NameCensus.

UK surname

Kersley

In the 1881 census there were 344 people recorded with the Kersley surname, ranking it #8,864 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 330, ranked #13,765, down from #8,864 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Odiham, Rotherwick and Overton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Benderloch Trail, Runnymede and Basingstoke and Deane.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kersley is 463 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.1%.

1881 census count

344

Ranked #8,864

Modern count

330

2016, ranked #13,765

Peak year

1891

463 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kersley had 344 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,864 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 330 in 2016, ranked #13,765.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 463 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Kersley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kersley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kersley 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 262 #8,456
1861 historical 277 #9,025
1881 historical 344 #8,864
1891 historical 463 #7,902
1901 historical 452 #8,676
1911 historical 444 #8,598
1997 modern 344 #12,319
1998 modern 345 #12,649
1999 modern 344 #12,776
2000 modern 351 #12,534
2001 modern 341 #12,588
2002 modern 341 #12,864
2003 modern 327 #13,046
2004 modern 334 #12,897
2005 modern 323 #13,133
2006 modern 336 #12,842
2007 modern 343 #12,773
2008 modern 332 #13,207
2009 modern 330 #13,513
2010 modern 335 #13,645
2011 modern 340 #13,375
2012 modern 328 #13,625
2013 modern 330 #13,777
2014 modern 335 #13,720
2015 modern 330 #13,774
2016 modern 330 #13,765

Geography

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Where Kersleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Odiham, Rotherwick, Overton, London parishes and Herriard. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Benderloch Trail, Runnymede, Basingstoke and Deane, Torfaen and Powys. 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 Odiham Hampshire
2 Rotherwick Hampshire
3 Overton Hampshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Herriard Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Benderloch Trail Argyll and Bute
2 Runnymede 007 Runnymede
3 Basingstoke and Deane 022 Basingstoke and Deane
4 Torfaen 006 Torfaen
5 Powys 020 Powys

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kersley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kersley

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Kersley is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Kersley is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kersley falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Kersley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kersley 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. Hampshire leads with 118 Kersleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.11x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 118 17.11x
Lancashire 60 1.50x
Surrey 40 2.44x
Middlesex 35 1.04x
Berkshire 23 9.10x
Yorkshire 13 0.39x
Sussex 9 1.59x
Cheshire 8 1.08x
Staffordshire 7 0.62x
Kent 6 0.52x
Norfolk 5 0.97x
Devon 4 0.57x
Dorset 4 1.81x
Flintshire 2 2.21x
Leicestershire 2 0.54x
Lincolnshire 2 0.37x
Northamptonshire 2 0.63x
Bedfordshire 1 0.57x
Glamorgan 1 0.17x
Hertfordshire 1 0.43x
Suffolk 1 0.24x
Wiltshire 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Odiham in Hampshire leads with 16 Kersleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 528.05x.

Place Total Index
Odiham 16 528.05x
Oldham 15 11.64x
Ince In Makerfield 11 59.20x
Overton 10 606.06x
St George Hanover Square 10 16.86x
Ash Normandy 9 403.59x
Basingstoke 9 113.49x
Runcorn 8 46.70x
Great Bolton 7 13.23x
Horsforth 7 95.76x
Reading St Giles 7 28.25x
Worth 7 169.90x
Herriard 6 1276.60x
Millbrook 6 34.54x
Congham 5 1315.79x
Hartley Wintney 5 241.55x
Hound 5 106.84x
Medstead 5 862.07x
Newcastle Under Lyme 5 24.88x
Portsea 5 3.70x
Rotherwick 5 943.40x
Shadwell London 5 53.08x
West Meon 5 543.48x
Westminster St Margaret 5 30.81x
Basing 4 310.08x
Chobham 4 138.41x
Earley 4 95.01x
Ellisfield 4 1379.31x
Exeter St Paul 4 287.77x
Guildford St Nicholas 4 137.93x
Islington London 4 1.23x
Kensington London 4 2.14x
Preston 4 3.74x
Shaftesbury St Peter 4 388.35x
South Stoneham 4 26.74x
Stratfieldsaye 4 606.06x
Up Nately 4 3076.92x
Winchfield 4 952.38x
Battersea 3 2.42x
Chertsey 3 28.30x
Clapham 3 7.13x
Deptford St Paul 3 3.39x
Dover St Mary Virgin 3 27.00x
Frensham 3 124.48x
Manchester 3 1.67x
Sherfield Upon Loddon 3 405.41x
St Faith Winchester 3 93.17x
St Maurice Winchester 3 104.53x
Stanghow 3 222.22x
Stoke 3 38.76x
Ashton Under Lyne 2 2.29x
Clee With Weelsby 2 16.98x
Clewer 2 19.32x
Dalton In Huddersfield 2 26.77x
Eastbourne 2 7.66x
Handsworth 2 7.14x
Harrow 2 38.91x
Havant 2 57.31x
Hawarden 2 28.13x
Hawley 2 153.85x
Hindley 2 11.74x
Hurst 2 60.42x
Leicester St Leonard 2 56.66x
Liverpool 2 0.82x
Paddington London 2 1.62x
Radcliffe 2 10.39x
Salford 2 1.70x
Speen 2 48.43x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 1.58x
Dummer 1 222.22x
Frimley 1 21.41x
Hulme 1 1.20x
Long Ditton 1 37.31x
Newington 1 0.80x
Northampton All Sts 1 9.31x
St George Martyr London 1 14.66x
Wakefield 1 3.91x
Wargrave 1 46.08x
Wimbledon 1 5.43x
Woking 1 10.12x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 23
Elizabeth 21
Ann 13
Sarah 11
Ellen 8
Alice 6
Annie 6
Emma 6
Caroline 4
Charlotte 4
Harriett 4
Esther 3
Hannah 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Amelia 2
Anna 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Henrietta 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Margaret 2
Minnie 2
Rose 2
Antonia 1
Beatrice 1
Betty 1
Edith 1
Eliz. 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizth.A. 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Geraldine 1
Harriet 1
Janet 1
Jemima 1
Julia 1
Kathleen 1
Keturah 1
Laura 1
Maggie 1
Maria 1
Maude 1
Phillis 1
Phoebe 1
Rebecca 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 20
William 20
Charles 16
George 14
Thomas 11
James 9
Joseph 6
Edward 5
Richard 5
Walter 5
Albert 3
Alfred 3
Edwin 3
Ernest 3
Frederick 3
Luke 3
Robert 3
Antony 2
Daniel 2
Francis 2
Gilbert 2
Harry 2
Henry 2
Leonard 2
Mark 2
Percival 2
Benjamin 1
Clifton 1
Cornelous 1
David 1
Ed. 1
Edmund 1
Felix 1
Frances 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Heckter 1
Herbert 1
Jessie 1
Job 1
Jos. 1
Nathanial 1
Percy 1
Rodger 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Stewart 1
Tom 1
Wilfred 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Kersley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kersley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 344 people were recorded with the Kersley surname. That placed it at #8,864 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kersley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 330 in 2016. That gives Kersley a modern rank of #13,765.

What does the Kersley map show?

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