NameCensus.

UK surname

Cunliffe

A locational surname deriving from the place name Cunliffe near Bolton, England.

In the 1881 census there were 3,724 people recorded with the Cunliffe surname, ranking it #1,228 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,549, ranked #1,493, down from #1,228 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Winwick and Blackburn. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan and St. Helens.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cunliffe is 4,882 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.2%.

1881 census count

3,724

Ranked #1,228

Modern count

4,549

2016, ranked #1,493

Peak year

2002

4,882 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cunliffe had 3,724 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,228 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,549 in 2016, ranked #1,493.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,686 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Cunliffe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cunliffe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cunliffe 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 1,877 #1,537
1861 historical 1,761 #1,642
1881 historical 3,724 #1,228
1891 historical 3,846 #1,246
1901 historical 4,593 #1,238
1911 historical 4,686 #1,105
1997 modern 4,681 #1,396
1998 modern 4,713 #1,447
1999 modern 4,840 #1,411
2000 modern 4,834 #1,409
2001 modern 4,770 #1,392
2002 modern 4,882 #1,396
2003 modern 4,723 #1,401
2004 modern 4,685 #1,412
2005 modern 4,601 #1,421
2006 modern 4,515 #1,448
2007 modern 4,521 #1,458
2008 modern 4,540 #1,465
2009 modern 4,644 #1,471
2010 modern 4,735 #1,474
2011 modern 4,695 #1,462
2012 modern 4,584 #1,469
2013 modern 4,630 #1,489
2014 modern 4,661 #1,483
2015 modern 4,626 #1,480
2016 modern 4,549 #1,493

Geography

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Where Cunliffes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Winwick, Blackburn, Whalley and Prescot. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan and St. Helens. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Winwick Lancashire
3 Blackburn Lancashire
4 Whalley Lancashire
5 Prescot Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 036 Wigan
2 Wigan 032 Wigan
3 Wigan 035 Wigan
4 St. Helens 004 St. Helens
5 St. Helens 002 St. Helens

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cunliffe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cunliffe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cunliffe, 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 Cunliffe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Cunliffe 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, Cunliffe 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

Cunliffe is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Cunliffe

The surname Cunliffe originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cun" meaning "cun" or "bold," and "clif" meaning "cliff" or "slope." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a bold cliff or slope.

The name Cunliffe has its roots in the county of Lancashire, particularly in areas around the town of Burnley. Early records show variations in the spelling, such as Cuncliffe, Cunclyffe, and Cunlive. The surname is also closely related to the place name Cunliffe, a small hamlet near Burnley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cunliffe can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1176, which mentions a person named Adam de Cunliffe. This suggests that the surname was already established by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1246, where a Richard de Cunliffe is mentioned. This record provides evidence of the surname's continued use and presence in the region during that period.

Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Cunliffe. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Cunliffe (1572-1634), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Lancashire. Another prominent figure was Sir Foster Cunliffe (1755-1834), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Liverpool.

In the realm of literature, Sir John Cunliffe (1876-1941) was a distinguished English scholar and literary critic. He served as the President of the British Academy from 1933 to 1937. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Walter Cunliffe (1847-1920), a British civil servant and banker who served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 1914 to 1918.

The surname Cunliffe has also been associated with several place names in Lancashire, such as Cunliffe Hall, a historic manor house near Burnley, and Cunliffe Brook, a small river that flows through the town.

While the surname Cunliffe has its roots in Lancashire, it has since spread to other parts of England and beyond. Over the centuries, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, landowners, politicians, scholars, and civil servants.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cunliffe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cunliffe 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. Lancashire leads with 3,106 Cunliffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.20x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 3,106 7.20x
Yorkshire 248 0.69x
Cheshire 142 1.77x
Middlesex 53 0.15x
Warwickshire 43 0.47x
Surrey 28 0.16x
Kent 20 0.16x
Sussex 12 0.20x
Derbyshire 8 0.14x
Durham 8 0.07x
Hampshire 8 0.11x
Staffordshire 8 0.07x
Denbighshire 7 0.51x
Devon 7 0.09x
Berkshire 5 0.18x
Dumfriesshire 4 0.50x
Renfrewshire 4 0.14x
Leicestershire 3 0.07x
Lincolnshire 3 0.05x
Buteshire 2 0.91x
Channel Islands 2 0.19x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.05x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.04x
Dorset 1 0.04x
Midlothian 1 0.02x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.02x
Royal Navy 1 0.23x
Shropshire 1 0.03x
Westmorland 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ashton In Makerfield in Lancashire leads with 241 Cunliffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 196.08x.

