NameCensus.

UK surname

Parkhill

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hill with a park or enclosed area.

In the 1881 census there were 155 people recorded with the Parkhill surname, ranking it #15,174 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 259, ranked #16,393, down from #15,174 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Kirkcudbright. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Telford and Wrekin, South Gloucestershire and Greenock Town Centre and East Central.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Parkhill is 261 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 67.1%.

1881 census count

155

Ranked #15,174

Modern count

259

2016, ranked #16,393

Peak year

2015

261 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Parkhill had 155 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,174 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 259 in 2016, ranked #16,393.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 174 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Parkhill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Parkhill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Parkhill 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 113 #15,815
1861 historical 134 #16,754
1881 historical 155 #15,174
1891 historical 153 #18,078
1901 historical 174 #16,520
1911 historical 46 #28,224
1997 modern 220 #16,607
1998 modern 240 #16,117
1999 modern 251 #15,751
2000 modern 244 #16,004
2001 modern 236 #16,094
2002 modern 253 #15,677
2003 modern 222 #16,942
2004 modern 227 #16,778
2005 modern 234 #16,388
2006 modern 243 #16,052
2007 modern 244 #16,186
2008 modern 238 #16,640
2009 modern 244 #16,706
2010 modern 240 #17,230
2011 modern 244 #16,922
2012 modern 235 #17,242
2013 modern 245 #17,025
2014 modern 255 #16,682
2015 modern 261 #16,318
2016 modern 259 #16,393

Geography

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Where Parkhills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Kirkcudbright, Greenock and Glasgow. 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, South Gloucestershire, Greenock Town Centre and East Central, Flintshire and Bury. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Telford and Wrekin 019 Telford and Wrekin
2 South Gloucestershire 001 South Gloucestershire
3 Greenock Town Centre and East Central Inverclyde
4 Flintshire 009 Flintshire
5 Bury 021 Bury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Parkhill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Parkhill

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Parkhill, 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 Parkhill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Parkhill 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, Parkhill 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

Parkhill 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

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

Meaning and origin of Parkhill

The surname Parkhill is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'pearroc', meaning a small enclosed area or park, and 'hyll', meaning a hill. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place where the earliest bearers lived near or owned a parcel of land situated on a hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1202, which mentions a Robert de Parkhill. This indicates that the name was already in use as a hereditary surname in the early 13th century.

In the 14th century, the Parkhill surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1327, listing a John Parkhyll. This variation in spelling was common during this period, as surnames were still in the process of becoming fixed and standardized.

The Parkhill name has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Parkhill in Somerset, Parkhill Farm in Buckinghamshire, and Parkhill Cottage in Gloucestershire. These locations likely served as the origins for some branches of the Parkhill family.

Notable individuals bearing the Parkhill surname throughout history include:

1. William Parkhill (c. 1580 - 1639), an English colonist and landowner who settled in Virginia in the early 17th century. 2. John Parkhill (1757 - 1834), a Scottish-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prominent landowner in Nova Scotia, Canada. 3. Elizabeth Parkhill (1826 - 1901), a British author and educator known for her works on children's literature and education reform. 4. Thomas Parkhill (1857 - 1933), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Peel from 1904 to 1911. 5. Sir James Parkhill (1890 - 1976), a British businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to educational institutions and charitable organizations in the United Kingdom.

While the Parkhill surname has a rich history spanning centuries, its origins can be traced back to the rolling hills and enclosed parklands of medieval England, where the earliest bearers of this locational name made their mark.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Parkhill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Parkhill 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. Renfrewshire leads with 54 Parkhills recorded in 1881 and an index of 48.27x.

County Total Index
Renfrewshire 54 48.27x
Lanarkshire 48 10.28x
Kirkcudbrightshire 14 66.99x
Midlothian 9 4.65x
Lancashire 8 0.47x
Cheshire 7 2.20x
Surrey 2 0.28x
Wigtownshire 2 10.43x
Angus 1 0.75x
Dunbartonshire 1 2.58x
Northumberland 1 0.47x
Yorkshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Neilston in Renfrewshire leads with 37 Parkhills recorded in 1881 and an index of 658.36x.

Place Total Index
Neilston 37 658.36x
Barony 28 23.70x
Govan 10 8.66x
Cadder 9 260.87x
West Greenock 9 44.82x
Kirkcudbright 8 462.43x
South Leith 8 36.76x
Birkenhead 6 23.62x
Eastwood 4 58.06x
Urr 4 147.06x
Abbey 3 17.57x
Toxteth Park 3 5.17x
West Derby 3 5.99x
Broughton In Salford 2 12.77x
Colvend 2 317.46x
Penninghame 2 102.56x
Blantyre 1 20.58x
Colinton 1 46.30x
Dundee 1 2.00x
Eccleshill 1 28.74x
Lambeth 1 0.79x
Lochwinnoch 1 59.88x
Oxton 1 55.56x
Row 1 19.92x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 3.44x
Twizell In Berwick 1 714.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Ada 1
Elizebeth 1
Georgina 1
Jane 1
Margaret 1
Margret 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 4
John 2
Samuel 2

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 Parkhill households.

FAQ

Parkhill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Parkhill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 155 people were recorded with the Parkhill surname. That placed it at #15,174 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Parkhill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 259 in 2016. That gives Parkhill a modern rank of #16,393.

What does the Parkhill surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hill with a park or enclosed area.

What does the Parkhill map show?

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