NameCensus.

UK surname

Pickard

An occupational surname for someone who collected taxes or tolls, or a maker of picks and pickaxes.

In the 1881 census there were 4,169 people recorded with the Pickard surname, ranking it #1,080 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,586, ranked #1,482, down from #1,080 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bedworth, London parishes and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ryedale, Bradford and North Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pickard is 5,186 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 10.0%.

1881 census count

4,169

Ranked #1,080

Modern count

4,586

2016, ranked #1,482

Peak year

1911

5,186 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pickard had 4,169 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,080 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,586 in 2016, ranked #1,482.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,186 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pickard surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pickard surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pickard 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 2,804 #1,043
1861 historical 2,535 #1,155
1881 historical 4,169 #1,080
1891 historical 4,333 #1,093
1901 historical 5,100 #1,102
1911 historical 5,186 #1,009
1997 modern 4,741 #1,380
1998 modern 4,937 #1,383
1999 modern 4,979 #1,380
2000 modern 4,928 #1,385
2001 modern 4,778 #1,391
2002 modern 4,830 #1,409
2003 modern 4,715 #1,403
2004 modern 4,657 #1,421
2005 modern 4,593 #1,423
2006 modern 4,580 #1,431
2007 modern 4,607 #1,435
2008 modern 4,618 #1,438
2009 modern 4,667 #1,462
2010 modern 4,770 #1,463
2011 modern 4,712 #1,457
2012 modern 4,548 #1,484
2013 modern 4,652 #1,478
2014 modern 4,707 #1,467
2015 modern 4,631 #1,476
2016 modern 4,586 #1,482

Geography

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Where Pickards are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bedworth, London parishes, Bradford and Keighley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ryedale, Bradford, North Devon and Torridge. 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 Bedworth Warwickshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ryedale 004 Ryedale
2 Bradford 004 Bradford
3 Bradford 024 Bradford
4 North Devon 013 North Devon
5 Torridge 005 Torridge

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pickard

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pickard

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

Pickard 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

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

Meaning and origin of Pickard

The surname Pickard is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "piquier," meaning "pikeman" or "pike-bearer." This occupation-based surname emerged during the medieval period, when soldiers specialized in using the pike, a long, heavy wooden shaft with a pointed metal tip, as their primary weapon on the battlefield.

The name Pickard can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. It is believed that the earliest bearers of this name were individuals who served as pikemen in the armies of local lords or in the service of the Crown.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Pickard can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, a collection of records from the late 13th century. In this document, a certain Robert le Pykard is listed as a resident of the village of Grantham.

In the 14th century, the Pickard surname appeared in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Pycard is mentioned as a tenant in the year 1348. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in the northern regions of England during the medieval era.

Notable individuals bearing the Pickard surname throughout history include:

1. William Pickard (c. 1516 - 1575), an English churchman who served as the Archdeacon of Bedford from 1565 until his death. 2. John Pickard (1738 - 1805), a renowned English engraver and portraitist known for his work in mezzotint, a printing technique using a copper plate. 3. Benjamin Pickard (1842 - 1904), an American businessman and philanthropist from Massachusetts, who co-founded the Pickard China Company, a notable manufacturer of fine china and porcelain. 4. Samuel Thomas Pickard (1828 - 1915), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Music and the Church of St. Mary Abbots in Kensington. 5. Jane Pickard (1901 - 1986), an American author and playwright best known for her novel "The Weissmanns of Westport," which explored themes of family dynamics and Jewish-American identity.

