NameCensus.

UK surname

Killingsworth

A locational surname referring to someone from Killingworth, England, meaning "Cylla's enclosure" or "kiln enclosure."

In the 1881 census there were 11 people recorded with the Killingsworth surname, ranking it #32,081 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 130, ranked #26,152, up from #32,081 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lincoln.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Killingsworth is 133 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1081.8%.

1881 census count

11

Ranked #32,081

Modern count

130

2016, ranked #26,152

Peak year

2011

133 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Killingsworth had 11 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #32,081 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 130 in 2016, ranked #26,152.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 49 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Killingsworth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Killingsworth surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Killingsworth 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 17 #30,267
1861 historical 21 #31,242
1881 historical 11 #32,081
1891 historical 38 #31,330
1901 historical 48 #28,808
1911 historical 49 #27,894
1997 modern 119 #24,302
1998 modern 123 #24,449
1999 modern 127 #24,125
2000 modern 121 #24,824
2001 modern 122 #24,366
2002 modern 125 #24,492
2003 modern 119 #25,026
2004 modern 113 #25,999
2005 modern 112 #26,114
2006 modern 114 #26,120
2007 modern 121 #25,469
2008 modern 117 #26,351
2009 modern 127 #25,564
2010 modern 124 #26,582
2011 modern 133 #25,177
2012 modern 127 #25,992
2013 modern 123 #26,974
2014 modern 128 #26,490
2015 modern 132 #25,859
2016 modern 130 #26,152

Geography

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Where Killingsworths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lincoln. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lincoln 004 Lincoln
2 Lincoln 002 Lincoln
3 Lincoln 010 Lincoln
4 Lincoln 001 Lincoln
5 Lincoln 011 Lincoln

Forenames

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First names often paired with Killingsworth

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Killingsworth

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Killingsworth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Killingsworth household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Killingsworth 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

Killingsworth is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Killingsworth falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Killingsworth

The surname Killingsworth has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period of the 11th to 15th centuries. It is an Anglo-Saxon locational name derived from a place called Killingworth, which was likely a former settlement or parish within England. The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "cyling" meaning young man or servant, and "worth" meaning an enclosed settlement or farm.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Killingsworth name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Killingworth, suggesting the name was already established by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show a Roger de Killingworth who held lands in Northamptonshire, indicating the name's connection to that region of England. During the same period, a Robert de Killingworth was documented as a member of the clergy in the city of York.

Sir Robert Killingsworth, born in 1492, was a prominent figure during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as a member of the King's Privy Council and was appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, a prestigious position overseeing the coastal defenses of southeastern England.

Another notable bearer of the name was William Killingsworth, born in 1607, who was among the early Puritan settlers of New England. He sailed aboard the ship Mary and John in 1630 and became one of the founders of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts.

In the 18th century, John Killingsworth, born in 1732, was a respected merchant and landowner in the colony of Virginia. His estate, known as Killingsworth Plantation, was located along the James River and played a role in the American Revolutionary War as a staging ground for military operations.

These historical examples demonstrate the longevity and significance of the Killingsworth surname, which has its roots in the medieval settlements of England and has been carried by individuals of prominence throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Killingsworth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Killingsworth 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. Norfolk leads with 5 Killingsworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 30.32x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 5 30.32x
Cambridgeshire 2 29.46x
Kent 1 2.73x
Lancashire 1 0.79x
Lincolnshire 1 5.83x
Middlesex 1 0.93x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Walsoken in Norfolk leads with 5 Killingsworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 5000.00x.

Place Total Index
Walsoken 5 5000.00x
St Andrewthe Less 2 256.41x
Chelsea London 1 30.96x
Gainsborough 1 250.00x
Horton Kirby 1 1666.67x
Turton 1 476.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Harriet 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Barker 1
Edward 1
George 1
John 1
William 1
Willm. 1

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 Killingsworth households.

FAQ

Killingsworth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Killingsworth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 11 people were recorded with the Killingsworth surname. That placed it at #32,081 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Killingsworth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 130 in 2016. That gives Killingsworth a modern rank of #26,152.

What does the Killingsworth surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Killingworth, England, meaning "Cylla's enclosure" or "kiln enclosure."

What does the Killingsworth map show?

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