NameCensus.

UK surname

Plimley

In the 1881 census there were 104 people recorded with the Plimley surname, ranking it #19,296 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 178, ranked #21,160, down from #19,296 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, London parishes and Wolstanton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wrexham, Bolton and Wirral.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Plimley is 199 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 71.2%.

1881 census count

104

Ranked #19,296

Modern count

178

2016, ranked #21,160

Peak year

2009

199 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Plimley had 104 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,296 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 178 in 2016, ranked #21,160.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 160 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Plimley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Plimley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Plimley 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 89 #18,446
1861 historical 65 #25,618
1881 historical 104 #19,296
1891 historical 126 #20,604
1901 historical 126 #19,970
1911 historical 160 #17,151
1997 modern 142 #21,856
1998 modern 172 #19,883
1999 modern 187 #18,999
2000 modern 173 #19,889
2001 modern 174 #19,562
2002 modern 189 #18,950
2003 modern 174 #19,760
2004 modern 179 #19,523
2005 modern 166 #20,379
2006 modern 173 #19,995
2007 modern 175 #20,090
2008 modern 182 #19,800
2009 modern 199 #19,090
2010 modern 196 #19,698
2011 modern 196 #19,538
2012 modern 196 #19,463
2013 modern 192 #20,067
2014 modern 189 #20,441
2015 modern 184 #20,719
2016 modern 178 #21,160

Geography

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Where Plimleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, London parishes, Wolstanton, Broseley and Shrewsbury St Alkmond, St Julian, St Mary (pt), Meole Brace. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wrexham, Bolton, Wirral and Guildtown, Balbeggie and St Madoes. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Wolstanton Staffordshire
4 Broseley Shropshire
5 Shrewsbury St Alkmond, St Julian, St Mary (pt), Meole Brace Shropshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wrexham 005 Wrexham
2 Bolton 021 Bolton
3 Wirral 008 Wirral
4 Guildtown, Balbeggie and St Madoes Perth and Kinross
5 Bolton 026 Bolton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Plimley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Plimley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Plimley, 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 Plimley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Plimley 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Plimley is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Plimley is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Plimley falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Plimley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Plimley 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. Staffordshire leads with 50 Plimleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.60x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 50 14.60x
Shropshire 28 31.95x
Cheshire 10 4.47x
Middlesex 7 0.69x
Lancashire 5 0.42x
Surrey 3 0.61x
Denbighshire 1 2.61x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Broseley in Shropshire leads with 14 Plimleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 897.44x.

Place Total Index
Broseley 14 897.44x
Burslem 13 132.52x
Tranmere 10 121.51x
Walsall Foreign 10 56.53x
Wolstanton Thursfield 9 2142.86x
Wolverhampton 8 30.38x
Wednesbury 6 70.09x
West Derby 5 14.20x
Armitage 4 888.89x
Claverley 4 677.97x
Paddington London 4 10.72x
Stanton Upon Hine Heath 4 1739.13x
Acton 3 50.42x
Shrewsbury St Mary 3 86.71x
Camberwell 2 3.09x
Oswestry Town 2 71.17x
Chirk 1 133.33x
Kingston On Thames 1 8.42x
Shrewsbury St Julian 1 46.08x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Annie 5
Sarah 5
Anne 4
Elizabeth 4
Ann 3
Eliza 2
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Eunice 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Josee 1
Lilian 1
Lillian 1
Lydia 1
Margaret 1
Marian 1
Marrian 1
Martha 1
Mavel 1
Rachel 1
Rebecca 1
Susannah 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 8
John 7
Thomas 5
Henry 4
Charles 3
Francis 3
Arthur 2
Edward 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Aaron 1
Allan 1
Daniel 1
Frederick 1
George 1
James 1
Jonah 1
Richd. 1
Timothy 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Plimley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Plimley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 104 people were recorded with the Plimley surname. That placed it at #19,296 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Plimley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 178 in 2016. That gives Plimley a modern rank of #21,160.

What does the Plimley map show?

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