Registration districts were originally created for the registration of births, marriages and deaths, rather than specifically for the census. In many cases, registration districts were broadly equivalent to parishes, but not necessarily so.
| Surname | Total | Frequency | Index |
| BEARDSLEY | 329 | 2.5657 | 803.81 |
| SMITH | 316 | 2.4643 | 1.75 |
| HENSHAW | 213 | 1.6611 | 194.93 |
| BOSTOCK | 211 | 1.6455 | 175.25 |
| SHAW | 175 | 1.3647 | 7.43 |
| STRAW | 173 | 1.3491 | 387.02 |
| SISSON | 133 | 1.0372 | 394.19 |
| WHEATLEY | 129 | 1.0060 | 49.38 |
| WEBSTER | 124 | 0.9670 | 11.12 |
| WHITE | 117 | 0.9124 | 2.84 |
| WRIGHT | 113 | 0.8812 | 2.75 |
| BROWN | 112 | 0.8734 | 1.33 |
| BAKER | 96 | 0.7487 | 3.42 |
| TRUEMAN | 96 | 0.7487 | 108.84 |
| BARKER | 95 | 0.7409 | 5.66 |
| HARRISON | 91 | 0.7097 | 3.20 |
| RILEY | 88 | 0.6863 | 8.67 |
| TATHAM | 87 | 0.6785 | 200.97 |
| FLETCHER | 79 | 0.6161 | 5.40 |
| WINFIELD | 77 | 0.6005 | 72.28 |
| FISHER | 74 | 0.5771 | 4.93 |
| RICHARDS | 74 | 0.5771 | 3.82 |
| ALDRED | 71 | 0.5537 | 64.47 |
| JOHNSON | 70 | 0.5459 | 1.62 |
| BOOTH | 68 | 0.5303 | 5.38 |
| BURROWS | 67 | 0.5225 | 11.94 |
| HARDY | 63 | 0.4913 | 8.20 |
| TAYLOR | 63 | 0.4913 | 0.77 |
| SHELTON | 63 | 0.4913 | 41.79 |
| HALLAM | 61 | 0.4757 | 25.52 |
| RIGLEY | 60 | 0.4679 | 341.88 |
| KNIGHTON | 60 | 0.4679 | 133.33 |
| POTTER | 59 | 0.4601 | 7.09 |
| GREGORY | 57 | 0.4445 | 6.34 |
| STEVENSON | 57 | 0.4445 | 6.33 |
| MORLEY | 57 | 0.4445 | 11.12 |
| WHITEHEAD | 56 | 0.4367 | 6.46 |
| FRETWELL | 55 | 0.4289 | 126.29 |
| SCATTERGOOD | 54 | 0.4211 | 156.48 |
| ROBINSON | 53 | 0.4133 | 1.30 |
| POLLARD | 51 | 0.3977 | 10.91 |
| DAVIS | 49 | 0.3821 | 1.74 |
| DAYKIN | 48 | 0.3743 | 108.43 |
| ROSE | 47 | 0.3665 | 4.94 |
| BRIGGS | 47 | 0.3665 | 6.75 |
| HOLMES | 46 | 0.3587 | 2.95 |
| THOMPSON | 45 | 0.3509 | 1.17 |
| HORRIDGE | 45 | 0.3509 | 140.71 |
| WALKER | 45 | 0.3509 | 1.05 |
| MITCHELL | 44 | 0.3431 | 1.69 |
| Surname | Index | Total | Frequency |
| BEARDSLEY | 12.82 | 12,823 | 803.8114 |
| SISSON | 12.82 | 12,823 | 394.1909 |
| STRAW | 12.82 | 12,823 | 387.0246 |
| RIGLEY | 12.82 | 12,823 | 341.8803 |
| TATHAM | 12.82 | 12,823 | 200.9702 |
| CARRIER | 12.82 | 12,823 | 198.2592 |
| HENSHAW | 12.82 | 12,823 | 194.9300 |
| HUFTON | 12.82 | 12,823 | 181.2081 |
| CORDON | 12.82 | 12,823 | 181.1368 |
| BOSTOCK | 12.82 | 12,823 | 175.2492 |
| SCATTERGOOD | 12.82 | 12,823 | 156.4764 |
| SUDBURY | 12.82 | 12,823 | 143.3692 |
| HORRIDGE | 12.82 | 12,823 | 140.7129 |
| FLINDERS | 12.82 | 12,823 | 139.5939 |
| TILSON | 12.82 | 12,823 | 135.8344 |
| KNIGHTON | 12.82 | 12,823 | 133.3333 |
| FRETWELL | 12.82 | 12,823 | 126.2916 |
| TRUEMAN | 12.82 | 12,823 | 108.8435 |
