NameCensus.

UK surname

Kerslake

A surname of English origin meaning dweller by the church lake or marsh.

In the 1881 census there were 997 people recorded with the Kerslake surname, ranking it #3,910 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,338, ranked #4,505, down from #3,910 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mid Devon, Taunton Deane and West Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kerslake is 1,398 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.2%.

1881 census count

997

Ranked #3,910

Modern count

1,338

2016, ranked #4,505

Peak year

1999

1,398 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kerslake had 997 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,910 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,338 in 2016, ranked #4,505.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,308 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Kerslake surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kerslake surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kerslake 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 582 #4,383
1861 historical 596 #4,445
1881 historical 997 #3,910
1891 historical 1,091 #3,873
1901 historical 1,308 #3,820
1911 historical 1,265 #3,758
1997 modern 1,366 #4,216
1998 modern 1,363 #4,370
1999 modern 1,398 #4,303
2000 modern 1,380 #4,343
2001 modern 1,341 #4,363
2002 modern 1,358 #4,406
2003 modern 1,313 #4,446
2004 modern 1,312 #4,451
2005 modern 1,290 #4,459
2006 modern 1,314 #4,408
2007 modern 1,312 #4,449
2008 modern 1,309 #4,488
2009 modern 1,345 #4,474
2010 modern 1,330 #4,600
2011 modern 1,327 #4,550
2012 modern 1,312 #4,535
2013 modern 1,351 #4,495
2014 modern 1,348 #4,529
2015 modern 1,347 #4,494
2016 modern 1,338 #4,505

Geography

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Where Kerslakes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841), London parishes and St Marylebone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mid Devon, Taunton Deane and West Somerset. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841) Devon
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Marylebone London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mid Devon 002 Mid Devon
2 Mid Devon 006 Mid Devon
3 Taunton Deane 012 Taunton Deane
4 Taunton Deane 013 Taunton Deane
5 West Somerset 001 West Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kerslake

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kerslake

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

Kerslake is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kerslake falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Kerslake

The surname Kerslake is of English origin, originating in the county of Devon in South West England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'cerse' meaning cress or watercress, and 'lacu' meaning a stream or small lake, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a cress-filled stream or lake.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kerslake can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Devon from 1327, where it appears as 'Kersylake'. This spelling variation highlights the name's locational roots and its connection to the Devon area. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not mention the name Kerslake directly, but it does record several place names in Devon that may have contributed to the surname's formation.

In the 16th century, the Kerslake surname appeared in various parish records and tax rolls across Devon, suggesting that the name was well-established in the region by that time. One notable early bearer of the name was John Kerslake, who was born in Exeter, Devon, in 1592 and became a prominent merchant and landowner in the area.

As the centuries progressed, the Kerslake name spread beyond Devon to other parts of England and even to other countries through migration and trade. One notable figure was Sir John Kerslake (1804-1870), a British civil servant and colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of British Guiana (now Guyana) from 1848 to 1853.

Another prominent individual was Thomas Kerslake (1845-1919), a distinguished English historian and antiquarian who was born in Bristol. He authored several books on the history of Devon and the surrounding counties, including "The Liberty of Tiverton" and "The Lay Subsidies for the County of Devon".

In the 20th century, the name Kerslake continued to be associated with notable individuals, such as Sir Paul Kerslake (born 1954), a British civil servant who served as the Head of the Civil Service and Cabinet Secretary from 2012 to 2014.

Despite its origins in Devon, the Kerslake surname can now be found in various parts of the world, testament to the migration and dispersal of families over time. However, its roots remain firmly planted in the historic county of Devon, where the name first emerged as a locational identifier for those residing near cress-filled streams and lakes.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kerslake families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kerslake 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. Devon leads with 413 Kerslakes recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.34x.

County Total Index
Devon 413 20.34x
Middlesex 141 1.45x
Somerset 113 7.20x
Gloucestershire 71 3.71x
Surrey 43 0.90x
Dorset 26 4.06x
Hampshire 25 1.25x
Kent 24 0.72x
Glamorgan 22 1.30x
Cornwall 21 1.90x
Derbyshire 18 1.18x
Essex 13 0.68x
Wiltshire 10 1.16x
Yorkshire 10 0.10x
Lancashire 9 0.08x
Nottinghamshire 9 0.68x
Norfolk 8 0.53x
Monmouthshire 6 0.85x
Oxfordshire 6 1.00x
Warwickshire 5 0.20x
Royal Navy 2 1.72x
Berkshire 1 0.14x
Channel Islands 1 0.35x
Leicestershire 1 0.09x
Lincolnshire 1 0.06x
Worcestershire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Exeter St Sidwell in Devon leads with 39 Kerslakes recorded in 1881 and an index of 83.87x.

