NameCensus.

UK surname

Stockley

Originally denoting someone from a village or place with staked fences.

In the 1881 census there were 1,288 people recorded with the Stockley surname, ranking it #3,173 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,263, ranked #2,867, up from #3,173 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Poole St James, London parishes and Wigan. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Purbeck, North Dorset and Poole.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stockley is 2,373 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 75.7%.

1881 census count

1,288

Ranked #3,173

Modern count

2,263

2016, ranked #2,867

Peak year

2002

2,373 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stockley had 1,288 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,173 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,263 in 2016, ranked #2,867.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,178 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Stockley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stockley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stockley 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 793 #3,363
1861 historical 888 #3,120
1881 historical 1,288 #3,173
1891 historical 1,526 #2,893
1901 historical 1,933 #2,734
1911 historical 2,178 #2,312
1997 modern 2,216 #2,800
1998 modern 2,315 #2,786
1999 modern 2,372 #2,755
2000 modern 2,346 #2,765
2001 modern 2,306 #2,750
2002 modern 2,373 #2,731
2003 modern 2,318 #2,739
2004 modern 2,309 #2,743
2005 modern 2,279 #2,743
2006 modern 2,248 #2,778
2007 modern 2,248 #2,800
2008 modern 2,269 #2,801
2009 modern 2,313 #2,824
2010 modern 2,338 #2,854
2011 modern 2,296 #2,860
2012 modern 2,268 #2,843
2013 modern 2,305 #2,847
2014 modern 2,291 #2,883
2015 modern 2,265 #2,874
2016 modern 2,263 #2,867

Geography

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Where Stockleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Poole St James, London parishes, Wigan, Corfe Castle and Swanage. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Purbeck, North Dorset and Poole. 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 Poole St James Dorset
2 London parishes London 3
3 Wigan Lancashire
4 Corfe Castle Dorset
5 Swanage Dorset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Purbeck 006 Purbeck
2 North Dorset 004 North Dorset
3 Purbeck 003 Purbeck
4 Purbeck 005 Purbeck
5 Poole 015 Poole

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stockley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stockley

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Stockley 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

Stockley is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Stockley falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Stockley

The surname Stockley is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "stocc" meaning a tree trunk or stump and "leah" meaning a woodland clearing or meadow. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a clearing with a prominent tree stump or log.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various counties across England, including Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Somerset. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Geoffrey de Stocklegh, who was mentioned in records from Oxfordshire in 1273.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for places with similar names, such as Stocland in Wiltshire and Stocleia in Warwickshire, suggesting the name's origins predate the Norman Conquest.

Notable individuals with the surname Stockley include Sir Hugh Stockley (c.1490-1568), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was William Stockley (1786-1853), an English artist and engraver renowned for his landscape paintings and etchings.

In the 17th century, John Stockley (1632-1683) was a notable Puritan minister and author who served as the vicar of Battersea in London. His son, William Stockley (1659-1734), followed in his footsteps and became a respected clergyman in the Church of England.

Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the name in colonial America was John Stockley, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635 and became a prominent landowner and planter in the colony.

Throughout its history, the Stockley surname has been associated with various locations, including the village of Stockley in Wiltshire, England, as well as the town of Stockley Pomeroy in Devon, which was once known as simply "Stockley" in medieval records.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stockley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stockley 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. Lancashire leads with 225 Stockleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.50x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 225 1.50x
Dorset 214 25.87x
Middlesex 140 1.11x
Staffordshire 131 3.08x
Hampshire 92 3.56x
Warwickshire 86 2.71x
Kent 40 0.93x
Surrey 36 0.59x
Worcestershire 35 2.13x
Essex 29 1.17x
Durham 28 0.75x
Oxfordshire 27 3.47x
Northamptonshire 24 2.02x
Yorkshire 22 0.18x
Shropshire 21 1.93x
Somerset 14 0.69x
Sussex 14 0.66x
Wiltshire 14 1.26x
Buckinghamshire 13 1.71x
Cheshire 13 0.47x
Leicestershire 11 0.79x
Bedfordshire 9 1.38x
Flintshire 9 2.66x
Northumberland 9 0.48x
Hertfordshire 6 0.69x
Lincolnshire 5 0.25x
Derbyshire 4 0.20x
Devon 4 0.15x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.24x
Norfolk 3 0.15x
Royal Navy 2 1.33x
Suffolk 2 0.13x
Anglesey 1 0.45x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.19x
Cornwall 1 0.07x
Cumberland 1 0.09x
Glamorgan 1 0.05x
Stirlingshire 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Corfe Castle in Dorset leads with 89 Stockleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1160.37x.