Over time, the surname Pickard has undergone various spelling variations, such as Picard, Pickard, Pickarde, and Pycard, reflecting the fluidity of English orthography and regional dialects. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names in England, such as Pickard's Leys in Nottinghamshire and Pickard's Croft in Yorkshire, further reinforcing its historical roots in the region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pickard families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pickard 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. Yorkshire leads with 1,912 Pickards recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.74x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,912 4.74x
Devon 310 3.65x
Lancashire 196 0.41x
Middlesex 193 0.47x
Warwickshire 186 1.81x
Leicestershire 171 3.79x
Nottinghamshire 124 2.26x
Surrey 120 0.60x
Wiltshire 89 2.47x
Derbyshire 69 1.08x
Staffordshire 66 0.48x
Kent 65 0.47x
Lincolnshire 61 0.94x
Sussex 53 0.77x
Glamorgan 52 0.73x
Durham 51 0.42x
Northumberland 46 0.76x
Gloucestershire 36 0.45x
Aberdeenshire 35 0.93x
Somerset 32 0.49x
Hampshire 29 0.35x
Cheshire 27 0.30x
Cornwall 24 0.52x
Angus 22 0.58x
Essex 19 0.24x
Bedfordshire 17 0.81x
Rutland 16 5.35x
Worcestershire 16 0.30x
Lanarkshire 15 0.11x
Huntingdonshire 14 1.73x
Cambridgeshire 11 0.43x
Cumberland 11 0.31x
Dorset 11 0.41x
Shropshire 10 0.28x
Isle of Man 8 1.06x
Perthshire 8 0.44x
Oxfordshire 7 0.28x
Suffolk 7 0.14x
Westmorland 7 0.78x
Herefordshire 4 0.24x
Midlothian 4 0.07x
Norfolk 4 0.06x
Berkshire 3 0.10x
Monmouthshire 3 0.10x
Royal Navy 3 0.62x
Northamptonshire 2 0.05x
Selkirkshire 2 0.54x
West Lothian 2 0.33x
Argyllshire 1 0.09x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.04x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.06x
Kincardineshire 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 222 Pickards recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.74x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 222 9.74x
Bradford 97 9.92x
Bedworth 60 80.02x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 59 40.91x
Dewsbury 45 10.87x
Holbeck 43 16.07x
Calverley Cum Farsley 41 35.76x
Armley 40 22.46x
Bethnal Green London 39 2.20x
Keighley 38 8.83x
Leicester St Margaret 38 3.45x
Baildon 37 48.67x
Bingley 37 14.39x
Idle 34 18.16x
North Bradley 34 129.23x
Otley 34 34.68x
Birmingham 33 0.96x
Swansea Town 33 5.67x
Bideford 32 35.22x
Headingley Cum Burley 32 12.31x
Wortley In Bramley 31 9.69x
Bramley In Bramley 30 19.41x
Shoreditch London 30 1.70x
Horton In Bradford 29 4.60x
Parkham 29 259.16x
Kippax 28 78.85x
Trowbridge 28 17.58x
Wakefield 27 8.71x
Northam 26 42.06x
Shipley 26 12.41x
Sutton In Ashfield 25 20.98x
Battersea 24 1.60x
Coventry St Michael 24 7.27x
Harome 24 392.16x
Hunslet 23 3.65x
Lambeth 23 0.65x
Nottingham St Mary 23 1.62x
Alnwick 22 21.11x
Manningham 21 4.22x
Markfield 20 89.29x
Thornhill 20 16.98x
Aston 19 0.67x
Leicester St Mary 19 5.21x
Ovenden 19 10.57x
Pudsey 19 8.80x
Barton St Mary 18 55.08x
Coventry Holy Trinity 18 5.87x
Sculcoates 18 2.81x
Bowling 17 4.25x
Brightside Bierlow 17 2.15x
Exeter St David 17 23.46x
West Ham 17 0.96x
Barrowden 16 191.16x
Burrington 16 148.15x
Camberwell 16 0.61x
Habergham Eaves 16 3.62x
Plymouth Charles The 16 4.28x
Soothill 16 10.97x
Burnley 15 3.68x
Deptford St Paul 15 1.40x
Hyde 15 5.65x
Islington London 15 0.38x
Potter Newton 15 21.06x
Sandal Magna 15 25.12x
Farmanby 14 203.19x
Liff Benvie 14 2.44x
Stoke Upon Trent 14 0.96x
Syston 14 33.10x
Yeadon 14 15.35x
Carperby Cum Thoresby 13 309.52x
Horsforth 13 14.68x
Litchurch 13 5.06x
Middlesbrough 13 2.47x
Portsea 13 0.79x
Shitlington 13 31.12x
St George Hanover 13 2.44x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 13 6.93x
Stratton 13 51.96x
West Hoathly 13 60.24x
Manchester 12 0.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 274
Elizabeth 179
Sarah 156
Annie 87
Ann 86
Hannah 86
Jane 64
Emma 60
Martha 59
Alice 55
Eliza 49
Ellen 43
Emily 43
Harriet 32
Lucy 27
Charlotte 25
Louisa 22
Margaret 22
Clara 21
Ada 20
Fanny 20
Florence 20
Caroline 19
Edith 18
Catherine 17
Grace 17
Maria 16
Ruth 16
Agnes 15
Susan 15
Frances 14
Susannah 14
Esther 12
Isabella 12
Kate 12
Anne 10
Bertha 10
Elizth. 10
Harriett 10
Minnie 9
Amelia 8
Eva 8
Gertrude 8
Nancy 8
Rebecca 8
Julia 7
Laura 7
Lydia 7
Matilda 7
Phoebe 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 247
William 238
Thomas 143
James 134
George 112
Henry 86
Joseph 85
Charles 63
Arthur 50
Samuel 41
Alfred 40
Harry 36
Robert 35
Walter 34
Albert 31
Edward 25
Fred 25
Herbert 25
Richard 25
Frederick 24
David 22
Benjamin 19
Frank 19
Francis 17
Ernest 15
Wm. 15
Edwin 10
Isaac 7
Jonathan 7
Tom 7
Willie 7
Geo. 6
Saml. 6
Abraham 5
Ambrose 5
Christopher 5
Fredk. 5
Job 5
Matthew 5
Percy 5
Anthony 4
Bartholomew 4
Chas. 4
Jeremiah 4
Jno. 4
Joe 4
Jos. 4
Paul 4
Philip 4
Thos. 4

FAQ

Pickard surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pickard surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,169 people were recorded with the Pickard surname. That placed it at #1,080 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pickard surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,586 in 2016. That gives Pickard a modern rank of #1,482.

What does the Pickard surname mean?

An occupational surname for someone who collected taxes or tolls, or a maker of picks and pickaxes.

What does the Pickard map show?

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