NameCensus.

UK surname

Jenney

A variant spelling of the English surname meaning someone from Guernsey.

In the 1881 census there were 126 people recorded with the Jenney surname, ranking it #17,245 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 166, ranked #22,140, down from #17,245 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Louth, London parishes and Boldre, Brockenhurst. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Middlesbrough, North Lincolnshire and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jenney is 197 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 31.7%.

1881 census count

126

Ranked #17,245

Modern count

166

2016, ranked #22,140

Peak year

2010

197 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jenney had 126 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,245 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 166 in 2016, ranked #22,140.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 185 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Jenney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Jenney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Jenney 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 182 #11,209
1861 historical 151 #15,209
1881 historical 126 #17,245
1891 historical 178 #16,264
1901 historical 173 #16,579
1911 historical 185 #15,686
1997 modern 167 #19,722
1998 modern 166 #20,329
1999 modern 163 #20,698
2000 modern 153 #21,520
2001 modern 158 #20,788
2002 modern 169 #20,307
2003 modern 164 #20,483
2004 modern 167 #20,367
2005 modern 166 #20,379
2006 modern 168 #20,368
2007 modern 178 #19,887
2008 modern 174 #20,385
2009 modern 187 #19,868
2010 modern 197 #19,640
2011 modern 187 #20,132
2012 modern 174 #21,065
2013 modern 166 #22,075
2014 modern 168 #22,075
2015 modern 167 #22,066
2016 modern 166 #22,140

Geography

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Where Jenneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Louth, London parishes, Boldre, Brockenhurst, Tuddenham, North and Barton St Peter and St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Middlesbrough, North Lincolnshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Derby and Eastleigh. 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 Louth Lincolnshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Boldre, Brockenhurst Hampshire
4 Tuddenham, North Norfolk
5 Barton St Peter and St Mary Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Middlesbrough 018 Middlesbrough
2 North Lincolnshire 011 North Lincolnshire
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 017 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 Derby 019 Derby
5 Eastleigh 005 Eastleigh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Jenney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Jenney

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Jenney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Jenney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Jenney 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

Jenney 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

Jenney 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 Jenney is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Jenney, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Jenney

The surname JENNEY originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the medieval English given name Jean or Jene, a variation of the name John. This name likely has French origins, stemming from the Hebrew name Yohanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious."

The earliest recorded instances of the JENNEY surname appear in tax rolls and parish records from Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England. Similar spellings included Jeney, Jeny, and Jenney. These variants likely emerged due to dialectal differences and inconsistencies in record-keeping during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest known bearers of the JENNEY surname was William Jenney, who was documented in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230. Another early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, which mention a Walter Jenney in 1273.

In the 14th century, the JENNEY surname appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, with a record of a John Jenney in 1317. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327 list a Thomas Jenney.

During the medieval period, the JENNEY family held lands and estates in various parts of England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Yorkshire. One notable individual was Sir Edmund Jenney (c.1460-1522), a judge and member of the King's Bench during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII.

Other historical figures bearing the JENNEY surname include:

1. Thomas Jenney (fl. 1500s), an English clergyman and academic who served as Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

2. Robert Jenney (c.1592-1653), an English Puritan clergyman and member of the Westminster Assembly.

3. Sir Edmund Jenney (1642-1687), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Yarmouth, Norfolk.

4. Henry Jenney (1698-1762), an English barrister and Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis.

5. William Jenney (1774-1858), an American architect and builder known for designing several prominent buildings in Boston, Massachusetts.

The JENNEY surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Jenney's Farm in Norfolk and Jenney's Close in Suffolk, indicating the historical presence of families bearing this name in those regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Jenney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jenney 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. Norfolk leads with 28 Jenneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.82x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 28 14.82x
Lincolnshire 25 12.72x
Middlesex 17 1.38x
Yorkshire 12 0.99x
Kent 9 2.15x
Surrey 7 1.17x
Warwickshire 6 1.94x
Berkshire 5 5.42x
Derbyshire 5 2.60x
Cambridgeshire 4 5.14x
Lancashire 2 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 2 1.21x
Essex 1 0.41x
Northumberland 1 0.55x
Renfrewshire 1 1.05x
Sussex 1 0.48x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Louth in Lincolnshire leads with 17 Jenneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 377.78x.

Place Total Index
Louth 17 377.78x
North Tuddenham 10 7142.86x
St Marylebone London 9 13.72x
Beverley St Nicholas 7 700.00x
Paddington London 7 15.49x
Aston 6 7.03x
Panxworth 6 10000.00x
Ditchingham 5 1111.11x
Great Grimsby 5 40.10x
Wallingford St Mary Le 5 961.54x
Derby All Sts 4 248.45x
Elm 4 526.32x
Great Mongeham 4 2000.00x
Hougham 4 160.64x
Norwich St Swithin 4 1212.12x
East Dereham 3 125.52x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 12.13x
Sutton Stoneferry 3 86.21x
Lambeth 2 1.87x
Monk Bretton 2 162.60x
Mumby 2 740.74x
Newton In Makerfield 2 44.74x
Barton St Peter 1 111.11x
Cuddington 1 434.78x
Derby St Werburgh 1 9.00x
Gillingham 1 11.56x
Hampstead London 1 5.22x
Hove 1 11.00x
Lenton 1 25.64x
South Clifton 1 909.09x
Tynemouth 1 10.21x
West Greenock 1 5.85x
West Ham 1 1.87x
West Moulsey 1 357.14x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Eliza 5
Alice 3
Ann 3
Edith 3
Laura 3
Susannah 3
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Elizabeth 2
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Maria 2
Agnes 1
Annette 1
Annie 1
Beatrice 1
Christiana 1
Easther 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Henrietta 1
Honnor 1
Jane 1
Kezia 1
Lilian 1
Lucy 1
Maud 1
Rebecca 1
Rosamond 1
Rose 1
Sarah 1
Susanna 1
Una 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 8
Thomas 6
George 5
Harry 4
Frederick 3
James 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Henry 2
(Mr.) 1
Alfred 1
Auther 1
Dring 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Herbert 1
Jacob 1
Niban 1
Rose 1
Sydney 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Jenney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jenney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 126 people were recorded with the Jenney surname. That placed it at #17,245 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jenney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 166 in 2016. That gives Jenney a modern rank of #22,140.

What does the Jenney surname mean?

A variant spelling of the English surname meaning someone from Guernsey.

What does the Jenney map show?

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