NameCensus.

UK surname

Knapman

In the 1881 census there were 807 people recorded with the Knapman surname, ranking it #4,623 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 939, ranked #6,102, down from #4,623 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dartmorth St Petrox, Dartmouth St Saviour, Townstall, Ashprington, Halwell, Blackawton, Stoke Flemin, Tormoham with Torquay and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Teignbridge and Blaenau Gwent.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Knapman is 1,039 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.4%.

1881 census count

807

Ranked #4,623

Modern count

939

2016, ranked #6,102

Peak year

2002

1,039 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Knapman had 807 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,623 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 939 in 2016, ranked #6,102.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,015 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Knapman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Knapman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Knapman 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 488 #5,116
1861 historical 493 #5,294
1881 historical 807 #4,623
1891 historical 863 #4,754
1901 historical 943 #4,963
1911 historical 1,015 #4,487
1997 modern 983 #5,579
1998 modern 1,022 #5,579
1999 modern 1,020 #5,622
2000 modern 1,016 #5,609
2001 modern 992 #5,608
2002 modern 1,039 #5,517
2003 modern 999 #5,599
2004 modern 980 #5,690
2005 modern 933 #5,861
2006 modern 909 #5,995
2007 modern 931 #5,931
2008 modern 952 #5,871
2009 modern 979 #5,864
2010 modern 982 #5,967
2011 modern 958 #6,036
2012 modern 954 #5,952
2013 modern 964 #6,005
2014 modern 959 #6,081
2015 modern 953 #6,058
2016 modern 939 #6,102

Geography

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Where Knapmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dartmorth St Petrox, Dartmouth St Saviour, Townstall, Ashprington, Halwell, Blackawton, Stoke Flemin, Tormoham with Torquay, London parishes and Tawton, South. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Teignbridge, Blaenau Gwent and Torbay. 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 Dartmorth St Petrox, Dartmouth St Saviour, Townstall, Ashprington, Halwell, Blackawton, Stoke Flemin Devon
2 Tormoham with Torquay Devon
3 London parishes London 3
4 Tawton, South Devon
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 016 Cornwall
2 Teignbridge 014 Teignbridge
3 Blaenau Gwent 007 Blaenau Gwent
4 Torbay 015 Torbay
5 Teignbridge 018 Teignbridge

Forenames

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First names often paired with Knapman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Knapman

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Knapman is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Knapman 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

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

1881 census detail

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Knapman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Knapman 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. Devon leads with 582 Knapmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.17x.

County Total Index
Devon 582 35.17x
Middlesex 81 1.02x
Surrey 41 1.06x
Glamorgan 35 2.53x
Lancashire 20 0.21x
Kent 11 0.41x
Cornwall 8 0.89x
Somerset 7 0.55x
Gloucestershire 6 0.38x
Monmouthshire 5 0.87x
Royal Navy 5 5.28x
Norfolk 4 0.33x
Channel Islands 3 1.27x
Hampshire 3 0.18x
Cheshire 1 0.06x
Dorset 1 0.19x
Essex 1 0.06x
Yorkshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. South Tawton in Devon leads with 44 Knapmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1290.32x.

Place Total Index
South Tawton 44 1290.32x
Plymouth St Andrew 43 33.73x
Tormoham 41 58.55x
Newton Abbot St Mary 25 180.12x
Stoke Damerel 24 20.72x
St Pancras London 23 3.59x
East Stonehouse 15 46.01x
Plymouth Charles The 15 20.57x
Bridford 14 1176.47x
Dartmouth St Saviour 14 295.98x
Dawlish 14 113.45x
Poplar London 14 9.33x
Exeter St Leonard 13 286.98x
Lambeth 13 1.88x
Ashburton 12 151.71x
Cardiff St Mary 12 15.74x
Churston Ferrers 12 689.66x
North Tawton 12 236.22x
Paddington London 12 4.11x
Southwark St George Martyr 12 7.50x
Swansea Town 12 10.57x
Totnes 12 123.97x
Brixham 11 57.38x
Eggesford 11 2200.00x
Exeter St David 11 77.79x
South Brent 11 309.86x
West Teignmouth 10 78.99x
Bow 9 405.41x
Exeter Heavitree 9 72.93x
St Marylebone London 9 2.12x
Stonehouse East 9 107.14x
Wolborough 9 43.02x
Battersea 8 2.73x
Drewsteignton 8 365.30x
Kingswear 8 601.50x
Ashcombe 7 1296.30x
Dunsford 7 331.75x
Exeter St Thomas The 7 41.49x
Tamerton Foliott 7 220.13x
Toxteth Park 7 2.19x
Kingskerswell 6 218.18x
Liskeard 6 39.84x
Margate St John Baptist 6 12.08x
Marldon 6 431.65x
Salford 6 2.16x
Stoke 6 89.55x
Dartmouth St Savior 5 253.81x
Dittisham 5 306.75x
Exeter St Sidwell 5 13.19x
Royal Navy 5 6.17x
Sampford Courtenay 5 202.43x
St George In East London 5 6.69x
St Woollos 5 7.80x
Tedburn St Mary 5 287.36x
Willesden 5 6.67x
Zeal Monachorum 5 393.70x
Beaford 4 248.45x
Dartmouth St Petrox 4 167.36x
Dartmouth Townstall 4 59.35x
Heigham 4 6.10x
Hittisleigh 4 634.92x
Kingsbridge 4 96.15x
Llanfabon 4 55.25x
Paignton 4 31.77x
Roath 4 6.36x
St George Hanover Square 4 2.86x
Wellington 4 23.05x
Abbas Combe 3 319.15x
Abbots Kerswell 3 252.10x
Berry Pomeroy 3 109.49x
Bristol St James St Paul 3 5.77x
Devonport 3 15.77x
Diptford 3 165.75x
Harberton 3 79.58x
Moss Side 3 6.04x
Newington 3 1.02x
Penarth 3 22.17x
Rotherhithe 3 3.05x
Spreyton 3 288.46x
West Derby 3 1.09x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 75
John 64
George 44
Thomas 25
James 21
Edward 19
Richard 17
Henry 16
Arthur 11
Charles 11
Frederick 11
Samuel 10
Albert 7
Joseph 6
Frank 5
Robert 5
Alfred 4
Ernest 4
Harry 4
Andrew 3
Francis 3
Fred 3
Sidney 3
Harold 2
Wm. 2
Allan 1
Archibald 1
Colwin 1
Denis 1
Earnest 1
Edred 1
Edwd.S. 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Geo.R. 1
Gilbert 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Jno. 1
Leonard 1
Percival 1
Reginald 1
Richd. 1
Richd.J. 1
Saml.Richard 1
Sydney 1
Theophilas 1
Theophilus 1
Thos.Henry 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Knapman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Knapman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 807 people were recorded with the Knapman surname. That placed it at #4,623 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Knapman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 939 in 2016. That gives Knapman a modern rank of #6,102.

What does the Knapman map show?

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