NameCensus.

UK surname

King

A surname of English origin referring to a tribal leader or head of a clan.

In the 1881 census there were 65,115 people recorded with the King surname, ranking it #37 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 93,148, also still ranked #37.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dover, East Cambridgeshire and Babergh.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for King is 96,073 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.1%.

1881 census count

65,115

Ranked #37

Modern count

93,148

2016, ranked #37

Peak year

1999

96,073 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • King had 65,115 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #37 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 93,148 in 2016, ranked #37.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 83,461 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

King surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

King surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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King 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 43,209 #34
1861 historical 45,608 #35
1881 historical 65,115 #37
1891 historical 71,295 #34
1901 historical 82,049 #36
1911 historical 83,461 #35
1997 modern 92,397 #35
1998 modern 95,479 #35
1999 modern 96,073 #35
2000 modern 95,155 #36
2001 modern 92,661 #35
2002 modern 94,773 #36
2003 modern 92,065 #36
2004 modern 91,980 #36
2005 modern 90,301 #37
2006 modern 90,151 #37
2007 modern 90,742 #37
2008 modern 91,011 #37
2009 modern 93,250 #37
2010 modern 95,396 #37
2011 modern 93,770 #37
2012 modern 91,932 #36
2013 modern 93,861 #36
2014 modern 94,246 #37
2015 modern 93,496 #37
2016 modern 93,148 #37

Geography

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Where Kings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dover, East Cambridgeshire, Babergh and Oxford. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dover 011 Dover
2 East Cambridgeshire 006 East Cambridgeshire
3 Babergh 007 Babergh
4 Oxford 008 Oxford
5 East Cambridgeshire 008 East Cambridgeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with King

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for King

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the King surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every King household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, King 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

King 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

King falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of King

The surname KING is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word 'cyning', meaning a sovereign ruler or monarch. The name originated in England, with records dating back to the 11th century.

The KING surname is believed to have first emerged as a descriptive name for someone who held a position of authority or leadership within a community, such as a local lord or landowner. It may have also been used to refer to someone who acted or carried themselves in a regal or commanding manner.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KING surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as 'Kinge' and is found in various counties across the country.

During the Middle Ages, the KING surname began to spread throughout England, and variations in spelling emerged, such as Kinge, Kyng, and Kynge. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.

Notable historical figures with the surname KING include William King (1663-1712), an English poet and advocate of the Church of England; Edward King (1612-1637), an English poet and author of the elegy "Lycidas" written in memory of John Milton; and John King (1559-1621), an English bishop and scholar who served as the Bishop of London.

Other prominent individuals with the KING surname include Peter King (1669-1734), an English lawyer and philosopher; William Rufus King (1786-1853), an American politician who served as the 13th Vice President of the United States; and Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), the renowned American civil rights activist and leader of the African-American civil rights movement.

