NameCensus.

UK surname

Kindness

A transferred use of the word kindness referring to a benevolent or amiable person.

In the 1881 census there were 122 people recorded with the Kindness surname, ranking it #17,602 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 193, ranked #20,039, down from #17,602 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Deer, Kintore and Auchterless. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Auchnagatt, Banchory-Devenick and Findon and Annan East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kindness is 211 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 58.2%.

1881 census count

122

Ranked #17,602

Modern count

193

2016, ranked #20,039

Peak year

2000

211 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kindness had 122 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,602 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 193 in 2016, ranked #20,039.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 169 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Kindness surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kindness surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kindness 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 55 #23,413
1861 historical 70 #24,911
1881 historical 122 #17,602
1891 historical 151 #18,242
1901 historical 169 #16,824
1911 historical 22 #31,030
1997 modern 190 #18,199
1998 modern 200 #18,114
1999 modern 198 #18,343
2000 modern 211 #17,603
2001 modern 194 #18,287
2002 modern 196 #18,535
2003 modern 187 #18,856
2004 modern 186 #19,059
2005 modern 186 #18,985
2006 modern 193 #18,675
2007 modern 184 #19,485
2008 modern 185 #19,589
2009 modern 206 #18,657
2010 modern 205 #19,140
2011 modern 198 #19,410
2012 modern 190 #19,864
2013 modern 191 #20,124
2014 modern 191 #20,302
2015 modern 196 #19,840
2016 modern 193 #20,039

Geography

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Where Kindness' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Deer, Kintore, Auchterless, Aberdour and King Edward. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Auchnagatt, Banchory-Devenick and Findon, Annan East, Carmarthenshire and Kincorth, Leggart and Nigg South. 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 New Deer Aberdeen
2 Kintore Aberdeen
3 Auchterless Aberdeen
4 Aberdour Aberdeen
5 King Edward Aberdeen

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Auchnagatt Aberdeenshire
2 Banchory-Devenick and Findon Aberdeenshire
3 Annan East Dumfries and Galloway
4 Carmarthenshire 016 Carmarthenshire
5 Kincorth, Leggart and Nigg South Aberdeen City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kindness

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kindness

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Kindness surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Kindness household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Kindness is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Kindness 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

Kindness falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kindness is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Kindness, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Kindness

The surname "KINDNESS" is believed to have originated in England, likely during the late medieval period or the Renaissance era. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name that may have incorporated the Old English words "cyne" or "cynd," meaning "royal" or "noble," and "ness," referring to a promontory or headland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk, dated 1524, which mentions a John Kyndnes. This suggests that the surname had already been established by the early 16th century. Another early reference appears in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire from 1572, listing a Richard Kyndnes.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records and historical documents, such as the marriage of Margery Kindness to William Nicholls in Warrington, Lancashire, in 1636. Around this time, the spelling variations "Kyndnes" and "Kyndnesse" were also in use.

Notable individuals with the surname "KINDNESS" throughout history include:

1. John Kindness (c. 1615-1676), an English clergyman and author who wrote a treatise on the Book of Revelation. 2. William Kindness (1760-1838), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. 3. Mary Kindness (1808-1892), a Scottish novelist and poet, best known for her work "The Cottage Maid." 4. Thomas Kindness (1853-1921), a British architect and surveyor, responsible for designing several notable buildings in London. 5. Elizabeth Kindness (1891-1968), an Australian botanist and conservationist, instrumental in establishing the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.

While the name "KINDNESS" is not among the most common surnames, it has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its origins deeply rooted in the linguistic and geographical landscape of England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kindness families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kindness 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 98 Kindness' recorded in 1881 and an index of 88.93x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 98 88.93x
Banffshire 15 60.78x
Angus 6 5.44x
Inverness-shire 1 2.81x
Middlesex 1 0.08x
Morayshire 1 5.41x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aberdeen St Nicholas in Aberdeenshire leads with 14 Kindness' recorded in 1881 and an index of 67.90x.

Place Total Index
Aberdeen St Nicholas 14 67.90x
Auchterless 14 1609.20x
New Deer 14 703.52x
Gamrie 13 471.01x
Aberdour 11 1264.37x
Kintore 10 1041.67x
King Edward 8 629.92x
Turriff 8 449.44x
Aberdeen Old Machar 6 26.08x
Montrose 6 89.82x
Forgue 5 505.05x
Skene 3 410.96x
Fyvie 2 111.11x
Chelsea London 1 2.79x
Elgin 1 27.78x
Forglen 1 333.33x
Inverkeithny 1 263.16x
Kingussie Insh 1 121.95x
Monquhitter 1 87.72x
Old Deer 1 47.85x
Strichen 1 104.17x

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 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 Kindness households.

Occupation Count
Groom 1

FAQ

Kindness surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kindness surname in 1881?

In 1881, 122 people were recorded with the Kindness surname. That placed it at #17,602 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kindness surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 193 in 2016. That gives Kindness a modern rank of #20,039.

What does the Kindness surname mean?

A transferred use of the word kindness referring to a benevolent or amiable person.

What does the Kindness map show?

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