NameCensus.

UK surname

Stebbings

An English surname derived from a place name in Essex, England.

In the 1881 census there were 806 people recorded with the Stebbings surname, ranking it #4,628 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,031, ranked #5,666, down from #4,628 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Grimstone, London parishes and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Breckland, South Holland and Suffolk Coastal.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stebbings is 1,222 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.9%.

1881 census count

806

Ranked #4,628

Modern count

1,031

2016, ranked #5,666

Peak year

1911

1,222 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stebbings had 806 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,628 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,031 in 2016, ranked #5,666.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,222 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Stebbings surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stebbings surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stebbings 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 384 #6,235
1861 historical 345 #7,398
1881 historical 806 #4,628
1891 historical 907 #4,545
1901 historical 1,124 #4,316
1911 historical 1,222 #3,869
1997 modern 1,111 #5,027
1998 modern 1,145 #5,083
1999 modern 1,185 #4,988
2000 modern 1,131 #5,156
2001 modern 1,141 #5,024
2002 modern 1,141 #5,124
2003 modern 1,088 #5,229
2004 modern 1,062 #5,341
2005 modern 1,080 #5,206
2006 modern 1,078 #5,223
2007 modern 1,069 #5,304
2008 modern 1,070 #5,329
2009 modern 1,093 #5,352
2010 modern 1,118 #5,362
2011 modern 1,090 #5,420
2012 modern 1,066 #5,431
2013 modern 1,080 #5,463
2014 modern 1,076 #5,520
2015 modern 1,051 #5,570
2016 modern 1,031 #5,666

Geography

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Where Stebbings' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Grimstone, London parishes, Bradford and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Breckland, South Holland, Suffolk Coastal and Fenland. 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 Grimstone Norfolk
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Breckland 011 Breckland
2 South Holland 008 South Holland
3 Suffolk Coastal 004 Suffolk Coastal
4 Fenland 003 Fenland
5 Suffolk Coastal 005 Suffolk Coastal

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stebbings

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stebbings

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Stebbings is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Stebbings 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

Stebbings falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Stebbings

The surname Stebbings originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "steb," meaning a stake or post, and the suffix "-ing," indicating a patronymic or possessive form. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a boundary marker or fenced area.

The earliest recorded instance of the Stebbings name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where it appears as "Stebing." Other early variations include "Stebbing," "Stebyng," and "Stebinge," reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in medieval times.

One notable historical reference to the Stebbings name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the village of Stebbing in Essex is mentioned. This place name likely shares the same root as the surname, indicating that the name may have originated in this area.

Among the earliest recorded individuals with the Stebbings surname is John Stebbings, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1550. Another early bearer of the name was Richard Stebbings, a landowner from Wiltshire in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, Henry Stebbings (1611-1675) was a notable English clergyman and author, best known for his work "The Christian Life and Doctrine" published in 1670.

During the 18th century, Sir Henry Stebbings (1716-1792) was a prominent English judge and politician who served as the Chief Baron of the Exchequer from 1777 to 1792.

In the 19th century, Thomas Stebbings (1835-1912) was a British educator and headmaster of Tonbridge School from 1873 to 1905, making significant contributions to the school's growth and development.

Another notable figure was Sarah Stebbings (1833-1914), a British artist and illustrator who specialized in botanical illustrations and was a member of the Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stebbings families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stebbings 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. Norfolk leads with 199 Stebbings' recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.56x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 199 16.56x
Middlesex 144 1.84x
Suffolk 121 12.71x
Surrey 86 2.26x
Essex 64 4.15x
Yorkshire 47 0.61x
Durham 22 0.95x
Kent 16 0.60x
Cambridgeshire 14 2.83x
Lancashire 14 0.15x
Devon 9 0.55x
Oxfordshire 9 1.87x
Gloucestershire 8 0.52x
Lincolnshire 7 0.56x
Northumberland 7 0.60x
Glamorgan 6 0.44x
Northamptonshire 6 0.82x
Wiltshire 5 0.72x
Leicestershire 4 0.46x
Berkshire 2 0.34x
Hertfordshire 2 0.37x
Midlothian 2 0.19x
Staffordshire 2 0.08x
Sussex 2 0.15x
Bedfordshire 1 0.25x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.09x
Warwickshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newington in Surrey leads with 34 Stebbings' recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.78x.

