NameCensus.

UK surname

Pendlebury

An English locational surname referring to someone from Pendlebury, Lancashire.

In the 1881 census there were 1,918 people recorded with the Pendlebury surname, ranking it #2,272 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,095, ranked #3,089, down from #2,272 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Radcliffe, Wigan and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan and Bolton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pendlebury is 2,570 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 9.2%.

1881 census count

1,918

Ranked #2,272

Modern count

2,095

2016, ranked #3,089

Peak year

1911

2,570 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pendlebury had 1,918 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,272 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,095 in 2016, ranked #3,089.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,570 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Pendlebury surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pendlebury surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pendlebury 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 1,126 #2,500
1861 historical 1,335 #2,145
1881 historical 1,918 #2,272
1891 historical 2,145 #2,170
1901 historical 2,424 #2,242
1911 historical 2,570 #1,988
1997 modern 2,205 #2,815
1998 modern 2,223 #2,892
1999 modern 2,246 #2,886
2000 modern 2,241 #2,876
2001 modern 2,256 #2,798
2002 modern 2,262 #2,860
2003 modern 2,133 #2,942
2004 modern 2,094 #2,995
2005 modern 2,046 #3,016
2006 modern 2,095 #2,961
2007 modern 2,080 #3,008
2008 modern 2,077 #3,039
2009 modern 2,153 #3,016
2010 modern 2,181 #3,044
2011 modern 2,144 #3,051
2012 modern 2,077 #3,084
2013 modern 2,131 #3,058
2014 modern 2,121 #3,096
2015 modern 2,109 #3,080
2016 modern 2,095 #3,089

Geography

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Where Pendleburys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Radcliffe, Wigan, Manchester, Dean and Leigh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan and Bolton. 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 Radcliffe Lancashire
2 Wigan Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Dean Lancashire
5 Leigh Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 034 Wigan
2 Bolton 028 Bolton
3 Wigan 023 Wigan
4 Wigan 022 Wigan
5 Wigan 030 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pendlebury

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pendlebury

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Pendlebury 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

Pendlebury is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Pendlebury

The surname Pendlebury originates from the region of Lancashire in North West England. It is a locational surname derived from the town of Pendlebury near Manchester. The name is thought to have arisen in the late 12th or early 13th century.

The name Pendlebury is believed to be derived from the Old English words "pendel" meaning Valley and "bury" meaning a fortified place or manor. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Penilburi" in records dating back to 1212. Other early spellings included Penulbury, Penilbyry, and Pendlebyri.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Pendlebury can be found in the Lancashire Inquests of 1310-1333, which mentions a Richard de Penilbury. The Pendlebury name also appears in the Wigan Court Leet Rolls of 1355, suggesting the family was well-established in the region by this time.

In the 16th century, there are records of a John Pendlebury (1530-1599) who served as a local official in Wigan, Lancashire. Another notable bearer of the name was Richard Pendlebury (1847-1935), a British architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the North West of England.

Other historical figures with the Pendlebury surname include William Pendlebury (1813-1863), a British cotton manufacturer and philanthropist, and Jane Pendlebury (1861-1950), a pioneering English educator and headmistress of a girls' school in Manchester.

The Pendlebury name has also been found in various old parish records and tax rolls throughout Lancashire and the surrounding areas, further cementing its long-standing presence in the region. Some noteworthy examples are Thomas Pendlebury, recorded in the Wigan Parish Registers of 1611, and Richard Pendlebury, listed in the Forced Loan of 1627 for Lancashire.

While the Pendlebury surname is most closely associated with its Lancashire origins, it has since spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, carried by families who migrated from the original location over the centuries. Nevertheless, the name remains a distinct link to its historic roots in the Pendlebury area of Greater Manchester.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pendlebury families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pendlebury 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 1,660 Pendleburys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.47x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,660 7.47x
Cheshire 83 2.01x
Yorkshire 40 0.22x
Middlesex 29 0.15x
Durham 20 0.36x
Denbighshire 14 1.98x
Surrey 11 0.12x
Lanarkshire 10 0.17x
Flintshire 8 1.59x
Derbyshire 7 0.24x
Isle of Man 7 2.01x
Buckinghamshire 5 0.44x
Essex 5 0.14x
Lincolnshire 5 0.17x
Midlothian 4 0.16x
Hampshire 3 0.08x
Staffordshire 3 0.05x
Hertfordshire 1 0.08x
Kent 1 0.02x
Northamptonshire 1 0.06x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.04x
Warwickshire 1 0.02x
Wiltshire 1 0.06x
Worcestershire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Little Bolton in Lancashire leads with 167 Pendleburys recorded in 1881 and an index of 58.41x.

