NameCensus.

UK surname

Blench

In the 1881 census there were 146 people recorded with the Blench surname, ranking it #15,752 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 268, ranked #16,003, down from #15,752 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Jarrow and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sunderland, Gateshead and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Blench is 286 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 83.6%.

1881 census count

146

Ranked #15,752

Modern count

268

2016, ranked #16,003

Peak year

1998

286 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Blench had 146 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,752 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 268 in 2016, ranked #16,003.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 206 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Blench surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Blench surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Blench 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 124 #14,792
1861 historical 126 #17,569
1881 historical 146 #15,752
1891 historical 197 #15,101
1901 historical 183 #15,996
1911 historical 206 #14,677
1997 modern 282 #14,072
1998 modern 286 #14,318
1999 modern 285 #14,438
2000 modern 277 #14,688
2001 modern 273 #14,614
2002 modern 280 #14,660
2003 modern 263 #15,109
2004 modern 265 #15,110
2005 modern 252 #15,551
2006 modern 243 #16,052
2007 modern 253 #15,776
2008 modern 255 #15,859
2009 modern 257 #16,099
2010 modern 266 #16,067
2011 modern 271 #15,708
2012 modern 264 #15,904
2013 modern 268 #16,005
2014 modern 280 #15,621
2015 modern 277 #15,622
2016 modern 268 #16,003

Geography

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Where Blenchs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Jarrow, Gateshead, Glasgow and Stockton-on-Tees (Stockton-on-Tees), Stainton (Thornaby ), Norton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sunderland, Gateshead, Northumberland and Newcastle upon Tyne. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Jarrow Durham
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Stockton-on-Tees (Stockton-on-Tees), Stainton (Thornaby ), Norton Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sunderland 030 Sunderland
2 Sunderland 034 Sunderland
3 Gateshead 015 Gateshead
4 Northumberland 020 Northumberland
5 Newcastle upon Tyne 008 Newcastle upon Tyne

Forenames

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First names often paired with Blench

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Blench

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Blench, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Blench surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Blench household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Blench 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

Blench is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Blench falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Blench families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Blench 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. Durham leads with 91 Blenchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.48x.

County Total Index
Durham 91 21.48x
Cambridgeshire 12 13.30x
Middlesex 9 0.63x
Renfrewshire 9 8.15x
Lancashire 5 0.30x
Northumberland 5 2.36x
Hampshire 4 1.37x
Lanarkshire 4 0.87x
Huntingdonshire 2 7.07x
Nottinghamshire 2 1.04x
Cheshire 1 0.32x
Surrey 1 0.14x
Yorkshire 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. Hetton Le Hole in Durham leads with 28 Blenchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 521.42x.

Place Total Index
Hetton Le Hole 28 521.42x
Stockton On Tees 13 63.66x
Shadforth 12 1463.41x
Iveston 11 564.10x
Westoe 10 41.63x
West Greenock 9 45.43x
March 7 231.79x
St Pancras London 7 6.11x
Bishopton 5 2941.18x
Cheetham 4 31.75x
Glasgow 4 4.89x
Newcastle On Tyne St 4 36.43x
Penshaw 4 314.96x
Southampton St Mary 4 21.79x
Chatteris 3 130.43x
Cossall 2 1666.67x
Doddington 2 303.03x
Hylton 2 266.67x
Stranton 2 14.03x
Twickenham 2 32.73x
Bishopwearmouth 1 2.75x
Chester St Mary On Hill 1 37.04x
Fen Stanton 1 192.31x
Foxton Shotton 1 5000.00x
Houghton Le Spring 1 34.13x
South Shields 1 26.53x
Streatham 1 9.46x
Wallsend 1 14.88x
Warboys 1 121.95x
Widnes 1 8.20x
Yarm 1 138.89x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Elizabeth 8
Jane 8
Margaret 6
Sarah 5
Isabella 3
Alice 2
Catherine 2
Emma 2
Rebecca 2
A. 1
Ada 1
Ann 1
Barbara 1
Charlotte 1
E. 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Ethel 1
Francis 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Jerimeia 1
Kate 1
Margt. 1
Rachael 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
William 11
George 8
Ralph 6
Thomas 5
Robert 3
Samuel 3
Anthony 2
Joseph 2
Philip 2
Richard 2
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Frank 1
Herbit 1
J. 1
Larana 1
Laurance 1
Nicholas 1
Septimus 1
Thos. 1
W. 1

FAQ

Blench surname: questions and answers

How common was the Blench surname in 1881?

In 1881, 146 people were recorded with the Blench surname. That placed it at #15,752 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Blench surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 268 in 2016. That gives Blench a modern rank of #16,003.

What does the Blench map show?

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