NameCensus.

UK surname

Pagett

A habitational surname originating from Normandy referring to a person from Paget.

In the 1881 census there were 765 people recorded with the Pagett surname, ranking it #4,830 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,058, ranked #5,515, down from #4,830 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Kidderminster and Oldswinford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Telford and Wrekin, Blaenau Gwent and Stroud.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pagett is 1,156 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.3%.

1881 census count

765

Ranked #4,830

Modern count

1,058

2016, ranked #5,515

Peak year

2002

1,156 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pagett had 765 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,830 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,058 in 2016, ranked #5,515.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 930 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Pagett surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pagett surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pagett 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 486 #5,133
1861 historical 510 #5,127
1881 historical 765 #4,830
1891 historical 785 #5,115
1901 historical 904 #5,134
1911 historical 930 #4,827
1997 modern 1,102 #5,055
1998 modern 1,148 #5,065
1999 modern 1,139 #5,150
2000 modern 1,132 #5,150
2001 modern 1,114 #5,112
2002 modern 1,156 #5,075
2003 modern 1,086 #5,236
2004 modern 1,087 #5,242
2005 modern 1,068 #5,262
2006 modern 1,059 #5,296
2007 modern 1,075 #5,278
2008 modern 1,071 #5,323
2009 modern 1,081 #5,397
2010 modern 1,098 #5,444
2011 modern 1,082 #5,450
2012 modern 1,056 #5,468
2013 modern 1,081 #5,457
2014 modern 1,073 #5,533
2015 modern 1,069 #5,480
2016 modern 1,058 #5,515

Geography

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Where Pagetts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Kidderminster, Oldswinford, Birmingham Town: Birmingham and Birmingham Town: Aston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Telford and Wrekin, Blaenau Gwent, Stroud, Swale and Wigan. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Kidderminster Worcestershire
3 Oldswinford Worcestershire
4 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
5 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Telford and Wrekin 014 Telford and Wrekin
2 Blaenau Gwent 005 Blaenau Gwent
3 Stroud 015 Stroud
4 Swale 002 Swale
5 Wigan 012 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pagett

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pagett

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Pagett 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

Pagett is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Pagett

The surname Pagett is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the old English personal name Pæga. This name is a pet-form of other masculine names such as Pægan or Pæging. The earliest recorded spelling of the surname Pagett dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as Paganus and Pagan.

In the 12th century, the surname is recorded as Paget in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk. The name was widespread across England by the late 12th century, with notable early bearers including William Paget (1506-1563), an English statesman who served as Lord Privy Seal and Secretary of State under Edward VI, and Henry Paget (1768-1854), an English nobleman who served as the 1st Marquess of Anglesey and fought at the Battle of Waterloo.

The spelling Pagett emerged in the 15th century, with records showing a Ralph Pagett residing in Somerset in 1459. In 1594, the Hearth Tax Rolls of Oxfordshire list a John Pagett as a resident of the county. Another notable bearer was William Pagett (1554-1635), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Oxford from 1617 until his death.

The variant spelling Padgett also arose during this period, with the earliest known record being a Thomas Padgett listed in the Friary Rolls of Yorkshire in 1485. Sir Christopher Padgett (1545-1595) was an English politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

