NameCensus.

UK surname

Kellet

In the 1881 census there were 645 people recorded with the Kellet surname, ranking it #5,530 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 166, ranked #22,140, down from #5,530 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lancaster Borough, Birstall and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lancaster, Wyre and South Northamptonshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kellet is 685 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 74.3%.

1881 census count

645

Ranked #5,530

Modern count

166

2016, ranked #22,140

Peak year

1851

685 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kellet had 645 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,530 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 685 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Kellet surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kellet surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kellet 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 685 #3,796
1861 historical 557 #4,727
1881 historical 645 #5,530
1891 historical 473 #7,758
1901 historical 474 #8,382
1911 historical 301 #11,422
1997 modern 177 #19,018
1998 modern 192 #18,561
1999 modern 187 #18,999
2000 modern 170 #20,120
2001 modern 170 #19,838
2002 modern 177 #19,759
2003 modern 165 #20,401
2004 modern 152 #21,628
2005 modern 140 #22,774
2006 modern 147 #22,221
2007 modern 144 #22,804
2008 modern 137 #23,883
2009 modern 138 #24,276
2010 modern 137 #24,907
2011 modern 143 #24,056
2012 modern 153 #22,963
2013 modern 159 #22,706
2014 modern 161 #22,728
2015 modern 159 #22,796
2016 modern 166 #22,140

Geography

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Where Kellets are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lancaster Borough, Birstall, Edinburgh, Manchester and Cockerham (Ellel), Lancaster (Preesall with Hackersall) , Garstang (Pilling). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lancaster, Wyre, South Northamptonshire and Pendle. 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 Lancaster Borough Lancashire
2 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Cockerham (Ellel), Lancaster (Preesall with Hackersall) , Garstang (Pilling) Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lancaster 019 Lancaster
2 Wyre 009 Wyre
3 Wyre 007 Wyre
4 South Northamptonshire 002 South Northamptonshire
5 Pendle 004 Pendle

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kellet

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kellet

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kellet, 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 Kellet surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Kellet household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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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, Kellet 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

Kellet is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kellet falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kellet is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Kellet families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kellet 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 240 Kellets recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.22x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 240 3.22x
Yorkshire 223 3.58x
Durham 52 2.78x
Midlothian 28 3.33x
Cumberland 27 4.99x
Westmorland 15 10.86x
Cheshire 12 0.87x
Renfrewshire 9 1.85x
Lanarkshire 8 0.39x
Kent 7 0.33x
Essex 6 0.48x
Glamorgan 5 0.46x
Middlesex 3 0.05x
Surrey 3 0.10x
Staffordshire 2 0.09x
Lincolnshire 1 0.10x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.12x
Royal Navy 1 1.34x
Selkirkshire 1 1.76x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 26 Kellets recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.04x.

Place Total Index
Preston 26 13.04x
Hunslet 20 20.60x
Wyke In Bradford 20 179.69x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 19 5.61x
Heysham 14 1029.41x
North Bierley 14 41.65x
Carnforth 13 317.85x
Barrow In Furness 12 11.84x
Applethwaite 11 266.99x
Barnsley 11 17.13x
Churwell 11 259.43x
Lancaster 11 24.80x
Preston Quarter 11 72.56x
Crook Billy Row 10 41.79x
Farington 10 230.41x
Gildersome 10 133.69x
Dalton In Furness 9 31.28x
Lea Ashton Ingol 9 181.82x
Liversedge 9 32.48x
West Greenock 9 10.30x
Bentham 8 168.78x
Blackburn 8 4.03x
Caldewgate 8 27.00x
Dukinfield 8 12.48x
Shipley 8 24.76x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 7 30.96x
Brotherton 7 281.12x
Eccleshill 7 46.20x
Govan 7 1.39x
Kirkham 7 70.99x
Priest Hutton 7 1521.74x
Salford 7 3.19x
St Lawrence 7 47.49x
Bramley In Bramley 6 25.18x
Darton 6 94.04x
Halstead 6 41.47x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 6 38.22x
North Meols 6 8.22x
Over Wyresdale 6 545.45x
Poulton Le Fylde 6 227.27x
Upper Rawcliffe With 6 451.13x
Walton Le Dale 6 29.96x
Armley 5 18.21x
Auckland St Andrew 5 101.21x
Barnacre With Bonds 5 253.81x
Bolton Le Sands 5 295.86x
Dacre 5 239.23x
Gateshead 5 3.57x
Holbeck 5 12.12x
Leeds 5 1.42x
Overton 5 714.29x
Shadforth 5 137.74x
Ulverston 5 23.03x
Wenvoe 5 574.71x
Whitworth 5 36.55x
Wortley In Bramley 5 10.14x
Clifton Cum Salwick 4 444.44x
Conside Knitsley 4 27.53x
East Thickley 4 105.54x
Hoghton 4 212.77x
Ilkley 4 39.33x
Knottingley 4 36.56x
Lofthouse Cum Carlton 4 52.70x
Sculcoates 4 4.05x
Soothill 4 17.79x
Bradford 3 1.99x
Habergham Eaves 3 4.40x
Heworth 3 8.15x
Horton In Bradford 3 3.09x
Leyland 3 23.13x
Marske In Guisbrough 3 27.12x
Sharples 3 37.08x
Battersea 2 0.87x
Colton 2 51.41x
Duddingston 2 11.84x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 2 8.99x
Oswaldtwistle 2 7.59x
South Leith 2 2.11x
Tong 2 16.63x
Westminster St Margaret 2 6.60x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 40
Elizabeth 28
Jane 16
Sarah 15
Ann 14
Isabella 11
Margaret 11
Ellen 10
Martha 9
Emma 8
Alice 7
Agnes 6
Annie 6
Eliza 6
Catherine 4
Clara 4
Emily 4
Hannah 4
Louisa 3
Anne 2
Charlotte 2
Fanny 2
Harriet 2
Isabell 2
Kate 2
Lucy 2
Mabel 2
Maria 2
Nancy 2
Susan 2
Susannah 2
Thomas 2
Amy 1
Angelah 1
Beatrice 1
Bertha 1
Bessy 1
Betsey 1
E.Ann 1
Eadney 1
Elanor 1
Eleanor 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliz. 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth. 1
Grace 1
Harriot 1
Helena 1
Voliet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 48
William 42
Thomas 25
James 23
Joseph 18
George 16
Robert 12
Richard 8
Henry 7
Arthur 6
Charles 5
Samuel 4
Albert 3
Alfred 3
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Herbert 3
Isaac 3
Thos. 3
Wm. 3
Benjamin 2
Christopher 2
David 2
Edwin 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Jno. 2
Peter 2
Ralph 2
Robt. 2
Adolphus 1
Artha 1
Chas. 1
Cuthbert 1
Dan 1
Ellen 1
Ephriam 1
Frederic 1
Fredk. 1
Friend 1
Jonas 1
Jonathan 1
Josh. 1
Josiah 1
Lawrence 1
Leonard 1
Levi 1
Wm.H. 1

FAQ

Kellet surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kellet surname in 1881?

In 1881, 645 people were recorded with the Kellet surname. That placed it at #5,530 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kellet surname today?

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

What does the Kellet map show?

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