Place Total Index
Exeter St Sidwell 39 83.87x
Tiverton 37 105.77x
St Pancras London 21 2.67x
Bristol St George 19 21.47x
St Marylebone London 18 3.46x
Sampford Peverell 16 744.19x
Bampton 15 241.16x
Lambeth 15 1.76x
Shoreditch London 15 3.55x
Tavistock 15 64.85x
Okehampton 14 182.77x
Willesden 14 15.23x
Werrington 13 590.91x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 12 6.66x
Halberton 12 253.70x
Loxbear 11 2682.93x
Uffculme 11 181.82x
Cornwood 10 257.73x
Cullompton 10 112.74x
Ilminster 10 91.16x
Plymouth St Andrew 10 6.39x
Wolborough 10 38.96x
Basford 9 14.85x
Islington London 9 0.95x
Southwark St George Martyr 9 4.59x
St Clement Danes London 9 44.58x
Westbury On Trym 9 13.88x
Woolwich 9 7.32x
Ystradyfodwg 9 6.04x
Bishops Nympton 8 206.72x
Bridgewater 8 18.77x
Calstock 8 36.93x
Cheriton Fitzpaine 8 310.08x
East Stonehouse 8 20.00x
Exeter Heavitree 8 52.84x
Hampstead London 8 5.27x
Horton In Bradford 8 5.30x
St Giles In Fields London 8 16.72x
Stoke Damerel 8 5.63x
Taunton St Mary 8 27.76x
West Teignmouth 8 51.51x
Withiel Florey 8 888.89x
Ashbrittle 7 551.18x
Bristol St Augustine 7 22.68x
Cheltenham 7 4.74x
Chesterfield 7 12.23x
Crediton 7 36.38x
Exeter St Thomas The 7 33.82x
Ilsington 7 197.18x
Southampton St Mary 7 5.57x
Sydenham Damerel 7 445.86x
West Ham 7 1.65x
Bedminster 6 4.07x
Bishops Fonthill 6 923.08x
Chelmsford 6 18.16x
Churchill 6 240.00x
Clerkenwell London 6 2.61x
Exeter St Olave 6 229.01x
Greenwich 6 3.86x
Oxford St Thomas 6 21.34x
Poplar London 6 3.26x
Portland 6 17.43x
Sparkford 6 714.29x
St Woollos 6 7.62x
Stoke Climsland 6 85.11x
Wells St Cuthbert 6 55.97x
Winterborne Monkton 6 2142.86x
Bishopsteignton 5 130.21x
Bristol St James St Paul 5 7.84x
Bristol St Paul In 5 9.81x
Butterleigh 5 1250.00x
Clawton 5 335.57x
Colaton Raleigh 5 199.20x
Eling 5 24.69x
Holcombe Rogus 5 204.08x
Ide 5 226.24x
Kensington London 5 0.92x
Milverton 5 86.36x
Otterford 5 370.37x
Portsea 5 1.28x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 79
Elizabeth 52
Sarah 25
Jane 21
Ellen 19
Eliza 17
Emma 17
Ann 15
Annie 13
Alice 12
Emily 11
Louisa 10
Susan 10
Maria 9
Ada 8
Jessie 8
Florence 7
Caroline 6
Fanny 6
Hannah 6
Kate 6
Bessie 5
Harriet 5
Harriett 5
Martha 5
Amelia 4
Anna 4
Charlotte 4
Frances 4
Grace 4
Lydia 4
Minnie 4
Rose 4
Sophia 4
Anne 3
Catherine 3
Edith 3
Elizth. 3
Lavinia 3
Margaret 3
Matilda 3
Rosa 3
Rosina 3
Gertrude 2
Lucy 2
Margt. 2
Marian 2
Maryann 2
Maude 2
Polly 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 68
John 67
Thomas 42
James 30
George 29
Henry 26
Charles 24
Robert 17
Albert 13
Richard 10
Samuel 10
Arthur 8
Ernest 8
Alfred 7
Edwin 7
Frederick 7
Walter 7
Francis 6
Joseph 6
Edward 4
Herbert 4
Willie 4
Wm. 4
Cornelius 3
Frank 3
Fred 3
Fredk. 3
Harry 3
Thos. 3
Emanuel 2
Geo. 2
Matthew 2
Tom 2
Benjamin 1
Bertie 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Edgar 1
Emmanuel 1
Eugene 1
F. 1
Frances 1
Fredrick 1
Hubert 1
Humphrey 1
Isaac 1
Jesse 1
Lewis 1
Mark 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Kerslake surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kerslake surname in 1881?

In 1881, 997 people were recorded with the Kerslake surname. That placed it at #3,910 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kerslake surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,338 in 2016. That gives Kerslake a modern rank of #4,505.

What does the Kerslake surname mean?

A surname of English origin meaning dweller by the church lake or marsh.

What does the Kerslake map show?

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