NameCensus.

UK surname

Pether

In the 1881 census there were 230 people recorded with the Pether surname, ranking it #11,748 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 356, ranked #12,978, down from #11,748 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Cowley, Iffley (Nuneham Courtney, Berkshire, including Littlemoor Liberty), St Clement and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Waverley, South Oxfordshire and Sedgemoor.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pether is 392 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.8%.

1881 census count

230

Ranked #11,748

Modern count

356

2016, ranked #12,978

Peak year

1998

392 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pether had 230 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,748 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 356 in 2016, ranked #12,978.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 363 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pether surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pether surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pether 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 171 #11,730
1861 historical 182 #12,949
1881 historical 230 #11,748
1891 historical 287 #11,473
1901 historical 363 #10,145
1911 historical 346 #10,341
1997 modern 334 #12,591
1998 modern 392 #11,512
1999 modern 392 #11,624
2000 modern 387 #11,692
2001 modern 370 #11,904
2002 modern 379 #11,913
2003 modern 381 #11,667
2004 modern 373 #11,859
2005 modern 375 #11,752
2006 modern 375 #11,796
2007 modern 369 #12,098
2008 modern 367 #12,264
2009 modern 382 #12,150
2010 modern 378 #12,508
2011 modern 380 #12,326
2012 modern 365 #12,547
2013 modern 366 #12,733
2014 modern 369 #12,745
2015 modern 368 #12,661
2016 modern 356 #12,978

Geography

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Where Pethers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Cowley, Iffley (Nuneham Courtney, Berkshire, including Littlemoor Liberty), St Clement, Portsmouth, Portsea and St John Hackney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Waverley, South Oxfordshire, Sedgemoor, Doncaster and Cheshire West and Chester. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Cowley, Iffley (Nuneham Courtney, Berkshire, including Littlemoor Liberty), St Clement Oxfordshire
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 St John Hackney London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Waverley 015 Waverley
2 South Oxfordshire 002 South Oxfordshire
3 Sedgemoor 001 Sedgemoor
4 Doncaster 009 Doncaster
5 Cheshire West and Chester 019 Cheshire West and Chester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pether

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pether

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

Pether 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

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

1881 census detail

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Pether families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pether 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. Middlesex leads with 70 Pethers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.12x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 70 3.12x
Oxfordshire 48 34.64x
Surrey 38 3.48x
Yorkshire 24 1.08x
Essex 13 2.94x
Berkshire 11 6.53x
Hampshire 8 1.74x
Kent 6 0.78x
Somerset 5 1.38x
Derbyshire 2 0.57x
Glamorgan 2 0.51x
Lancashire 2 0.08x
Northamptonshire 1 0.47x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newington in Surrey leads with 15 Pethers recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.10x.

Place Total Index
Newington 15 18.10x
Hackney London 11 8.74x
Rotherfield Peppard 11 2894.74x
Iffley 10 854.70x
Headington 9 418.60x
Barnby 8 5333.33x
Chiswick 8 65.25x
Hillingdon 8 111.89x
Mortlake 8 164.27x
St George Hanover 8 27.31x
Loughton 7 319.63x
Bainton 6 1935.48x
Oxford St Ebbe 6 147.06x
Bethnal Green London 5 5.13x
Camberwell 5 3.49x
St George In East 5 32.77x
Walthamstow 5 31.37x
Yateley 5 574.71x
Blewbury 4 689.66x
Burford 4 333.33x
Cowley 4 92.59x
East West Hagbourn 4 701.75x
Ecclesall Bierlow 4 8.85x
Hampstead London 4 11.45x
St Marylebone London 4 3.34x
Axbridge 3 857.14x
Battersea 3 3.63x
Islington London 3 1.38x
Sheffield 3 4.24x
Shoreditch London 3 3.08x
Chesterfield 2 15.19x
Croydon 2 3.30x
Deptford St Paul 2 3.39x
Fulham London 2 6.15x
Greenwich 2 5.60x
Hammersmith London 2 3.62x
Harpsden 2 1052.63x
Hulme 2 3.60x
Newbury 2 37.11x
Portsmouth 2 18.89x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 4.43x
St Anne Soho London 2 15.61x
Barnes 1 21.65x
Bermondsey 1 1.50x
Boughton Aluph 1 232.56x
Cardiff St John 1 7.84x
Hawley 1 114.94x
Henley On Thames 1 35.21x
Kensington London 1 0.80x
Laleston 1 243.90x
Lambeth 1 0.51x
Lee 1 9.00x
Nether Hallam 1 3.32x
Orchardleigh 1 3333.33x
Orsett 1 86.21x
Oxford St Clement 1 28.57x
Shadwell London 1 15.92x
Shinfield 1 101.01x
Soothill 1 12.45x
Spitalfields London 1 5.92x
St Matthew Friday 1 3333.33x
Trent 1 277.78x
Uxbridge 1 39.06x
Wakefield 1 5.86x
Weedon Beck 1 66.23x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 13
Elizabeth 8
Florence 7
Eliza 6
Mary 6
Louisa 5
Annie 3
Clara 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Harriet 3
Jane 3
Lucy 3
Martha 3
Rose 3
Alice 2
Caroline 2
Margaret 2
Matilda 2
Priscilla 2
Rosina 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Bessie 1
C. 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Elydia 1
Emma 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Janet 1
Maria 1
Mariah 1
Marie 1
Maud 1
Maude 1
May 1
Mercy 1
Minnie 1
Rachael 1
Rebecca 1
Rhoda 1
Rosetta 1
Ruth 1
Susanha 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 13
Thomas 12
John 9
Richard 9
George 7
Edward 6
Henry 6
James 6
Arthur 3
Ernest 3
Frederick 3
Herbert 3
Alfred 2
Edwin 2
Hy. 2
W. 2
Walter 2
Wm. 2
Andrew 1
Charles 1
Clarence 1
Claud 1
Cyrus 1
David 1
Edwd. 1
Ezra 1
F. 1
Frank 1
Fredk.S. 1
Fredlerick 1
Harry 1
Jno. 1
Joseph 1
Lewellen 1
Mary 1
Percy 1
Reuben 1
Robert 1
Saml 1
Silvester 1
Wallace 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Pether surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pether surname in 1881?

In 1881, 230 people were recorded with the Pether surname. That placed it at #11,748 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pether surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 356 in 2016. That gives Pether a modern rank of #12,978.

What does the Pether map show?

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