NameCensus.

UK surname

Pilfold

In the 1881 census there were 73 people recorded with the Pilfold surname, ranking it #23,220 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 139, ranked #25,001, down from #23,220 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hillingdon (Hillingdon), Ickenham, Cowley, London parishes and Lewes St John-under-the-Castle. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lewes, Surrey Heath and Greenwich.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pilfold is 156 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 90.4%.

1881 census count

73

Ranked #23,220

Modern count

139

2016, ranked #25,001

Peak year

2010

156 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pilfold had 73 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,220 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 139 in 2016, ranked #25,001.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 131 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Pilfold surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pilfold surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pilfold 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 63 #22,069
1861 historical 78 #23,836
1881 historical 73 #23,220
1891 historical 105 #23,241
1901 historical 100 #22,863
1911 historical 131 #19,404
1997 modern 101 #26,774
1998 modern 116 #25,332
1999 modern 117 #25,362
2000 modern 115 #25,591
2001 modern 134 #23,037
2002 modern 137 #23,198
2003 modern 138 #22,823
2004 modern 140 #22,793
2005 modern 129 #23,963
2006 modern 130 #24,053
2007 modern 130 #24,389
2008 modern 132 #24,476
2009 modern 137 #24,371
2010 modern 156 #22,886
2011 modern 146 #23,736
2012 modern 139 #24,485
2013 modern 138 #25,020
2014 modern 144 #24,504
2015 modern 136 #25,352
2016 modern 139 #25,001

Geography

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Where Pilfolds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hillingdon (Hillingdon), Ickenham, Cowley, London parishes, Lewes St John-under-the-Castle, Lewes St Thomas-in-the-Cliff and Brighton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lewes, Surrey Heath, Greenwich and Basildon. 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 Hillingdon (Hillingdon), Ickenham, Cowley Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lewes St John-under-the-Castle Sussex
4 Lewes St Thomas-in-the-Cliff Sussex
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lewes 004 Lewes
2 Surrey Heath 003 Surrey Heath
3 Greenwich 030 Greenwich
4 Lewes 005 Lewes
5 Basildon 015 Basildon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pilfold

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pilfold

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Pilfold, 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 Pilfold surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Pilfold household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Pilfold 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.

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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

Pilfold 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

Pilfold falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Pilfold families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pilfold 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. Sussex leads with 33 Pilfolds recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.49x.

County Total Index
Sussex 33 27.49x
Middlesex 16 2.25x
Surrey 13 3.75x
Suffolk 11 12.68x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brighton in Sussex leads with 17 Pilfolds recorded in 1881 and an index of 70.19x.

Place Total Index
Brighton 17 70.19x
Cliffe 12 2926.83x
Newmarket St Mary 11 1641.79x
Shoreditch London 6 19.44x
Camberwell 5 10.99x
Barnes 3 204.08x
Bermondsey 3 14.15x
Bow London 3 33.11x
Croydon 2 10.38x
Hastings St Leonards 2 113.64x
Hillingdon 2 88.11x
St Giles In Fields 2 81.30x
Cuckfield 1 82.64x
Hammersmith London 1 5.70x
Holy Trinity Less 1 666.67x
Islington London 1 1.45x
Lewes St Ann 1 243.90x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Eliza 3
Mary 3
Charity 2
Elizabeth 2
Emily 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Maria 2
Sarah 2
Charlotte 1
Daisy 1
Elizth 1
Ellen 1
Feli 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
Maud 1
Miriam 1
Rachel 1
Rose 1
Selina 1
Separer 1
Sophia 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Pilfold households.

FAQ

Pilfold surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pilfold surname in 1881?

In 1881, 73 people were recorded with the Pilfold surname. That placed it at #23,220 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pilfold surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 139 in 2016. That gives Pilfold a modern rank of #25,001.

What does the Pilfold map show?

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