NameCensus.

UK surname

Pettifer

A surname of uncertain origin, possibly from a nickname meaning "little fighter" or "quarreler".

In the 1881 census there were 666 people recorded with the Pettifer surname, ranking it #5,411 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,056, ranked #5,522, down from #5,411 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Letcomb Regis, Childrey and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rugby, Oxford and Vale of White Horse.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pettifer is 1,146 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 58.6%.

1881 census count

666

Ranked #5,411

Modern count

1,056

2016, ranked #5,522

Peak year

1998

1,146 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pettifer had 666 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,411 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,056 in 2016, ranked #5,522.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,053 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pettifer surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pettifer surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pettifer 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 331 #7,044
1861 historical 325 #7,835
1881 historical 666 #5,411
1891 historical 642 #6,044
1901 historical 922 #5,054
1911 historical 1,053 #4,374
1997 modern 1,079 #5,162
1998 modern 1,146 #5,081
1999 modern 1,120 #5,221
2000 modern 1,142 #5,105
2001 modern 1,111 #5,125
2002 modern 1,126 #5,188
2003 modern 1,103 #5,171
2004 modern 1,103 #5,170
2005 modern 1,053 #5,318
2006 modern 1,038 #5,404
2007 modern 1,024 #5,503
2008 modern 1,020 #5,558
2009 modern 1,047 #5,566
2010 modern 1,068 #5,568
2011 modern 1,075 #5,477
2012 modern 1,038 #5,560
2013 modern 1,066 #5,528
2014 modern 1,079 #5,501
2015 modern 1,066 #5,504
2016 modern 1,056 #5,522

Geography

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Where Pettifers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Letcomb Regis, Childrey, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rugby, Oxford, Vale of White Horse, New Forest and Waveney. 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 Letcomb Regis, Childrey Berkshire
4 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
5 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rugby 011 Rugby
2 Oxford 002 Oxford
3 Vale of White Horse 011 Vale of White Horse
4 New Forest 023 New Forest
5 Waveney 012 Waveney

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pettifer

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pettifer

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Pettifer 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

Pettifer is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Pettifer

The surname Pettifer has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "petti" meaning small and "fere" meaning companion or mate, suggesting it was likely an occupational name for a small servant or attendant.

The earliest known record of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a Robert Pettifere is mentioned. This spelling variation, along with others like Petyfer and Petifer, was common in early records due to the inconsistencies in written English at the time.

In the 14th century, the surname is found in various records from different parts of England, including the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which lists a Johannes Petyfere. This indicates that the name had spread across the country by this time.

One notable early bearer of the name was John Pettifer, a 15th-century English clergyman who served as the rector of Stratfield Turgis in Hampshire from 1462 until his death in 1490.

The Pettifer surname can also be traced to various place names in England, such as Pettifers Close in Buckinghamshire and Pettifers Lane in Oxfordshire. These locations may have been named after early settlers with the surname or derived from similar Old English words.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals with the Pettifer surname made their mark in various fields. For instance, William Pettifer (c. 1540-1610) was an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Yarmouth in 1588, while Thomas Pettifer (1612-1678) was a notable Puritan minister and author from Worcestershire.

In the 18th century, the name appears in records from different parts of England, with notable figures such as John Pettifer (1720-1795), a successful merchant and landowner in Berkshire, and Sarah Pettifer (1758-1828), a renowned Quaker minister and writer from Oxfordshire.

As the name spread across England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the colonies in North America and Australia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was Samuel Pettifer (1770-1842), a farmer who settled in Virginia in the late 18th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pettifer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pettifer 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 117 Pettifers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.79x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 117 1.79x
Warwickshire 105 6.38x
Northamptonshire 69 11.24x
Surrey 66 2.08x
Staffordshire 46 2.09x
Berkshire 42 8.57x
Oxfordshire 34 8.44x
Kent 20 0.90x
Leicestershire 20 2.76x
Gloucestershire 14 1.09x
Huntingdonshire 14 10.81x
Hertfordshire 13 2.89x
Wiltshire 12 2.08x
Derbyshire 11 1.08x
Nottinghamshire 11 1.25x
Worcestershire 11 1.29x
Rutland 9 18.78x
Buckinghamshire 8 2.03x
Yorkshire 8 0.12x
Bedfordshire 7 2.07x
Lincolnshire 7 0.67x
Hampshire 4 0.30x
Lancashire 4 0.05x
Shropshire 4 0.71x
Channel Islands 3 1.55x
Devon 2 0.15x
Essex 2 0.16x
Merionethshire 2 1.67x
Sussex 2 0.18x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.17x
Glamorgan 1 0.09x

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 24 Pettifers recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.96x.

