NameCensus.

UK surname

Cannings

In the 1881 census there were 472 people recorded with the Cannings surname, ranking it #7,076 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 989, ranked #5,852, up from #7,076 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Endford, Netheravon and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Bournemouth and Powys.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cannings is 1,084 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 109.5%.

1881 census count

472

Ranked #7,076

Modern count

989

2016, ranked #5,852

Peak year

1998

1,084 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cannings had 472 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,076 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 989 in 2016, ranked #5,852.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 832 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Cannings surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cannings surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cannings 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 295 #7,737
1861 historical 323 #7,888
1881 historical 472 #7,076
1891 historical 543 #6,951
1901 historical 662 #6,550
1911 historical 832 #5,305
1997 modern 1,063 #5,222
1998 modern 1,084 #5,321
1999 modern 1,079 #5,364
2000 modern 1,058 #5,437
2001 modern 1,051 #5,365
2002 modern 1,063 #5,420
2003 modern 1,053 #5,368
2004 modern 1,051 #5,381
2005 modern 1,014 #5,484
2006 modern 997 #5,581
2007 modern 1,012 #5,548
2008 modern 1,023 #5,542
2009 modern 1,056 #5,521
2010 modern 1,055 #5,632
2011 modern 1,054 #5,570
2012 modern 1,016 #5,672
2013 modern 1,010 #5,774
2014 modern 1,011 #5,804
2015 modern 989 #5,861
2016 modern 989 #5,852

Geography

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Where Cannings' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Endford, Netheravon, London parishes, Salisbury St Edmund and Walcott, Charlcome. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Bournemouth and Powys. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Endford, Netheravon Wiltshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Salisbury St Edmund Wiltshire
5 Walcott, Charlcome Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 052 Wiltshire
2 Bournemouth 004 Bournemouth
3 Powys 014 Powys
4 Wiltshire 024 Wiltshire
5 Wiltshire 054 Wiltshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cannings

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cannings

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Cannings is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cannings is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Cannings families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cannings 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. Wiltshire leads with 156 Cannings' recorded in 1881 and an index of 38.31x.

County Total Index
Wiltshire 156 38.31x
Hampshire 103 10.91x
Somerset 42 5.67x
Yorkshire 34 0.75x
Surrey 23 1.03x
Berkshire 20 5.79x
Kent 18 1.15x
Middlesex 17 0.37x
Gloucestershire 14 1.55x
Warwickshire 11 0.95x
Sussex 8 1.03x
Northamptonshire 7 1.62x
Dorset 6 1.99x
Glamorgan 6 0.75x
Staffordshire 3 0.19x
Devon 2 0.21x
Derbyshire 1 0.14x
Essex 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Enford in Wiltshire leads with 35 Cannings' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2536.23x.

Place Total Index
Enford 35 2536.23x
East Ardsley 19 481.01x
Walcot 15 38.00x
Fareham 12 105.82x
Laverstock 11 1527.78x
Lockerley 11 1170.21x
Medstead 11 1392.41x
Wilcott 11 1235.96x
Wilton 11 381.94x
Lyncombe Widcombe 9 46.39x
Potterne 9 491.80x
Birmingham 8 2.07x
Bishops Waltham 8 203.56x
Bulford 8 1454.55x
South Newton 8 754.72x
Wilsford 8 1379.31x
Bath St Michael 7 187.17x
Clapham 7 12.16x
Downe 7 804.60x
Figheldean 7 958.90x
Middleton Cheney 7 370.37x
Mile End Old Town London 7 7.14x
Ropley 7 507.25x
West Ardsley 7 127.50x
Catherington 6 288.46x
Cheltenham 6 8.61x
Froxfield 6 550.46x
Gillingham 6 115.61x
Idmiston 6 659.34x
Llanwonno 6 20.83x
Lower Beeding 6 291.26x
Winterbourne 6 1111.11x
Bishopstoke 5 206.61x
Bristol St James St Paul 5 16.61x
Chilcomb 5 1041.67x
Clanfield 5 1136.36x
Lewisham 5 5.97x
Newton Toney 5 961.54x
Plumstead 5 9.55x
Sheet 5 490.20x
Woodford 5 724.64x
Batheaston 4 157.48x
Bathford 4 263.16x
Battersea 4 2.36x
Box 4 115.27x
Kings Somborne 4 202.02x
Monkton Farleigh 4 606.06x
Shalbourn 4 307.69x
Speen 4 70.80x
Bath St James 3 38.81x
Bletchingley 3 102.39x
Boscombe 3 1578.95x
Bristol St Michael 3 38.76x
Britford 3 111.52x
Chelsea London 3 2.16x
Curdworth 3 283.02x
East Tytherley 3 500.00x
Easton 3 394.74x
Fugglestone St Peter 3 186.34x
Kensington London 3 1.17x
Leek Lowe 3 14.51x
Mirfield 3 11.98x
Morley 3 12.65x
Ramsbury 3 81.30x
Reading St Giles 3 8.85x
Southampton St Mary 3 5.06x
Stoke 3 28.33x
Andover 2 22.42x
Egham 2 14.52x
Hammersmith London 2 1.76x
Havant 2 41.84x
Martin 2 246.91x
Thorpe 2 204.08x
Trowbridge 2 11.11x
Urchfont 2 119.76x
Bradford On Avon 1 7.67x
Durnford 1 140.85x
Hove 1 2.94x
Hungerford 1 21.41x
Thornhill 1 7.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 31
Jane 15
Sarah 14
Ann 12
Elizabeth 11
Ellen 9
Fanny 7
Kate 7
Amy 6
Charlotte 6
Emily 6
Emma 6
Louisa 6
Alice 5
Caroline 5
Edith 5
Annie 4
Eliza 4
Florence 4
Hannah 4
Martha 4
Laura 3
Lucy 3
Ada 2
Anna 2
Bertha 2
Eleanor 2
Ethel 2
Minnie 2
Alberta 1
Beatrice 1
Bessie 1
Blanche 1
Charlott 1
Eleonar 1
Ellie 1
Essie 1
Eva 1
Harriett 1
Haster 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Kezia 1
Letitia 1
Lidy 1
Lieusina 1
Lillian 1
Lillie 1
Margret 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 30
William 27
James 22
John 19
Alfred 12
Thomas 12
Henry 10
Charles 9
Frank 8
Frederick 8
Albert 5
Harry 5
Ernest 4
Joseph 4
Stephen 4
Walter 4
Samuel 3
Tom 3
Arthur 2
Edward 2
Enos 2
Francis 2
Richard 2
Samual 2
Simeon 2
Ben 1
Edwin 1
Elias 1
Elijah 1
Elizabeth 1
Emanuel 1
Ezra 1
Frances 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Ginn 1
Hy. 1
Jesse 1
Levi 1
Luke 1
Matthew 1
Noah 1
Oliver 1
Peter 1
Pharoah 1
Philip 1
Ralph 1
Ruben 1
Sam 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Cannings surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cannings surname in 1881?

In 1881, 472 people were recorded with the Cannings surname. That placed it at #7,076 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cannings surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 989 in 2016. That gives Cannings a modern rank of #5,852.

What does the Cannings map show?

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