NameCensus.

UK surname

Jennings

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Jenning, a medieval variant of John, meaning "son of Jenning."

In the 1881 census there were 15,142 people recorded with the Jennings surname, ranking it #260 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 20,729, ranked #290, down from #260 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Torfaen, Taunton Deane and Torridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jennings is 21,371 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.9%.

1881 census count

15,142

Ranked #260

Modern count

20,729

2016, ranked #290

Peak year

1999

21,371 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jennings had 15,142 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #260 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 20,729 in 2016, ranked #290.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 20,050 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Jennings surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Jennings surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Jennings 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 9,375 #277
1861 historical 8,988 #305
1881 historical 15,142 #260
1891 historical 15,058 #284
1901 historical 18,437 #273
1911 historical 20,050 #225
1997 modern 20,314 #288
1998 modern 21,214 #286
1999 modern 21,371 #286
2000 modern 21,234 #286
2001 modern 20,796 #286
2002 modern 21,100 #286
2003 modern 20,584 #286
2004 modern 20,553 #287
2005 modern 20,153 #288
2006 modern 20,065 #289
2007 modern 20,115 #290
2008 modern 20,256 #290
2009 modern 20,725 #290
2010 modern 21,034 #290
2011 modern 20,813 #289
2012 modern 20,481 #287
2013 modern 21,045 #286
2014 modern 21,137 #286
2015 modern 20,854 #289
2016 modern 20,729 #290

Geography

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Where Jennings' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Torfaen, Taunton Deane, Torridge and Isle of Wight. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Torfaen 003 Torfaen
2 Taunton Deane 012 Taunton Deane
3 Torridge 008 Torridge
4 Taunton Deane 013 Taunton Deane
5 Isle of Wight 012 Isle of Wight

Forenames

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First names often paired with Jennings

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Jennings

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Jennings 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

Jennings is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Jennings falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Jennings

The surname Jennings is an English habitational name derived from either of the places called Jennings in Somerset or Jenynges in Kent. The name originated from the Old English words "geanian" meaning "gainful or fertile land" and "ing" meaning meadow or enclosure.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where a William de Jenynges is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1275 also record a Robert de Jenyns in Oxfordshire.

In the 13th century, the spelling variations included Jenyns, Jenins, and Jenynges. The name is found in various medieval records such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 and the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1349.

The Jennings surname is also connected to the place name Jenynges in Kent, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Geninges. This place name is derived from the Old English personal name Gena or Gena's people.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Edmund Jennings (c. 1590-1661), an English landowner and politician who represented Ripon in the Long Parliament. Another notable figure was David Jennings (1691-1762), a dissenting minister and tutor who authored several theological works.

In the 18th century, Sarah Jennings (1660-1744) was a prominent figure at the court of Queen Anne and became the Duchess of Marlborough after her marriage to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Sir Patrick Jennings (1949-), an Irish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, is another well-known bearer of the name.

