NameCensus.

UK surname

Southby

In the 1881 census there were 180 people recorded with the Southby surname, ranking it #13,735 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 281, ranked #15,449, down from #13,735 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Greenwich, Otford and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hillingdon, Sevenoaks and South Bucks.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Southby is 310 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 56.1%.

1881 census count

180

Ranked #13,735

Modern count

281

2016, ranked #15,449

Peak year

1997

310 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Southby had 180 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,735 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016, ranked #15,449.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 209 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Multi-Ethnic Communities.

Southby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Southby surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Southby 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 141 #13,507
1861 historical 112 #19,279
1881 historical 180 #13,735
1891 historical 182 #15,983
1901 historical 209 #14,712
1911 historical 192 #15,342
1997 modern 310 #13,241
1998 modern 305 #13,753
1999 modern 310 #13,672
2000 modern 305 #13,769
2001 modern 301 #13,700
2002 modern 299 #14,017
2003 modern 286 #14,259
2004 modern 290 #14,178
2005 modern 274 #14,663
2006 modern 279 #14,577
2007 modern 277 #14,818
2008 modern 273 #15,113
2009 modern 285 #14,944
2010 modern 289 #15,127
2011 modern 283 #15,193
2012 modern 277 #15,375
2013 modern 283 #15,401
2014 modern 280 #15,621
2015 modern 279 #15,527
2016 modern 281 #15,449

Geography

Back to top

Where Southbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Greenwich, Otford, London parishes and Dover St James, Dover St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hillingdon, Sevenoaks, South Bucks and Colchester. 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 Greenwich London (South Districts)
2 Otford Kent
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hillingdon 025 Hillingdon
2 Sevenoaks 010 Sevenoaks
3 South Bucks 008 South Bucks
4 Colchester 014 Colchester
5 Hillingdon 029 Hillingdon

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Southby

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Southby

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

Low-Skilled Migrant and Student Communities

Group

Established Multi-Ethnic Communities

Nationally, the Southby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Multi-Ethnic Communities, within Low-Skilled Migrant and Student Communities. This does not mean every Southby household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Parents and young children in this Group are drawn from diverse ethnic backgrounds in broadly similar proportions. Employment is typically in elementary occupations, though workers in professional, intermediate or skilled trades occupations are also present. The residential landscape is dominated by terraced housing, although semi-detached houses and flats are also present. This Group is found in London and in many provincial towns and cities throughout the U.K.

Wider pattern

Young adults, many of whom are students, predominate in these high-density and overcrowded neighbourhoods of rented terrace houses or flats. Most ethnic minorities are present in these communities, as are people born in European countries that are not part of the EU. Students aside, low skilled occupations predominate, and unemployment rates are above average. Overall, the mix of students and more sedentary households means that neighbourhood average numbers of children are not very high. The Mixed or Multiple ethnic group composition of neighbourhoods is often associated with low rates of affiliation to Christian religions. This Supergroup predominates in non-central urban locations the UK, particularly within England in the Midlands and the outskirts of west, south and north-east London.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Southby is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Southby 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

Southby falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Southby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Southby 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. Kent leads with 62 Southbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.96x.

County Total Index
Kent 62 9.96x
Berkshire 38 27.75x
Wiltshire 15 9.30x
Gloucestershire 14 3.91x
Middlesex 14 0.77x
Buckinghamshire 8 7.25x
Channel Islands 7 12.95x
Surrey 6 0.68x
Yorkshire 6 0.33x
Devon 4 1.05x
Somerset 4 1.36x
Herefordshire 3 4.01x
Oxfordshire 2 1.78x
Glamorgan 1 0.31x
Hampshire 1 0.27x
Lancashire 1 0.05x
Lincolnshire 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sevenoaks in Kent leads with 38 Southbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 752.48x.

Place Total Index
Sevenoaks 38 752.48x
Bray 15 373.13x
Clifton 8 44.22x
Eton 8 320.00x
Milford 8 930.23x
Dover St Mary Virgin 7 116.28x
St Lawrence 7 472.97x
Greenwich 6 20.66x
Hurley 6 845.07x
Wantage 5 229.36x
Bristol St Michael 4 130.29x
Bulford 4 1818.18x
Halifax 4 15.07x
Margate St John Baptist 4 35.09x
Otford 4 459.77x
Shute 4 1111.11x
Thatcham 4 189.57x
Lambeth 3 1.89x
Salisbury St Edmund 3 115.83x
Sellack 3 1428.57x
St Marylebone London 3 3.08x
Walcot 3 19.18x
Bampton 2 229.89x
Buckland 2 444.44x
Cholsey 2 185.19x
Hackney London 2 1.96x
Hammersmith London 2 4.45x
Hampstead London 2 7.04x
Speen 2 89.29x
Bristol St James In 1 19.01x
Chelsea London 1 1.82x
Clewer 1 17.83x
Great Grimsby 1 5.40x
Grove 1 285.71x
Hornsey 1 4.33x
Islington London 1 0.57x
Kemsing 1 357.14x
Kensington London 1 0.99x
Leckhampton 1 45.45x
Linton 1 181.82x
Luddenham 1 666.67x
Lymington 1 36.36x
Lyncombe Widcombe 1 13.00x
Monkton Moor 1 625.00x
Potter Newton 1 31.35x
Southwark Christchurch 1 11.70x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 2.72x
St George Hanover 1 4.20x
West Derby 1 1.58x
Wimbledon 1 10.02x
Ystradyfodwg 1 3.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 8
Eliza 6
Mary 5
E. 4
Jane 4
Anne 3
Harriett 3
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Cecilia 2
Clara 2
Claudia 2
Emily 2
Emma 2
Francis 2
Harriet 2
Minnie 2
Rose 2
Susan 2
Amy 1
Anna 1
Augusta 1
Beatrice 1
Eda 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Elise 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Frances 1
Georgina 1
Harriot 1
Helen 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
M. 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
Maude 1
May 1
Mildred 1
Naomi 1
Rachel 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 12
George 8
Henry 7
Charles 4
John 4
Robert 4
Anthony 3
Arthur 3
Frederick 3
Joseph 3
Richard 3
Alfred 2
Edmund 2
J. 2
James 2
Abel 1
Bertie 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Fredrick 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Infant 1
Jabez 1
Jonah 1
L.J. 1
Leonard 1
Philip 1
R.M. 1
Reginald 1
Rupert 1
Samuel 1
Thom 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1
W. 1

FAQ

Southby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Southby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 180 people were recorded with the Southby surname. That placed it at #13,735 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Southby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016. That gives Southby a modern rank of #15,449.

What does the Southby map show?

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