Place Total Index
Corfe Castle 89 1160.37x
Prescot 44 162.66x
Pemberton 37 62.05x
Portsea 32 6.32x
Wigan 30 14.35x
Stoke Upon Trent 23 5.10x
Hackney London 22 3.11x
Swanage 22 215.48x
Lambeth 21 1.91x
St George Hanover 16 9.73x
Helmdon 15 655.02x
Kinson 15 92.82x
Andover 14 57.38x
Wareham Holy Trinity 13 360.11x
Bickerstaffe 12 122.57x
Brighton 12 2.80x
Harborne 12 8.80x
Hornsey 12 7.53x
Ramsgate 12 17.10x
Wareham Lady St Mary 12 187.79x
Barking 11 15.11x
Bicester Market End 11 76.98x
Church Knowle 11 454.55x
Farringdon 11 436.51x
Finchley 11 22.76x
Haydock 11 42.69x
Leamington Priors 11 14.06x
Poole St James 11 35.39x
Wolverhampton 11 3.36x
Acton Trussell 10 423.73x
Ince In Makerfield 10 14.37x
Lonbridge Deverill 10 255.75x
Monckton Combe 10 154.32x
St Pancras London 10 0.99x
Whittington 10 109.65x
Aston 9 1.03x
Crowle 9 394.74x
Islington London 9 0.74x
Luton 9 7.97x
Nuneaton 9 24.44x
Oldham 9 1.86x
Walsall Foreign 9 4.10x
Burslem 8 6.56x
Christchurch 8 14.28x
Colton 8 273.97x
Feckenham 8 42.46x
Brentwood 7 46.14x
Chelsea London 7 1.84x
Chesham 7 24.93x
Esh 7 25.65x
Eynsford 7 94.98x
Hanmer Halghton 7 395.48x
Langton Long Blandford 7 583.33x
Lichfield St Michael 7 52.43x
Oldbury 7 8.64x
Rowley Regis 7 5.90x
West Bromwich 7 2.87x
West Derby 7 1.60x
Aston Cantlow 6 126.32x
Battersea 6 1.29x
Bishopwearmouth 6 1.86x
Dukinfield 6 4.67x
Ealing 6 5.33x
Elswick 6 4.01x
Holdenhurst 6 8.85x
Kimberworth 6 8.66x
Newcastle Under Lyme 6 7.97x
Polesworth 6 39.76x
Royton 6 13.11x
Steeple Aston 6 204.08x
Stoney Stanton 6 139.86x
Stratton Audley 6 384.62x
Studland 6 228.14x
Studley 6 44.15x
Tangley 6 638.30x
Toxteth Park 6 1.18x
Walton On Hill 6 7.41x
West Malling 6 61.98x
Wolstanton 6 4.64x
Wrenbury Cum Frith 5 227.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 99
John 80
Thomas 57
George 55
James 46
Charles 29
Henry 21
Joseph 21
Edward 16
Richard 15
Harry 13
Frederick 12
Walter 11
Arthur 10
Samuel 10
Albert 9
Alfred 8
Edwin 7
Ernest 7
Herbert 7
Sandyland 5
Frank 4
Fred 4
Levi 4
Peter 4
Robert 4
Thos. 4
Geo. 3
Isaac 3
Sydney 3
Tom 3
Wm. 3
Benjamin 2
Fredrick 2
Jas. 2
Job 2
Jos. 2
Nathaniel 2
Ralph 2
Reuben 2
David 1
Edmond 1
Frederic 1
Frederich 1
Fredk. 1
Fredk.Chas. 1
Geo 1
Jessie 1
Joe 1
Zaccharus 1

FAQ

Stockley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stockley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,288 people were recorded with the Stockley surname. That placed it at #3,173 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stockley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,263 in 2016. That gives Stockley a modern rank of #2,867.

What does the Stockley surname mean?

Originally denoting someone from a village or place with staked fences.

What does the Stockley map show?

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