NameCensus.

UK surname

Kill

A surname derived from a nickname or placename associated with a kiln or furnace.

In the 1881 census there were 178 people recorded with the Kill surname, ranking it #13,840 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 330, ranked #13,765, up from #13,840 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Fareham, Codford St Mary and Bulford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Haringey, Southampton and Merton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kill is 483 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 85.4%.

1881 census count

178

Ranked #13,840

Modern count

330

2016, ranked #13,765

Peak year

1861

483 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kill had 178 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,840 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 483 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Kill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kill surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kill 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 287 #7,909
1861 historical 483 #5,407
1881 historical 178 #13,840
1891 historical 317 #10,611
1901 historical 277 #12,281
1911 historical 305 #11,307
1997 modern 328 #12,758
1998 modern 333 #12,964
1999 modern 342 #12,829
2000 modern 318 #13,415
2001 modern 308 #13,519
2002 modern 299 #14,017
2003 modern 297 #13,917
2004 modern 297 #13,971
2005 modern 284 #14,306
2006 modern 293 #14,116
2007 modern 296 #14,172
2008 modern 303 #14,038
2009 modern 309 #14,135
2010 modern 329 #13,818
2011 modern 310 #14,292
2012 modern 310 #14,210
2013 modern 308 #14,482
2014 modern 323 #14,081
2015 modern 328 #13,840
2016 modern 330 #13,765

Geography

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Where Kills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Fareham, Codford St Mary, Bulford, London parishes and Portsmouth, Portsea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Haringey, Southampton, Merton and Telford and Wrekin. 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 Fareham Hampshire
2 Codford St Mary Wiltshire
3 Bulford Wiltshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Haringey 008 Haringey
2 Southampton 026 Southampton
3 Merton 020 Merton
4 Southampton 028 Southampton
5 Telford and Wrekin 021 Telford and Wrekin

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kill

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kill, 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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Kill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Kill household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Kill is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kill is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kill 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 Kill 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 Kill, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Kill

The surname KILL has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cyll" which means a hollow or deep pit. The name likely referred to someone who lived near such a geological feature.

In some of the earliest records from the 13th century, the name appears as "de Kylle" or "atte Kylle" indicating a person from a place with that name. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 list a Richard de la Kylle in Oxfordshire. A few decades later in 1327, the Subsidy Rolls mention a John atte Kylle in Sussex.

By the 15th century, the spelling had evolved closer to the modern form with examples like John Kylle recorded in 1428 in Somerset. The variant Kille also appears around this time in records from Essex and Norfolk.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Kylle, a merchant from Bristol who is mentioned in port records from 1473. Another early example is Richard Kyll, a farmer from Dorset whose will is dated 1512.

The KILL surname continued to be found primarily in southern England throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Notable people included Sir John Kille (1529-1594), a member of Parliament representing Lyme Regis, and Thomas Kill (1627-1711), an English scholar of Greek and Hebrew.

As the name spread more widely, other prominent figures emerged such as Henry Kill (1690-1782), a wealthy London merchant and philanthropist who endowed schools and almshouses. Later was the politician William Watkin Kill (1806-1878) who served as Mayor of Pembroke.

Moving into the 19th century, the geologist John Kill (1822-1891) conducted important surveys mapping coal reserves in Yorkshire. Around the same time lived Robert Kill (1811-1890), a prolific writer who penned over 50 novels and works of history under the pseudonym Cavalier.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kill 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 69 Kills recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.39x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 69 19.39x
Wiltshire 35 22.80x
Middlesex 15 0.86x
Surrey 14 1.65x
Lanarkshire 8 1.42x
Essex 6 1.75x
Berkshire 5 3.84x
Derbyshire 5 1.84x
Kirkcudbrightshire 4 15.92x
Sussex 4 1.37x
Durham 3 0.58x
Kent 3 0.51x
Argyllshire 1 2.07x
Cheshire 1 0.26x
Glamorgan 1 0.33x
Lancashire 1 0.05x
Lincolnshire 1 0.36x
Renfrewshire 1 0.74x
Yorkshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Portsmouth in Hampshire leads with 9 Kills recorded in 1881 and an index of 109.89x.

Place Total Index
Portsmouth 9 109.89x
Berwick St Leonard 8 20000.00x
Croydon 8 17.04x
Govan 8 5.76x
Hound 8 330.58x
Portsea 8 11.47x
Southampton St Mary 8 35.75x
Great Clacton 6 512.82x
Alverstoke 5 38.82x
Bentworth 5 1515.15x
Clewer 5 93.63x
Codford St Mary 5 2380.95x
Downton 5 248.76x
Knook 5 7142.86x
Southampton All Sts 5 81.83x
St George Hanover Square 5 16.35x
Staveley 5 103.52x
Hambledon 4 333.33x
Kirkbean 4 833.33x
Titchfield 4 149.25x
Tottenham 4 14.47x
Westbury 4 111.73x
Arundel 3 182.93x
Petersfield 3 306.12x
St Mary Kalendar 3 405.41x
Warminster 3 89.29x
Boyton 2 1111.11x
Cheriton 2 82.99x
Codford St Peter 2 1052.63x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 2 8.94x
Holy Rood 2 277.78x
Holybourne 2 571.43x
Thames Ditton 2 113.64x
Ardingly 1 107.53x
Beddington 1 30.58x
Binsted 1 73.53x
Brading 1 21.14x
Chelsea London 1 1.91x
Chester St John Baptist 1 14.51x
Esher 1 84.75x
Fisherton Anger 1 35.21x
Great Grimsby 1 5.68x
Heston 1 17.33x
Kensington London 1 1.04x
Kilmorich 1 500.00x
Kingston On Thames 1 4.92x
Kirkby 1 120.48x
Lambeth 1 0.66x
Leeds 1 1.03x
Lewisham 1 3.17x
Middle Greenock 1 27.25x
Mile End Old Town London 1 2.71x
Penmark 1 344.83x
Poplar London 1 3.05x
St Mary Extra 1 34.97x
St Pancras London 1 0.72x
Stockton On Tees 1 4.02x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 10
Henry 9
George 8
William 8
Alfred 5
James 5
Charles 4
Albert 3
Edward 2
Frederick 2
Lewis 2
Robert 2
Stephen 2
Daniel 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Geo. 1
Geo.J. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Hy. 1
Job 1
Joseph 1
Lemuel 1
Peter 1
Philip 1
Sidney 1
St 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Walter 1
Wm.C. 1

FAQ

Kill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 178 people were recorded with the Kill surname. That placed it at #13,840 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kill surname today?

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

What does the Kill surname mean?

A surname derived from a nickname or placename associated with a kiln or furnace.

What does the Kill map show?

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