #18,446
1861 historical 75 #24,238
1881 historical 149 #15,551
1891 historical 181 #16,065
1901 historical 188 #15,742
1911 historical 227 #13,795
1997 modern 211 #17,048
1998 modern 218 #17,159
1999 modern 223 #17,025
2000 modern 219 #17,195
2001 modern 222 #16,806
2002 modern 224 #17,042
2003 modern 217 #17,176
2004 modern 210 #17,644
2005 modern 200 #18,144
2006 modern 211 #17,662
2007 modern 204 #18,251
2008 modern 196 #18,895
2009 modern 203 #18,840
2010 modern 219 #18,319
2011 modern 225 #17,841
2012 modern 213 #18,422
2013 modern 215 #18,598
2014 modern 219 #18,523
2015 modern 211 #18,906
2016 modern 211 #18,904

Geography

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Where Silsbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hurstpierpoint, Newport Pagnell, Brighton, Hitchin and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wellingborough, Brighton and Hove, Adur, Sefton and Lewes. 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 Hurstpierpoint Sussex
2 Newport Pagnell Buckinghamshire
3 Brighton Sussex
4 Hitchin Hertfordshire
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wellingborough 010 Wellingborough
2 Brighton and Hove 013 Brighton and Hove
3 Adur 005 Adur
4 Sefton 027 Sefton
5 Lewes 007 Lewes

Forenames

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First names often paired with Silsby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Silsby

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

Challenged Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Silsby 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

Silsby 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

Silsby falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Silsby is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Silsby, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Silsby

The surname Silsby has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from a locational surname, referring to someone who hailed from a place called Silsby or a similar-sounding location.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Silsby can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a Robert de Sillesby is mentioned. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place named Sillesby or a variation thereof, located in the county of Lincolnshire.

The name Silsby may also have connections to the Old English word "sill," meaning "a seat or throne," and the suffix "-by," which indicates a farmstead or village. This could point to the name originating from a settlement or farmstead associated with a prominent seat or throne.

In the 13th century, a record from the Assize Rolls of Northamptonshire mentions a William de Sillesby, further solidifying the presence of the name in the East Midlands region of England during this period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Silsby surname in its modern spelling can be found in the Parish Registers of Bottesford, Leicestershire, where a John Silsby was christened in 1571.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Silsby. One such figure was Sir John Silsby (1556-1624), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for the borough of Windsor in 1597 and 1601. Another was William Silsby (1609-1667), an early settler in Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony, who arrived in 1635 and became a prominent member of the community.

In the 18th century, Samuel Silsby (1703-1785) was a notable figure in colonial America, serving as a prominent landowner and justice of the peace in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Another individual of note was John Silsby (1741-1818), a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a member of the Massachusetts state legislature.

During the 19th century, Nathaniel Silsby (1808-1889) gained recognition as a prominent inventor and manufacturer of fire engines and other firefighting equipment in Seneca Falls, New York.

These examples illustrate the diverse historical presence of the Silsby surname across various regions and time periods, highlighting its enduring legacy as a distinctly English name with roots dating back to the medieval era.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Silsby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Silsby 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 52 Silsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.22x.

County Total Index
Sussex 52 21.22x
Hertfordshire 39 38.93x
Middlesex 13 0.89x
Northamptonshire 12 8.78x
Suffolk 12 6.78x
Buckinghamshire 10 11.38x
Surrey 7 0.99x
Yorkshire 2 0.14x
Bedfordshire 1 1.33x
Kent 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hitchin in Hertfordshire leads with 29 Silsbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 641.59x.

Place Total Index
Hitchin 29 641.59x
Brighton 22 44.50x
Bozeat 12 2033.90x
Dennington 11 2820.51x
Hurstpierpoint 8 588.24x
Albourne 7 4666.67x
Clerkenwell London 7 20.40x
Newport Pagnell 7 380.43x
Redbourn 6 550.46x
Hastings St Clement 5 216.45x
Battersea 4 7.48x
Twineham 4 2666.67x
Princes Risborough 3 254.24x
Chelsea London 2 4.57x
Cuckfield 2 80.65x
Holy Trinity 2 5.77x
Lambeth 2 1.58x
Bethnal Green London 1 1.58x
Broadwater 1 17.79x
Clayton 1 108.70x
Croydon 1 2.54x
Fulham London 1 4.74x
Harpenden 1 65.36x
Henfield 1 106.38x
Hertford All Saints 1 178.57x
Hertford St Andrew 1 80.65x
Kensington London 1 1.24x
Leiston 1 81.97x
Lindfield 1 96.15x
Luton 1 7.67x
Milton In Gravesend 1 13.44x
Welwyn 1 114.94x
Westminster St 1 18.66x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Fanny 6
Sarah 6
Elizabeth 5
Eliza 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Florence 3
Harriett 3
Jane 3
Maria 3
Emma 2
Lucy 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Annie 1
Betsy 1
Catherine 1
Elizath. 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Florrie 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Jessie 1
Lizzie 1
Lydia 1
M. 1
Mabel 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Olive 1
Phabe 1
Priscilla 1
Rebecca 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Silsby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Silsby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 149 people were recorded with the Silsby surname. That placed it at #15,551 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Silsby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 211 in 2016. That gives Silsby a modern rank of #18,904.

What does the Silsby surname mean?

A locational surname originating in Shropshire, England.

What does the Silsby map show?

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