NameCensus.

UK surname

Pew

A variant of the surname Peugh, of English origin, potentially derived from an Old English place name.

In the 1881 census there were 116 people recorded with the Pew surname, ranking it #18,126 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 140, ranked #24,865, down from #18,126 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Studham, New Monkland and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wirral, Redcar and Cleveland and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pew is 196 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 20.7%.

1881 census count

116

Ranked #18,126

Modern count

140

2016, ranked #24,865

Peak year

1851

196 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pew had 116 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,126 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 140 in 2016, ranked #24,865.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 196 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Pew surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pew surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pew 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 196 #10,573
1881 historical 116 #18,126
1891 historical 51 #30,158
1901 historical 105 #22,179
1997 modern 119 #24,302
1998 modern 122 #24,556
1999 modern 129 #23,907
2000 modern 130 #23,785
2001 modern 129 #23,557
2002 modern 129 #24,021
2003 modern 114 #25,664
2004 modern 120 #25,078
2005 modern 119 #25,193
2006 modern 137 #23,270
2007 modern 134 #23,931
2008 modern 139 #23,635
2009 modern 138 #24,276
2010 modern 140 #24,569
2011 modern 133 #25,177
2012 modern 138 #24,614
2013 modern 132 #25,789
2014 modern 138 #25,218
2015 modern 138 #25,103
2016 modern 140 #24,865

Geography

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Where Pews are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Studham, New Monkland, London parishes, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and St Margaret Walmgate. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wirral, Redcar and Cleveland, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Birkenshaw and Uddingston and Gardenside. 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 Studham Bedfordshire
2 New Monkland Lanark
3 London parishes London 3
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 St Margaret Walmgate Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wirral 025 Wirral
2 Redcar and Cleveland 006 Redcar and Cleveland
3 Rhondda Cynon Taf 007 Rhondda Cynon Taf
4 Birkenshaw North Lanarkshire
5 Uddingston and Gardenside South Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pew

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pew

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Pew 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

Pew 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

Pew falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Pew is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Pew, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Pew

The surname PEW has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "peoh," meaning a small enclosed area or a pen, often associated with keeping livestock. This suggests that the name may have originated as a reference to someone who lived near or maintained such an enclosure.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PEW can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it appears as "Pew." This document was a tax record, indicating that individuals with this surname were present in the region during that time.

In the 15th century, the name was also recorded in various forms, such as "Pew" and "Pewe," in the Feet of Fines for Norfolk and Suffolk, which were legal records documenting property transactions. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of England by that time.

The variant spelling "Pugh" is also closely related to PEW and is believed to have originated from the same root. This form of the name can be found in records dating back to the 16th century, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1569, where it appears as "Pugh."

One notable figure from history bearing the surname PEW was William Pew, a wealthy merchant from Gloucestershire, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was involved in the cloth trade and held significant influence in his community.

Another individual of historical significance was John Pew, born in 1609 in Gloucestershire. He was a Puritan minister who emigrated to America in the mid-17th century and became a prominent figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, serving as a pastor in several churches.

In the 18th century, the name PEW appeared in records related to the American Revolutionary War, with individuals such as Joseph Pew, born in 1742 in Pennsylvania, serving as a soldier in the Continental Army.

The surname PEW has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Pewsey in Wiltshire, which may have derived its name from the Old English words "peoh" and "ēa," meaning a river near a pen or enclosure.

Other notable individuals with the surname PEW include Henry Pew, a British businessman and philanthropist born in 1838, who founded the Pew Charitable Trusts, one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Additionally, Joseph Newton Pew, born in 1848 in Massachusetts, was a prominent businessman and founder of the Sun Oil Company, which later became Sunoco.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pew families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pew 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. Lanarkshire leads with 26 Pews recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.61x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 26 5.61x
Yorkshire 26 1.83x
Middlesex 21 1.46x
Lancashire 12 0.71x
Surrey 12 1.72x
Hertfordshire 10 10.12x
Warwickshire 9 2.49x
Norfolk 5 2.27x
Angus 4 3.01x
Shropshire 4 3.23x
Devon 3 1.01x
Durham 3 0.70x
Kent 2 0.41x
Monmouthshire 2 1.93x
Bedfordshire 1 1.35x
Glamorgan 1 0.40x
Gloucestershire 1 0.36x
Northumberland 1 0.47x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.52x
Oxfordshire 1 1.13x
Perthshire 1 1.55x
Somerset 1 0.43x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. New Monkland in Lanarkshire leads with 15 Pews recorded in 1881 and an index of 109.41x.

Place Total Index
New Monkland 15 109.41x
St Pancras London 9 7.80x
York St Mary 8 136.05x
Blatchinworth 6 155.04x
Govan 6 5.23x
St Albans 6 295.57x
York St Helen Stonegate 6 2727.27x
Great Yarmouth 5 27.38x
Old Monkland 5 27.17x
Aston 4 4.02x
Clerkenwell London 4 11.82x
Rotherhithe 4 22.57x
Birmingham 3 2.49x
Combeinteignhead 3 1428.57x
Dundee 3 6.05x
Paddington London 3 5.69x
St Albans St Peter 3 90.09x
Barnes 2 67.80x
Barrow In Furness 2 8.64x
Bickerton 2 2857.14x
Bishops Castle In 2 277.78x
Bishopthorpe 2 740.74x
Drayton In Hales 2 78.43x
Gateshead 2 6.26x
Lambeth 2 1.60x
Leeds 2 2.49x
York St Margaret 2 227.27x
York St Mary Castlegate 2 476.19x
Barton In Clay 1 192.31x
Battersea 1 1.90x
Cardiff St Mary 1 7.27x
Caterham 1 32.36x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 3.70x
Clapham 1 5.58x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.65x
Didsbury 1 44.25x
Edgbaston 1 8.92x
Finchley 1 18.18x
Frome 1 18.12x
Great Bolton 1 4.44x
Hendon 1 19.38x
Kensington London 1 1.25x
Liff Benvie 1 4.96x
Lower Cwmyoy 1 909.09x
Middlesbrough 1 5.41x
Newark Upon Trent 1 14.39x
Newport 1 20.24x
Normanton 1 23.42x
Norton 1 63.69x
Oxford St Clement 1 44.84x
Plumstead 1 6.13x
St Albans St Michael 1 90.91x
St Anne Soho London 1 12.21x
St Marylebone London 1 1.31x
Sutton 1 19.80x
Tewkesbury 1 39.84x
Tulliallan 1 91.74x
Tynemouth 1 8.76x
Warwick St Nicholas 1 37.74x
Worsley 1 9.53x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Elizabeth 6
Annie 4
Ann 3
Ellen 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Edith 2
Martha 2
Selina 2
Ada 1
Celia 1
Christina 1
E. 1
Eliza 1
Elizath. 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
I.W. 1
Julia 1
Katie 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Matilda 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 5
John 5
Joseph 5
Thomas 5
William 5
Henry 4
Richard 4
James 3
Robert 3
Arthur 2
Wm. 2
Alfred 1
Arther 1
Caleb 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Elijah 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Guss 1
Herbert 1
Jesse 1
Leonis 1

FAQ

Pew surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pew surname in 1881?

In 1881, 116 people were recorded with the Pew surname. That placed it at #18,126 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pew surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 140 in 2016. That gives Pew a modern rank of #24,865.

What does the Pew surname mean?

A variant of the surname Peugh, of English origin, potentially derived from an Old English place name.

What does the Pew map show?

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