NameCensus.

UK surname

Kearley

A locational surname derived from a place named Carley or Kerley in England.

In the 1881 census there were 176 people recorded with the Kearley surname, ranking it #13,930 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 443, ranked #10,921, up from #13,930 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Shapwick, Witchampton and Southampton St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Test Valley, Christchurch and Taunton Deane.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kearley is 518 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 151.7%.

1881 census count

176

Ranked #13,930

Modern count

443

2016, ranked #10,921

Peak year

2000

518 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kearley had 176 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,930 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 443 in 2016, ranked #10,921.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 323 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Kearley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kearley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kearley 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 109 #16,212
1861 historical 100 #21,103
1881 historical 176 #13,930
1891 historical 234 #13,352
1901 historical 281 #12,167
1911 historical 323 #10,842
1997 modern 489 #9,453
1998 modern 513 #9,404
1999 modern 516 #9,439
2000 modern 518 #9,366
2001 modern 499 #9,483
2002 modern 491 #9,752
2003 modern 453 #10,241
2004 modern 474 #9,889
2005 modern 456 #10,111
2006 modern 455 #10,160
2007 modern 451 #10,318
2008 modern 455 #10,319
2009 modern 461 #10,462
2010 modern 477 #10,410
2011 modern 464 #10,524
2012 modern 448 #10,702
2013 modern 447 #10,885
2014 modern 457 #10,767
2015 modern 457 #10,695
2016 modern 443 #10,921

Geography

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Where Kearleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Shapwick, Witchampton, Southampton St Mary and Newport. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Test Valley, Christchurch, Taunton Deane, Poole and New Forest. 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 Shapwick, Witchampton Dorset
4 Southampton St Mary Hampshire
5 Newport Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Test Valley 007 Test Valley
2 Christchurch 006 Christchurch
3 Taunton Deane 004 Taunton Deane
4 Poole 016 Poole
5 New Forest 001 New Forest

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kearley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kearley

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

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Kearley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Kearley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Kearley is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kearley 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

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

Meaning and origin of Kearley

The surname Kearley is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "caer" meaning a fort or walled town, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. It is believed to have originated in the 11th century as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near a fortified town or settlement surrounded by meadows.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Kareleie" in the county of Derbyshire. This suggests that the name may have originated in the area around modern-day Kearsley, a town in Greater Manchester.

In the 13th century, the name was found in various spellings such as Kareleye, Kereley, and Kerley, reflecting the local dialects and variations in pronunciation. During this time, the surname was concentrated in the counties of Lancashire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire, where many of the early bearers of the name were landowners and farmers.

One notable figure in the history of the Kearley surname was Sir John Kearley (c.1480-1544), who served as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire during the reign of Henry VIII. He was a prominent landowner and played a role in the dissolution of the monasteries in the region.

Another significant individual was Thomas Kearley (1615-1693), a Puritan minister and author who was ejected from his church during the Great Ejection of 1662. He went on to become a influential figure in the nonconformist movement and wrote several religious works.

In the 18th century, the spelling of the name seems to have stabilized as Kearley, and it began to spread to other parts of England. One notable bearer was John Kearley (1784-1864), a successful merchant and philanthropist from London, who founded the Kearley Charity Trust to support education and alleviate poverty.

During the 19th century, the name was carried by individuals such as Richard Kearley (1808-1891), a prominent cotton manufacturer and mill owner in Lancashire, and William Kearley (1824-1898), a Member of Parliament for Devizes and a supporter of the Temperance movement.

Another noteworthy figure was Joseph Kearley (1864-1944), a trade union leader and politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Gateshead and played a significant role in the Labour movement in the early 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kearley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kearley 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 49 Kearleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.85x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 49 2.85x
Dorset 48 42.61x
Buckinghamshire 23 22.16x
Hampshire 20 5.68x
Surrey 11 1.32x
Berkshire 6 4.66x
Staffordshire 5 0.86x
Shropshire 4 2.70x
Durham 2 0.39x
Lancashire 2 0.10x
Oxfordshire 2 1.89x
Sussex 2 0.69x
Gloucestershire 1 0.30x
Kent 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Shapwick in Dorset leads with 41 Kearleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 15769.23x.

Place Total Index
Shapwick 41 15769.23x
Wycombe 22 284.24x
Hillingdon 10 182.82x
St Pancras London 10 7.24x
Kensington London 8 8.38x
Newport 8 418.85x
Reigate Borough 7 362.69x
Whippingham 7 263.16x
Bromley London 6 15.89x
Islington London 6 3.61x
Stoke Upon Trent 5 8.14x
Bridgnorth St Leonard 4 238.10x
Abbotsbury 3 517.24x
Clewer 3 56.82x
Hammersmith London 3 7.09x
Brighton 2 3.43x
Cranborne 2 147.06x
Croydon 2 4.31x
Hinton St Mary 2 1176.47x
Holdenhurst 2 21.67x
Hurst 2 118.34x
Liverpool 2 1.62x
Shildon 2 48.78x
Southampton St Mary 2 9.04x
Swyncombe 2 952.38x
Uxbridge 2 102.04x
Bristol 1 312.50x
Ealing 1 6.52x
Fulham London 1 4.02x
Lambeth 1 0.67x
Merstham 1 188.68x
Paddington London 1 1.58x
Reading St Mary 1 9.69x
Southampton All Sts 1 16.56x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.31x
Tonbridge 1 4.73x
Upton Cum Chalvey 1 24.15x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Sarah 8
Ann 5
Elizabeth 4
Ada 3
Annie 3
Caroline 3
Eliza 3
Ellen 3
Fanny 3
Jane 3
Agnes 2
Alice 2
Anne 2
Elizth. 2
Emily 2
Frances 2
Hannah 2
Kezia 2
Maria 2
Rosa 2
Catherine 1
Dricilla 1
Elthel 1
Emma 1
Harriett 1
Janet 1
Letitia 1
Lillian 1
Marcie 1
Margaret 1
Minnie 1
Rhoda 1
Rosetta 1
Roshannah 1
Selina 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
William 12
George 10
Charles 9
James 6
Harry 5
Henry 4
Thomas 4
Arthur 2
Edwin 2
Peter 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Albert 1
Chales 1
Charlie 1
Ernest 1
Ewbank 1
Fredk 1
Geo. 1
Hudson 1
Isaac 1
Joseph 1
Julius 1
Mark 1
Martin 1
Nathaniel 1
Pharoh 1
Samuel 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Kearley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kearley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 176 people were recorded with the Kearley surname. That placed it at #13,930 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kearley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 443 in 2016. That gives Kearley a modern rank of #10,921.

What does the Kearley surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place named Carley or Kerley in England.

What does the Kearley map show?

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