NameCensus.

UK surname

Penketh

In the 1881 census there were 270 people recorded with the Penketh surname, ranking it #10,484 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 388, ranked #12,133, down from #10,484 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Manchester, Brereton with Smethwick and Warrington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St. Helens, Redcar and Cleveland and Wirral.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Penketh is 452 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.7%.

1881 census count

270

Ranked #10,484

Modern count

388

2016, ranked #12,133

Peak year

2009

452 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Penketh had 270 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,484 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 388 in 2016, ranked #12,133.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 413 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Penketh surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Penketh surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Penketh 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 158 #12,461
1861 historical 139 #16,263
1881 historical 270 #10,484
1891 historical 305 #10,976
1901 historical 352 #10,394
1911 historical 413 #9,082
1997 modern 420 #10,608
1998 modern 419 #10,992
1999 modern 425 #10,954
2000 modern 433 #10,750
2001 modern 426 #10,697
2002 modern 429 #10,858
2003 modern 424 #10,789
2004 modern 421 #10,866
2005 modern 418 #10,812
2006 modern 422 #10,785
2007 modern 427 #10,782
2008 modern 439 #10,640
2009 modern 452 #10,629
2010 modern 447 #10,966
2011 modern 427 #11,243
2012 modern 413 #11,451
2013 modern 412 #11,647
2014 modern 397 #12,076
2015 modern 385 #12,256
2016 modern 388 #12,133

Geography

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Where Penkeths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Manchester, Brereton with Smethwick, Warrington, Middlesborough and Prescot. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St. Helens, Redcar and Cleveland and Wirral. 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 Manchester Lancashire
2 Brereton with Smethwick Cheshire
3 Warrington Lancashire
4 Middlesborough Durham
5 Prescot Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St. Helens 020 St. Helens
2 Redcar and Cleveland 022 Redcar and Cleveland
3 Wirral 031 Wirral
4 St. Helens 022 St. Helens
5 St. Helens 009 St. Helens

Forenames

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First names often paired with Penketh

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Penketh

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Penketh 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

Penketh is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Penketh 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 Penketh is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Penketh families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Penketh 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 191 Penkeths recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.02x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 191 6.02x
Cheshire 24 4.07x
Yorkshire 16 0.60x
Shropshire 11 4.76x
Flintshire 9 12.53x
Durham 8 1.01x
Middlesex 5 0.19x
Isle of Man 3 6.04x
Kent 3 0.33x
Denbighshire 1 0.99x
Hampshire 1 0.18x
Royal Navy 1 3.14x
Staffordshire 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Eccleston In Prescot in Lancashire leads with 48 Penkeths recorded in 1881 and an index of 301.51x.

Place Total Index
Eccleston In Prescot 48 301.51x
Windle 27 151.26x
Rainford 24 699.71x
Liverpool 10 5.19x
Shrewsbury St Mary 10 109.77x
Sutton 10 93.99x
Holywell 9 99.78x
Brereton Cum Smethwick 8 1428.57x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 8 23.23x
Manchester 8 5.61x
Middleham 8 1066.67x
Middlesbrough 8 23.20x
Skelmersdale 8 151.23x
Warrington 8 21.28x
Little Budworth 6 1224.49x
Pendleton In Salford 5 13.23x
Upholland 5 123.15x
Bickerstaffe 3 144.23x
Bootle Cum Linacre 3 11.91x
Braddan 3 110.70x
Gillingham 3 15.96x
Gorton 3 10.06x
Hackney London 3 2.00x
Hulme 3 4.53x
Layton With Warbreck 3 25.77x
Newton 3 12.28x
Newton In Makerfield 3 30.90x
Barton Upon Irwell 2 8.38x
Bow London 2 5.88x
Chester St Mary On Hill 2 39.53x
Salford 2 2.14x
Winstanley 2 400.00x
Alverstoke 1 5.04x
Arclid 1 333.33x
Ashton In Makerfield 1 11.07x
Brindle 1 91.74x
Cranage 1 250.00x
Dutton 1 243.90x
Great Bolton 1 2.38x
Hartford 1 75.19x
Heaton Norris 1 5.54x
Huyton With Roby 1 26.88x
Lach Dennis 1 1666.67x
Lancaster 1 5.30x
Llangollen Dinbren 1 1428.57x
Monks Coppenhall 1 4.49x
Moss Side 1 5.99x
North Meols 1 3.22x
Royal Navy 1 3.67x
Rushton 1 322.58x
Shrewsbury St Julian 1 17.51x
Stretford 1 5.73x
Weaverham Cum Milton 1 64.10x
West Derby 1 1.08x
Whittingham 1 71.43x
Whittington 1 54.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 23
Elizabeth 19
Sarah 19
Ann 9
Margaret 9
Ellen 6
Jane 6
Alice 4
Annie 3
Lucy 3
Agnes 2
Amelia 2
Catherine 2
Emily 2
Hannah 2
Helen 2
Ada 1
Agness 1
Bessie 1
Betsy 1
Carilene 1
Cecila 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Debra 1
Edith 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth. 1
Emilly 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Georgina 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Jessie 1
Judith 1
Lilian 1
Lillian 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Phoebe 1
Ruth 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 28
James 19
William 14
George 12
Thomas 12
Richard 9
Henry 6
Edward 4
Albert 3
Charles 3
Peter 3
Alfred 2
Herbert 2
Hugh 2
Joseph 2
Aaron 1
Abraham 1
Austin 1
Denis 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Haugh 1
Louis 1
Percy 1
Reginald 1
Richd.E. 1
Robert 1

FAQ

Penketh surname: questions and answers

How common was the Penketh surname in 1881?

In 1881, 270 people were recorded with the Penketh surname. That placed it at #10,484 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Penketh surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 388 in 2016. That gives Penketh a modern rank of #12,133.

What does the Penketh map show?

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