NameCensus.

UK surname

Kerley

An English occupational surname referring to a maker of cauldrons or vats, derived from the Old English "cȳrle."

In the 1881 census there were 543 people recorded with the Kerley surname, ranking it #6,354 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 835, ranked #6,674, down from #6,354 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Poole St James, London parishes and Shapwick, Witchampton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire and North Dorset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kerley is 988 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 53.8%.

1881 census count

543

Ranked #6,354

Modern count

835

2016, ranked #6,674

Peak year

1999

988 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kerley had 543 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,354 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 835 in 2016, ranked #6,674.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 820 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Kerley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kerley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kerley 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 386 #6,216
1861 historical 359 #7,113
1881 historical 543 #6,354
1891 historical 678 #5,761
1901 historical 767 #5,836
1911 historical 820 #5,371
1997 modern 926 #5,832
1998 modern 975 #5,797
1999 modern 988 #5,767
2000 modern 986 #5,760
2001 modern 954 #5,798
2002 modern 969 #5,830
2003 modern 933 #5,922
2004 modern 903 #6,077
2005 modern 901 #6,026
2006 modern 878 #6,149
2007 modern 874 #6,237
2008 modern 881 #6,236
2009 modern 876 #6,408
2010 modern 873 #6,561
2011 modern 881 #6,435
2012 modern 858 #6,478
2013 modern 878 #6,478
2014 modern 889 #6,438
2015 modern 847 #6,631
2016 modern 835 #6,674

Geography

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Where Kerleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Poole St James, London parishes, Shapwick, Witchampton, Iwerne Minster and Wimborne Minster, Gussage All Saints, Chalbury. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire and North Dorset. 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 Poole St James Dorset
2 London parishes London 3
3 Shapwick, Witchampton Dorset
4 Iwerne Minster Dorset
5 Wimborne Minster, Gussage All Saints, Chalbury Dorset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 052 Wiltshire
2 Wiltshire 058 Wiltshire
3 North Dorset 008 North Dorset
4 North Dorset 007 North Dorset
5 Wiltshire 059 Wiltshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kerley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kerley

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

Kerley 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

Kerley falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Kerley

The surname Kerley originates from the 12th century in the northern English county of Yorkshire. It is derived from the Old English words 'cyrr' meaning a bend or turn, and 'lēah' meaning a meadow or field. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a bend in a river or stream surrounded by meadows.

One of the earliest records of the name appears in the 1379 Poll Tax Returns for Yorkshire, where a John de Kerley is listed. The prefix 'de' indicating he was from the place called Kerley or Kerlegh, an old spelling variation.

By the 16th century, the surname had evolved to the modern spelling of Kerley. Parish records from 1568 in the village of Tadcaster, Yorkshire show a Thomas Kerley was born that year. Kerley Beck, a small stream near the village, may be the origin of the place name the surname derived from.

An early notable bearer of the name was Sir Ralph Kerley (1580-1647), an English landowner and Member of Parliament who supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. His estate of Kersall Cell in Lancashire was confiscated by Parliament in 1645.

Moving into the 18th century, John Kerley (1708-1788) was a successful merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England who traded extensively with the American colonies before the Revolutionary War.

In the 19th century, Thomas Kerley (1819-1898) emigrated from Yorkshire to Australia in 1841, becoming a prosperous sheep farmer near Goulburn, New South Wales. His descendants continue to use the Kerley name in that region.

Another 19th century bearer was William Kerley (1835-1912), a prolific English landscape painter who exhibited works at the Royal Academy and is represented in galleries across the United Kingdom.

The surname Kerley maintains a strong connection to its Yorkshire origins, appearing predominantly in northern England census records through the modern era, while also finding representation in other English-speaking nations through later emigration.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kerley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kerley 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. Dorset leads with 183 Kerleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 52.07x.