The Jennings surname has also been associated with various places in England, such as Jennings Farm in Kent, Jennings Place in Surrey, and Jennings Hill in Shropshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Jennings families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jennings 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. Middlesex leads with 2,255 Jennings' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.52x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 2,255 1.52x
Yorkshire 2,061 1.40x
Lancashire 1,092 0.62x
Surrey 806 1.12x
Warwickshire 775 2.07x
Staffordshire 662 1.32x
Kent 560 1.11x
Essex 539 1.84x
Somerset 513 2.15x
Cornwall 441 2.63x
Gloucestershire 424 1.46x
Suffolk 381 2.11x
Hampshire 338 1.11x
Durham 318 0.72x
Cheshire 317 0.97x
Devon 311 1.01x
Worcestershire 268 1.39x
Hertfordshire 231 2.26x
Derbyshire 222 0.96x
Leicestershire 184 1.12x
Buckinghamshire 181 2.02x
Berkshire 177 1.59x
Sussex 170 0.68x
Nottinghamshire 169 0.85x
Oxfordshire 160 1.75x
Cambridgeshire 159 1.69x
Wiltshire 147 1.12x
Glamorgan 136 0.53x
Lincolnshire 134 0.57x
Northumberland 128 0.58x
Northamptonshire 119 0.85x
Shropshire 96 0.75x
Cumberland 87 0.68x
Westmorland 80 2.46x
Norfolk 74 0.32x
Herefordshire 65 1.07x
Lanarkshire 56 0.12x
Monmouthshire 54 0.50x
Bedfordshire 40 0.52x
Dorset 39 0.40x
Midlothian 27 0.14x
Royal Navy 20 1.13x
Dunbartonshire 19 0.48x
Carmarthenshire 16 0.26x
Renfrewshire 13 0.11x
Huntingdonshire 11 0.37x
Isle of Man 11 0.40x
Brecknockshire 10 0.34x
Channel Islands 10 0.23x
East Lothian 10 0.51x
Flintshire 10 0.25x
Merionethshire 10 0.37x
Denbighshire 9 0.16x
Aberdeenshire 8 0.06x
Ayrshire 6 0.05x
Perthshire 6 0.09x
Montgomeryshire 5 0.15x
Anglesey 4 0.15x
Angus 3 0.02x
Radnorshire 2 0.17x
Berwickshire 1 0.06x
Cardiganshire 1 0.03x
Peeblesshire 1 0.14x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 379 Jennings' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.04x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 379 3.04x
Aston 211 2.05x
Liverpool 195 1.83x
Hackney London 191 2.30x
Islington London 186 1.30x
St Pancras London 180 1.51x
Lambeth 165 1.28x
St Marylebone London 149 1.88x
Bradford 130 3.66x
Camberwell 121 1.28x
Kensington London 121 1.47x
Bethnal Green London 105 1.63x
Horton In Bradford 99 4.32x
West Ham 95 1.47x
Deptford St Paul 88 2.26x
Walsall Foreign 87 3.37x
Paddington London 86 1.58x
Hammersmith London 83 2.27x
Chelsea London 81 1.81x
Manchester 81 1.02x
Bermondsey 79 1.79x
Mile End Old Town London 75 2.38x
Portsea 74 1.24x
Bromley London 73 2.24x
Sheffield 73 1.56x
Everton 70 1.25x
Harborne 68 4.24x
Leeds 67 0.81x
Hunslet 65 2.84x
Shoreditch London 64 1.00x
Thornton In Bradford 62 12.69x
Hinckley 57 14.63x
St George Hanover Square 57 2.18x
Wolverhampton 57 1.48x
Fulham London 54 2.51x
Clerkenwell London 53 1.52x
Toxteth Park 53 0.89x
Bradworthy 50 111.19x
Halifax 49 2.27x
Basingstoke 48 13.75x
Soothill 48 9.05x
Tottenham 48 2.03x
Burwell 47 41.81x
Newington 46 0.84x
Woolwich 46 2.46x
Bridgewater 45 6.95x
Nottingham St Mary 45 0.87x
Oldham 45 0.79x
Camborne 43 6.22x
Idle 43 6.32x
Salford 43 0.83x
Trimley St Martin 43 138.80x
Eccleshill 42 11.76x
Edmonton 42 3.52x
Southwark St George Martyr 41 1.38x
Cheltenham 40 1.78x
St Ives 40 12.19x
Kenwyn 39 8.89x
Holy Trinity 38 1.08x
Handsworth 37 3.00x
Acton 36 4.15x
Chiswick 36 4.45x
North Shields 36 8.19x
Walsall Borough 36 9.28x
Bingley 35 3.74x
Helston 35 20.08x
Dewsbury 34 2.26x
Ecclesall Bierlow 34 1.14x
Ipswich St Clement 34 7.41x
Kendal 34 5.71x
Poplar London 34 1.22x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 33 1.21x
Hampstead London 33 1.43x
Manningham 33 1.83x
Milverton 33 37.52x
Wellington 33 10.21x
Barlborough 32 37.33x
Brightside Bierlow 32 1.11x
Keighley 32 2.05x
Warrington 32 1.54x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,022
Elizabeth 584
Sarah 522
Ann 302
Eliza 289
Jane 265
Alice 238
Emma 236
Ellen 210
Annie 206
Emily 177
Hannah 161
Margaret 156
Martha 122
Catherine 114
Harriet 111
Caroline 107
Maria 100
Louisa 97
Florence 96
Charlotte 86
Ada 83
Kate 82
Edith 77
Clara 72
Fanny 68
Susan 68
Anne 62
Harriett 54
Agnes 52
Bridget 51
Frances 48
Lucy 46
Rose 42
Amelia 40
Amy 37
Matilda 37
Rebecca 37
Esther 35
Isabella 34
Sophia 30
Julia 29
Eleanor 25
Elizth. 25
Gertrude 25
Grace 25
Minnie 25
Laura 24
Ruth 24
Jessie 23

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 929
John 860
Thomas 540
George 489
James 437
Henry 327
Charles 277
Joseph 250
Edward 191
Arthur 174
Alfred 166
Robert 160
Richard 148
Frederick 133
Walter 122
Samuel 110
Albert 100
Harry 81
Frank 72
Patrick 64
Herbert 63
Edwin 60
Francis 57
David 56
Ernest 54
Michael 52
Wm. 50
Benjamin 34
Thos. 34
Fred 31
Geo. 27
Stephen 25
Isaac 22
Tom 22
Joshua 20
Martin 20
Sidney 19
Andrew 18
Peter 18
Daniel 16
Fredk. 16
Jonathan 16
Abraham 14
Chas. 14
Matthew 14
Jesse 13
Christopher 12
Fredrick 12
Josiah 12
Lewis 12

FAQ

Jennings surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jennings surname in 1881?

In 1881, 15,142 people were recorded with the Jennings surname. That placed it at #260 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jennings surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 20,729 in 2016. That gives Jennings a modern rank of #290.

What does the Jennings surname mean?

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Jenning, a medieval variant of John, meaning "son of Jenning."

What does the Jennings map show?

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