NameCensus.

UK surname

Blakeney

From the bleak, open land or heath, likely referring to a person who lived near such a place.

In the 1881 census there were 170 people recorded with the Blakeney surname, ranking it #14,265 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 288, ranked #15,180, down from #14,265 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, London parishes and Margate. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Copeland, South Gloucestershire and Chiltern.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Blakeney is 290 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 69.4%.

1881 census count

170

Ranked #14,265

Modern count

288

2016, ranked #15,180

Peak year

2011

290 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Blakeney had 170 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,265 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 288 in 2016, ranked #15,180.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 278 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Blakeney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Blakeney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Blakeney 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 64 #21,914
1861 historical 104 #20,477
1881 historical 170 #14,265
1891 historical 182 #15,983
1901 historical 214 #14,517
1911 historical 278 #12,038
1997 modern 275 #14,335
1998 modern 286 #14,318
1999 modern 287 #14,374
2000 modern 279 #14,636
2001 modern 268 #14,812
2002 modern 282 #14,585
2003 modern 278 #14,540
2004 modern 279 #14,578
2005 modern 271 #14,780
2006 modern 265 #15,126
2007 modern 272 #14,994
2008 modern 272 #15,152
2009 modern 273 #15,436
2010 modern 285 #15,276
2011 modern 290 #14,933
2012 modern 279 #15,289
2013 modern 282 #15,441
2014 modern 288 #15,285
2015 modern 290 #15,117
2016 modern 288 #15,180

Geography

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Where Blakeneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, London parishes, Margate and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Copeland, South Gloucestershire, Chiltern, Watford and Arun. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Margate Kent
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Copeland 008 Copeland
2 South Gloucestershire 024 South Gloucestershire
3 Chiltern 002 Chiltern
4 Watford 001 Watford
5 Arun 016 Arun

Forenames

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First names often paired with Blakeney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Blakeney

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

European Enclaves

Within London, Blakeney is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Blakeney is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Blakeney

The surname Blakeney has its origins in England, specifically in the county of Norfolk. It is derived from the Old English words "blæc" meaning black and "ey" meaning island or watery meadow, suggesting that the name originated from a geographical location with a dark or black island or meadow.

The earliest recorded mention of the name Blakeney dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Blakeneye". This entry refers to a village in Norfolk, which is now known as Blakeney. The name has also been recorded in various other spellings throughout history, such as Blackney, Blackeney, and Blakney.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Blakeney was Sir Edward Blakeney (c. 1590-1671), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Norfolk. In the 17th century, another notable figure was Henry Blakeney (1638-1696), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hartsmere.

In the 18th century, William Blakeney (1672-1761) was a prominent British Army officer who served in several campaigns, including the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession. He was also appointed as the Governor of Minorca.

The 19th century saw the rise of General Sir Edward Blakeney (1778-1868), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became the Governor of Chelsea Hospital. Another notable figure from this period was Robert Blakeney (1795-1868), an Irish-born Australian explorer and landowner.

In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Blakeney was Vivian Blakeney-Williams (1898-1955), a British Army officer and intelligence officer who served in both World War I and World War II. He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery during World War I.

While the surname Blakeney has its roots in England, particularly in Norfolk, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Australia, Canada, and the United States, through migration and immigration.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Blakeney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Blakeney 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 32 Blakeneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.90x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 32 1.90x
Cumberland 19 13.00x
Middlesex 19 1.12x
Kent 16 2.76x
Staffordshire 12 2.09x
Surrey 11 1.33x
Hampshire 9 2.59x
Durham 7 1.39x
Lancashire 7 0.35x
Lincolnshire 7 2.58x
Sussex 7 2.45x
Channel Islands 5 9.94x
Glamorgan 5 1.69x
Warwickshire 5 1.17x
Gloucestershire 4 1.20x
Devon 3 0.85x
Ayrshire 2 1.57x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.87x
Berkshire 1 0.78x
Wigtownshire 1 4.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kensington London in Middlesex leads with 13 Blakeneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.78x.

Place Total Index
Kensington London 13 13.78x
Wolverhampton 11 24.97x
Bridlington 10 259.74x
Margate St John Baptist 10 94.34x
Cleator 8 131.58x
Clee With Weelsby 7 117.85x
Gateshead 7 18.51x
Portsmouth 7 87.39x
Preston Quarter 6 146.70x
Sculcoates 6 22.50x
Birmingham 5 3.50x
Ecclesall Bierlow 5 14.62x
Hove 5 39.81x
Merthyr Tydfil 5 17.60x
St Helier 5 30.54x
Bermondsey 4 7.92x
Everton 4 6.23x
Rochester St Margaret 4 65.47x
Sheffield 4 7.47x
Workington 4 47.79x
Battersea 3 4.80x
Lambeth 3 2.03x
St George Hanover Square 3 10.03x
Wakefield 3 23.24x
Ardrossan 2 45.45x
Basford 2 18.98x
Basingstoke 2 50.00x
Hougham 2 58.14x
Pudsey 2 22.25x
St Marylebone London 2 2.21x
Tiverton 2 32.84x
Almondsbury 1 78.74x
Bratton Fleming 1 333.33x
Brighton 1 1.73x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 9.01x
Cheltenham 1 3.89x
Dorking 1 18.02x
Hastings St Mary 1 14.04x
Hensingham 1 84.03x
Holy Trinity 1 2.47x
Huddersfield 1 4.08x
Liverpool 1 0.82x
Manchester 1 1.10x
Poplar London 1 3.12x
Sandhurst 1 40.49x
Sorbie 1 101.01x
Toxteth Park 1 1.47x
Upper Penn 1 69.44x
Wotton Under Edge 1 51.02x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 8
Elizabeth 7
Ellen 5
Mary 5
Catherine 4
Annie 3
Charlotte 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Alice 2
Constance 2
Eleanor 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Lucy 2
Margaret 2
Amelia 1
Ann 1
Augusta 1
Barbara 1
Bertha 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Georgina 1
Hannah 1
Infant 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Lizzie 1
Lousia 1
M.A.E. 1
Magdalen 1
Margt. 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Prudence 1
Rebecca 1
Ruth 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 12
John 10
Charles 6
Edward 6
James 6
Henry 5
Alfred 3
George 3
Joseph 3
Richard 3
Robert 3
Samuel 3
Thomas 3
David 2
Herbert 2
Walter 2
Arthur 1
Edwd. 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Henery 1
Hugh 1
Michael 1
Robt.Byron 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Thos.Walr. 1
Wm. 1
Wm.A.F. 1

FAQ

Blakeney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Blakeney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 170 people were recorded with the Blakeney surname. That placed it at #14,265 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Blakeney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 288 in 2016. That gives Blakeney a modern rank of #15,180.

What does the Blakeney surname mean?

From the bleak, open land or heath, likely referring to a person who lived near such a place.

What does the Blakeney map show?

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