NameCensus.

UK surname

Pentland

A surname derived from a place name in Scotland.

In the 1881 census there were 360 people recorded with the Pentland surname, ranking it #8,596 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 627, ranked #8,409, up from #8,596 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Walsingham, Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gateshead, Skye North West and Newcastle upon Tyne.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pentland is 665 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 74.2%.

1881 census count

360

Ranked #8,596

Modern count

627

2016, ranked #8,409

Peak year

2010

665 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pentland had 360 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,596 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 627 in 2016, ranked #8,409.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 452 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Pentland surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pentland surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pentland 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 249 #8,816
1861 historical 242 #10,154
1881 historical 360 #8,596
1891 historical 402 #8,842
1901 historical 452 #8,676
1911 historical 311 #11,150
1997 modern 618 #7,985
1998 modern 629 #8,111
1999 modern 663 #7,825
2000 modern 661 #7,833
2001 modern 630 #7,972
2002 modern 644 #8,007
2003 modern 646 #7,860
2004 modern 618 #8,164
2005 modern 610 #8,176
2006 modern 619 #8,089
2007 modern 608 #8,262
2008 modern 617 #8,228
2009 modern 655 #8,019
2010 modern 665 #8,099
2011 modern 653 #8,128
2012 modern 619 #8,387
2013 modern 625 #8,464
2014 modern 630 #8,453
2015 modern 628 #8,417
2016 modern 627 #8,409

Geography

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Where Pentlands are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Walsingham, Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Gateshead, Ryton and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gateshead, Skye North West, Newcastle upon Tyne and Paisley Ferguslie. 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 Walsingham Durham
2 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Ryton Durham
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gateshead 004 Gateshead
2 Skye North West Highland
3 Gateshead 005 Gateshead
4 Newcastle upon Tyne 021 Newcastle upon Tyne
5 Paisley Ferguslie Renfrewshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pentland

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pentland

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Pentland, 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 Pentland surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Pentland 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Pentland 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

Pentland 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

Pentland falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Pentland

The surname Pentland has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Pentland Hills, a range of hills located in the Scottish Lowlands, southwest of Edinburgh. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric words "pen" meaning head or hill, and "lann" meaning an enclosure or church lands.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Here, a William de Pentland is mentioned, indicating that the name was already in use by the late 13th century. The name also appears in various charters and land records from the 14th and 15th centuries, often associated with landholdings near the Pentland Hills.

The Pentland surname has a long history in Scotland, with several notable individuals bearing the name throughout the centuries. One such figure was Sir John Pentland (c. 1510-1583), a Scottish judge and Lord of Session during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. Another prominent Pentland was Joseph Pentland (1776-1837), a Scottish botanist and explorer who conducted extensive surveys of the flora and fauna of the Indian subcontinent.

In the 17th century, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the name gained notoriety with the Pentland Rising of 1666. This was a brief rebellion by Covenanter Presbyterians against the Scottish government, named after the Pentland Hills where the rebel forces initially gathered. The uprising was ultimately crushed, but it left a lasting mark on Scottish history.

Other notable individuals with the Pentland surname include Robert Pentland (1782-1864), a Scottish politician and Lord Provost of Edinburgh, and William Pentland (1913-1988), a British naval officer who served in World War II and later became a successful author.

Throughout its long history, the Pentland name has retained its associations with the Pentland Hills and the Scottish Lowlands, where it first emerged as a place name before evolving into a surname. Despite its geographic roots, the name has spread across Scotland and beyond, carried by families and individuals who have made their mark in various fields over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pentland families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pentland 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. Durham leads with 91 Pentlands recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.71x.

County Total Index
Durham 91 8.71x
Midlothian 79 16.79x
Lanarkshire 27 2.38x
Renfrewshire 20 7.35x
Lancashire 18 0.43x
Surrey 18 1.05x
Northumberland 16 3.06x
Kent 15 1.25x
Glamorgan 14 2.29x
Cumberland 9 2.98x
Fife 9 4.33x
Carmarthenshire 7 4.73x
Angus 5 1.54x
Cheshire 5 0.65x
Middlesex 5 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 5 1.06x
Yorkshire 4 0.11x
Perthshire 3 1.90x
Warwickshire 3 0.34x
Westmorland 2 2.59x
Brecknockshire 1 1.42x
Orkney 1 2.59x
Oxfordshire 1 0.46x
Staffordshire 1 0.08x
Sussex 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liberton in Midlothian leads with 22 Pentlands recorded in 1881 and an index of 303.03x.

