NameCensus.

UK surname

Pemberton

From a place name meaning "Pēotbere's town," derived from the Old English personal name Pēotbere and tūn "enclosure, town."

In the 1881 census there were 3,803 people recorded with the Pemberton surname, ranking it #1,200 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,590, ranked #1,199, up from #1,200 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Manchester and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wrexham, Wigan and Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pemberton is 5,937 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 47.0%.

1881 census count

3,803

Ranked #1,200

Modern count

5,590

2016, ranked #1,199

Peak year

2010

5,937 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pemberton had 3,803 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,200 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,590 in 2016, ranked #1,199.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,391 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pemberton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pemberton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pemberton 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 2,406 #1,236
1861 historical 2,503 #1,168
1881 historical 3,803 #1,200
1891 historical 4,167 #1,156
1901 historical 4,830 #1,171
1911 historical 5,391 #966
1997 modern 5,586 #1,165
1998 modern 5,819 #1,162
1999 modern 5,903 #1,152
2000 modern 5,865 #1,153
2001 modern 5,696 #1,162
2002 modern 5,798 #1,167
2003 modern 5,650 #1,166
2004 modern 5,648 #1,162
2005 modern 5,572 #1,158
2006 modern 5,604 #1,156
2007 modern 5,601 #1,163
2008 modern 5,597 #1,172
2009 modern 5,774 #1,161
2010 modern 5,937 #1,160
2011 modern 5,791 #1,170
2012 modern 5,564 #1,197
2013 modern 5,639 #1,204
2014 modern 5,673 #1,204
2015 modern 5,603 #1,204
2016 modern 5,590 #1,199

Geography

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Where Pembertons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Manchester, Sheffield, Blackburn and Warrington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wrexham, Wigan, Cheshire West and Chester and Manchester. 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 3
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Blackburn Lancashire
5 Warrington Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wrexham 014 Wrexham
2 Wigan 027 Wigan
3 Wrexham 015 Wrexham
4 Cheshire West and Chester 025 Cheshire West and Chester
5 Manchester 024 Manchester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pemberton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pemberton

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

Pemberton is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Pemberton

The surname Pemberton traces its origins back to England. It is derived from the Old English words "Pendre" meaning a valley or slope, and "Tun" meaning a farm or settlement. The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a valley or slope.

The name is first recorded in the 12th century in Lancashire, where it referred to a small village named Pemberton near Wigan. This place name is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1176 as "Penberton". Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Pemberton.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Pemberton was Roger de Pemberton, who was mentioned in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1246. The name also appears in the Wigan Parish Records of 1592, indicating its long-standing presence in the region.

In the 16th century, records show a John Pemberton (1550-1628) who was a Quaker preacher and one of the earliest settlers in Pennsylvania, USA. He arrived in the colony in 1682 and established a settlement near present-day Philadelphia.

Another notable figure was Henry Pemberton (1694-1771), an English mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the study of optics and the motion of projectiles. He served as the Gresham Professor of Physic and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1720.

During the American Revolutionary War, John Pemberton (1757-1795) served as a lieutenant in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Brandywine in 1777.

In the 19th century, John Pemberton (1831-1888) was a pharmacist from Georgia who invented the famous Coca-Cola soft drink in 1886. His creation became a global phenomenon and one of the most recognizable brands in the world.

Another notable bearer of the name was Michael Pemberton (1885-1950), an English cricketer who played for Lancashire and England in the early 20th century. He was a skilled right-handed batsman and played in several Test matches against Australia and South Africa.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pemberton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pemberton 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. Lancashire leads with 1,249 Pembertons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.84x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,249 2.84x
Cheshire 468 5.71x
Yorkshire 393 1.07x
Middlesex 298 0.80x
Warwickshire 224 2.39x
Staffordshire 183 1.46x
Derbyshire 170 2.93x
Surrey 143 0.79x
Durham 86 0.78x
Shropshire 75 2.34x
Suffolk 64 1.42x
Leicestershire 61 1.48x
Denbighshire 53 3.78x
Kent 49 0.39x
Worcestershire 37 0.76x
Nottinghamshire 33 0.66x
Berkshire 25 0.90x
Northumberland 25 0.45x
Sussex 20 0.32x
Essex 18 0.25x
Hampshire 14 0.18x
Gloucestershire 13 0.18x
Cambridgeshire 11 0.47x
Cumberland 11 0.34x
Somerset 11 0.18x
Oxfordshire 10 0.44x
Monmouthshire 8 0.30x
Lincolnshire 7 0.12x
Isle of Man 6 0.87x
Flintshire 5 0.50x
Lanarkshire 5 0.04x
Midlothian 5 0.10x
Hertfordshire 4 0.16x
Norfolk 4 0.07x
Cornwall 2 0.05x
Inverness-shire 2 0.18x
Northamptonshire 2 0.06x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.17x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.04x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.07x
Devon 1 0.01x
Dorset 1 0.04x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Herefordshire 1 0.07x
Royal Navy 1 0.23x
Rutland 1 0.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Blackburn in Lancashire leads with 132 Pembertons recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.27x.

