NameCensus.

UK surname

Spink

An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold spigots, taps, or stopcocks.

In the 1881 census there were 2,417 people recorded with the Spink surname, ranking it #1,840 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,851, ranked #2,358, down from #1,840 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Arbroath and St. Vigeans and Aylsham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Arbroath Harbour, Arbroath Cliffburn and Harrogate.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Spink is 3,061 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.0%.

1881 census count

2,417

Ranked #1,840

Modern count

2,851

2016, ranked #2,358

Peak year

1999

3,061 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Spink had 2,417 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,840 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,851 in 2016, ranked #2,358.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,987 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Spink surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Spink surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Spink 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 1,766 #1,634
1861 historical 1,741 #1,655
1881 historical 2,417 #1,840
1891 historical 2,624 #1,816
1901 historical 2,986 #1,873
1911 historical 2,987 #1,740
1997 modern 2,903 #2,230
1998 modern 3,045 #2,211
1999 modern 3,061 #2,210
2000 modern 3,006 #2,241
2001 modern 2,940 #2,240
2002 modern 2,973 #2,261
2003 modern 2,961 #2,223
2004 modern 2,944 #2,226
2005 modern 2,866 #2,267
2006 modern 2,821 #2,305
2007 modern 2,854 #2,297
2008 modern 2,860 #2,314
2009 modern 2,910 #2,326
2010 modern 2,965 #2,325
2011 modern 2,927 #2,328
2012 modern 2,861 #2,331
2013 modern 2,921 #2,326
2014 modern 2,907 #2,351
2015 modern 2,863 #2,362
2016 modern 2,851 #2,358

Geography

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Where Spinks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Aylsham and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Arbroath Harbour, Arbroath Cliffburn, Harrogate, Arbroath Kirkton and Arbroath Warddykes. 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 1
2 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
3 London parishes London 3
4 Aylsham Norfolk
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Arbroath Harbour Angus
2 Arbroath Cliffburn Angus
3 Harrogate 007 Harrogate
4 Arbroath Kirkton Angus
5 Arbroath Warddykes Angus

Forenames

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First names often paired with Spink

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Spink

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

Spink is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Spink falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Spink

The surname Spink is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "spinc" or "spink," which referred to a small bird, specifically a finch or a sparrow. This connection suggests that the name may have originally been used as a nickname for someone with a small or slight build, or perhaps someone who was quick and agile, like a small bird.

The earliest known record of the Spink surname dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1198 as "Willelmus Spink." This early mention indicates that the name was already established in the Norfolk area of England during this period.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Spynk," "Spynke," and "Spynck," reflecting the variations in spelling common at the time. Interestingly, the name is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, albeit in a different context, as the name of a village in Cambridgeshire, recorded as "Spingheswrthe."

Over the centuries, the Spink surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was John Spink, a prominent merchant from Bristol who lived in the 15th century and served as the city's mayor in 1458. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Jonathan Spink (1615-1672), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Malmesbury during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, William Spink (1717-1783) was a renowned English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Foundling Hospital and the Terrace Houses in Bloomsbury Square. Another notable figure was Samuel Spink (1786-1847), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a rear admiral.

Moving into the 19th century, we find Sir Thomas Spink (1845-1918), a British businessman and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1898 and played a significant role in the development of the city's infrastructure.

