NameCensus.

UK surname

Petchey

In the 1881 census there were 296 people recorded with the Petchey surname, ranking it #9,823 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 476, ranked #10,360, down from #9,823 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to South Hanningfield, East Hanningfield, Runwell, Rettendon, Downham, Wickford, London parishes and Albury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire and Southend-on-Sea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Petchey is 562 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 60.8%.

1881 census count

296

Ranked #9,823

Modern count

476

2016, ranked #10,360

Peak year

1998

562 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Petchey had 296 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,823 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 476 in 2016, ranked #10,360.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 413 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Petchey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Petchey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Petchey 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 168 #11,873
1861 historical 110 #19,562
1881 historical 296 #9,823
1891 historical 315 #10,669
1901 historical 371 #9,997
1911 historical 413 #9,082
1997 modern 529 #8,923
1998 modern 562 #8,765
1999 modern 562 #8,825
2000 modern 549 #8,956
2001 modern 534 #9,000
2002 modern 548 #9,000
2003 modern 530 #9,093
2004 modern 528 #9,144
2005 modern 516 #9,236
2006 modern 507 #9,386
2007 modern 494 #9,654
2008 modern 516 #9,416
2009 modern 525 #9,501
2010 modern 521 #9,752
2011 modern 503 #9,908
2012 modern 483 #10,116
2013 modern 490 #10,176
2014 modern 498 #10,102
2015 modern 488 #10,182
2016 modern 476 #10,360

Geography

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Where Petcheys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around South Hanningfield, East Hanningfield, Runwell, Rettendon, Downham, Wickford, London parishes, Albury and Hutton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire, Southend-on-Sea and Braintree. 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 South Hanningfield, East Hanningfield, Runwell, Rettendon, Downham, Wickford Essex
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Albury Hertfordshire
5 Hutton Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 035 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 North East Lincolnshire 001 North East Lincolnshire
3 Southend-on-Sea 014 Southend-on-Sea
4 Braintree 008 Braintree
5 Braintree 009 Braintree

Forenames

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First names often paired with Petchey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Petchey

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Petchey is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Petchey is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Petchey 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 Petchey 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 Petchey, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Petchey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Petchey 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 118 Petcheys recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.70x.

County Total Index
Essex 118 20.70x
Middlesex 56 1.94x
Hertfordshire 31 15.58x
Surrey 22 1.56x
Kent 18 1.83x
Norfolk 15 3.38x
Huntingdonshire 10 17.44x
Yorkshire 8 0.28x
Suffolk 7 1.99x
Durham 5 0.58x
Hampshire 4 0.68x
Northamptonshire 1 0.37x
Northumberland 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Manuden in Essex leads with 21 Petcheys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2957.75x.

Place Total Index
Manuden 21 2957.75x
Albury 15 2419.35x
Rayleigh 14 1068.70x
Hackney London 13 8.03x
Brancaster 12 1578.95x
St George Hanover 12 31.84x
Great Baddow 11 541.87x
Newington 11 10.31x
Ramsey 10 217.86x
Walton Le Soken 10 740.74x
Hougham 9 153.58x
Tonbridge 9 25.33x
West Ham 9 7.15x
Eastwood 8 1600.00x
Shipley 8 53.87x
South Hanningfield 7 3043.48x
Beddington 6 110.29x
Hutton 6 1333.33x
Ipswich St Mary Stoke 6 184.05x
Whitechapel London 6 21.08x
Hadleigh 5 1086.96x
Shoreditch London 5 3.99x
Thundridge 5 1063.83x
Chelsea London 4 4.60x
Gateshead 4 6.22x
Great Hadham 4 312.50x
Islington London 4 1.43x
Little Hadham 4 476.19x
Mile End Old Town 4 8.78x
South Weald 4 81.97x
West Hanningfield 4 952.38x
Bethnal Green London 3 2.39x
Bow London 3 8.16x
Henham 3 370.37x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 3 22.51x
Lambeth 3 1.19x
West Thurrock 3 158.73x
Whitwell 3 428.57x
Brentwood 2 57.64x
Cheshunt 2 28.74x
Kensington London 2 1.25x
Rettendon 2 281.69x
Widford 2 666.67x
Bishop Stortford 1 15.04x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 1 15.15x
Chelmsford 1 10.22x
Colchester St Botolph 1 20.62x
Elswick 1 2.92x
Farnham 1 200.00x
Maldon All Sts 1 88.50x
Peterborough 1 5.09x
Romford 1 11.10x
Southwark Christchurch 1 7.39x
Springfield 1 40.00x
Sunderland 1 6.59x
Thundersley 1 196.08x
Titchfield 1 22.42x
Wandsworth 1 3.60x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 16
Mary 13
Emily 12
Eliza 9
Emma 9
Sarah 8
Alice 5
Annie 5
Charlotte 4
Edith 4
Maria 4
Ada 3
Agnes 3
Clara 3
Ellen 3
Fanny 3
Jane 3
Susan 3
Caroline 2
Harriett 2
Julia 2
Louisa 2
Martha 2
Matilda 2
Ann 1
Anne 1
Dinah 1
Dossie 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eunice 1
Florence 1
Georgiana 1
Gertrude 1
Happy 1
Hariet 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Isabel 1
Kate 1
Kerenhappuch 1
Lilly 1
Liza 1
Mable 1
Margaret 1
Margrett 1
Phoebe 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Rosietta 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 16
George 15
John 15
Edward 10
James 10
Alfred 8
Joseph 8
Henry 7
Thomas 6
Charles 5
Arthur 4
Ernest 4
Harry 3
Walter 3
Alexander 2
David 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Billings 1
C.W. 1
Christopher 1
Earnest 1
Enoch 1
Francis 1
Fredk. 1
Herbert 1
Mark 1
Norman 1
Percy 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Samiel 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Willie 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Petchey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Petchey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 296 people were recorded with the Petchey surname. That placed it at #9,823 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Petchey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 476 in 2016. That gives Petchey a modern rank of #10,360.

What does the Petchey map show?

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