NameCensus.

UK surname

Pilton

In the 1881 census there were 114 people recorded with the Pilton surname, ranking it #18,324 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 121, ranked #27,399, down from #18,324 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Chardstock, Membury, Yarcombe (Combe St Nicholas, Somerset). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Somerset, Rotherham and Castle Point.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pilton is 184 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 6.1%.

1881 census count

114

Ranked #18,324

Modern count

121

2016, ranked #27,399

Peak year

1911

184 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pilton had 114 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,324 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 121 in 2016, ranked #27,399.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 184 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pilton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pilton surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Pilton 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 67 #21,440
1861 historical 134 #16,754
1881 historical 114 #18,324
1891 historical 142 #18,995
1901 historical 175 #16,469
1911 historical 184 #15,742
1997 modern 139 #22,132
1998 modern 151 #21,578
1999 modern 146 #22,202
2000 modern 129 #23,901
2001 modern 131 #23,343
2002 modern 133 #23,585
2003 modern 133 #23,359
2004 modern 126 #24,335
2005 modern 123 #24,663
2006 modern 125 #24,611
2007 modern 128 #24,632
2008 modern 126 #25,131
2009 modern 129 #25,314
2010 modern 126 #26,312
2011 modern 123 #26,512
2012 modern 117 #27,394
2013 modern 121 #27,255
2014 modern 123 #27,206
2015 modern 121 #27,405
2016 modern 121 #27,399

Geography

Back to top

Where Piltons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Chardstock, Membury, Yarcombe (Combe St Nicholas, Somerset) and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Somerset, Rotherham, Castle Point, East Devon and Barrow-in-Furness. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Chardstock, Membury, Yarcombe (Combe St Nicholas, Somerset) Devon
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Somerset 017 South Somerset
2 Rotherham 020 Rotherham
3 Castle Point 003 Castle Point
4 East Devon 004 East Devon
5 Barrow-in-Furness 010 Barrow-in-Furness

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Pilton

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Pilton

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Pilton is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Pilton is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pilton falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Pilton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pilton 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. Middlesex leads with 31 Piltons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.76x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 31 2.76x
Somerset 31 17.17x
Surrey 15 2.74x
Devon 12 5.14x
Hampshire 9 3.91x
Yorkshire 6 0.54x
Kent 5 1.31x
Warwickshire 2 0.71x
Dorset 1 1.36x
Gloucestershire 1 0.45x
Northamptonshire 1 0.95x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Yeovil in Somerset leads with 11 Piltons recorded in 1881 and an index of 299.73x.

Place Total Index
Yeovil 11 299.73x
Bermondsey 9 26.95x
Portsea 8 17.75x
Bradford 6 22.30x
Ilminster 6 476.19x
Membury 6 2400.00x
St Pancras London 6 6.64x
Shoreditch London 5 10.28x
St Marylebone London 5 8.35x
Stockland 5 1470.59x
Chatham 4 37.99x
Chiswick 4 65.25x
Hackney London 4 6.36x
Lambeth 4 4.09x
Stoke Under Hambdon 4 677.97x
Whitestauton 4 5000.00x
Aston 2 2.57x
Crewkerne 2 104.17x
Islington London 2 1.84x
Odcombe 2 833.33x
Westminster St John 2 14.64x
Bristol Christchurch 1 312.50x
Camberwell 1 1.40x
Chiddingfold 1 196.08x
Cold Higham 1 714.29x
Ditcheat 1 322.58x
Ealing 1 9.97x
Gillingham 1 78.74x
Hampton London 1 54.35x
Milborne Port 1 138.89x
Mile End Old Town 1 5.65x
Plymstock 1 81.97x
Titchfield 1 57.80x
Walmer 1 60.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Sarah 9
Elizabeth 6
Alice 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Eliz. 2
Emma 2
Fanny 2
Louisa 2
Rebecca 2
Anna 1
Bessie 1
Caroline 1
Clemence 1
Eliza 1
Harry 1
Iress 1
Isabella 1
Jane 1
Lily 1
Lucy 1
Mabel 1
Marey 1
May 1
Ruth 1
Susan 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
James 4
John 4
Alfred 3
Charles 3
George 3
Robert 3
Samuel 3
Thomas 3
Henry 2
Wm. 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Berty 1
Daniel 1
Earnest 1
Edward 1
Frdk. 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Geo. 1
Herbert 1
Norman 1
Sam 1
Saml 1

FAQ

Pilton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pilton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 114 people were recorded with the Pilton surname. That placed it at #18,324 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pilton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 121 in 2016. That gives Pilton a modern rank of #27,399.

What does the Pilton map show?

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