NameCensus.

UK surname

Kinder

Derived from the Middle High German word "kint" meaning "child", likely referring to a youthful person or descendant.

In the 1881 census there were 1,256 people recorded with the Kinder surname, ranking it #3,237 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,416, ranked #4,306, down from #3,237 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Glossop, Manchester and Almondbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Derbyshire Dales, Tameside and Warrington.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kinder is 1,546 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 12.7%.

1881 census count

1,256

Ranked #3,237

Modern count

1,416

2016, ranked #4,306

Peak year

1911

1,546 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kinder had 1,256 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,237 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,416 in 2016, ranked #4,306.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,546 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Kinder surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kinder surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kinder 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 855 #3,181
1861 historical 687 #3,920
1881 historical 1,256 #3,237
1891 historical 1,225 #3,514
1901 historical 1,470 #3,477
1911 historical 1,546 #3,134
1997 modern 1,335 #4,306
1998 modern 1,390 #4,302
1999 modern 1,387 #4,341
2000 modern 1,414 #4,253
2001 modern 1,379 #4,264
2002 modern 1,428 #4,223
2003 modern 1,389 #4,249
2004 modern 1,404 #4,206
2005 modern 1,379 #4,246
2006 modern 1,349 #4,320
2007 modern 1,376 #4,287
2008 modern 1,394 #4,273
2009 modern 1,416 #4,295
2010 modern 1,430 #4,336
2011 modern 1,388 #4,389
2012 modern 1,365 #4,392
2013 modern 1,395 #4,391
2014 modern 1,396 #4,404
2015 modern 1,406 #4,343
2016 modern 1,416 #4,306

Geography

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Where Kinders are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Glossop, Manchester, Almondbury, Stockport and Ashton-under-Lyne. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Derbyshire Dales, Tameside, Warrington and High Peak. 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 Glossop Derbyshire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Almondbury Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Stockport Lancashire
5 Ashton-under-Lyne Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Derbyshire Dales 007 Derbyshire Dales
2 Tameside 001 Tameside
3 Warrington 021 Warrington
4 Tameside 016 Tameside
5 High Peak 004 High Peak

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kinder

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kinder

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Kinder, 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 Kinder surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Kinder 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Kinder is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Kinder 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

Kinder falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Kinder

The surname Kinder originated in Germany, derived from the German word "Kind" meaning "child". This name was likely first used as a nickname for someone who was young or childlike in appearance or behavior. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Johannes Kinder, a merchant who lived in the city of Cologne in the late 14th century. Records from this time period show that he was involved in the trade of textiles and spices. Another early mention of the name can be found in the 1437 tax records of the town of Esslingen, which list a Jakob Kinder as a resident.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kinder name began to spread beyond Germany, with some families migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. In 1583, a man named Hans Kinder was recorded as living in the town of Strasbourg, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire.

One notable bearer of the Kinder surname was Johann Kinder, a German composer and organist who lived from 1592 to 1668. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Protestant church music tradition in Germany.

In England, the Kinder name can be traced back to the 17th century, likely brought over by German immigrants. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Richard Kinder, who was born in London in 1624. He later became a successful merchant and was involved in the trade of goods between England and the Netherlands.

Another individual of note was Johann Wolfgang Kinder, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1715 to 1788. He was a prominent figure of the Enlightenment period and wrote extensively on topics such as ethics, politics, and aesthetics.

During the 19th century, the Kinder surname continued to spread throughout various parts of Europe and the Americas, with many families settling in areas such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kinder families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kinder 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 319 Kinders recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.63x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 319 2.63x
Lancashire 306 2.10x
Cheshire 174 6.43x
Derbyshire 112 5.83x
Warwickshire 78 2.52x
Nottinghamshire 42 2.54x
Middlesex 38 0.31x
Staffordshire 32 0.77x
Leicestershire 29 2.13x
Surrey 17 0.28x
Cambridgeshire 14 1.80x
Bedfordshire 12 1.89x
Hertfordshire 11 1.30x
Durham 9 0.25x
Kent 9 0.22x
Norfolk 9 0.48x
Northamptonshire 7 0.61x
Worcestershire 7 0.44x
Hampshire 6 0.24x
Carmarthenshire 4 0.77x
Devon 4 0.16x
Isle of Man 3 1.32x
Berkshire 2 0.22x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.27x
Glamorgan 2 0.09x
Lincolnshire 2 0.10x
Renfrewshire 2 0.21x
Sussex 2 0.10x
Dorset 1 0.12x
Royal Navy 1 0.68x
Westmorland 1 0.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ashton Under Lyne in Lancashire leads with 93 Kinders recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.25x.

