NameCensus.

UK surname

Stebbing

An occupational surname derived from the word "steb," meaning a tree stump or log.

In the 1881 census there were 636 people recorded with the Stebbing surname, ranking it #5,582 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 495, ranked #10,052, down from #5,582 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Watton and St Marylebone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, St Edmundsbury and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stebbing is 809 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 22.2%.

1881 census count

636

Ranked #5,582

Modern count

495

2016, ranked #10,052

Peak year

1911

809 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stebbing had 636 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,582 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 495 in 2016, ranked #10,052.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 809 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Stebbing surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stebbing surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stebbing 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 496 #5,039
1861 historical 486 #5,372
1881 historical 636 #5,582
1891 historical 659 #5,897
1901 historical 773 #5,800
1911 historical 809 #5,431
1997 modern 557 #8,579
1998 modern 561 #8,782
1999 modern 558 #8,885
2000 modern 572 #8,681
2001 modern 560 #8,684
2002 modern 561 #8,845
2003 modern 541 #8,955
2004 modern 539 #8,991
2005 modern 510 #9,317
2006 modern 506 #9,399
2007 modern 504 #9,508
2008 modern 509 #9,513
2009 modern 514 #9,643
2010 modern 527 #9,667
2011 modern 515 #9,745
2012 modern 511 #9,708
2013 modern 505 #9,949
2014 modern 502 #10,050
2015 modern 492 #10,117
2016 modern 495 #10,052

Geography

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Where Stebbings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Watton, St Marylebone and Bures, Lamarsh, Alphamstone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, St Edmundsbury, Sheffield and Babergh. 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 Watton Norfolk
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
5 Bures, Lamarsh, Alphamstone Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 027 County Durham
2 St Edmundsbury 010 St Edmundsbury
3 Sheffield 002 Sheffield
4 County Durham 034 County Durham
5 Babergh 007 Babergh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stebbing

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stebbing

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Stebbing surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Stebbing household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Stebbing is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Stebbing is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Stebbing

The surname Stebbing is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "steb," meaning "tree stump" or "post," and the suffix "-ing," which denotes a place or locality. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a prominent tree stump or post, or in an area with a significant number of such features.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Stebbing can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable mention is in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a Robert de Stebbing from Essex. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 as Stebyng.

Historically, the Stebbing family was concentrated in the counties of Essex and Suffolk in eastern England. There are several place names in these regions that may be associated with the surname, such as Stebbing, a village in Essex, and Stebbing Green, a hamlet near Sudbury in Suffolk.

One notable individual with the surname Stebbing was Sir Henry Stebbing (1687-1763), an English lawyer and politician who served as Solicitor-General and Speaker of the House of Commons. Another notable figure was Henry Stebbing (1799-1883), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and church history.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Stebbing surname was William Stebbing, who was born in England in 1642 and later immigrated to Massachusetts. He was among the early settlers of Framingham, Massachusetts, and several of his descendants went on to play significant roles in the American Revolutionary War.

Other notable individuals with the surname Stebbing include William Pitt Grenville Stebbing (1853-1936), a British zoologist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of Crustacea, and Rodney Stebbing (1909-2005), a British actor and playwright known for his work in television and theater.

The Stebbing surname has a long and rich history, with its origins rooted in the medieval English countryside. While the name has spread across the world, its earliest recorded instances and associations remain firmly tied to the counties of Essex and Suffolk in eastern England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stebbing families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stebbing 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. Middlesex leads with 172 Stebbings recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.76x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 172 2.76x
Norfolk 114 11.91x
Essex 109 8.87x
Suffolk 72 9.50x
Surrey 54 1.78x
Kent 22 1.04x
Sussex 20 1.91x
Yorkshire 20 0.32x
Hampshire 12 0.94x
Devon 10 0.77x
Midlothian 7 0.84x
Hertfordshire 5 1.17x
Durham 4 0.22x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.48x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.51x
Lancashire 2 0.03x
Northamptonshire 2 0.34x
Royal Navy 2 2.70x
Staffordshire 2 0.10x
Bedfordshire 1 0.31x
Gloucestershire 1 0.08x
Wiltshire 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Watton in Norfolk leads with 22 Stebbings recorded in 1881 and an index of 730.90x.