Place Total Index
Liberton 22 303.03x
Gateshead 20 25.57x
Wolsingham 19 199.58x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 16 8.45x
Lasswade 16 148.70x
Folkestone 15 64.54x
Winlaton 15 149.70x
Croydon 11 11.58x
Barony 9 3.13x
Glasgow 9 4.46x
Byker 8 30.97x
Govan 8 2.85x
Swansea Town 8 15.96x
Edinburgh St Stephens 7 75.59x
Newington 7 5.40x
Paisley High Church 7 32.30x
Bishopwearmouth 6 6.69x
Caldewgate 6 36.23x
Elvet 6 79.58x
Stanhope 6 55.61x
Swansea Higher 6 94.19x
Toxteth Park 6 4.25x
West Greenock 6 12.28x
Witton Le Wear 6 202.70x
Birkenhead 5 8.09x
Ceres 5 200.00x
Chilton 5 153.37x
Dundee 5 4.12x
Norham 5 431.03x
Nottingham St Mary 5 4.08x
South Leith 5 9.44x
Barrow In Furness 4 7.06x
East Greenock 4 15.56x
Edinburgh Newington 4 476.19x
Manchester 4 2.13x
Carmarthen St Peter 3 23.72x
Edinburgh Greenside 3 48.23x
Kinnoull 3 72.46x
Llandefeilog 3 215.83x
Old Park 3 272.73x
Paisley Low Church 3 34.84x
Rickergate 3 46.88x
Birmingham 2 0.68x
Chester Le Street 2 24.94x
Cupar 2 22.12x
Edinburgh Tolbooth 2 72.99x
Everton 2 1.51x
Guisbrough 2 26.32x
North Leith 2 9.19x
North Shields 2 19.18x
St Giles In Fields 2 16.52x
Abbotshall 1 12.87x
Alrewas 1 86.96x
Appleby St Lawrence 1 56.82x
Bradford 1 1.19x
Edinburgh Lady Yesters 1 30.67x
Elswick 1 2.40x
Finchley 1 7.43x
Hastings St Leonards 1 11.49x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 2.21x
Hillingdon 1 8.93x
Horton In Bradford 1 1.84x
Kirkby Lonsdale 1 47.85x
Kirkcaldy 1 9.70x
Kirkwall St Ola 1 17.27x
Leamington Priors 1 4.59x
Llandingat 1 29.76x
Moss Side 1 4.56x
New Monkland 1 2.98x
Newbattle 1 24.88x
Oxford St Martin 1 285.71x
Penderyn 1 52.08x
Penshaw 1 31.85x
St George Hanover 1 2.18x
Usworth 1 18.02x
Windle 1 4.26x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 13
Mary 12
Margaret 11
Jane 7
Ann 6
Alice 5
Annie 4
Ellen 3
Fanny 3
Florence 3
Harriet 3
Sarah 3
Dorothy 2
Edith 2
Emily 2
Frances 2
Hannah 2
Maria 2
Phoebe 2
Anne 1
Betsy 1
C.M. 1
Christiana 1
Deborah 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Grace 1
Henrietta 1
Isabella 1
Jenny 1
Jessy 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Lilian 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
M.A. 1
Martha 1
Phobe 1
Rhoda 1
Salley 1
Sophia 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 20
William 17
James 9
David 8
George 8
Joseph 6
Frederick 5
Robert 5
Thomas 5
Alfred 2
Augustus 2
Henry 2
Wm. 2
Alex. 1
Archi 1
Charlton 1
Frank 1
Freddy 1
Fredrick 1
Gus 1
J. 1
Jehoum 1
M.J.L. 1
Richard 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Young 1

FAQ

Pentland surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pentland surname in 1881?

In 1881, 360 people were recorded with the Pentland surname. That placed it at #8,596 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pentland surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 627 in 2016. That gives Pentland a modern rank of #8,409.

What does the Pentland surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name in Scotland.

What does the Pentland map show?

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