NameCensus.

UK surname

Pentney

In the 1881 census there were 196 people recorded with the Pentney surname, ranking it #13,006 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 341, ranked #13,425, down from #13,006 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St James, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Broadland, South Holland and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pentney is 353 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 74.0%.

1881 census count

196

Ranked #13,006

Modern count

341

2016, ranked #13,425

Peak year

2002

353 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pentney had 196 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,006 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 341 in 2016, ranked #13,425.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 351 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pentney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pentney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pentney 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 130 #14,314
1861 historical 145 #15,715
1881 historical 196 #13,006
1891 historical 218 #14,023
1901 historical 289 #11,944
1911 historical 351 #10,243
1997 modern 345 #12,291
1998 modern 349 #12,567
1999 modern 347 #12,696
2000 modern 342 #12,771
2001 modern 336 #12,721
2002 modern 353 #12,512
2003 modern 325 #13,104
2004 modern 329 #13,027
2005 modern 321 #13,195
2006 modern 314 #13,474
2007 modern 306 #13,862
2008 modern 316 #13,661
2009 modern 314 #13,985
2010 modern 333 #13,717
2011 modern 336 #13,498
2012 modern 335 #13,408
2013 modern 330 #13,777
2014 modern 340 #13,554
2015 modern 339 #13,493
2016 modern 341 #13,425

Geography

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Where Pentneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St James, London parishes, Gateshead, Peterborough St John the Baptist and Baconsthorpe. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Broadland, South Holland, Waveney, Torridge and Fenland. 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 St James Suffolk
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Peterborough St John the Baptist Northamptonshire
5 Baconsthorpe Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Broadland 018 Broadland
2 South Holland 008 South Holland
3 Waveney 008 Waveney
4 Torridge 008 Torridge
5 Fenland 007 Fenland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pentney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pentney

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Pentney is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Pentney is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pentney falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Pentney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pentney 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. Norfolk leads with 53 Pentneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.03x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 53 18.03x
Essex 38 10.07x
Suffolk 22 9.45x
Northamptonshire 18 10.01x
Lincolnshire 17 5.56x
Kent 9 1.38x
Nottinghamshire 9 3.49x
Durham 7 1.23x
Cambridgeshire 5 4.13x
Hampshire 5 1.28x
Leicestershire 5 2.36x
Yorkshire 4 0.21x
Middlesex 2 0.10x
Sussex 2 0.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sutton St Mary in Lincolnshire leads with 17 Pentneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 588.24x.

Place Total Index
Sutton St Mary 17 588.24x
Peterborough 16 122.89x
Ardleigh 14 1333.33x
Bodham 9 4500.00x
Carlton 9 306.12x
Woolwich 9 37.34x
Baconsthorpe 8 4210.53x
Bury St Edmunds St James 8 128.62x
Elmstead 7 1147.54x
Norton 7 1428.57x
Greenstead 6 1090.91x
Heacham 5 769.23x
Leicester St Margaret 5 9.67x
Stetchworth 5 1250.00x
Calthorpe 4 3076.92x
Great Barton 4 740.74x
Skelton In Guisbrough 4 78.13x
Wells Next Sea 4 233.92x
West Ham 4 4.80x
Westoe 4 12.41x
Blakeney 3 566.04x
Burnham Thorpe 3 1304.35x
Gateshead 3 7.05x
Ryde 3 35.63x
Brighton 2 3.08x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 2 45.77x
Chelmsford 2 30.91x
Heigham 2 12.67x
Hempstead 2 740.74x
Kensington London 2 1.88x
Maxey 2 500.00x
North Wootton 2 952.38x
Portsea 2 2.60x
Tendring 2 363.64x
Thornage 2 952.38x
Walpole St Peter 2 270.27x
Burnham Westgate 1 158.73x
Colchester St Peter 1 66.23x
Downham Market 1 49.51x
Hindringham 1 256.41x
Lammas Cum Little Hautbois 1 666.67x
Mattishall 1 169.49x
Mile End 1 144.93x
Walsoken 1 56.50x
Walton Le Soken 1 111.11x
Warham All Sts 1 625.00x
Wickhambrook 1 114.94x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 13
John 12
George 11
Thomas 10
Robert 8
Henry 5
Arthur 4
Charles 3
Herbert 3
James 3
Alfred 2
Frederick 2
Peter 2
Wm. 2
Alfd. 1
Ambrose 1
Benjamin 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Fred. 1
Frederic 1
Fredrick 1
Gus. 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Hezekiah 1
Isaac 1
Moses 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Stephen 1
Tom 1
Walter 1
Wm.Jas. 1

FAQ

Pentney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pentney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 196 people were recorded with the Pentney surname. That placed it at #13,006 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pentney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 341 in 2016. That gives Pentney a modern rank of #13,425.

What does the Pentney map show?

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