Place Total Index
Ashton In Makerfield 241 196.08x
Blackburn 169 14.72x
Newchurch 160 45.31x
Accrington 150 38.22x
Haydock 135 181.52x
Stansfield 94 70.86x
Burnley 76 20.91x
Little Bolton 67 12.07x
Hindley 65 35.32x
Atherton 64 40.73x
Habergham Eaves 61 15.46x
Lower Booths 61 78.87x
Oldham 60 4.31x
Oswaldtwistle 60 39.34x
Great Bolton 57 9.97x
Preston 56 4.85x
Salford 54 4.25x
Castleton 52 12.06x
Pendleton In Salford 48 9.33x
Manchester 47 2.42x
Clayton Le Moors 45 53.73x
Cowpe Lench Newhall Hey 44 95.40x
Billinge Chapel End 42 173.41x
Pemberton 41 23.82x
Wigan 39 6.47x
Todmorden Walsden 38 32.86x
Parr 37 23.96x
Spotland 36 7.50x
Broughton In Salford 35 8.87x
Worsley 34 12.78x
Wavertree 32 23.16x
Westleigh 31 31.63x
Windle 30 12.35x
Chorlton On Medlock 29 4.23x
Hulme 29 3.22x
Tottington Lower End 28 13.65x
Dukinfield 26 7.01x
Langfield 26 41.22x
Eccleston In Prescot 25 11.54x
Pilkington 25 15.25x
Higher Booths 24 30.84x
Blackrod 23 42.88x
Chorley 23 9.50x
Halifax 22 4.16x
Newton 22 6.61x
Birmingham 20 0.65x
Gorton 20 4.93x
Ashton Under Lyne 19 2.01x
Everton 19 1.38x
Farnworth 19 7.35x
Rainford 19 40.70x
Pennington In Leigh 18 21.73x
Tottington Higher End 18 36.64x
Toxteth Park 17 1.16x
Ardwick 16 4.11x
Clitheroe 15 11.81x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 15 12.07x
Barrow In Furness 14 2.38x
Bradford 14 1.60x
Cliviger 14 57.59x
Failsworth 14 14.18x
Great Little Marsden 14 7.08x
Halliwell 14 8.91x
Handforth 14 152.84x
Ince In Makerfield 14 6.97x
Layton With Warbreck 14 8.84x
Liverpool 14 0.53x
Rumworth 14 22.69x
Cheetham 13 4.04x
Paddington London 13 0.97x
Bexley 12 10.94x
Church 12 19.69x
Stockport 12 2.90x
Westminster St Margaret 12 6.84x
Abram 11 33.21x
Erringden 11 47.25x
Haslingden 11 6.15x
Newton In Makerfield 11 8.32x
Burtonwood 10 63.13x
West Derby 9 0.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 324
Elizabeth 178
Sarah 141
Alice 110
Margaret 96
Ann 94
Jane 88
Ellen 85
Hannah 67
Martha 47
Annie 38
Catherine 29
Emma 26
Eliza 22
Emily 22
Ada 19
Betsy 19
Betty 18
Nancy 18
Clara 17
Esther 16
Edith 15
Maria 15
Harriet 12
Susannah 12
Amelia 11
Elizth. 11
Isabella 11
Lucy 11
Helen 10
Kate 10
Rachel 10
Bertha 9
Florence 9
Frances 9
Grace 9
Louisa 9
Ruth 9
Anne 8
Charlotte 8
Agnes 7
Caroline 7
Harriett 7
Gertrude 6
Amy 5
Dorothy 5
Lizzie 5
Mabel 5
Susan 5
Jessie 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 273
James 206
William 176
Thomas 133
Henry 105
Joseph 93
George 72
Robert 56
Richard 42
Peter 37
Samuel 30
Arthur 26
Edward 26
Charles 22
Walter 22
Albert 19
Thos. 16
Harry 15
Jonathan 15
Benjamin 13
Frank 13
Alfred 10
Herbert 10
Wm. 10
Abraham 9
Fred 9
Frederick 9
Joshua 9
Miles 9
David 8
Edwin 8
Ellis 8
Ernest 8
Daniel 5
Edmund 5
Francis 5
Jos. 5
Michael 5
Nicholas 5
Percy 5
Ralph 5
Tom 5
Whittaker 5
Willie 5
Hugh 4
Jacob 4
Levi 4
Saml. 4
Stephen 4
Wilfred 4

FAQ

Cunliffe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cunliffe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,724 people were recorded with the Cunliffe surname. That placed it at #1,228 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cunliffe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,549 in 2016. That gives Cunliffe a modern rank of #1,493.

What does the Cunliffe surname mean?

A locational surname deriving from the place name Cunliffe near Bolton, England.

What does the Cunliffe map show?

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