NameCensus.

UK surname

Chicken

In the 1881 census there were 419 people recorded with the Chicken surname, ranking it #7,703 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 367, ranked #12,669, down from #7,703 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wigton, Gateshead and Durham St Oswald. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Caerphilly, Hounslow and Allerdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Chicken is 514 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 12.4%.

1881 census count

419

Ranked #7,703

Modern count

367

2016, ranked #12,669

Peak year

1911

514 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Chicken had 419 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,703 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 367 in 2016, ranked #12,669.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 514 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Chicken surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Chicken surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Chicken 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 312 #7,397
1861 historical 307 #8,262
1881 historical 419 #7,703
1891 historical 387 #9,122
1901 historical 450 #8,700
1911 historical 514 #7,669
1997 modern 408 #10,844
1998 modern 418 #11,009
1999 modern 413 #11,180
2000 modern 420 #10,998
2001 modern 410 #11,016
2002 modern 418 #11,084
2003 modern 408 #11,115
2004 modern 396 #11,372
2005 modern 382 #11,591
2006 modern 375 #11,796
2007 modern 355 #12,458
2008 modern 355 #12,565
2009 modern 358 #12,736
2010 modern 375 #12,568
2011 modern 369 #12,600
2012 modern 364 #12,564
2013 modern 368 #12,676
2014 modern 374 #12,598
2015 modern 369 #12,627
2016 modern 367 #12,669

Geography

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Where Chickens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wigton, Gateshead, Durham St Oswald, Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) and Newcastle All Saints. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Caerphilly, Hounslow, Allerdale, West Lancashire 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 Wigton Cumberland
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Durham St Oswald Durham
4 Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) Northumberland
5 Newcastle All Saints Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Caerphilly 011 Caerphilly
2 Hounslow 008 Hounslow
3 Allerdale 007 Allerdale
4 West Lancashire 001 West Lancashire
5 County Durham 023 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Chicken

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Chicken

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Chicken surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Chicken household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Chicken 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

Chicken 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

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

1881 census detail

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Chicken families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Chicken 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 138 Chickens recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.32x.

County Total Index
Durham 138 11.32x
Northumberland 94 15.42x
Cumberland 34 9.64x
Lancashire 31 0.64x
Surrey 26 1.30x
Middlesex 20 0.49x
Lincolnshire 15 2.29x
Yorkshire 14 0.34x
Gloucestershire 10 1.24x
Kirkcudbrightshire 8 13.49x
Staffordshire 8 0.58x
Essex 6 0.74x
Devon 4 0.47x
Kent 3 0.21x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.54x
Renfrewshire 2 0.63x
Warwickshire 2 0.19x
Hampshire 1 0.12x
Isle of Man 1 1.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dawdon in Durham leads with 18 Chickens recorded in 1881 and an index of 120.08x.

Place Total Index
Dawdon 18 120.08x
Wallsend 17 87.95x
Washington 14 273.97x
Wigton 12 226.84x
Chirton 11 79.71x
Woodside Quarter 11 1325.30x
Framwellgate 10 138.50x
Heworth 10 41.63x
Clifton 9 22.16x
Elswick 9 18.50x
Everton 9 5.81x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 9 24.72x
Bermondsey 8 6.56x
Bishopwearmouth 8 7.65x
Broom 8 792.08x
Chester Le Street 8 85.47x
Hagworthingham 8 1176.47x
Troqueer 8 102.83x
Witton Gilbert 8 166.32x
Wolverhampton 8 7.52x
Backworth 7 432.10x
Battersea 7 4.64x
Brandon Byshottles 7 45.84x
Broughton In Salford 7 15.75x
Chelsea London 7 5.67x
Usworth 7 108.19x
Willington 7 99.43x
Bethnal Green London 6 3.37x
Gateshead 6 6.57x
Horncastle 6 88.76x
Southwark St John 6 47.89x
Toxteth Park 6 3.64x
Westoe 6 8.68x
Crossgate 5 93.81x
Newburn 5 287.36x
St Giles 5 65.70x
Bedlington 4 19.66x
Leeds 4 1.74x
Newcastle On Tyne St 4 12.66x
Westgate 4 10.60x
Wolborough 4 37.11x
Byker 3 9.96x
Great Warley 3 163.93x
Greenwich 3 4.60x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 3 5.68x
Hexham 3 31.81x
Nottingham St Mary 3 2.10x
Pontefract 3 34.29x
Renwick 3 833.33x
Sugley 3 1000.00x
Thockrington 3 1875.00x
Wallbottle 3 232.56x
Walton On Hill 3 11.39x
West Ham 3 1.68x
West Herrington 3 70.26x
Ainstable 2 312.50x
Bromley London 2 2.22x
Butterlaw 2 5000.00x
Cathcart 2 11.64x
Great Harwood 2 22.75x
Headingley Cum Burley 2 7.65x
Holy Trinity 2 2.05x
Liverpool 2 0.68x
Middlesbrough 2 3.78x
Paddington London 2 1.33x
Poplar London 2 2.59x
St Cuthbert W O 2 11.63x
Tudhoe 2 18.76x
Allhallows 1 96.15x
Alnwick 1 9.54x
Bletchingley 1 38.46x
Braddan 1 24.04x
Dalston 1 36.63x
Fulwood 1 19.05x
Garforth 1 32.15x
Lambeth 1 0.28x
Leamington Priors 1 3.93x
Rotherhithe 1 1.98x
Skegness 1 53.19x
St Pancras London 1 0.30x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 37
Jane 19
Elizabeth 18
Ann 15
Margaret 15
Alice 12
Hannah 7
Emma 5
Isabella 5
Sarah 5
Annie 4
Barbara 4
Eliza 4
Ruth 4
Caroline 3
Eleanor 3
Frances 3
Edith 2
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Harriette 2
Louisa 2
Lydia 2
Margret 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Mona 2
Charlotte 1
Elizth. 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Fenel 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
France 1
Francis 1
Harriett 1
Helena 1
Isabel 1
Isabell 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Lizzie 1
M.A. 1
Mady 1
Marian 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Nellie 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 29
William 28
Thomas 18
Robert 13
George 12
Henry 8
James 7
Joseph 7
Michael 5
Albert 3
Benjamin 3
Charles 3
David 3
Lancelot 3
Richard 3
Robt. 3
Stephen 3
Thos. 3
Anthony 2
Edward 2
Ernest 2
Harry 2
Matthew 2
Ralph 2
Wm. 2
Adam 1
Adrian 1
Alexander 1
Alexdr. 1
Alfred 1
Atkinson 1
Bernie 1
Christopher 1
Earnest 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Infant 1
Jacob 1
Mary 1
Mathew 1
Melvin 1
Percy 1
Quintus 1
Roger 1
Rupert 1
Sextus 1
Sidney 1
Thos.W. 1
Tom 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Chicken surname: questions and answers

How common was the Chicken surname in 1881?

In 1881, 419 people were recorded with the Chicken surname. That placed it at #7,703 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Chicken surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 367 in 2016. That gives Chicken a modern rank of #12,669.

What does the Chicken map show?

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