NameCensus.

UK surname

Pennick

A surname derived from a Middle English term meaning a cageworker or poultry keeper.

In the 1881 census there were 93 people recorded with the Pennick surname, ranking it #20,593 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 298, ranked #14,801, up from #20,593 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Brightlingsea, Harwich St Nicholas and Great and Little Totham, Goldhanger, Heybridge, Tolleshunt Major, Tolleshunt Knights, Tolleshunt Dar. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Colchester, Maldon and Hartlepool.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pennick is 341 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 220.4%.

1881 census count

93

Ranked #20,593

Modern count

298

2016, ranked #14,801

Peak year

1999

341 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pennick had 93 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,593 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 298 in 2016, ranked #14,801.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 181 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Pennick surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pennick surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pennick 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 64 #21,914
1861 historical 82 #23,321
1881 historical 93 #20,593
1891 historical 144 #18,842
1901 historical 162 #17,271
1911 historical 181 #15,911
1997 modern 318 #13,024
1998 modern 339 #12,810
1999 modern 341 #12,851
2000 modern 338 #12,877
2001 modern 335 #12,759
2002 modern 326 #13,241
2003 modern 314 #13,419
2004 modern 310 #13,589
2005 modern 309 #13,552
2006 modern 315 #13,440
2007 modern 308 #13,791
2008 modern 303 #14,038
2009 modern 309 #14,135
2010 modern 308 #14,452
2011 modern 300 #14,591
2012 modern 294 #14,705
2013 modern 295 #14,918
2014 modern 314 #14,371
2015 modern 300 #14,758
2016 modern 298 #14,801

Geography

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Where Pennicks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Brightlingsea, Harwich St Nicholas, Great and Little Totham, Goldhanger, Heybridge, Tolleshunt Major, Tolleshunt Knights, Tolleshunt Dar, London parishes and Middlesborough. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Colchester, Maldon, Hartlepool and County Durham. 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 Brightlingsea Essex
2 Harwich St Nicholas Essex
3 Great and Little Totham, Goldhanger, Heybridge, Tolleshunt Major, Tolleshunt Knights, Tolleshunt Dar Essex
4 London parishes London 2
5 Middlesborough Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Colchester 020 Colchester
2 Maldon 001 Maldon
3 Hartlepool 003 Hartlepool
4 County Durham 050 County Durham
5 Hartlepool 007 Hartlepool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pennick

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pennick

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

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Pennick surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Pennick household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Pennick is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Pennick 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

Pennick falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Pennick 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 Pennick, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Pennick

The surname PENNICK is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "pening," which referred to a small coin or penny. It is likely that the name was initially given to someone who worked as a moneyer or coin maker.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PENNICK can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from the year 1197, where a certain William Pennic is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use and established in that region during the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Pennik, Pennicc, and Pennick, in records from counties like Shropshire and Staffordshire. These variations in spelling were common during that period, as standardized spelling had not yet been established.

The Hundred Rolls of 1273, a historical record of landholders and their holdings, includes an entry for a John Pennyk from Derbyshire. This provides evidence that the name had spread to different parts of England by the late 13th century.

One notable figure bearing the surname PENNICK was Robert Pennick, a merchant and alderman who lived in London during the 15th century. He is recorded as having been involved in trade with the Netherlands and other parts of Europe.

In the 16th century, the PENNICK name can be found in parish records from various counties, including Gloucestershire, where a Thomas Pennick was born in 1572, and Oxfordshire, where a Richard Pennick was recorded in 1586.

During the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the New World, as some individuals with the surname PENNICK immigrated to the American colonies. One such individual was William Pennick, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and later became a landowner and planter.

Another notable figure from this period was John Pennick, a successful merchant who lived in Bristol, England, in the late 17th century. He was involved in the thriving trade between Bristol and the West Indies.

As the centuries progressed, the PENNICK surname continued to be found in various parts of England, as well as in other parts of the world where English settlers and immigrants had established themselves.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pennick families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pennick 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. Essex leads with 40 Pennicks recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.34x.

County Total Index
Essex 40 22.34x
Yorkshire 13 1.45x
Middlesex 11 1.21x
Devon 10 5.30x
Durham 8 2.96x
Cornwall 5 4.87x
Surrey 2 0.45x
Sussex 2 1.31x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.82x
Hampshire 1 0.54x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Coggeshall in Essex leads with 10 Pennicks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1075.27x.

Place Total Index
Great Coggeshall 10 1075.27x
Ermington 9 1304.35x
Tendring St Nicolas 9 5000.00x
Brightlingsea 6 588.24x
Stanghow 6 1666.67x
Clerkenwell London 5 23.35x
Mylor 4 579.71x
Stockton On Tees 4 30.75x
Tollesbury 4 888.89x
West Ham 4 10.12x
Middlesbrough 3 25.62x
Westoe 3 19.61x
Bromley London 2 10.02x
Everingham 2 2500.00x
Inworth 2 1000.00x
New Shoreham 2 217.39x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 2 156.25x
Tolleshunt Knights 2 1428.57x
Bingley 1 17.48x
Bishopwearmouth 1 4.32x
Camberwell 1 1.73x
Chetwode 1 2000.00x
Great Warley 1 243.90x
Hammersmith London 1 4.48x
Kelvedon 1 208.33x
Merstham 1 357.14x
Normanby In 1 41.67x
Paddington London 1 3.00x
Padstow 1 147.06x
Southampton St Mary 1 8.55x
Tormoham 1 12.52x
Witham 1 108.70x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Eliza 6
Elizabeth 6
Sarah 4
Mary 3
Emma 2
Lettice 2
Martha 2
Alice 1
Annie 1
Bertha 1
Betsy 1
Chalotte 1
Constance 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Galton 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Isabella 1
Jane 1
Lily 1
Lucy 1
Minnie 1
Nancy 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Sophia 1
Violete 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 6
John 5
George 4
James 4
Robert 4
Henry 3
Edgar 2
Harry 2
Alfred 1
Allen 1
Anthony 1
Charles 1
Christopher 1
Dan 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Ethelbert 1
Frederick 1
Paul 1
Shepherd 1
Thos. 1
Willie 1
Wm.E. 1

FAQ

Pennick surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pennick surname in 1881?

In 1881, 93 people were recorded with the Pennick surname. That placed it at #20,593 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pennick surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 298 in 2016. That gives Pennick a modern rank of #14,801.

What does the Pennick surname mean?

A surname derived from a Middle English term meaning a cageworker or poultry keeper.

What does the Pennick map show?

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