NameCensus.

UK surname

Stembridge

A locational surname derived from a geographical place name in England, likely referring to someone from a settlement near a stone bridge.

In the 1881 census there were 156 people recorded with the Stembridge surname, ranking it #15,114 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 268, ranked #16,003, down from #15,114 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Chard, St Leonard Shoreditch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire and Calderdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stembridge is 288 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 71.8%.

1881 census count

156

Ranked #15,114

Modern count

268

2016, ranked #16,003

Peak year

1999

288 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stembridge had 156 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,114 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 268 in 2016, ranked #16,003.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 275 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Stembridge surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stembridge surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stembridge 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 130 #14,314
1861 historical 117 #18,635
1881 historical 156 #15,114
1891 historical 242 #13,048
1901 historical 270 #12,492
1911 historical 275 #12,123
1997 modern 263 #14,769
1998 modern 281 #14,506
1999 modern 288 #14,346
2000 modern 283 #14,488
2001 modern 279 #14,408
2002 modern 272 #14,930
2003 modern 258 #15,293
2004 modern 253 #15,583
2005 modern 246 #15,802
2006 modern 245 #15,956
2007 modern 246 #16,086
2008 modern 249 #16,111
2009 modern 253 #16,283
2010 modern 259 #16,386
2011 modern 253 #16,493
2012 modern 258 #16,165
2013 modern 278 #15,618
2014 modern 277 #15,734
2015 modern 270 #15,911
2016 modern 268 #16,003

Geography

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Where Stembridges are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Chard, St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes, Crewkerne, Wayford and Beckenham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire and Calderdale. 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 Chard Somerset
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Crewkerne, Wayford Somerset
5 Beckenham Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kingston upon Hull 017 Kingston upon Hull, City of
2 Kingston upon Hull 030 Kingston upon Hull, City of
3 North East Lincolnshire 003 North East Lincolnshire
4 Calderdale 027 Calderdale
5 Kingston upon Hull 029 Kingston upon Hull, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stembridge

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stembridge

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Stembridge is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Stembridge is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Stembridge falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Stembridge is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Stembridge

The surname Stembridge is of English origin, originating in the county of Gloucestershire in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "stemn" meaning "stem" or "trunk" and "brycg" meaning "bridge," likely referring to a bridge constructed over a river or stream using tree trunks.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1327, which mentions a John Stembrigge. The name appears with various spellings in historical records such as Stembrug, Stembrigge, and Stenbridge before settling on the modern spelling of Stembridge.

In the 16th century, the Stembridge family was well-established in the village of Bisley in Gloucestershire. Records from this period include William Stembridge, who was born in Bisley around 1520, and his son, John Stembridge, born in 1557.

The name is also associated with the nearby town of Stroud, where a notable bearer was Thomas Stembridge (1604-1674), a prosperous clothier and landowner. His descendants continued to be prominent figures in the area for several generations.

Another individual of note was Sir John Stembridge (1637-1710), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for the city of Bristol in the late 17th century. He was knighted by King William III in 1699.

In the 18th century, the Stembridge family had spread to other parts of England, including London. A notable example is Thomas Stembridge (1720-1789), a successful banker and member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers.

The surname Stembridge has also been recorded in various parts of the United States from the 19th century onwards, likely due to immigration from England. One early American bearer was John Stembridge (1812-1891), who settled in Virginia and served as a soldier in the American Civil War.

Overall, the surname Stembridge has a long and rich history rooted in the English countryside, with notable bearers across various professions and regions over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stembridge families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stembridge 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 33 Stembridges recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.22x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 33 2.22x
Somerset 29 11.99x
Dorset 22 22.31x
Middlesex 17 1.13x
Lancashire 14 0.79x
Surrey 13 1.78x
Suffolk 9 4.92x
Essex 4 1.35x
Hampshire 3 0.97x
Sussex 3 1.18x
Wiltshire 3 2.26x
Lincolnshire 2 0.83x
Gloucestershire 1 0.34x
Royal Navy 1 5.59x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bridport in Dorset leads with 10 Stembridges recorded in 1881 and an index of 492.61x.

Place Total Index
Bridport 10 492.61x
Nether Hallam 10 49.65x
Crewkerne 9 350.19x
Ecclesall Bierlow 9 29.72x
Gorleston 9 193.55x
Chard 8 273.04x
Walton On Hill 7 72.46x
Hackney London 6 7.12x
Liverpool 6 5.54x
Longfleet 6 526.32x
Battersea 5 9.05x
Camberwell 5 5.21x
Taunton St Mary 5 112.61x
Almondbury 4 55.56x
Shoreditch London 4 6.14x
Spitalfields London 4 35.40x
West Chinnock 4 1904.76x
West Ham 4 6.11x
Allington 3 340.91x
Beaminster 3 272.73x
Bradford 3 8.32x
Brighton 3 5.87x
Sheffield 3 6.33x
Caistor 2 208.33x
Devizes St James 2 112.99x
Hinton St George 2 571.43x
Lambeth 2 1.53x
Leeds 2 2.38x
Shanklin 2 217.39x
St Marylebone London 2 2.49x
Capel 1 144.93x
Cheltenham 1 4.40x
Everton 1 1.76x
Knaresborough 1 42.74x
Portsmouth 1 14.10x
Shepton Mallet 1 36.90x
St Martin In Fields 1 11.12x
Swindon 1 9.71x
York St Maurice 1 35.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Henry 8
John 8
William 7
Charles 5
Edward 5
Thomas 4
Eli 3
Joseph 3
Robert 3
Alfred 2
Francis 2
Frederick 2
George 2
James 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Augustus 1
Austin 1
Bertie 1
Christopher 1
Cornelius 1
Dan 1
E. 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fredk.Wm. 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Jeremiah 1
Jobey 1
Louis 1
Reginald 1
Sampson 1
Samuel 1
Simeon 1
Thos.C. 1
W. 1

FAQ

Stembridge surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stembridge surname in 1881?

In 1881, 156 people were recorded with the Stembridge surname. That placed it at #15,114 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stembridge surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 268 in 2016. That gives Stembridge a modern rank of #16,003.

What does the Stembridge surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a geographical place name in England, likely referring to someone from a settlement near a stone bridge.

What does the Stembridge map show?

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