Place Total Index
Newington 24 9.96x
Cropredy 23 1885.25x
Hackney London 22 6.01x
Croydon 21 11.90x
Birmingham 20 3.65x
Islington London 16 2.53x
Stilton 14 965.52x
Great Doddington 13 977.44x
Childrey 12 1043.48x
Ealing 12 20.58x
Handsworth 12 22.10x
Hanwell 12 103.72x
Northampton St Sepulchre 12 38.42x
Long Lawford 11 718.95x
Coventry Holy Trinity 10 20.35x
Great Bowden 10 151.98x
Harbury 10 374.53x
Aston 9 1.99x
Sarratt 9 576.92x
Harborne 8 11.33x
Ravensthorpe 8 720.72x
Rugby 8 35.94x
Studley 8 113.64x
Boxford 7 551.18x
Crudwell 7 416.67x
St Andrew Holborn 7 31.65x
St Luke London 7 6.69x
Staveley 7 38.59x
Anstey 6 209.79x
Ashford 6 27.68x
Edmonton 6 11.41x
Lewisham 6 5.05x
Mile End Old Town 6 5.82x
Northampton St Giles 6 25.66x
Stallingborough 6 555.56x
Stoneton 6 12000.00x
Temple Guiting 6 504.20x
Thistleton 6 2000.00x
Walsall Foreign 6 5.27x
Warwick St Nicholas 6 49.71x
Webheath 6 394.74x
Badby 5 409.84x
Bermondsey 5 2.57x
Buckingham 5 62.34x
Clewer 5 24.91x
Helmdon 5 423.73x
Shoreditch London 5 1.77x
Swindon 5 11.17x
Wortley In Bramley 5 9.76x
Bickenhill 4 350.88x
Blakesley 4 425.53x
Cookham 4 26.20x
Edgmond 4 64.41x
Fenny Compton 4 305.34x
Fillongley 4 170.21x
Greenwich 4 3.85x
Hammersmith London 4 2.49x
Kings Norton 4 5.23x
Normanton 4 46.35x
Nottingham Standard 4 177.78x
Oxford St Giles 4 20.80x
Stanton On Wolds 4 1666.67x
Sutton 4 17.38x
Wantage 4 51.22x
Windrush 4 769.23x
Alverstoke 3 6.20x
Aspley Guise 3 92.88x
Camberwell 3 0.72x
Clerkenwell London 3 1.95x
Deptford St Paul 3 1.75x
Fenny Stratford 3 80.43x
Kensington London 3 0.83x
Kingswinford 3 3.75x
Leamington Priors 3 7.41x
Leicester St Margaret 3 1.70x
Madeley 3 54.64x
Northampton Priory St 3 8.15x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 1.28x
Tettenhall 3 22.27x
Tottenham 3 2.89x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 47
Sarah 33
Elizabeth 27
Annie 18
Ann 14
Ellen 10
Emily 10
Jane 10
Eliza 8
Catherine 7
Emma 7
Lucy 6
Maria 6
Martha 6
Caroline 5
Frances 5
Harriet 5
Kate 5
Alice 4
Florence 4
Ada 3
Amelia 3
Charlotte 3
Edith 3
Margaret 3
Maud 3
Selina 3
... 2
Amy 2
Eleanor 2
Elizth. 2
Emilie 2
Ethel 2
Fanny 2
Hannah 2
Helen 2
Joanna 2
Louisa 2
Mabel 2
Rhoda 2
Rosa 2
Rose 2
Sophia 2
Thurza 2
Avery 1
Bay 1
Elizabrth 1
Elizh. 1
Ellin 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 45
John 34
Thomas 24
George 23
James 17
Charles 16
Henry 14
Joseph 14
Alfred 9
Richard 8
Samuel 8
Albert 7
Edward 7
Frederick 7
Robert 7
Arthur 5
Walter 5
Harry 4
Edmund 3
Ernest 3
Geo. 3
Herbert 3
Percy 3
Caleb 2
Daniel 2
Eli 2
Frank 2
Fredrick 2
Martin 2
Mathew 2
Oliver 2
Stephen 2
Thos. 2
Willm. 2
Wm. 2
Charlotte 1
Edgar 1
Edmond 1
Fredk. 1
Gorge 1
H.A. 1
Harker 1
M.E. 1
Maurice 1
Michal 1
Nathaniel 1
Norman 1
Owen 1
Peter 1
Raymond 1

FAQ

Pettifer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pettifer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 666 people were recorded with the Pettifer surname. That placed it at #5,411 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pettifer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,056 in 2016. That gives Pettifer a modern rank of #5,522.

What does the Pettifer surname mean?

A surname of uncertain origin, possibly from a nickname meaning "little fighter" or "quarreler".

What does the Pettifer map show?

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