NameCensus.

UK surname

Knightley

In the 1881 census there were 253 people recorded with the Knightley surname, ranking it #10,980 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 467, ranked #10,522, up from #10,980 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Peterborough and Wellingborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Knightley is 480 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 84.6%.

1881 census count

253

Ranked #10,980

Modern count

467

2016, ranked #10,522

Peak year

1998

480 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Knightley had 253 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,980 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 467 in 2016, ranked #10,522.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 455 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Knightley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Knightley surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Knightley 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 111 #16,006
1861 historical 146 #15,628
1881 historical 253 #10,980
1891 historical 276 #11,810
1901 historical 349 #10,457
1911 historical 455 #8,428
1997 modern 450 #10,075
1998 modern 480 #9,909
1999 modern 460 #10,293
2000 modern 449 #10,459
2001 modern 434 #10,539
2002 modern 443 #10,577
2003 modern 409 #11,088
2004 modern 408 #11,117
2005 modern 408 #11,024
2006 modern 408 #11,062
2007 modern 427 #10,782
2008 modern 433 #10,776
2009 modern 452 #10,629
2010 modern 456 #10,784
2011 modern 438 #11,017
2012 modern 439 #10,873
2013 modern 462 #10,618
2014 modern 472 #10,525
2015 modern 472 #10,452
2016 modern 467 #10,522

Geography

Back to top

Where Knightleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch, Lambeth and Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Peterborough, Wellingborough, Exeter and Chesterfield. 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 London parishes London 1
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 009 Cornwall
2 Peterborough 021 Peterborough
3 Wellingborough 008 Wellingborough
4 Exeter 009 Exeter
5 Chesterfield 003 Chesterfield

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Knightley

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Knightley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Knightley, 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 Knightley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Knightley 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Knightley is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Knightley 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

Knightley falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Knightley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Knightley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Knightley 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 64 Knightleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.59x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 64 2.59x
Surrey 52 4.32x
Hertfordshire 24 14.11x
Essex 23 4.72x
Cambridgeshire 21 13.43x
Yorkshire 15 0.61x
Northamptonshire 10 4.31x
Devon 7 1.36x
Durham 6 0.82x
Kent 5 0.59x
Sussex 5 1.20x
Warwickshire 5 0.80x
Bedfordshire 4 3.13x
Lancashire 3 0.10x
Somerset 2 0.50x
Hampshire 1 0.20x
Huntingdonshire 1 2.04x
Leicestershire 1 0.37x
Rutland 1 5.52x
Shropshire 1 0.47x
Suffolk 1 0.33x
Worcestershire 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 15 Knightleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.99x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 15 13.99x
Southwark St George Martyr 11 22.15x
Sheffield 10 12.84x
St Andrewthe Less 10 55.99x
Gilston 9 3913.04x
Lambeth 9 4.18x
West Ham 9 8.37x
Shoreditch London 8 7.48x
Waltham Holy Cross 8 175.82x
Battersea 7 7.71x
Plymouth St Andrew 7 17.69x
Bishop Auckland 6 60.91x
Enfield 6 37.06x
Hatfield 6 173.91x
Islington London 6 2.51x
Newington 6 6.58x
St George In East London 6 25.85x
Coton 5 1851.85x
Leeds 5 3.62x
Mile End Old Town London 5 9.52x
Rickling 5 1315.79x
Broxbourne 4 118.69x
Camberwell 4 2.54x
Combrook 4 2222.22x
Dover Castle 4 655.74x
Dunstable 4 101.78x
Brighton 3 3.57x
Caterham 3 56.39x
Eltisley 3 769.23x
Peterborough 3 17.85x
St Marylebone London 3 2.28x
Tottenham 3 7.63x
Wavertree 3 32.02x
Bolney 2 294.12x
Bromley London 2 3.68x
Cheshunt 2 33.61x
Clapham 2 6.48x
Fawsley 2 4000.00x
Pitsford 2 425.53x
Putney 2 17.78x
St George Martyr London 2 40.00x
St Pancras London 2 1.01x
Streatham 2 10.92x
Wimbledon 2 14.81x
Aldershot 1 5.90x
All Saints Cambridge 1 90.91x
Birmingham 1 0.48x
Bishop Stortford 1 17.61x
Chaddesley Corbett 1 82.64x
Cheam 1 77.52x
Chigwell 1 21.74x
Christ Church Newgate 1 86.96x
Duston 1 47.39x
East Malling 1 49.75x
Edmonton 1 5.03x
Friern Barnet 1 18.38x
Hendon 1 11.26x
Hertford St John 1 39.37x
Kimbolton 1 97.09x
Leicester St Margaret 1 1.50x
Little Berkhampstead 1 277.78x
Manton 1 370.37x
Newmarket St Mary 1 43.29x
Northampton St Giles 1 11.31x
Penge 1 6.35x
Preston Capes 1 526.32x
Rotherhithe 1 3.28x
St Andrew Holborn London 1 9.35x
St Benedict Cambridge 1 113.64x
St Botolph Aldersgate 1 35.34x
St Clement Cambridge 1 153.85x
Walcot 1 4.73x
Wandsworth 1 4.21x
Wellington 1 8.35x
Weston 1 32.79x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 10
Sarah 9
Jane 7
Mary 7
Ellen 6
Martha 5
Alice 4
Ann 4
Emily 4
Emma 4
Maria 4
Eliza 3
Hannah 3
Julia 3
Agnes 2
Amelia 2
Annie 2
Clara 2
Edith 2
Eleanor 2
Elizth. 2
Florence 2
Henrietta 2
Louisa 2
Lydia 2
May 2
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Celia 1
Charlotte 1
Daisey 1
Elizi 1
Ester 1
Esther 1
Faney 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Gorgina 1
Harriet 1
Janet 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Matilda 1
Maud 1
Maude 1
Minnie 1
Nelly 1
Rachel 1
Rosalie 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Charles 10
William 10
Henry 9
John 9
Alfred 7
Thomas 7
George 6
Joseph 6
Edward 5
Walter 5
Frederick 4
James 4
Arthur 3
Daniel 3
Geo. 3
Albert 2
Edwd. 2
Frank 2
Herbert 2
Rainald 2
Richard 2
A. 1
Benjamen 1
Edwd.Leo 1
Edwd.Saml. 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Harry 1
Jason 1
Jno. 1
Matthew 1
Percy 1
Philip 1
Phillip 1
Saml. 1
Sidney 1
Valentine 1
William.M. 1
Willie 1
Wm.E. 1

FAQ

Knightley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Knightley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 253 people were recorded with the Knightley surname. That placed it at #10,980 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Knightley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 467 in 2016. That gives Knightley a modern rank of #10,522.

What does the Knightley map show?

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