NameCensus.

UK surname

Kesteven

In the 1881 census there were 80 people recorded with the Kesteven surname, ranking it #22,225 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 106, ranked #29,927, down from #22,225 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood and Sandbach. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Bath and North East Somerset and Adur.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kesteven is 128 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.5%.

1881 census count

80

Ranked #22,225

Modern count

106

2016, ranked #29,927

Peak year

1901

128 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kesteven had 80 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,225 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016, ranked #29,927.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 128 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Kesteven surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kesteven surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kesteven 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 60 #22,584
1861 historical 83 #23,189
1881 historical 80 #22,225
1891 historical 102 #23,719
1901 historical 128 #19,822
1911 historical 106 #21,948
1997 modern 109 #25,650
1998 modern 124 #24,316
1999 modern 120 #24,960
2000 modern 127 #24,121
2001 modern 119 #24,733
2002 modern 119 #25,231
2003 modern 114 #25,664
2004 modern 111 #26,293
2005 modern 116 #25,564
2006 modern 108 #27,015
2007 modern 112 #26,800
2008 modern 110 #27,391
2009 modern 117 #26,927
2010 modern 126 #26,312
2011 modern 112 #28,117
2012 modern 109 #28,689
2013 modern 114 #28,347
2014 modern 112 #28,934
2015 modern 111 #28,986
2016 modern 106 #29,927

Geography

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Where Kestevens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood, Sandbach, St Mary Islington and Rotherham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Bath and North East Somerset, Adur and Nottingham. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood Nottinghamshire
3 Sandbach Cheshire
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 Rotherham Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 031 Cheshire East
2 Bath and North East Somerset 024 Bath and North East Somerset
3 Adur 004 Adur
4 Nottingham 036 Nottingham
5 Cheshire East 033 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kesteven

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kesteven

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

Read profile summary

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Kesteven is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Kesteven 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

Kesteven falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kesteven is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Kesteven families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kesteven 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. Yorkshire leads with 34 Kestevens recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.63x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 34 4.63x
Nottinghamshire 15 15.02x
Middlesex 8 1.08x
Staffordshire 7 2.80x
Cheshire 3 1.83x
Surrey 3 0.83x
Derbyshire 1 0.86x
Gloucestershire 1 0.69x
Hampshire 1 0.66x
Herefordshire 1 3.29x
Lincolnshire 1 0.84x
Wiltshire 1 1.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kimberworth in Yorkshire leads with 13 Kestevens recorded in 1881 and an index of 318.63x.

Place Total Index
Kimberworth 13 318.63x
Rotherham 12 289.86x
Sutton In Ashfield 10 460.83x
Enfield 5 102.88x
Norton In Moors 5 378.79x
Hucknall Under 4 769.23x
Thorne 4 439.56x
Pinner 3 461.54x
Burslem 2 27.89x
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 13.39x
Lambeth 2 3.09x
Sandbach 2 142.86x
Alsager 1 243.90x
Aston Cum Aughton 1 166.67x
Baslow With Bubnell 1 476.19x
Battersea 1 3.67x
Hunslet 1 8.73x
Portsea 1 3.36x
Ross 1 82.64x
Roundhay 1 476.19x
Swindon 1 19.69x
Uffington 1 833.33x
Westbury On Trym 1 20.33x
Worksop 1 33.78x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Sarah 4
Elizabeth 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Martha 2
A.M. 1
Ada 1
Annie 1
Betsy 1
Blandinah 1
Catherine 1
Dorothy 1
E.H. 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Harriette 1
Jane 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Lettice 1
Lizzie 1
M.B. 1
M.L. 1
Maria 1
Maud 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 7
Thomas 4
Frederick 2
George 2
James 2
Arthur 1
Clement 1
Earnest 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Frank 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Rowland 1
W.B. 1

FAQ

Kesteven surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kesteven surname in 1881?

In 1881, 80 people were recorded with the Kesteven surname. That placed it at #22,225 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kesteven surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 106 in 2016. That gives Kesteven a modern rank of #29,927.

What does the Kesteven map show?

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