Place Total Index
Little Bolton 167 58.41x
Radcliffe 88 82.10x
Great Bolton 83 28.18x
Hindley 73 77.00x
Pendleton In Salford 70 26.42x
Manchester 69 6.90x
Westleigh 59 116.85x
Preston 55 9.24x
Bedford 50 107.50x
Halliwell 48 59.31x
Westhoughton 46 77.52x
Wigan 38 12.23x
Atherton 33 40.77x
Farnworth 33 24.77x
Little Lever 32 112.52x
Worsley 32 23.35x
Blackrod 28 101.34x
Chorley 27 21.64x
Barton Upon Irwell 26 15.53x
Pemberton 25 28.20x
Astley 23 134.11x
Runcorn 23 24.12x
Pennington In Leigh 21 49.23x
Heaton 20 213.22x
Aspull 19 36.33x
Warrington 19 7.21x
Ashton In Makerfield 18 28.43x
Bradford 18 17.29x
Pilkington 18 21.31x
Horwich 15 61.86x
Newton 14 8.17x
North Meols 14 6.43x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 14 21.87x
Failsworth 13 25.56x
Billinge Chapel End 12 96.15x
Oldham 12 1.67x
Blackburn 11 1.86x
Cheetham 11 6.63x
Lytham 11 32.40x
Anderton 10 478.47x
Barnard Castle 10 36.28x
Barony 10 0.65x
Hulme 10 2.15x
Moss Side 10 8.55x
Salford 10 1.53x
Sharples 10 41.46x
Withnell 10 73.31x
Ainsworth 9 104.53x
Ashton Under Lyne 9 1.85x
Bury 9 3.54x
Harwood 9 77.45x
Kirkdale 9 2.41x
Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd 9 125.52x
Tonge With Haulgh 9 20.79x
Winstanley 9 257.14x
East Ardsley 8 49.75x
Everton 8 1.13x
Hawsker Cum Stainsacre 8 129.66x
Horton In Bradford 8 2.76x
Ince In Makerfield 8 7.73x
Liscard 8 10.73x
Northop 8 44.84x
Over Darwen 8 4.50x
Weston In Runcorn 8 74.42x
Buxton 7 28.19x
Halton 7 75.84x
Newton In Makerfield 7 10.28x
Onchan 7 6.98x
St Pancras London 7 0.46x
Abram 6 35.17x
Adlington 6 28.82x
Bethnal Green London 6 0.74x
Burtonwood 6 73.53x
Crook Billy Row 6 8.40x
Eccleston In Prescot 6 5.37x
Elton 6 7.81x
Great Harwood 6 14.93x
Livesey 6 15.37x
Reddish 6 19.59x
Sale 6 11.82x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 180
Elizabeth 74
Sarah 73
Alice 64
Ann 57
Margaret 57
Ellen 51
Jane 38
Hannah 24
Martha 24
Annie 20
Catherine 19
Eliza 15
Emma 13
Elizth. 11
Maria 11
Esther 10
Edith 9
Emily 9
Lucy 9
Harriet 8
Betsy 7
Betty 7
Louisa 7
Nancy 7
Agnes 6
Rachel 6
Frances 5
Isabella 5
Margt. 5
Rebecca 5
Matilda 4
Minnie 4
Rachael 4
Ada 3
Anne 3
Bertha 3
Betsey 3
Caroline 3
Clara 3
Fanny 3
Florence 3
Henrietta 3
Julia 3
Barbara 2
Charlotte 2
Jessie 2
Lilly 2
Margret 2
Margt 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 163
James 129
William 99
Thomas 71
Joseph 38
Henry 37
Robert 28
George 25
Richard 22
Peter 14
Samuel 14
Ralph 13
Arthur 12
Charles 12
Edward 11
Wm. 10
Harry 9
Walter 9
Albert 8
Frederick 8
Edwin 6
Jonathan 6
Roger 6
Thos. 6
Adam 5
Alfred 5
Daniel 5
David 5
Herbert 5
Jas. 5
Reuben 5
Andrew 4
Frank 4
Gerrard 4
Levi 4
Francis 3
Fred 3
Geo. 3
Gerard 3
Isaac 3
Joshua 3
Martin 3
Moses 3
Peers 3
Richd. 3
Robt. 3
Alexander 2
Eli 2
Nathan 2
Rodger 2

FAQ

Pendlebury surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pendlebury surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,918 people were recorded with the Pendlebury surname. That placed it at #2,272 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pendlebury surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,095 in 2016. That gives Pendlebury a modern rank of #3,089.

What does the Pendlebury surname mean?

An English locational surname referring to someone from Pendlebury, Lancashire.

What does the Pendlebury map show?

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