NameCensus.

UK surname

Stubbs

A nickname-derived surname referring to a person with a short or stubby appearance, particularly their legs or feet.

In the 1881 census there were 7,914 people recorded with the Stubbs surname, ranking it #528 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 10,253, ranked #629, down from #528 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, Wolstanton and Astbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, South Kesteven and Rotherham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stubbs is 10,981 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.6%.

1881 census count

7,914

Ranked #528

Modern count

10,253

2016, ranked #629

Peak year

1911

10,981 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stubbs had 7,914 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #528 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 10,253 in 2016, ranked #629.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 10,981 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Stubbs surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stubbs surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stubbs 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 4,675 #594
1861 historical 4,195 #670
1881 historical 7,914 #528
1891 historical 8,120 #540
1901 historical 10,103 #516
1911 historical 10,981 #443
1997 modern 10,140 #606
1998 modern 10,875 #590
1999 modern 10,878 #593
2000 modern 10,865 #592
2001 modern 10,641 #590
2002 modern 10,790 #595
2003 modern 10,569 #593
2004 modern 10,529 #597
2005 modern 10,340 #601
2006 modern 10,260 #608
2007 modern 10,321 #610
2008 modern 10,389 #609
2009 modern 10,634 #610
2010 modern 10,772 #616
2011 modern 10,683 #613
2012 modern 10,362 #619
2013 modern 10,529 #619
2014 modern 10,530 #625
2015 modern 10,394 #625
2016 modern 10,253 #629

Geography

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Where Stubbs' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, Wolstanton, Astbury, London parishes and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, South Kesteven, Rotherham and Stafford. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 Astbury Cheshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 036 Cheshire East
2 Cheshire East 033 Cheshire East
3 South Kesteven 015 South Kesteven
4 Rotherham 020 Rotherham
5 Stafford 004 Stafford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stubbs

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stubbs

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Stubbs is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Stubbs is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Stubbs

The surname Stubbs is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "stubb" which means a tree stump or the remaining part of a felled tree. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent tree stump or wooded area.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are records of places called "Estubbes" and "Westubbes" in various parts of England, suggesting the name was derived from a place name. The earliest recorded spelling of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199, where one Robert Stubbe is mentioned.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Stubbs, a 16th-century English writer and pamphleteer who was born in 1543 and died in 1591. He is known for his work "The Discovery of a Gaping Gulf" which criticized the proposed marriage of Queen Elizabeth I to the Duke of Anjou.

Another notable person with this surname was George Stubbs, the famous 18th-century English painter who specialized in animal paintings. He was born in 1724 and died in 1806. His paintings of horses and other animals were highly regarded for their anatomical accuracy and attention to detail.

In the 19th century, William Stubbs, an English historian and bishop, was a prominent figure. Born in 1825, he is best known for his work "Constitutional History of England" which was a seminal study of the development of English law and government.

The name Stubbs has also been associated with places like Stubbs Green in Oxfordshire, Stubbs Walden in Essex, and Stubbs Lane in various parts of England. These place names likely originated from the surname itself or from the Old English word "stubb" referring to a wooded area or clearing.

