NameCensus.

UK surname

Bankhead

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hill or ridge end.

In the 1881 census there were 59 people recorded with the Bankhead surname, ranking it #25,281 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 125, ranked #26,827, down from #25,281 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Eastleigh, St Andrews North and Strathkinness and Swansea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bankhead is 131 in 2012. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 111.9%.

1881 census count

59

Ranked #25,281

Modern count

125

2016, ranked #26,827

Peak year

2012

131 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bankhead had 59 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,281 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016, ranked #26,827.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 78 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bankhead surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bankhead surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bankhead 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 34 #27,194
1861 historical 57 #26,718
1881 historical 59 #25,281
1891 historical 61 #29,103
1901 historical 78 #25,500
1911 historical 65 #26,343
1997 modern 91 #28,215
1998 modern 106 #26,689
1999 modern 108 #26,602
2000 modern 107 #26,700
2001 modern 98 #27,672
2002 modern 102 #27,596
2003 modern 99 #27,871
2004 modern 98 #28,297
2005 modern 96 #28,671
2006 modern 100 #28,283
2007 modern 101 #28,505
2008 modern 107 #27,844
2009 modern 119 #26,637
2010 modern 123 #26,728
2011 modern 128 #25,793
2012 modern 131 #25,439
2013 modern 125 #26,695
2014 modern 129 #26,352
2015 modern 120 #27,561
2016 modern 125 #26,827

Geography

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Where Bankheads are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Eastleigh, St Andrews North and Strathkinness, Swansea, Sunderland and County Durham. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Eastleigh 001 Eastleigh
2 St Andrews North and Strathkinness Fife
3 Swansea 003 Swansea
4 Sunderland 032 Sunderland
5 County Durham 002 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bankhead

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bankhead

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Bankhead is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Bankhead is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bankhead falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bankhead is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Bankhead

The surname Bankhead has its origins in England, dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "banc" and "heafod," which together translate to "top of the hill" or "head of the slope." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a prominent geographical feature.

Records indicate that the Bankhead surname first appeared in the historical county of Lancashire in northern England. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1176, where a person named Adam de Bankheved is mentioned.

In the 13th century, the Bankhead surname began to spread to other parts of England, particularly to the neighboring counties of Yorkshire and Cheshire. The name is also found in various medieval manuscripts and records, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 and the Placita de Quo Warranto of 1292.

The Bankhead family established themselves as landowners and prominent figures in several English towns and villages. For instance, in the 14th century, a branch of the family owned lands in the village of Bankhead near Burnley in Lancashire.

Notable individuals with the Bankhead surname include:

1. John Bankhead (c. 1530-1601), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Preston during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

2. Sir James Bankhead (1610-1676), an English lawyer and politician who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of King Charles II.

3. Agnes Bankhead (1641-1714), an English Quaker author and activist who wrote several religious tracts and was imprisoned for her beliefs.

4. John Bankhead (1738-1833), an American soldier and pioneer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later helped establish settlements in Tennessee.

5. Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968), an American actress of stage and screen, known for her husky voice and outrageous personality. She was a member of the prominent Bankhead family of Alabama.

While the Bankhead surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to the United States, due to immigration and migration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the hills and slopes of medieval Lancashire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bankhead families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bankhead 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. Surrey leads with 16 Bankheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.71x.

County Total Index
Surrey 16 5.71x
Durham 9 5.26x
Hampshire 9 7.63x
Renfrewshire 7 15.70x
Northumberland 6 7.01x
Middlesex 4 0.70x
Ayrshire 3 6.97x
Glamorgan 1 1.00x
Kent 1 0.51x
Lancashire 1 0.15x
Selkirkshire 1 19.19x
West Lothian 1 11.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chester Le Street in Durham leads with 9 Bankheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 687.02x.

Place Total Index
Chester Le Street 9 687.02x
Portsea 7 30.28x
West Greenock 7 87.39x
Lambeth 6 11.96x
Camberwell 5 13.60x
Kingston On Thames 5 74.18x
Whitley 4 1428.57x
Hornsey 3 41.21x
Kilmarnock 3 58.48x
Bedlington 2 69.93x
Portsmouth 2 73.53x
Boness 1 84.03x
Cardiff St Mary 1 18.12x
Hammersmith London 1 7.05x
Lewisham 1 9.55x
Selkirk 1 68.03x
Ulverston 1 50.25x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 5
James 4
Robert 3
Alfred 1
Benjamin 1
Blaney 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Frederick 1
Philip 1
Tom 1
W.J. 1
William 1

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 Bankhead households.

FAQ

Bankhead surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bankhead surname in 1881?

In 1881, 59 people were recorded with the Bankhead surname. That placed it at #25,281 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bankhead surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016. That gives Bankhead a modern rank of #26,827.

What does the Bankhead surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hill or ridge end.

What does the Bankhead map show?

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