Place Total Index
Blackburn 132 11.27x
Birmingham 97 3.11x
Aston 79 3.07x
Warrington 61 11.69x
Atherton 58 36.19x
Shoreditch London 57 3.54x
Manchester 53 2.68x
Toxteth Park 49 3.29x
Dukinfield 45 11.89x
West Derby 45 3.49x
Hunslet 44 7.67x
Congleton 39 27.56x
Everton 37 2.64x
Westleigh 37 37.00x
Newington 34 2.48x
Leeds 33 1.59x
Accrington 32 7.99x
Battersea 32 2.34x
Harborne 32 7.97x
Bury 31 6.16x
Bishopwearmouth 30 3.17x
Eccleston In Prescot 30 13.57x
Birkenhead 29 4.44x
Lambeth 27 0.83x
Ashton Under Lyne 26 2.70x
Nottingham St Mary 26 2.01x
Ruabon 26 13.49x
Sheffield 26 2.22x
Baildon 25 36.11x
Liverpool 25 0.93x
Wolverhampton 25 2.60x
Liscard 24 16.26x
Salford 24 1.85x
St Pancras London 24 0.80x
Ince In Makerfield 23 11.23x
Killamarsh 23 63.64x
Stoke Upon Trent 23 1.73x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 23 18.15x
Preston 22 1.87x
Wigan 22 3.58x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 22 30.17x
Wallasey 21 75.32x
Derby St Peter 20 10.81x
Handsworth 20 6.48x
Latchford 20 36.75x
Pennington In Leigh 20 23.67x
Tibshelf 20 70.18x
Barton Upon Irwell 19 5.73x
Leftwich 19 52.23x
Leyland 19 24.80x
Saddleworth 19 6.70x
Edgbaston 18 6.20x
Kensington London 18 0.87x
Kings Norton 18 4.14x
Lathom 18 33.85x
Derby St Werburgh 17 5.07x
Lytham 17 25.29x
Tarvin Pryors Hayes 17 156.54x
Ault Hucknall 16 168.24x
Glossop Dale 16 5.88x
Islington London 16 0.44x
Little Hulton 16 21.94x
North Meols 16 3.71x
Shipley 16 8.38x
Windle 16 6.46x
Camberwell 15 0.63x
Coventry St Michael 15 4.99x
Finchley 15 10.54x
Heeley 15 13.42x
Hulme 15 1.63x
Oldham 15 1.06x
Barnsley 14 3.69x
Brightside Bierlow 14 1.94x
Eckington 14 9.92x
Gorton 14 3.38x
Gresford Llay 14 200.29x
Holbeck 14 5.75x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 14 14.86x
Tranmere 14 4.65x
Wortley In Bramley 14 4.81x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 303
Elizabeth 161
Sarah 132
Jane 78
Ellen 76
Ann 74
Alice 71
Annie 59
Margaret 58
Hannah 56
Emma 55
Martha 43
Eliza 39
Harriet 31
Ada 28
Emily 27
Charlotte 26
Maria 25
Fanny 23
Florence 21
Catherine 19
Louisa 18
Caroline 17
Clara 14
Esther 14
Elizth. 13
Lucy 13
Agnes 12
Frances 12
Matilda 12
Nancy 12
Rose 11
Anne 10
Edith 10
Ethel 10
Amelia 9
Isabella 9
Eleanor 8
Gertrude 8
Kate 8
Amy 7
Eliz. 7
Julia 7
Lilly 7
Maud 7
Rachel 7
Susannah 7
Betsy 6
Margt. 6
Betty 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 219
William 195
Thomas 153
James 150
George 110
Joseph 106
Henry 66
Samuel 62
Charles 56
Robert 48
Arthur 38
Alfred 33
Edward 30
Walter 27
Richard 25
Albert 24
Frederick 22
Ernest 18
Harry 18
Peter 16
Herbert 15
Thos. 12
Wm. 12
Benjamin 9
Fred 9
Stephen 8
Daniel 7
David 7
Hugh 7
Isaac 7
Elijah 6
Andrew 5
Edwin 5
Enoch 5
Frank 5
Fredk. 5
Geo. 5
Matthew 5
Willm. 5
Abraham 4
Jesse 4
Levi 4
Lewis 4
Oliver 4
Percy 4
Robt. 4
Sidney 4
Solomon 4
Tom 4
Alexander 3

FAQ

Pemberton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pemberton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,803 people were recorded with the Pemberton surname. That placed it at #1,200 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pemberton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,590 in 2016. That gives Pemberton a modern rank of #1,199.

What does the Pemberton surname mean?

From a place name meaning "Pēotbere's town," derived from the Old English personal name Pēotbere and tūn "enclosure, town."

What does the Pemberton map show?

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