NameCensus.

UK surname

Kennon

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "O Cainneoin," meaning "descendant of Cainnean" (a diminutive of "cainn," meaning "wolf").

In the 1881 census there were 102 people recorded with the Kennon surname, ranking it #19,518 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 174, ranked #21,466, down from #19,518 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanark, London parishes and St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lochside and Lincluden, Sunderland and Allerdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kennon is 189 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 70.6%.

1881 census count

102

Ranked #19,518

Modern count

174

2016, ranked #21,466

Peak year

2014

189 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kennon had 102 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,518 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 174 in 2016, ranked #21,466.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 138 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Kennon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kennon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kennon 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 92 #18,050
1861 historical 64 #25,747
1881 historical 102 #19,518
1891 historical 137 #19,501
1901 historical 138 #18,955
1911 historical 114 #21,064
1997 modern 138 #22,227
1998 modern 140 #22,615
1999 modern 150 #21,826
2000 modern 143 #22,457
2001 modern 136 #22,855
2002 modern 137 #23,198
2003 modern 133 #23,359
2004 modern 138 #22,997
2005 modern 145 #22,253
2006 modern 141 #22,833
2007 modern 144 #22,804
2008 modern 144 #23,037
2009 modern 157 #22,271
2010 modern 163 #22,205
2011 modern 163 #21,983
2012 modern 175 #20,984
2013 modern 182 #20,795
2014 modern 189 #20,441
2015 modern 183 #20,786
2016 modern 174 #21,466

Geography

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Where Kennons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanark, London parishes, St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey, Newcastle St John and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lochside and Lincluden, Sunderland, Allerdale, Lancaster and Cheshire East. 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 Lanark Lanark
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey London (South Districts)
4 Newcastle St John Northumberland
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lochside and Lincluden Dumfries and Galloway
2 Sunderland 035 Sunderland
3 Allerdale 006 Allerdale
4 Lancaster 002 Lancaster
5 Cheshire East 007 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kennon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kennon

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kennon, 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 Kennon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Kennon 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Kennon 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

Kennon is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kennon falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Kennon

The surname Kennon is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the place name Kennon or Kenyon, which referred to locations in various parts of England, including Lancashire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kennon can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name had already established itself in certain regions of the country by the late 11th century.

The name Kennon is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "cyn" or "cynn," meaning "family" or "kin," and "tun," meaning "settlement" or "enclosure." This combination likely referred to a settlement or enclosure belonging to a particular family or clan, giving rise to the place name and subsequently the surname.

In the 13th century, records show a Robert de Kenyon residing in Lancashire, indicating the presence of the name in that region. During the same period, the spellings "Kennion" and "Kenion" also appeared in various documents, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Kennon was Sir Edward Kennon (1615-1689), an English judge and Serjeant-at-Law. He served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland from 1677 to 1689.

Another prominent individual was Richard Kennon (1726-1791), a British naval officer who served as Governor of the British Leeward Islands from 1770 to 1776. He played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War, commanding naval forces in the West Indies.

William Kennon (1737-1804) was an American Revolutionary War officer and politician from Virginia. He served as a delegate to the Virginia Convention of 1788, where he voted to ratify the United States Constitution.

In the 19th century, Richard Kennon (1796-1865) was a prominent American politician and jurist from Virginia. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and as a judge on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Kennon in the United States can be traced back to John Kennon, who arrived in Virginia from England in the 17th century and established a plantation along the James River.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kennon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kennon 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. Cumberland leads with 19 Kennons recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.97x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 19 21.97x
Northumberland 18 12.04x
Lancashire 15 1.26x
Lanarkshire 13 4.00x
Warwickshire 8 3.16x
Surrey 6 1.23x
Ayrshire 4 5.32x
Middlesex 4 0.40x
Renfrewshire 4 5.14x
Derbyshire 3 1.91x
Norfolk 3 1.94x
Monmouthshire 1 1.38x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.74x
Royal Navy 1 8.35x
Shropshire 1 1.15x
Staffordshire 1 0.29x
Yorkshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cockermouth in Cumberland leads with 13 Kennons recorded in 1881 and an index of 714.29x.

Place Total Index
Cockermouth 13 714.29x
Lanark 12 459.77x
Elswick 9 75.44x
Birmingham 8 9.47x
Bermondsey 6 20.06x
Ellenborough Ewanrigg 6 1000.00x
Manchester 6 11.19x
Newcastle On Tyne St 6 77.42x
Ballantrae 4 800.00x
East Greenock 4 54.42x
Everton 4 10.53x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 3 64.66x
Litchurch 3 47.39x
St Marylebone London 3 5.59x
Warrington 3 21.23x
Barony 1 1.22x
Cullercoates 1 212.77x
Heckmondwike 1 31.25x
Jesmond 1 47.62x
Liverpool 1 1.38x
Llangwm Ucha 1 1000.00x
Ludlow St Lawrence 1 57.80x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 1 11.20x
Nottingham St Mary 1 2.85x
Shoreditch London 1 2.30x
Tipton 1 9.63x
West Derby 1 2.87x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 9
John 6
Thomas 6
James 3
Robert 3
Livingston 2
Alfred 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
George 1
Joseph 1
Matthew 1
Samuel 1
Stanley 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Kennon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kennon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 102 people were recorded with the Kennon surname. That placed it at #19,518 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kennon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 174 in 2016. That gives Kennon a modern rank of #21,466.

What does the Kennon surname mean?

A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "O Cainneoin," meaning "descendant of Cainnean" (a diminutive of "cainn," meaning "wolf").

What does the Kennon map show?

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