Other notable individuals with the surname Stubbs include Walter Stubbs, an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in the late 19th century, and Harry Stubbs, a British soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War I.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stubbs families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stubbs 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 1,185 Stubbs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.55x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,185 1.55x
Cheshire 1,042 6.12x
Lancashire 978 1.07x
Staffordshire 974 3.74x
Middlesex 488 0.63x
Durham 430 1.87x
Surrey 279 0.74x
Hampshire 266 1.68x
Lincolnshire 266 2.16x
Warwickshire 211 1.08x
Nottinghamshire 159 1.53x
Derbyshire 158 1.31x
Cumberland 144 2.17x
Norfolk 138 1.16x
Kent 129 0.49x
Sussex 125 0.96x
Leicestershire 97 1.13x
Essex 96 0.63x
Shropshire 82 1.23x
Westmorland 74 4.36x
Gloucestershire 67 0.44x
Somerset 56 0.45x
Northumberland 53 0.46x
Glamorgan 40 0.30x
Worcestershire 36 0.36x
Northamptonshire 35 0.48x
Herefordshire 27 0.85x
Rutland 25 4.41x
Suffolk 23 0.24x
Pembrokeshire 18 0.73x
Brecknockshire 17 1.10x
Buckinghamshire 17 0.36x
Montgomeryshire 16 0.91x
Berkshire 15 0.26x
Hertfordshire 14 0.26x
Cornwall 13 0.15x
Denbighshire 13 0.45x
Devon 12 0.07x
Selkirkshire 10 1.43x
Monmouthshire 9 0.16x
Oxfordshire 9 0.19x
Perthshire 7 0.20x
Argyllshire 6 0.28x
Bedfordshire 6 0.15x
Lanarkshire 6 0.02x
Radnorshire 6 0.96x
Wiltshire 6 0.09x
Renfrewshire 5 0.08x
Royal Navy 4 0.44x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.06x
Dorset 3 0.06x
Midlothian 3 0.03x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.12x
Anglesey 1 0.07x
Channel Islands 1 0.04x
Fife 1 0.02x
Ross-shire 1 0.05x
Roxburghshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 170 Stubbs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.16x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 170 6.16x
Aston 94 1.75x
Leeds 93 2.15x
Macclesfield 92 12.15x
Lambeth 88 1.31x
Wolstanton 83 10.49x
Manchester 81 1.97x
Hulme 77 4.03x
Salford 73 2.71x
Congleton 68 23.11x
Leek Lowe 59 17.03x
Monks Coppenhall 58 9.03x
Liverpool 57 1.03x
Hackney London 56 1.29x
Chorlton On Medlock 52 3.58x
Church Coppenhall 52 68.30x
Portsea 52 1.68x
Birmingham 51 0.79x
Islington London 50 0.67x
Hunslet 49 4.11x
St Pancras London 47 0.76x
Wharton 47 50.68x
Toxteth Park 46 1.48x
Bishopwearmouth 44 2.23x
Burslem 44 5.90x
West Derby 44 1.64x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 42 27.71x
Stone 39 11.71x
Runcorn 38 9.68x
Over 37 21.38x
Southwark St George Martyr 37 2.38x
Wymondham 37 30.51x
Arkengarthdale 36 135.54x
Shipley 35 8.82x
Nantwich 34 17.18x
Oldham 34 1.15x
Biddulph 33 22.46x
Holy Trinity 32 1.74x
Kendal 32 10.31x
Kensington London 32 0.75x
Sutton In Macclesfield 32 18.11x
Sandbach 31 21.35x
West Ham 30 0.89x
Bermondsey 28 1.22x
Leighton In Nantwich 28 616.74x
Southampton St Mary 28 2.82x
Butterton 27 442.62x
Camberwell 27 0.55x
Wolstanton Knutton 27 16.98x
Ashton Under Lyne 26 1.30x
Horwich 26 26.04x
North Somercotes 26 80.52x
St Marylebone London 26 0.63x
Sculcoates 25 2.06x
Brightside Bierlow 24 1.60x
Broadwater 24 8.04x
Gorton 24 2.79x
St Cuthbert W O 24 7.41x
Bollington In 23 15.17x
Bradford 23 1.24x
Ecclesall Bierlow 23 1.48x
Wolverhampton 23 1.15x
Caldewgate 22 6.05x
Kirkdale 22 1.43x
Scarborough 22 3.17x
Sunderland 22 5.43x
Bethnal Green London 21 0.63x
Charlton 21 12.01x
Denton 21 10.35x
Droxford 21 34.80x
Fylingdales 21 55.12x
Holbeck 21 4.15x
Manningham 21 2.23x
Nottingham St Mary 21 0.78x
Worsbrough 21 9.38x
Audley 20 7.76x
Escomb 20 18.96x
Hampstead London 20 1.66x
Walsall Foreign 20 1.49x
Barrow In Furness 19 1.53x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 544
Elizabeth 356
Sarah 311
Ann 161
Jane 156
Eliza 134
Annie 124
Hannah 123
Emma 119
Ellen 107
Alice 101
Margaret 100
Martha 93
Emily 81
Harriet 56
Edith 48
Louisa 48
Maria 46
Caroline 43
Fanny 41
Frances 38
Charlotte 37
Ada 36
Florence 35
Anne 32
Isabella 32
Catherine 30
Lucy 28
Clara 22
Kate 22
Agnes 21
Jessie 20
Eleanor 18
Harriett 18
Susan 16
Susannah 16
Amy 15
Esther 15
Rebecca 15
Gertrude 14
Minnie 14
Rose 14
Sophia 14
Ethel 13
Laura 13
Rachel 13
Beatrice 11
Elizth. 11
Lydia 11
Matilda 11

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 530
John 482
Thomas 298
George 281
James 227
Joseph 195
Charles 159
Henry 135
Robert 111
Samuel 103
Arthur 82
Alfred 67
Edward 67
Richard 62
Frederick 61
Walter 53
Frank 49
Harry 44
Herbert 37
Francis 36
Ernest 35
Albert 30
Peter 27
Thos. 22
Edwin 21
Benjamin 19
Matthew 19
Wm. 19
David 18
Tom 14
Willm. 13
Christopher 12
Fred 12
Daniel 11
Isaac 11
Chas. 10
Fredrick 8
Jno. 8
Saml. 8
Fredk. 7
Joshua 7
Ralph 7
Alexander 6
Enoch 6
Hugh 6
Jabez 6
Mathew 6
Paul 6
Philip 6
Geo. 5

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Stubbs households.

FAQ

Stubbs surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stubbs surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,914 people were recorded with the Stubbs surname. That placed it at #528 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stubbs surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 10,253 in 2016. That gives Stubbs a modern rank of #629.

What does the Stubbs surname mean?

A nickname-derived surname referring to a person with a short or stubby appearance, particularly their legs or feet.

What does the Stubbs map show?

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