Throughout history, the KING surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Kingsdown in Kent, Kingswood in Gloucestershire, and Kingsley in Cheshire, among others. These place names likely derived from the presence of individuals with the KING surname in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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King families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the King 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. Middlesex leads with 9,570 Kings recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.50x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 9,570 1.50x
Surrey 5,196 1.67x
Yorkshire 3,637 0.58x
Lancashire 3,571 0.47x
Kent 3,501 1.61x
Essex 2,596 2.07x
Hampshire 2,193 1.68x
Suffolk 1,971 2.54x
Gloucestershire 1,874 1.50x
Sussex 1,860 1.73x
Warwickshire 1,673 1.04x
Lanarkshire 1,573 0.76x
Norfolk 1,559 1.59x
Somerset 1,394 1.36x
Wiltshire 1,389 2.47x
Lincolnshire 1,264 1.24x
Leicestershire 1,165 1.65x
Durham 1,126 0.59x
Bedfordshire 1,115 3.38x
Buckinghamshire 1,081 2.81x
Devon 1,002 0.76x
Berkshire 951 1.99x
Hertfordshire 905 2.06x
Nottinghamshire 826 0.96x
Midlothian 824 0.97x
Oxfordshire 793 2.02x
Staffordshire 789 0.37x
Dorset 783 1.87x
Cambridgeshire 781 1.94x
Northamptonshire 759 1.27x
Worcestershire 587 0.71x
Derbyshire 568 0.57x
Cheshire 531 0.38x
Aberdeenshire 448 0.76x
Renfrewshire 444 0.90x
Ayrshire 429 0.90x
Huntingdonshire 405 3.20x
Northumberland 397 0.42x
Cornwall 391 0.54x
Glamorgan 386 0.35x
Monmouthshire 267 0.58x
Perthshire 261 0.91x
Angus 246 0.42x
Fife 199 0.53x
Cumberland 178 0.32x
Dunbartonshire 162 0.95x
Herefordshire 158 0.61x
Stirlingshire 125 0.53x
East Lothian 99 1.17x
Shropshire 98 0.18x
Royal Navy 88 1.16x
Channel Islands 83 0.44x
Carmarthenshire 80 0.30x
Banffshire 78 0.59x
Dumfriesshire 78 0.55x
West Lothian 64 0.67x
Westmorland 62 0.44x
Morayshire 46 0.47x
Brecknockshire 44 0.35x
Kincardineshire 43 0.55x
Rutland 43 0.92x
Kirkcudbrightshire 42 0.46x
Orkney 41 0.59x
Isle of Man 36 0.30x
Wigtownshire 31 0.37x
Argyllshire 27 0.15x
Berwickshire 23 0.30x
Roxburghshire 23 0.20x
Caernarfonshire 21 0.08x
Clackmannanshire 20 0.38x
Flintshire 20 0.12x
Inverness-shire 20 0.11x
Nairnshire 20 1.03x
Pembrokeshire 20 0.10x
Kinross-shire 18 1.12x
Selkirkshire 18 0.31x
Buteshire 15 0.39x
Montgomeryshire 13 0.09x
Denbighshire 12 0.05x
Peeblesshire 8 0.27x
Anglesey 7 0.06x
Caithness 6 0.07x
Cardiganshire 6 0.04x
Ross-shire 4 0.02x
Merionethshire 2 0.02x
Radnorshire 2 0.04x
Sutherland 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 1,001 Kings recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.62x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 1,001 1.62x
Lambeth 886 1.60x
St Pancras London 835 1.63x
Camberwell 596 1.47x
Hackney London 596 1.67x
St Marylebone London 517 1.52x
Bethnal Green London 487 1.76x
Kensington London 469 1.32x
West Ham 467 1.68x
Battersea 436 1.86x
Govan 436 0.86x
Birmingham 423 0.79x
Portsea 404 1.58x
Aston 370 0.84x
Newington 368 1.56x
Brighton 348 1.61x
Liverpool 347 0.76x
Shoreditch London 344 1.25x
Bermondsey 323 1.70x
Paddington London 323 1.38x
Barony 320 0.61x
Croydon 311 1.81x
Deptford St Paul 305 1.82x
St George Hanover Square 298 2.66x
Leicester St Margaret 285 1.66x
Nottingham St Mary 272 1.23x
Chelsea London 256 1.33x
Mile End Old Town London 251 1.85x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 246 0.72x
Manchester 242 0.71x
Glasgow 236 0.65x
Clerkenwell London 233 1.55x
Southwark St George Martyr 232 1.81x
Great Yarmouth 229 2.82x
Bromley London 228 1.63x
Fulham London 208 2.25x
Toxteth Park 186 0.73x
Tonbridge 184 2.35x
Leeds 178 0.50x
Woolwich 178 2.22x
Hammersmith London 177 1.13x
Everton 163 0.68x
Hove 159 3.38x
Kingston On Thames 156 2.09x
Lewisham 151 1.30x
Maidstone 151 2.33x
St George In East London 150 2.50x
Bow London 149 1.84x
St Luke London 149 1.46x
Greenwich 148 1.46x
Poplar London 147 1.22x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 145 1.23x
Holy Trinity 144 0.95x
Hampstead London 141 1.42x
Edmonton 139 2.71x
Halifax 139 1.50x
Hornsey 139 1.73x
Heigham 137 2.61x
Rotherhithe 136 1.73x
West Derby 134 0.61x
Reigate Foreign 130 3.87x
Chatham 128 2.14x
Luton 123 2.16x
Southampton St Mary 121 1.47x
Cheltenham 120 1.25x
Plymouth St Andrew 120 1.18x
Tottenham 120 1.18x
Westminster St John 119 1.53x
Blackburn 117 0.58x
Abingdon St Helen 112 8.02x
Dundee 112 0.51x
Willesden 112 1.87x
Plumstead 111 1.53x
Old Monkland 104 1.27x
Clapham 101 1.27x
Walcot 101 1.85x
Watford 101 2.97x
Aberdeen Old Machar 100 0.81x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 99 0.90x
Hulme 99 0.63x
Bradford 98 0.64x
Great Grimsby 96 1.49x
Bedminster 95 0.99x
St Andrewthe Less 95 2.06x
Salford 94 0.42x
Preston 93 0.46x
Barking 91 2.47x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3,598
Elizabeth 2,265
Sarah 2,090
Eliza 1,051
Ann 1,041
Jane 1,032
Emma 1,019
Alice 956
Ellen 940
Annie 910
Emily 857
Louisa 472
Martha 470
Hannah 467
Margaret 434
Harriet 423
Florence 416
Charlotte 408
Maria 400
Caroline 363
Ada 358
Edith 350
Kate 331
Fanny 322
Catherine 304
Clara 276
Agnes 268
Frances 250
Susan 250
Harriett 242
Lucy 239
Rose 217
Anne 214
Amelia 196
Esther 164
Matilda 162
Amy 151
Sophia 148
Rebecca 146
Julia 144
Isabella 138
Minnie 135
Susannah 118
Gertrude 117
Ethel 112
Anna 108
Elizth. 105
Beatrice 99
Eleanor 99
Laura 97

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 3,669
John 3,034
George 2,570
James 1,769
Thomas 1,769
Charles 1,604
Henry 1,444
Joseph 810
Alfred 784
Frederick 700
Arthur 680
Edward 673
Robert 620
Walter 494
Albert 481
Harry 414
Richard 407
Samuel 388
Frank 261
Herbert 249
Ernest 248
David 238
Francis 206
Edwin 184
Wm. 129
Benjamin 118
Stephen 117
Daniel 112
Thos. 98
Tom 98
Michael 97
Fred 94
Patrick 88
Peter 88
Isaac 84
Geo. 81
Percy 73
Fredk. 72
Fredrick 72
Edmund 70
Chas. 63
Sidney 60
Alexander 48
Mark 47
Edgar 44
Frederic 44
Jesse 44
Matthew 44
Philip 43
Abraham 42

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 King households.

FAQ

King surname: questions and answers

How common was the King surname in 1881?

In 1881, 65,115 people were recorded with the King surname. That placed it at #37 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the King surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 93,148 in 2016. That gives King a modern rank of #37.

What does the King surname mean?

A surname of English origin referring to a tribal leader or head of a clan.

What does the King map show?

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