NameCensus.

UK surname

Killingworth

A locational surname originating from the town of Killingworth in Northumberland, England.

In the 1881 census there were 119 people recorded with the Killingworth surname, ranking it #17,841 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 146, ranked #24,173, down from #17,841 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Emneth, Wellingborough and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest Heath, Peterborough and Fenland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Killingworth is 172 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.7%.

1881 census count

119

Ranked #17,841

Modern count

146

2016, ranked #24,173

Peak year

2000

172 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Killingworth had 119 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,841 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 146 in 2016, ranked #24,173.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 170 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Killingworth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Killingworth surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Killingworth 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 84 #19,067
1861 historical 101 #20,955
1881 historical 119 #17,841
1891 historical 129 #20,285
1901 historical 121 #20,444
1911 historical 170 #16,510
1997 modern 160 #20,259
1998 modern 165 #20,423
1999 modern 161 #20,868
2000 modern 172 #19,974
2001 modern 166 #20,129
2002 modern 157 #21,261
2003 modern 156 #21,115
2004 modern 162 #20,756
2005 modern 162 #20,716
2006 modern 160 #21,066
2007 modern 161 #21,201
2008 modern 155 #21,956
2009 modern 158 #22,168
2010 modern 158 #22,692
2011 modern 159 #22,382
2012 modern 153 #22,963
2013 modern 153 #23,314
2014 modern 150 #23,864
2015 modern 153 #23,413
2016 modern 146 #24,173

Geography

Back to top

Where Killingworths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Emneth, Wellingborough, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Boston (incl. Boston allotments) and Kirton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest Heath, Peterborough, Fenland and Birmingham. 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 Emneth Cambridgeshire
2 Wellingborough Northamptonshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 Boston (incl. Boston allotments) Lincolnshire
5 Kirton Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest Heath 001 Forest Heath
2 Peterborough 017 Peterborough
3 Fenland 001 Fenland
4 Birmingham 120 Birmingham
5 Fenland 002 Fenland

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Killingworth

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Killingworth

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Killingworth, 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 Killingworth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Killingworth 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Killingworth is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Killingworth is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Killingworth

The surname Killingworth is of English origin, derived from the place name Killingworth, a village in Northumberland. The name likely evolved from the Old English words "cilling" meaning "descendant of Cilla" and "worth" meaning "enclosure or homestead." This suggests that the name may have originated from an estate or settlement belonging to someone named Cilla or their descendants.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Killingworth dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a certain Roger de Killingworth was mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of Northumberland. This document was a survey of land ownership and taxation conducted during the reign of King Edward I.

Another notable early reference to the name is found in the Calendarium Genealogicum, a historical record of English families compiled by Charles Roberts in the 17th century. It mentions a John Killingworth who was born in 1482 and served as a member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 16th century.

In the 16th century, a prominent individual bearing the surname Killingworth was Sir William Killingworth (1497-1558). He was an English navigator and explorer who led several expeditions to Muscovy (present-day Russia) on behalf of the English crown. His voyages helped establish trade relations between England and Russia, and he was instrumental in the formation of the Muscovy Company.

Another notable figure was Robert Killingworth (1655-1711), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge from 1699 until his death. He was a renowned scholar and published several works on theology and philosophy.

In the 18th century, Edward Killingworth (1720-1785) was a prominent English architect and surveyor. He designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Naval Hospital in Greenwich and the Foundling Hospital.

Over the centuries, the surname Killingworth has also been associated with various places in England, particularly in Northumberland and the surrounding areas. For instance, there is a village called Long Killingworth in Northumberland, and the name has been used to refer to other locations in the region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Killingworth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Killingworth 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 42 Killingworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.53x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 42 23.53x
Lincolnshire 22 11.85x
Northamptonshire 15 13.74x
Huntingdonshire 14 60.74x
Surrey 14 2.48x
Nottinghamshire 5 3.20x
Derbyshire 2 1.10x
Middlesex 2 0.17x
Berkshire 1 1.15x
Essex 1 0.44x
Oxfordshire 1 1.40x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Boston in Lincolnshire leads with 17 Killingworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 301.95x.

Place Total Index
Boston 17 301.95x
Walsoken 12 1121.50x
Bermondsey 10 28.94x
Wellingborough 10 182.15x
Clenchwarton 9 3333.33x
Bluntisham 8 1860.47x
Stanfield 8 11428.57x
Emneth 6 1500.00x
Orton Waterville 6 5000.00x
Feltwell Feltwell Anchor 5 1562.50x
Nottingham St Mary 5 12.36x
Gainsborough 4 91.32x
Irthlingborough 4 373.83x
Clapham 3 20.68x
Bakewell 2 202.02x
Barking 1 14.93x
Coningsby 1 188.68x
Crimplesham 1 833.33x
Godalming 1 28.09x
Hammersmith London 1 3.50x
Paddington London 1 2.34x
Peterborough 1 12.66x
Rotherfield Greys 1 131.58x
Tilney All Sts 1 454.55x
Wargrave 1 133.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 6
George 5
Robert 5
Joseph 4
William 4
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Harry 2
James 2
Richard 2
Anthony 1
Benj. 1
Benjamin 1
David 1
Dennis 1
Fred. 1
Frederic 1
Frederick 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Hunstan 1
Jno.Geo. 1
Matthew 1
Ralph 1
Thomas 1
W. 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1
Wm.Unstan 1

FAQ

Killingworth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Killingworth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 119 people were recorded with the Killingworth surname. That placed it at #17,841 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Killingworth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 146 in 2016. That gives Killingworth a modern rank of #24,173.

What does the Killingworth surname mean?

A locational surname originating from the town of Killingworth in Northumberland, England.

What does the Killingworth map show?

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