NameCensus.

UK surname

Pitfield

In the 1881 census there were 254 people recorded with the Pitfield surname, ranking it #10,949 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 367, ranked #12,669, down from #10,949 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wootton Fitzpaine, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Bettiscombe, Marshwood and Brighton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Purbeck, Craven and Bolton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pitfield is 393 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 44.5%.

1881 census count

254

Ranked #10,949

Modern count

367

2016, ranked #12,669

Peak year

2013

393 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pitfield had 254 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,949 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 367 in 2016, ranked #12,669.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 387 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Pitfield surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pitfield surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pitfield 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 191 #10,808
1861 historical 160 #14,468
1881 historical 254 #10,949
1891 historical 282 #11,597
1901 historical 364 #10,128
1911 historical 387 #9,511
1997 modern 362 #11,866
1998 modern 373 #11,991
1999 modern 374 #12,026
2000 modern 378 #11,882
2001 modern 380 #11,660
2002 modern 386 #11,740
2003 modern 377 #11,762
2004 modern 378 #11,757
2005 modern 375 #11,752
2006 modern 379 #11,688
2007 modern 380 #11,820
2008 modern 375 #12,059
2009 modern 387 #12,021
2010 modern 385 #12,353
2011 modern 389 #12,106
2012 modern 381 #12,152
2013 modern 393 #12,085
2014 modern 387 #12,299
2015 modern 376 #12,446
2016 modern 367 #12,669

Geography

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Where Pitfields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Wootton Fitzpaine, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Bettiscombe, Marshwood, Brighton, Dorchester Holy Trinity, Fordington and Lyme Regis. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Purbeck, Craven, Bolton, West Dorset and East Lindsey. 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 3
2 Wootton Fitzpaine, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Bettiscombe, Marshwood Dorset
3 Brighton Sussex
4 Dorchester Holy Trinity, Fordington Dorset
5 Lyme Regis Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Purbeck 001 Purbeck
2 Craven 005 Craven
3 Bolton 023 Bolton
4 West Dorset 003 West Dorset
5 East Lindsey 018 East Lindsey

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pitfield

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pitfield

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Pitfield surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Pitfield household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Pitfield 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.

Read profile summary

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

Pitfield is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Pitfield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pitfield 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. Dorset leads with 82 Pitfields recorded in 1881 and an index of 50.23x.

County Total Index
Dorset 82 50.23x
Lancashire 69 2.34x
Middlesex 26 1.05x
Surrey 17 1.40x
Sussex 15 3.58x
Hampshire 14 2.75x
Somerset 14 3.50x
Devon 8 1.55x
Cheshire 4 0.73x
Yorkshire 2 0.08x
Berkshire 1 0.54x
Gloucestershire 1 0.21x
Kent 1 0.12x
Royal Navy 1 3.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Fordington in Dorset leads with 28 Pitfields recorded in 1881 and an index of 795.45x.

Place Total Index
Fordington 28 795.45x
Brighton 15 17.73x
Lyme Regis 12 615.38x
Camberwell 11 6.92x
Ince In Makerfield 10 72.83x
Little Bolton 10 26.35x
Whitchurch Canonicorum 10 1098.90x
Radcliffe 9 63.25x
Hackney London 8 5.74x
Taunton St Mary 8 108.84x
Over Darwen 7 29.70x
Southhampton St Mary Extra 7 1272.73x
St Pancras London 7 3.50x
Blackley 6 116.05x
Dorchester All Sts 6 769.23x
Dorchester Holy Trinity 6 454.55x
Pendleton In Salford 6 17.06x
Uplyme 6 769.23x
Newton 5 21.98x
Blackburn 4 5.09x
Dorchester St Peter 4 338.98x
Manchester 4 3.01x
Mottram 4 160.64x
Pitminster 4 338.98x
Wimbledon 4 29.39x
Cerne Abbas 3 379.75x
Chorley 3 18.12x
Kinson 3 94.04x
Bridport 2 59.52x
Halliwell 2 18.62x
Hound 2 57.80x
North Meols 2 6.92x
Sheffield 2 2.55x
Southampton St Mary 2 6.24x
St George Hanover 2 6.16x
St Marylebone London 2 1.51x
West Knighton 2 740.74x
Winsham 2 273.97x
Wootton Fitzpaine 2 1052.63x
Charminster 1 76.92x
Chelsea London 1 1.33x
Chiswick 1 7.36x
East Budleigh 1 40.98x
Great Bolton 1 2.56x
Hampstead London 1 2.58x
Holdenhurst 1 7.48x
Horfield 1 20.37x
Iwerne Courtnay 1 90.91x
Kensington London 1 0.72x
Kingston On Thames 1 3.44x
Lambeth 1 0.46x
Mile End Old Town 1 2.55x
Milton In Gravesend 1 7.86x
Paddington London 1 1.09x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 2.51x
Poplar London 1 2.13x
Royal Navy 1 3.95x
South Hayling 1 109.89x
Southampton All Sts 1 11.43x
Sunninghill 1 38.61x
Symondsbury 1 96.15x
Weymouth 1 32.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Alice 10
Sarah 9
Caroline 8
Elizabeth 8
Jane 5
Kate 4
Bessie 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Florence 3
Harriet 3
Margaret 3
Rose 3
Ada 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Hannah 2
Hellen 2
Lydia 2
Martha 2
Amy 1
Angelina 1
Arabella 1
Beatrice 1
Cartha 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Constance 1
Duinda 1
Effie 1
Elizth. 1
Hanah 1
Harriett 1
Jessie 1
Lizzie 1
Louise 1
Margt. 1
Matilda 1
Nancy 1
Phebe 1
Rebecca 1
Ruth 1
Susannah 1
Tamar 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 21
William 18
Charles 9
George 8
Alfred 6
James 6
Joseph 6
Walter 6
Robert 5
Arthur 4
Edward 4
Thomas 4
Chas. 3
Albert 2
David 2
Frederick 2
Henry 2
Jesse 2
Richard 2
Wm. 2
Bertie 1
Caleb 1
Edwin 1
Elizabeth 1
Eura 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Geo.Chels 1
Geo.Jno. 1
Harry 1
Isaac 1
Jacob 1
Reginald 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1

FAQ

Pitfield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pitfield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 254 people were recorded with the Pitfield surname. That placed it at #10,949 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pitfield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 367 in 2016. That gives Pitfield a modern rank of #12,669.

What does the Pitfield map show?

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