NameCensus.

UK surname

Pimley

A surname possibly derived from a place name with the Old English elements "pim" meaning demon and "leah" meaning meadow or clearing.

In the 1881 census there were 64 people recorded with the Pimley surname, ranking it #24,561 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 107, ranked #29,762, down from #24,561 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Yardley, Kings Norton and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wealden, Wirral and Denbighshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pimley is 156 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 67.2%.

1881 census count

64

Ranked #24,561

Modern count

107

2016, ranked #29,762

Peak year

1901

156 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pimley had 64 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,561 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 107 in 2016, ranked #29,762.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 156 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Pimley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pimley surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pimley 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 81 #19,457
1861 historical 77 #23,975
1881 historical 64 #24,561
1891 historical 118 #21,540
1901 historical 156 #17,638
1911 historical 129 #19,577
1997 modern 130 #23,021
1998 modern 125 #24,198
1999 modern 125 #24,366
2000 modern 127 #24,121
2001 modern 122 #24,366
2002 modern 120 #25,110
2003 modern 125 #24,265
2004 modern 121 #24,939
2005 modern 110 #26,430
2006 modern 116 #25,813
2007 modern 112 #26,800
2008 modern 115 #26,635
2009 modern 115 #27,207
2010 modern 111 #28,509
2011 modern 110 #28,478
2012 modern 100 #30,258
2013 modern 107 #29,561
2014 modern 108 #29,658
2015 modern 108 #29,512
2016 modern 107 #29,762

Geography

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Where Pimleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Yardley, Kings Norton, Manchester, Lytham and Preston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wealden, Wirral, Denbighshire, Test Valley and Plymouth. 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 Yardley Warwickshire
2 Kings Norton Worcestershire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Lytham Lancashire
5 Preston Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wealden 009 Wealden
2 Wirral 027 Wirral
3 Denbighshire 017 Denbighshire
4 Test Valley 012 Test Valley
5 Plymouth 003 Plymouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pimley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pimley

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Pimley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Pimley 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Pimley is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Pimley 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

Pimley falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Pimley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Pimley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Pimley

The surname Pimley is of English origin, first appearing in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "pymel" meaning "primrose" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." This suggests the name may have been a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a meadow abundant with primroses.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pimley can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Hugo de Pimley from Oxfordshire. In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Pympeleye and Pymelye, reflecting the inconsistent spelling of the time.

The Pimley family seems to have been concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire during the Middle Ages. In the 16th century, a notable figure named John Pimley (1512-1578) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.

Records from the 17th century mention a William Pimley (1625-1692) who was a prosperous landowner in the village of Swinbrook, Oxfordshire. His family coat of arms featured three primroses on a field of azure, likely a reference to the meaning of their surname.

In the 18th century, a gentleman farmer named Thomas Pimley (1745-1812) was a respected figure in the parish of Broughton Gifford, Wiltshire. His son, also named Thomas Pimley (1774-1849), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent local landowner.

During the 19th century, a clergyman named Reverend Edward Pimley (1815-1892) served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in Swinbrook, the same village where his ancestors had lived centuries earlier.

While the Pimley surname is not among the most common in England, it has persisted throughout the centuries, with families bearing this name still residing in the counties where it first took root.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pimley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pimley 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. Lancashire leads with 47 Pimleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.34x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 47 6.34x
Lanarkshire 4 1.98x
Middlesex 4 0.64x
Worcestershire 4 4.91x
Yorkshire 2 0.32x
Dunbartonshire 1 5.96x
Sussex 1 0.95x
Warwickshire 1 0.64x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 19 Pimleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 95.86x.

Place Total Index
Preston 19 95.86x
Sutton 7 282.26x
Salford 6 27.54x
Claughton In Garstang 5 4166.67x
Barony 4 7.83x
Clayton Le Moors 4 277.78x
Hulme 4 25.86x
Westminster St John 4 52.63x
Gomersal 2 69.20x
Kings Norton 2 27.36x
Yardley 2 95.69x
Birmingham 1 1.91x
Crumpsall 1 57.14x
Dumbarton 1 42.74x
Hove 1 21.65x
Manchester 1 3.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Jane 5
Mary 4
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Betsy 2
Elizabeth 2
Emma 2
Margaret 2
Annie 1
Elizebeth 1
Ellen 1
Hephzibeth 1
Margeet 1
Martha 1
Nancy 1
Rachel 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 7
Richard 3
Samuel 3
Thomas 3
George 2
Harry 2
James 2
William 2
Alfred 1
Fred 1
Joseph 1
Robert 1

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 Pimley households.

FAQ

Pimley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pimley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 64 people were recorded with the Pimley surname. That placed it at #24,561 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pimley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 107 in 2016. That gives Pimley a modern rank of #29,762.

What does the Pimley surname mean?

A surname possibly derived from a place name with the Old English elements "pim" meaning demon and "leah" meaning meadow or clearing.

What does the Pimley map show?

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