NameCensus.

UK surname

Pigram

An archaic English surname derived from the name Pilgram or Pelegrinus, meaning "pilgrim."

In the 1881 census there were 204 people recorded with the Pigram surname, ranking it #12,682 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 187, ranked #20,488, down from #12,682 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stanstead Mountfitchet, Widford and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tendring, Stockport and East Hertfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pigram is 289 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 8.3%.

1881 census count

204

Ranked #12,682

Modern count

187

2016, ranked #20,488

Peak year

1911

289 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pigram had 204 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,682 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 187 in 2016, ranked #20,488.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 289 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Pigram surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pigram surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pigram 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 216 #9,818
1861 historical 207 #11,687
1881 historical 204 #12,682
1891 historical 216 #14,107
1901 historical 261 #12,775
1911 historical 289 #11,738
1997 modern 243 #15,556
1998 modern 253 #15,547
1999 modern 253 #15,667
2000 modern 239 #16,239
2001 modern 233 #16,260
2002 modern 227 #16,877
2003 modern 231 #16,504
2004 modern 214 #17,435
2005 modern 204 #17,893
2006 modern 197 #18,465
2007 modern 199 #18,542
2008 modern 200 #18,640
2009 modern 215 #18,179
2010 modern 218 #18,375
2011 modern 207 #18,841
2012 modern 211 #18,539
2013 modern 202 #19,389
2014 modern 201 #19,641
2015 modern 194 #19,994
2016 modern 187 #20,488

Geography

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Where Pigrams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stanstead Mountfitchet, Widford, London parishes, Dagenham and Great Dunmow, Barnston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tendring, Stockport, East Hertfordshire, Havering and Hastings. 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 Stanstead Mountfitchet Hertfordshire
2 Widford Hertfordshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Dagenham Essex
5 Great Dunmow, Barnston Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tendring 013 Tendring
2 Stockport 012 Stockport
3 East Hertfordshire 007 East Hertfordshire
4 Havering 010 Havering
5 Hastings 001 Hastings

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pigram

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pigram

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Pigram, 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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Pigram surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Pigram household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Pigram is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Pigram is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Pigram

The surname Pigram is of English origin, traced back to the late 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "picga" and "ramm," meaning "a little pick" and "a ram," respectively. The name likely referred to someone of small stature or was used as a nickname for a combative individual.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest recorded spelling of the name appears as "Picgeram," indicating its presence in medieval England. Some historians suggest a connection to the village of Piggrum in Nottinghamshire, where the name may have originated.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John Pigram, born in 1420 in Lincolnshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a magistrate in the county. Another notable figure was Sir Richard Pigram (1510-1587), a successful merchant and alderman in the City of London.

During the Tudor period, the name was associated with the Pigram family of Kent, who held significant influence in the region. William Pigram (1536-1604), a member of this family, was a respected scholar and author of theological works.

In the 17th century, Martha Pigram (1658-1728) gained recognition as a skilled embroiderer, with her intricate needlework pieces commissioned by wealthy patrons across England.

The 18th century saw the rise of Robert Pigram (1720-1795), a renowned architect who contributed to the design of several notable buildings in London, including the iconic St. Paul's Cathedral.

As the centuries progressed, the Pigram surname continued to be documented in various regions of England, with individuals from this lineage making contributions in fields such as politics, education, and the arts.

It is worth noting that while the name is predominantly English, variations and spellings like Piggram, Pyggram, and Pygram have been recorded throughout history, reflecting the fluidity of surnames in earlier times.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pigram families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pigram 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 90 Pigrams recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.91x.

County Total Index
Essex 90 22.91x
Middlesex 60 3.02x
Hertfordshire 18 13.12x
Kent 12 1.77x
Pembrokeshire 6 9.49x
Bedfordshire 4 3.88x
Lancashire 4 0.17x
Cambridgeshire 2 1.59x
Gloucestershire 2 0.51x
Yorkshire 2 0.10x
Hampshire 1 0.25x
Renfrewshire 1 0.65x
Suffolk 1 0.41x
Surrey 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Ham in Essex leads with 31 Pigrams recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.75x.

Place Total Index
West Ham 31 35.75x
Dagenham 18 769.23x
Enfield 14 107.20x
St Pancras London 10 6.24x
Bishop Stortford 9 196.51x
Cranbrook 9 312.50x
Islington London 7 3.63x
Rickling 7 2258.06x
St Albans St Michael 7 457.52x
St George In East 7 51.74x
Furzey Park Portfield 6 3333.33x
Loughton 5 257.73x
Norwood 5 109.89x
Barnston 4 3636.36x
Biggleswade 4 118.69x
Stebbing 4 526.32x
Great Canfield 3 1304.35x
Liverpool 3 2.09x
Saffron Walden 3 72.29x
St George Martyr 3 89.55x
Barking 2 17.41x
Bassingbourn 2 108.11x
Bethnal Green London 2 2.31x
Charlton Next Woolwich 2 28.25x
Cheltenham 2 6.64x
Mile End Old Town 2 6.37x
Prittlewell 2 36.76x
Romford 2 32.21x
St Marylebone London 2 1.88x
Walthamstow 2 14.14x
Weston 2 303.03x
Bow London 1 3.95x
Braintree 1 28.33x
Bromley London 1 2.28x
Bury St Edmunds St James 1 15.46x
Camberwell 1 0.79x
Chatham 1 5.35x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 2.49x
Fulham London 1 3.47x
Greenock Oldor West 1 238.10x
Hackney London 1 0.90x
Harlow 1 59.17x
Havering 1 333.33x
Kensington London 1 0.90x
Little Baddow 1 270.27x
Newport 1 147.06x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 1 14.20x
Ryde 1 11.42x
Shoreditch London 1 1.16x
South Weald 1 29.76x
Stanstead 1 303.03x
Stoke Newington London 1 6.45x
West Derby 1 1.45x
Whitechapel London 1 5.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Eliza 10
Elizabeth 9
Emma 6
Alice 5
Sarah 5
Annie 4
Ellen 4
Ann 3
Emily 3
Ada 2
Edith 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Jane 2
Jessie 2
Louisa 2
Agnes 1
Anes 1
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Caroline 1
Charlott 1
Charlotte 1
Chartline 1
Dorcas 1
Emelia 1
Enneff 1
Ester 1
Fanny 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Lizzie 1
Lucretia 1
Lydia 1
Martha 1
Maude 1
Minie 1
Moseley 1
Naomi 1
Nellie 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Rosina 1
Ruth 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Pigram surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pigram surname in 1881?

In 1881, 204 people were recorded with the Pigram surname. That placed it at #12,682 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pigram surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 187 in 2016. That gives Pigram a modern rank of #20,488.

What does the Pigram surname mean?

An archaic English surname derived from the name Pilgram or Pelegrinus, meaning "pilgrim."

What does the Pigram map show?

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