Place Total Index
Newington 34 11.78x
Camberwell 23 4.61x
Bishopwearmouth 22 11.03x
Heigham 22 34.12x
Lowestoft 21 46.71x
Hilborough 18 2000.00x
Clerkenwell London 17 9.22x
St Pancras London 17 2.70x
Bolton In Bradford 16 322.58x
Ilketshall St Andrew 16 1269.84x
Romford 14 57.42x
Bures St Mary 12 517.24x
Burnham 12 210.53x
Garboldisham 11 639.53x
Bethnal Green London 10 2.95x
Grimston 10 328.95x
Lambeth 9 1.32x
Langley 9 1097.56x
Little Dunham 9 1125.00x
West Ham 9 2.64x
Attleborough 8 131.80x
Cressing 8 551.72x
Ealing 8 11.46x
Littleport 8 84.66x
Methwold 8 205.66x
Rainham 8 238.10x
Teddington London 8 45.20x
Willesden 8 10.86x
Banham 7 228.76x
Battersea 7 2.43x
Clifton 7 9.04x
Cotton 7 518.52x
Farnham 7 23.64x
Feltwell 7 300.43x
Mile End Old Town 7 5.68x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 7 10.08x
Newchurch 7 9.23x
Norton 7 350.00x
Norwich St John Sepulchre 7 89.74x
Openshaw 7 16.12x
Roydon In Freebridge Lynn 7 1400.00x
Cardiff St Mary 6 8.01x
Edmonton 6 9.53x
Great Yarmouth 6 6.03x
Hackney London 6 1.37x
Norwich St Benedict 6 112.15x
Oulton 6 186.92x
Paddington London 6 2.09x
Peterborough 6 11.28x
Plumstead 6 6.75x
South Ockendon 6 188.09x
Bingley 5 10.14x
Gazeley 5 223.21x
Holy Trinity 5 2.68x
Hornsey 5 5.06x
Norton In Malton 5 53.25x
Oxford St Thomas 5 22.20x
Southchurch 5 352.11x
St Marylebone London 5 1.20x
Thorndon All Sts 5 292.40x
Tilney St Lawrence 5 259.07x
Westminster St John 5 5.25x
Belgrave 4 20.46x
Bradford On Avon 4 18.08x
Cleckheaton 4 14.03x
Creeting St Peter 4 625.00x
Deptford St Paul 4 1.95x
Downham 4 76.05x
Exning 4 83.33x
Hammersmith London 4 2.08x
Hampstead London 4 3.29x
Kensington London 4 0.92x
Mile End New Town 4 37.49x
Morton In Keighley 4 65.79x
Norwich St Mary At Coslany 4 116.28x
Norwich St Stephen 4 36.26x
Thetford St Cuthbert 4 92.17x
Thetford St Mary 4 122.32x
Tormoham 4 5.81x
Westminster St James 4 4.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 46
Sarah 35
Elizabeth 25
Alice 20
Emma 18
Eliza 15
Ellen 14
Jane 13
Hannah 11
Martha 11
Louisa 10
Caroline 8
Susan 8
Agnes 7
Ann 7
Annie 7
Anna 6
Emily 6
Florence 6
Frances 6
Gertrude 5
Harriet 5
Harriett 5
Laura 5
Maria 5
Amy 4
Clara 4
Jessie 4
Ada 3
Elizth. 3
Kate 3
Lucy 3
Margaret 3
Maud 3
Rebecca 3
Rose 3
Sophia 3
Susannah 3
Amelia 2
Daisy 2
Edith 2
Eleanor 2
Eliz. 2
Esther 2
Georgina 2
Lydia 2
M. 2
Matilda 2
Rhoda 2
Rosa 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 51
John 36
George 33
James 27
Henry 26
Charles 20
Frederick 17
Robert 14
Thomas 12
Walter 11
Arthur 10
Edward 9
Samuel 9
Alfred 8
Benjamin 7
Ernest 6
Albert 5
Harry 5
Herbert 5
Richard 4
Robt. 4
Francis 3
Joseph 3
Wm. 3
David 2
Frank 2
Frederic 2
Fredk. 2
Joshua 2
Royal 2
Auther 1
Charlie 1
Christopher 1
Claude 1
Earnest 1
Esau 1
Ezekial 1
Fred 1
Fuller 1
Gregory 1
Isaac 1
Isabella 1
Israel 1
Job 1
Martin 1
Michael 1
Mr. 1
Nathan 1
Noah 1
Wm.Thos. 1

FAQ

Stebbings surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stebbings surname in 1881?

In 1881, 806 people were recorded with the Stebbings surname. That placed it at #4,628 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stebbings surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,031 in 2016. That gives Stebbings a modern rank of #5,666.

What does the Stebbings surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name in Essex, England.

What does the Stebbings map show?

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