NameCensus.

UK surname

Kille

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "church".

In the 1881 census there were 59 people recorded with the Kille surname, ranking it #25,281 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 136, ranked #25,377, down from #25,281 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Willesden, Upton with Chalvey and East Meon (incl. Westbury & Peak). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cherwell, East Devon and Bath and North East Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kille is 167 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 130.5%.

1881 census count

59

Ranked #25,281

Modern count

136

2016, ranked #25,377

Peak year

2010

167 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kille had 59 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,281 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016, ranked #25,377.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 152 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Kille surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kille surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kille 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 31 #27,734
1861 historical 65 #25,618
1881 historical 59 #25,281
1891 historical 67 #28,424
1901 historical 131 #19,552
1911 historical 152 #17,712
1997 modern 132 #22,821
1998 modern 134 #23,202
1999 modern 138 #22,983
2000 modern 140 #22,752
2001 modern 137 #22,740
2002 modern 144 #22,501
2003 modern 146 #22,069
2004 modern 135 #23,326
2005 modern 137 #23,110
2006 modern 150 #21,915
2007 modern 151 #22,120
2008 modern 151 #22,323
2009 modern 162 #21,791
2010 modern 167 #21,835
2011 modern 165 #21,829
2012 modern 144 #23,902
2013 modern 141 #24,670
2014 modern 140 #24,977
2015 modern 138 #25,103
2016 modern 136 #25,377

Geography

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Where Killes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Willesden, Upton with Chalvey, East Meon (incl. Westbury & Peak), Hove and Bookham, Great. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cherwell, East Devon, Bath and North East Somerset, Brighton and Hove and Wealden. 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 Willesden Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 Upton with Chalvey Buckinghamshire
3 East Meon (incl. Westbury & Peak) Hampshire
4 Hove Sussex
5 Bookham, Great Surrey

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cherwell 011 Cherwell
2 East Devon 004 East Devon
3 Bath and North East Somerset 017 Bath and North East Somerset
4 Brighton and Hove 031 Brighton and Hove
5 Wealden 007 Wealden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kille

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kille

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Kille 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

Kille 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

Kille falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Kille

The surname Kille is of English origin, derived from the Norman personal name "Killus" or "Killick", which itself is thought to have come from the Old French "cillier", meaning "wine steward" or "cellar man". This occupational surname was likely first adopted by someone who worked in the wine cellars or vineyards of a Norman lord.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a Robertus filius Kille (Robert, son of Kille) is mentioned. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, listing a William Kylle.

In the 13th century, the name took on various spellings, such as Kille, Kylle, Kylly, and Killey, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. The Kille spelling seems to have become predominant in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire.

A notable early bearer of the name was John Kille, a merchant from Hull, who was mentioned in the town's records in 1379. Another early example is Robert Kille, a landowner from Lincolnshire, whose name appears in the Feet of Fines for that county in 1428.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname spread to other parts of England, and some Killes emigrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances in America is that of Richard Kille, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.

Other notable bearers of the Kille surname include:

1. William Kille (1572-1642), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Lenton, Nottinghamshire.

2. John Kille (1679-1754), a prominent merchant and shipowner from Whitby, Yorkshire, who played a role in the development of the town's whaling industry.

3. Robert Kille (1805-1875), a Scottish engineer and inventor who developed an early form of the pneumatic tire.

4. James Kille (1832-1904), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the mid-19th century.

5. Katharine Kille (1899-1982), an American artist and educator known for her landscape paintings and her work as an art professor at the University of Illinois.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kille families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kille 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 47 Killes recorded in 1881 and an index of 41.99x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 47 41.99x
Sussex 5 5.43x
Somerset 3 3.41x
Middlesex 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. East Meon in Hampshire leads with 44 Killes recorded in 1881 and an index of 15172.41x.

Place Total Index
East Meon 44 15172.41x
Portslade 5 892.86x
Old Cleeve 3 967.74x
Eling 2 176.99x
Kensington London 1 3.29x
Portsea 1 4.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 2
Mary 2
Sarah 2
Alice 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Dorcas 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Florince 1
Hephzibah 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Lydia 1
Miriam 1
Naomi 1
S.Bertha 1
Zillah 1

Top male names

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

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Kille households.

FAQ

Kille surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kille surname in 1881?

In 1881, 59 people were recorded with the Kille surname. That placed it at #25,281 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kille surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016. That gives Kille a modern rank of #25,377.

What does the Kille surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "church".

What does the Kille map show?

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