| DAYKIN | 12.82 | 12,823 | 108.4256 |
| TRUSSELL | 12.82 | 12,823 | 106.5574 |
| SEVERN | 12.82 | 12,823 | 99.9744 |
| STENSON | 12.82 | 12,823 | 84.7817 |
| BLOUNT | 12.82 | 12,823 | 79.5997 |
| BESTWICK | 12.82 | 12,823 | 77.8388 |
| WINFIELD | 12.82 | 12,823 | 72.2801 |
| COCKAYNE | 12.82 | 12,823 | 64.8004 |
| ALDRED | 12.82 | 12,823 | 64.4693 |
| ADKIN | 12.82 | 12,823 | 59.0406 |
| LIMB | 12.82 | 12,823 | 55.1914 |
| POUNDER | 12.82 | 12,823 | 52.5436 |
| RAYNES | 12.82 | 12,823 | 51.0204 |
| WHEATLEY | 12.82 | 12,823 | 49.3818 |
| PRITCHETT | 12.82 | 12,823 | 49.0036 |
| HARRIMAN | 12.82 | 12,823 | 42.5144 |
| SHELTON | 12.82 | 12,823 | 41.7883 |
| MEAKIN | 12.82 | 12,823 | 38.0076 |
| MANNERS | 12.82 | 12,823 | 34.7167 |
| SMEDLEY | 12.82 | 12,823 | 29.5520 |
| BRAMLEY | 12.82 | 12,823 | 29.0449 |
| HAWLEY | 12.82 | 12,823 | 28.7242 |
| HENSON | 12.82 | 12,823 | 28.6037 |
| SHAKESPEARE | 12.82 | 12,823 | 27.7541 |
| FARNSWORTH | 12.82 | 12,823 | 26.2812 |
| FEARN | 12.82 | 12,823 | 26.1124 |
| HALLAM | 12.82 | 12,823 | 25.5177 |
| ROLLINSON | 12.82 | 12,823 | 24.5700 |
| THORLEY | 12.82 | 12,823 | 22.7900 |
| BLOOR | 12.82 | 12,823 | 22.6053 |
| EYRE | 12.82 | 12,823 | 21.4676 |
| KEELING | 12.82 | 12,823 | 21.4420 |
The Total column shows the total number of people in that county or town with this surname. For example, there were 12,823 people called BEARDSLEY in Ilkeston at the time of the 1881 census.
The Frequency column shows the percentage of people in this county or town with this surname. For example, a frequency of 803.8114 in Ilkeston means that 803.8114% of the people in Ilkeston on census day were called BEARDSLEY.
The Index column shows the relative probability of finding someone called BEARDSLEY in this county or town, compared with the probability of finding them anywhere in Britain as a whole. An index of 1 means that if you pick someone at random from this county or town, you have exactly the same probability of picking someone called BEARDSLEY as if you picked at random from the whole of the UK. Where the index is higher than 1, then you are more likely to find someone called BEARDSLEY here than if you picked from the UK as a whole, and where it's lower then you are less likely. The actual figure shows the level of probability - for example, a figure of 2 would indicate that you are twice as likely to find someone called BEARDSLEY here than in the UK as a whole, and 10 would make it ten times as likely. The value of 12.82 in Ilkeston means that you are 12.82 times as likely to find someone with the surname of BEARDSLEY in Ilkeston than you would be in the whole of the UK.
(including typos, unknowns and the ones we don't have any data for!)