NameCensus.

UK surname

Penhale

A Cornish surname derived from a place name meaning 'the head' or 'end of the hill'.

In the 1881 census there were 174 people recorded with the Penhale surname, ranking it #14,042 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 164, ranked #22,314, down from #14,042 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Illogan, Llanguick and Llangafelach. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Neath Port Talbot, Torridge and Carmarthenshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Penhale is 184 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 5.7%.

1881 census count

174

Ranked #14,042

Modern count

164

2016, ranked #22,314

Peak year

1911

184 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Penhale had 174 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,042 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 164 in 2016, ranked #22,314.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 184 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Penhale surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Penhale surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Penhale 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 70 #21,020
1861 historical 160 #14,468
1881 historical 174 #14,042
1891 historical 181 #16,065
1901 historical 159 #17,442
1911 historical 184 #15,742
1997 modern 164 #19,944
1998 modern 174 #19,729
1999 modern 178 #19,592
2000 modern 183 #19,239
2001 modern 178 #19,288
2002 modern 180 #19,533
2003 modern 177 #19,549
2004 modern 183 #19,251
2005 modern 177 #19,598
2006 modern 184 #19,254
2007 modern 176 #20,028
2008 modern 177 #20,169
2009 modern 177 #20,560
2010 modern 180 #20,812
2011 modern 167 #21,642
2012 modern 173 #21,135
2013 modern 173 #21,486
2014 modern 173 #21,639
2015 modern 167 #22,066
2016 modern 164 #22,314

Geography

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Where Penhales are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Illogan, Llanguick, Llangafelach, Margam and Swansea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Neath Port Talbot, Torridge, Carmarthenshire, Cornwall and Vale of White Horse. 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 Illogan Cornwall
2 Llanguick Glamorganshire
3 Llangafelach Glamorganshire
4 Margam Glamorganshire
5 Swansea Glamorganshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Neath Port Talbot 004 Neath Port Talbot
2 Torridge 009 Torridge
3 Carmarthenshire 013 Carmarthenshire
4 Cornwall 006 Cornwall
5 Vale of White Horse 015 Vale of White Horse

Forenames

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First names often paired with Penhale

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Penhale

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

Penhale is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Penhale falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Penhale is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Penhale

The surname PENHALE has its origins in Cornwall, England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Cornish place name "Pennhall," which means "at the top of the moor." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname lived in or near a settlement located on elevated moorland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PENHALE can be found in the Cornish Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where a certain John Penhale is mentioned as a taxpayer. The name also appears in various 16th-century parish registers and manorial records from the Cornish parishes of St. Ervan, St. Teath, and St. Issey.

A notable figure bearing this surname was Sir Samuel Penhale (1665-1735), a Cornish landowner and Member of Parliament for Tregony from 1701 to 1705. Another prominent individual was Sir Thomas Penhale (1691-1758), a naval officer who served as Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station from 1748 to 1751.

In the 17th century, the PENHALE surname is recorded in the parish registers of St. Cubert, St. Columb Major, and other parts of central Cornwall. This suggests that the name was well-established in this region during that time period.

A notable bearer of the PENHALE name in the 18th century was John Penhale (1736-1798), a Cornish landowner and philanthropist who donated funds for the establishment of a school in the village of St. Columb Major.

In the 19th century, the PENHALE surname is found in various Cornish census records and parish registers, indicating its continued presence in the region. One notable figure from this period was Thomas Penhale (1813-1891), a Cornish mining engineer who worked in various parts of the world, including South America and Australia.

While the name PENHALE has its roots in Cornwall, it has since spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, carried by descendants of those who migrated from the county over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Penhale families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Penhale 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. Cornwall leads with 63 Penhales recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.79x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 63 32.79x
Devon 48 13.59x
Glamorgan 35 11.84x
Middlesex 11 0.65x
Lancashire 8 0.40x
Monmouthshire 5 4.08x
Carmarthenshire 1 1.40x
Cheshire 1 0.27x
Derbyshire 1 0.38x
Durham 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Illogan in Cornwall leads with 12 Penhales recorded in 1881 and an index of 235.76x.

Place Total Index
Illogan 12 235.76x
Llanguick 12 226.84x
Milton Damerel 12 4285.71x
Barrow In Furness 8 29.21x
Camborne 8 101.01x
St Gluvias 8 740.74x
Clase 7 63.69x
Mylor 7 542.64x
Swansea Town 7 28.89x
Buckland Brewer 6 1395.35x
Calstock 6 159.15x
Gwinear 6 659.34x
Margam 6 181.82x
Clawton 5 1923.08x
Paul 5 143.27x
Sidmouth 5 247.52x
Barnstaple 4 72.07x
Bovey Tracey 4 322.58x
Cookbury 4 3636.36x
Hackney London 4 4.20x
Llanover 4 95.47x
Pyle 3 555.56x
St Austell 3 45.66x
St George Hanover 3 13.54x
Clerkenwell London 2 4.99x
North Tamerton 2 714.29x
St Blazey 2 118.34x
St Erth 2 172.41x
St Giles In Fields 2 34.19x
Carmarthen St Peter 1 16.37x
Christow 1 294.12x
Ilfracombe 1 27.47x
Ilkeston 1 13.42x
Kyo 1 42.02x
Lamerton 1 149.25x
Liscard 1 14.81x
Littleham 1 38.76x
Menheniot 1 125.00x
Newton St Petrock 1 769.23x
Pennycross 1 333.33x
Shebbear 1 188.68x
St Agnes 1 37.17x
St Woollos 1 7.30x
Tavistock 1 24.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Elizabeth 8
Margaret 5
Charlotte 4
Eliza 4
Hannah 4
Caroline 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Maria 3
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Bessie 2
Georgina 2
Martha 2
Agnes 1
Anna 1
Betsy 1
E. 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Jael 1
Jane 1
Jenifer 1
Josephine 1
Lamniah 1
Lydia 1
Matilda 1
Naomi 1
Rhoda 1
Selina 1
Susan 1
Susanna 1
Susey 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 20
William 20
Richard 10
Thomas 9
George 5
Henry 3
Humphrey 2
Matthew 2
Thos. 2
Wm. 2
Arscott 1
Arthur 1
Edmund 1
Herbert 1
James 1
Malachi 1
Philip 1
R.E.L. 1
Reginald 1
Walter 1
Willie 1
Wm.John 1

FAQ

Penhale surname: questions and answers

How common was the Penhale surname in 1881?

In 1881, 174 people were recorded with the Penhale surname. That placed it at #14,042 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Penhale surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 164 in 2016. That gives Penhale a modern rank of #22,314.

What does the Penhale surname mean?

A Cornish surname derived from a place name meaning 'the head' or 'end of the hill'.

What does the Penhale map show?

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