It is worth noting that while the Spink surname is predominantly English, it has also been found in other parts of the United Kingdom, particularly in Scotland and Ireland, where it may have evolved from similar-sounding names or through migration and cultural exchange.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Spink families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Spink 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 1,045 Spinks recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.47x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,045 4.47x
Middlesex 210 0.89x
Norfolk 199 5.49x
Suffolk 157 5.47x
Angus 139 6.37x
Staffordshire 111 1.40x
Surrey 106 0.92x
Lancashire 78 0.28x
Durham 64 0.91x
Kent 55 0.68x
Lincolnshire 37 0.98x
Warwickshire 35 0.59x
Essex 32 0.69x
Northumberland 21 0.60x
Nottinghamshire 20 0.63x
Cambridgeshire 15 1.00x
Sussex 14 0.35x
Worcestershire 10 0.32x
Derbyshire 8 0.22x
Gloucestershire 8 0.17x
Fife 6 0.43x
Northamptonshire 6 0.27x
Cheshire 4 0.08x
Lanarkshire 4 0.05x
Midlothian 4 0.13x
Flintshire 3 0.47x
Hampshire 3 0.06x
Leicestershire 3 0.11x
Royal Navy 3 1.07x
Argyllshire 2 0.30x
Cornwall 2 0.08x
Devon 2 0.04x
Dorset 2 0.13x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.43x
Shropshire 2 0.10x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.05x
Hertfordshire 1 0.06x
Kincardineshire 1 0.35x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 109 Spinks recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.27x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 109 8.27x
Aylsham 71 329.16x
St Vigeans 59 50.06x
Walsall Foreign 43 10.46x
Hook 41 79.81x
Lambeth 36 1.75x
Holbeck 34 21.98x
Ecclesall Bierlow 30 6.32x
Holy Trinity 29 5.16x
Hunslet 29 7.96x
Arbroath 28 38.70x
Stockton On Tees 28 8.28x
Dundee 23 2.82x
Walsall Borough 23 37.24x
Great Yarmouth 22 7.33x
Hackney London 20 1.51x
St Marylebone London 20 1.59x
Pontefract 19 37.77x
Battersea 18 2.08x
Birmingham 17 0.86x
Poplar London 17 3.82x
Aston 16 0.98x
Darlaston 16 14.55x
Little Smeaton In 16 683.76x
Sculcoates 16 4.32x
Hinderwell 15 75.26x
Skircoat 15 16.29x
Bermondsey 14 2.00x
Blackburn 14 1.88x
Halifax 14 4.08x
Liversedge 14 13.47x
Manningham 14 4.87x
Marsham 14 313.20x
Middleton In Hunslet 14 426.83x
Wolverhampton 14 2.29x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 13 16.27x
Bungay Holy Trinity 13 88.26x
Soothill 13 15.41x
Batley 12 5.41x
Bilsdale Midcable 12 219.78x
Bowling 12 5.19x
Camberwell 12 0.80x
Greenwich 12 3.20x
Holbrook 12 191.08x
Islington London 12 0.53x
Southcoates 12 9.26x
Southwark Christchurch 12 10.87x
Buxhall 11 286.46x
Goole 11 28.11x
Headingley Cum Burley 11 7.32x
Hulme 11 1.88x
Hutton Cranswick 11 111.90x
Kensington London 11 0.84x
Purston Jaglin 11 192.98x
Scotton In 11 468.09x
Walthanstow 11 142.49x
Westminster St John 11 3.83x
Craig 10 47.42x
Healaugh 10 523.56x
Keighley 10 4.02x
Knaresborough 10 27.26x
Scarborough 10 4.71x
Shoreditch London 10 0.98x
St Pancras London 10 0.53x
Bradford 9 1.59x
Brechin 9 10.49x
Chapel Allerton 9 25.75x
Conistone Cum Kilnsey 9 620.69x
Donington 9 66.52x
Holgate 9 196.94x
North Elmshall 9 387.93x
Paddington London 9 1.04x
Sheffield 9 1.21x
Wattisfield 9 231.36x
Woodbridge 9 24.52x
Bury St Edmunds St James 8 10.43x
Hutton Mulgrave 8 1142.86x
Montrose 8 6.05x
St Andrewthe Less 8 4.69x
Tanfield 8 9.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 138
William 128
George 106
Henry 74
Thomas 72
Joseph 53
James 47
Robert 44
Edward 42
Charles 41
Frederick 21
Alfred 20
Arthur 19
Herbert 19
Richard 18
Walter 18
Harry 14
Albert 13
Ernest 12
Wm. 10
Benjamin 9
Edwin 8
Francis 8
Samuel 8
Geo. 7
Tom 7
Frank 6
Peter 6
David 5
Fred 5
Fredrick 5
Chas. 4
Daniel 4
Isaac 4
Amos 3
Benjn. 3
Bernard 3
Christopher 3
Nicholas 3
Percival 3
Sydney 3
Adam 2
Adolphus 2
Alexander 2
Edmund 2
Edwd. 2
Jacob 2
Joe 2
Mark 2
Roger 2

FAQ

Spink surname: questions and answers

How common was the Spink surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,417 people were recorded with the Spink surname. That placed it at #1,840 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Spink surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,851 in 2016. That gives Spink a modern rank of #2,358.

What does the Spink surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold spigots, taps, or stopcocks.

What does the Spink map show?

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