Place Total Index
Watton 22 730.90x
Lambeth 21 3.87x
Holme Hale 17 1931.82x
Bethnal Green London 14 5.18x
Islington London 14 2.32x
Colchester St Leonard 13 329.11x
Westminster St James 13 20.32x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 12 84.33x
St Marylebone London 12 3.61x
Stanton 12 666.67x
Bures St Mary 10 869.57x
Capel St Andrew 10 2325.58x
Colchester St James 10 200.80x
Hackney London 10 2.87x
Letton 10 4166.67x
St George Bloomsbury 10 28.00x
Wivelsfield 10 243.90x
Bromley London 8 5.84x
Bury St Edmunds St James 8 39.51x
Croydon 8 4.75x
Hampstead London 8 8.25x
Larling 8 2051.28x
Mile End Old Town 8 8.14x
St George Hanover 8 9.85x
St Pancras London 8 1.60x
Stow Bedon 8 1159.42x
Downham Market 7 106.54x
Gaywood 7 406.98x
Great Burstead 7 156.60x
Great Totham 7 437.50x
Hammersmith London 7 4.57x
Ipswich St Margaret 7 27.22x
Kensington London 7 2.02x
Kingston On Thames 7 9.61x
Lasswade 7 36.73x
Sculcoates 7 7.16x
Southburgh 7 1014.49x
Stow Upland 7 281.12x
Brighton 6 2.83x
Deptford St Paul 6 3.66x
Finchley 6 25.15x
Hythe St Leonard 6 80.00x
Little Warley 6 350.88x
Mildenhall 6 74.53x
Swaffham 6 77.12x
Tottenham 6 6.05x
Whitechapel London 6 9.78x
Camberwell 5 1.26x
Great Baddow 5 114.42x
Great Yeldham 5 390.63x
Greenwich 5 5.05x
Pebmarsh 5 454.55x
Plymouth Charles The 5 8.76x
Wivenhoe 5 102.46x
Boughton 4 800.00x
Edmonton 4 7.98x
Exeter St Sidwell 4 13.48x
Leyton Low 4 16.02x
Limehouse London 4 5.85x
Millbrook 4 12.45x
Mirfield 4 11.81x
Nether Hallam 4 4.79x
Romford 4 20.60x
Shoreditch London 4 1.48x
Aldham 3 329.67x
Bow London 3 3.79x
East Dereham 3 24.81x
Norwich St Peter 3 47.77x
Paddington London 3 1.31x
Pelton 3 34.05x
Portsea 3 1.20x
Preston 3 16.38x
Reigate Foreign 3 9.14x
St Giles In Fields 3 13.98x
Tolleshunt Major 3 348.84x
Wakes Colne 3 280.37x
Westminster St John 3 3.96x
Chelmsford 2 9.49x
Great Yarmouth 2 2.52x
Scarning 2 140.85x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Elizabeth 23
Emma 20
Sarah 16
Louisa 13
Alice 11
Ellen 10
Florence 10
Caroline 8
Edith 8
Annie 7
Jane 7
Ann 6
Eliza 6
Emily 6
Susan 6
Ada 5
Hannah 5
Susannah 5
Clara 4
Fanny 4
Harriet 4
Harriett 4
Jessie 4
Kate 4
Margaret 4
Martha 4
Sophia 4
Anne 3
Charlotte 3
Lydia 3
Maria 3
Matilda 3
Rachel 3
Rebecca 3
Rosa 3
Agnes 2
Audrey 2
Constance 2
Eleanor 2
Elizth. 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Laura 2
Lucy 2
Priscilla 2
Rosina 2
Betsy 1
Elizath.A. 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 38
John 28
Charles 25
George 20
Henry 18
Thomas 16
James 14
Arthur 12
Robert 11
Edward 10
Frederick 10
Walter 10
Alfred 8
Albert 7
Ernest 6
Harry 5
Samuel 5
Francis 4
Herbert 4
Edwin 3
Frank 3
Frederic 2
Fredk. 2
Isaac 2
Joseph 2
Wm. 2
Dean 1
Dudley 1
Earnest 1
Ed.Chas. 1
Edgar 1
Edmund 1
Enos 1
Ephraim 1
F. 1
F.W. 1
Fred. 1
Geo. 1
Hewett 1
Horatio 1
Horress 1
J. 1
Joshua 1
Matthew 1
Nigel 1
Oliver 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Robt. 1
Zechariah 1

FAQ

Stebbing surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stebbing surname in 1881?

In 1881, 636 people were recorded with the Stebbing surname. That placed it at #5,582 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stebbing surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 495 in 2016. That gives Stebbing a modern rank of #10,052.

What does the Stebbing surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from the word "steb," meaning a tree stump or log.

What does the Stebbing map show?

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