Place Total Index
Ashton Under Lyne 93 29.25x
Dukinfield 59 47.17x
Honley 56 263.28x
Salford 35 8.18x
Hyde 28 35.06x
Glossop Dale 23 25.58x
Oldham 23 4.90x
Leeds 21 3.06x
Nuneaton 21 58.63x
Horton In Bradford 20 10.54x
Huddersfield 20 11.30x
Wortley In Bramley 18 18.70x
Bingley 17 21.97x
Birmingham 16 1.55x
Cheadle 16 80.48x
Stayley 16 51.71x
Bedworth 13 57.62x
Drighlington 13 73.45x
Shoreditch London 13 2.45x
Pendleton In Salford 12 6.92x
Wirksworth 12 68.77x
Chesterton 11 45.93x
Darley 11 141.75x
Hayfield 11 93.38x
Kirkdale 11 4.49x
Nottingham St Mary 11 2.57x
Ashton On Mersey 10 71.48x
Manchester 10 1.53x
Almondbury 9 15.32x
Antrobus 9 483.87x
Belgrave 9 29.34x
Bradford 9 3.06x
Sheffield 9 2.33x
Callow 8 2051.28x
Greasley 8 21.45x
Oadby 8 109.89x
Penge 8 10.21x
Shitlington 8 63.64x
Skipton 8 20.92x
Solihull 8 35.99x
Sowerby In Halifax 8 20.14x
Stockport 8 5.74x
West Derby 8 1.88x
Wingerworth 8 465.12x
Wooldale 8 38.82x
Checkley 7 65.12x
Chislehurst 7 31.21x
Great Budworth 7 145.83x
Leicester St Mary 7 6.37x
Macclesfield 7 5.82x
Meltham 7 37.04x
Tonge 7 22.93x
Upperthong 7 67.76x
Aston 6 0.70x
Bromsgrove 6 11.13x
Chorlton On Medlock 6 2.60x
Disley Stanley 6 43.04x
Hampstead London 6 3.14x
Headingley Cum Burley 6 7.67x
Hulme 6 1.98x
Kirkby In Ashfield 6 33.94x
Longwood 6 30.64x
Luton 6 5.46x
Marsden In Almondbury 6 54.25x
Moss Side 6 7.84x
Nether Hallam 6 3.65x
Paddington London 6 1.33x
Rusholme 6 15.46x
Warrington 6 3.48x
Withington 6 12.80x
Allesley 5 122.85x
Barnsley 5 3.99x
Bashall Eaves 5 454.55x
Bowthorpe 5 2173.91x
Claylane 5 18.73x
Harpurhey 5 24.76x
Hunslet 5 2.64x
Leicester St Margaret 5 1.51x
Peterborough 5 5.99x
Watford 5 7.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 76
William 56
George 40
James 40
Thomas 40
Joseph 39
Samuel 24
Henry 20
Ralph 18
Charles 14
Arthur 12
Harry 12
Edward 10
Albert 9
Herbert 9
Fred 8
Hugh 8
Alfred 7
Robert 7
Edwin 6
Ernest 6
Abraham 5
David 4
Francis 4
Frederick 4
Joshua 4
Richard 4
Stephen 4
Frank 3
Fredk. 3
Jno. 3
Joe 3
Nathan 3
Walter 3
Wright 3
Aaron 2
Abel 2
Allen 2
Benjamin 2
Cornelius 2
Dan 2
Harold 2
Hobson 2
Jonathan 2
Lewis 2
Miles 2
Saml. 2
Wm. 2
Benjemin 1
Elias 1

FAQ

Kinder surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kinder surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,256 people were recorded with the Kinder surname. That placed it at #3,237 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kinder surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,416 in 2016. That gives Kinder a modern rank of #4,306.

What does the Kinder surname mean?

Derived from the Middle High German word "kint" meaning "child", likely referring to a youthful person or descendant.

What does the Kinder map show?

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