NameCensus.

UK surname

Pilch

A surname derived from the Polish word meaning "ball" or "sphere".

In the 1881 census there were 133 people recorded with the Pilch surname, ranking it #16,676 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 203, ranked #19,396, down from #16,676 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Edmonton, Fakenham and East Dereham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Norfolk, Norwich and Broadland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pilch is 203 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 52.6%.

1881 census count

133

Ranked #16,676

Modern count

203

2016, ranked #19,396

Peak year

2016

203 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pilch had 133 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,676 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 203 in 2016, ranked #19,396.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 162 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Pilch surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pilch surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pilch 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 41 #25,926
1861 historical 89 #22,419
1881 historical 133 #16,676
1891 historical 102 #23,719
1901 historical 146 #18,335
1911 historical 162 #17,003
1997 modern 144 #21,660
1998 modern 150 #21,665
1999 modern 161 #20,868
2000 modern 152 #21,603
2001 modern 148 #21,664
2002 modern 150 #21,913
2003 modern 148 #21,866
2004 modern 141 #22,689
2005 modern 146 #22,146
2006 modern 153 #21,643
2007 modern 167 #20,719
2008 modern 178 #20,094
2009 modern 184 #20,079
2010 modern 186 #20,379
2011 modern 185 #20,288
2012 modern 186 #20,141
2013 modern 191 #20,124
2014 modern 201 #19,641
2015 modern 199 #19,640
2016 modern 203 #19,396

Geography

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Where Pilchs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Edmonton, Fakenham, East Dereham, Elmham, North and Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Norfolk, Norwich, Broadland and North Norfolk. 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 Edmonton Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 Fakenham Norfolk
3 East Dereham Norfolk
4 Elmham, North Norfolk
5 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Norfolk 014 South Norfolk
2 Norwich 012 Norwich
3 Broadland 002 Broadland
4 North Norfolk 011 North Norfolk
5 North Norfolk 009 North Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pilch

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pilch

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Pilch, 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 Pilch surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Pilch 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Pilch is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Pilch is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pilch falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Pilch 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 Pilch, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Pilch

The surname PILCH is of Polish origin, deriving from the Polish word 'pilch', meaning a type of thick, woolen coat worn by shepherds and peasants in medieval times. The name likely originated as an occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold these coats.

The earliest recorded instances of the PILCH surname date back to the 15th century in the regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland. It appears in various historical records from this time, such as tax rolls and municipal documents, with spellings like 'Pilch', 'Pylch', and 'Pilech'.

One of the earliest known bearers of the PILCH name was Jan Pilch, a landowner from the village of Kromołów near Opole, who was mentioned in a land registry from 1428. Another early record is of Mikołaj Pilch, a burgher from Kraków, who was listed in the city's municipal records in 1461.

The PILCH surname can also be found in some of the earliest Polish noble family records, such as the Armorial of Polish Nobility (Herbarz Polski) from the 16th century, which mentions the Pilch coat of arms belonging to a noble family from the Sandomierz region.

During the 19th century, several notable individuals with the PILCH surname emerged, including Jerzy Pilch (1802-1880), a Polish writer and poet, and Józef Pilch (1842-1918), a Polish architect who designed several buildings in Kraków and Lviv.

Other individuals of note with the PILCH surname include Tadeusz Pilch (1861-1925), a Polish engineer and inventor who patented several designs for steam engines, and Krzysztof Pilch (1939-2005), a Polish writer and journalist known for his satirical works.

While the PILCH name originated in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration, with bearers of the name found in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pilch families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pilch 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. Norfolk leads with 69 Pilchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.59x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 69 34.59x
Middlesex 13 1.00x
Yorkshire 13 1.01x
Surrey 10 1.58x
Kent 8 1.81x
Nottinghamshire 8 4.57x
Durham 5 1.30x
Suffolk 4 2.53x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.22x
Essex 1 0.39x
Wiltshire 1 0.87x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Heigham in Norfolk leads with 11 Pilchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 102.71x.

Place Total Index
Heigham 11 102.71x
Holt 10 1470.59x
North Elmham 8 1666.67x
Croydon 7 19.95x
Kirkby In Ashfield 7 374.33x
Bramley In Bramley 6 121.95x
Canterbury St Mary 6 202.02x
Bishopwearmouth 5 15.09x
Great Ryburgh 5 1612.90x
Great Yarmouth 5 30.27x
St Pancras London 5 4.79x
West Lexham 5 8333.33x
Bethnal Green London 4 7.10x
Goole 4 186.05x
Corton 3 1200.00x
East Dereham 3 119.05x
Fakenham 3 306.12x
Norwich St Augustine 3 375.00x
Sheffield 3 7.33x
Canterbury St George 2 377.36x
Fakenham Alethorpe 2 800.00x
Guist 2 1176.47x
Kensington London 2 2.77x
Lambeth 2 1.77x
Aylmerton 1 714.29x
Aylsham 1 84.03x
Beddington 1 40.98x
Bishops Fonthill 1 1111.11x
Bromley London 1 3.50x
Framlingham 1 89.29x
Fulmodestone Cum Croxton 1 625.00x
Great Chesterford 1 243.90x
Happisburgh 1 400.00x
Little Walsingham 1 222.22x
Mansfield 1 16.53x
Mattishall 1 250.00x
Norwich St John 1 555.56x
Spixworth 1 3333.33x
St Benedict Cambridge 1 217.39x
St Marylebone London 1 1.44x
Weasenham All Sts 1 625.00x
Weasenham St Peter 1 833.33x
West Barsham 1 2500.00x
Weybourne 1 1000.00x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
William 9
Charles 4
Henry 4
James 4
Nathaniel 4
Robert 4
Arthur 3
Thomas 3
Alfred 2
George 2
Philip 2
Richard 2
Walter 2
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Fuller 1
Geo. 1
Herbert 1
Ladbrooke 1
Stanley 1
Stewart 1
Valentine 1

FAQ

Pilch surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pilch surname in 1881?

In 1881, 133 people were recorded with the Pilch surname. That placed it at #16,676 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pilch surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 203 in 2016. That gives Pilch a modern rank of #19,396.

What does the Pilch surname mean?

A surname derived from the Polish word meaning "ball" or "sphere".

What does the Pilch map show?

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