County Total Index
Dorset 183 52.07x
Hampshire 127 11.57x
Wiltshire 62 13.09x
Middlesex 57 1.06x
Lancashire 30 0.47x
Sussex 15 1.66x
Kent 11 0.60x
Berkshire 10 2.49x
Gloucestershire 9 0.86x
Lanarkshire 8 0.46x
Surrey 7 0.27x
Channel Islands 4 2.52x
Cheshire 3 0.25x
Somerset 3 0.35x
West Lothian 3 3.72x
Yorkshire 3 0.06x
Bedfordshire 2 0.72x
Devon 2 0.18x
Essex 2 0.19x
Staffordshire 2 0.11x
Cornwall 1 0.16x
Durham 1 0.06x
Hertfordshire 1 0.27x
Lincolnshire 1 0.12x
Royal Navy 1 1.57x
Suffolk 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Iwerne Courtnay in Dorset leads with 25 Kerleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1054.85x.

Place Total Index
Iwerne Courtnay 25 1054.85x
Holdenhurst 23 79.89x
Christchurch 21 88.24x
Wimborne 16 376.47x
Fisherton Anger 15 171.04x
Southampton St Mary 14 20.28x
Kingston Deverill 13 2549.02x
Kinson 13 189.23x
Millbrook 13 47.03x
Paddington London 13 6.60x
Sixpenny Handley 13 755.81x
Winfrith Newburgh 12 681.82x
Shapwick 11 1358.02x
Chelsea London 9 5.58x
Ebbesborne Wake 9 1800.00x
Nether Wallop 9 620.69x
St Thomas Winchester 9 116.13x
Sunninghill 9 161.29x
Widnes 9 19.64x
Barony 8 1.83x
Cranborne 8 188.24x
Edmondsham 8 1904.76x
South Stoneham 8 33.60x
Sturminster Marshall 8 544.22x
Arundel 7 138.34x
Clerkenwell London 7 5.54x
Queenborough 7 386.74x
Cheetham 6 12.66x
Isleworth 6 25.20x
Lymington 6 74.35x
Manchester 6 2.10x
Pimperne 6 769.23x
Sherborne 6 57.97x
Sutton Waldron 6 1714.29x
Wilton 6 179.10x
Aldershot 5 13.60x
Broad Chalk 5 370.37x
Horton 5 588.24x
Marnhull 5 195.31x
Poole St James 5 37.85x
Salford 5 2.68x
Wimborne St Giles 5 602.41x
Wotton Ville 5 500.00x
Brighton 4 2.20x
Ealing 4 8.36x
Lytchett Matravers 4 314.96x
St George Martyr London 4 36.87x
St Helier 4 7.74x
St Mary Extra 4 45.30x
St Pancras London 4 0.93x
Stourpaine 4 388.35x
West Wellow 4 377.36x
Witchampton 4 444.44x
Compton Bassett 3 434.78x
Corfe Mullen 3 236.22x
East Lavant 3 405.41x
Kimberworth 3 10.19x
Lambeth 3 0.64x
Liverpool 3 0.78x
Queensferry 3 152.28x
Ryde 3 12.72x
Spetisbury 3 309.28x
St John Winchester 3 129.87x
Tonbridge 3 4.55x
Wimborne Minster 3 52.82x
Cirencester 2 14.06x
Hampton London 2 22.73x
Harbridge 2 294.12x
Liddiard Tregooze 2 165.29x
Newington 2 1.01x
Northwood 2 12.80x
Sandy 2 40.90x
Southhampton St Mary Extra 2 168.07x
St George Hanover Square 2 2.12x
St Martin In Fields 2 6.24x
Tollard Farnham 2 588.24x
Wareham Holy Trinity 2 130.72x
Wednesbury 2 4.43x
Yeovil 2 11.42x
Plymouth Charles The 1 2.04x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Kerley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kerley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 543 people were recorded with the Kerley surname. That placed it at #6,354 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kerley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 835 in 2016. That gives Kerley a modern rank of #6,674.

What does the Kerley surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a maker of cauldrons or vats, derived from the Old English "cȳrle."

What does the Kerley map show?

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