In Scotland, the surname appears as Paget and Padgett, with records showing a John Paget residing in Edinburgh in 1634 and a William Padgett living in Lanarkshire in 1696. The Irish form of the name is Padjet or Padjet, with bearers including John Padjet, a landowner in County Wexford in the early 17th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pagett families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pagett 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. Worcestershire leads with 144 Pagetts recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.91x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 144 14.91x
Warwickshire 112 6.01x
Staffordshire 101 4.05x
Gloucestershire 76 5.24x
Yorkshire 55 0.75x
Leicestershire 51 6.22x
Lancashire 41 0.47x
Middlesex 34 0.46x
Shropshire 33 5.17x
Durham 14 0.64x
Somerset 14 1.18x
Wiltshire 14 2.14x
Surrey 12 0.33x
Derbyshire 9 0.78x
Nottinghamshire 9 0.90x
Berkshire 8 1.44x
Norfolk 8 0.70x
Essex 7 0.48x
Flintshire 4 2.01x
Oxfordshire 3 0.66x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.45x
Glamorgan 2 0.16x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.68x
Kent 1 0.04x
Northamptonshire 1 0.14x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.43x
Sussex 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 75 Pagetts recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.07x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 75 12.07x
Stourbridge 28 112.72x
Pebworth 24 1371.43x
Wolverhampton 24 12.51x
Aston 23 4.48x
Kidderminster Borough 19 33.62x
Lye 18 112.01x
Windrush 18 3050.85x
Wotton Under Edge 18 210.53x
Kidderminster Foreign 17 124.54x
Swindon 14 27.60x
Warrington 14 13.46x
Willenhall 14 29.95x
Darlaston 11 31.89x
Upperswinford 11 134.64x
Walsall Foreign 10 7.76x
Bradford 9 21.91x
Church Stretton 9 210.28x
Kimberworth 9 22.13x
Leicester St Margaret 9 4.50x
Leicester St Mary 9 13.59x
Shoreditch London 9 2.81x
Durham St Nicholas 8 148.15x
Hackney London 8 1.93x
Halifax 8 7.44x
Rock 8 207.25x
Wellow 8 228.57x
West Rainham 8 941.18x
Wollaston 8 130.51x
Dudley 7 5.96x
Loughborough 7 18.82x
Ogley Hay 7 135.14x
Tipton 7 9.16x
Wrockwardine 7 49.82x
Wymondham 7 419.16x
Boddington 6 576.92x
Brightside Bierlow 6 4.18x
Cookham 6 34.68x
Lambeth 6 0.93x
Skegby 6 98.36x
Solihull 6 44.78x
Southwick 6 28.80x
Tenbury 6 113.42x
Bethnal Green London 5 1.56x
Godalming 5 22.05x
Gomersal 5 14.62x
Hunslet 5 4.38x
Ilkeston 5 15.40x
Ince In Makerfield 5 12.25x
Kingswinford 5 5.52x
Leyton Low 5 16.85x
Lower Mitton 5 58.75x
Newton In Makerfield 5 18.61x
Rotherby 5 1219.51x
Sheffield 5 2.14x
Wellington 5 13.93x
West Bromwich 5 3.50x
Wombridge 5 63.37x
Amblecote 4 56.26x
Cirencester 4 20.38x
Dawley 4 17.21x
Hawarden Saltney 4 143.88x
Kings Norton 4 4.62x
Leicester All Sts 4 24.84x
Newcastle Under Lyme 4 9.06x
Northowram 4 7.79x
Powick 4 59.79x
Rothley 4 149.81x
Wavertree 4 14.25x
Wellesbourne Hastings 4 227.27x
Chipping Norton 3 28.41x
Dunkerton 3 116.28x
Madeley 3 12.81x
Nottingham Standard 3 117.65x
Steeton Cum Eastburn 3 119.05x
Upper Penn 3 48.00x
Uxbridge 3 35.50x
Walsall Borough 3 15.49x
Wolverley 3 35.38x
Clawson 2 105.82x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 53
John 39
Thomas 39
James 26
George 24
Charles 20
Joseph 16
Henry 15
Arthur 10
Alfred 9
Frederick 9
Richard 9
Samuel 9
Daniel 7
Harry 7
Edward 5
Walter 5
Albert 4
Benjamin 3
Enoch 3
Herbert 3
Isaac 3
Robert 3
Wm. 3
Edwin 2
Eli 2
Elijah 2
Ernest 2
Frances 2
Sidney 2
Benjamine 1
Benjm. 1
Chas.Hy. 1
David 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Geo. 1
Gerald 1
Henery 1
Jonathan 1
Josh 1
Leonard 1
Levi 1
Moses 1
Orlando 1
Pheneais 1
Ralph 1
Reuben 1
Wm.Hry. 1

FAQ

Pagett surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pagett surname in 1881?

In 1881, 765 people were recorded with the Pagett surname. That placed it at #4,830 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pagett surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,058 in 2016. That gives Pagett a modern rank of #5,515.

What does the Pagett surname mean?

A habitational surname originating from Normandy referring to a person from Paget.

What does the Pagett map show?

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