NameCensus.

UK surname

Pomfrey

An occupational surname derived from the Anglo-Norman French "pomfrir," meaning someone who worked with apples or apple orchards.

In the 1881 census there were 76 people recorded with the Pomfrey surname, ranking it #22,745 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 130, ranked #26,152, down from #22,745 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Tyneside, Oldham and Tameside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pomfrey is 158 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 71.1%.

1881 census count

76

Ranked #22,745

Modern count

130

2016, ranked #26,152

Peak year

2010

158 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pomfrey had 76 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,745 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 130 in 2016, ranked #26,152.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 98 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Pomfrey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pomfrey surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pomfrey 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 54 #23,577
1861 historical 35 #29,571
1881 historical 76 #22,745
1891 historical 81 #26,632
1901 historical 87 #24,386
1911 historical 98 #22,959
1997 modern 133 #22,705
1998 modern 148 #21,841
1999 modern 149 #21,924
2000 modern 147 #22,081
2001 modern 142 #22,234
2002 modern 146 #22,302
2003 modern 150 #21,669
2004 modern 148 #22,000
2005 modern 144 #22,367
2006 modern 149 #22,013
2007 modern 150 #22,212
2008 modern 152 #22,225
2009 modern 156 #22,351
2010 modern 158 #22,692
2011 modern 149 #23,408
2012 modern 147 #23,567
2013 modern 143 #24,434
2014 modern 140 #24,977
2015 modern 135 #25,481
2016 modern 130 #26,152

Geography

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Where Pomfreys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Tyneside, Oldham, Tameside, Sunderland and Brighton and Hove. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Tyneside 024 North Tyneside
2 Oldham 005 Oldham
3 Tameside 023 Tameside
4 Sunderland 019 Sunderland
5 Brighton and Hove 012 Brighton and Hove

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pomfrey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pomfrey

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

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Pomfrey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Pomfrey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial 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, Pomfrey 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

Pomfrey is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pomfrey 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 Pomfrey is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Pomfrey

The surname POMFREY has its origins in England, emerging during the late medieval period. It derives from the Old French word "pomfret," which referred to a type of apple. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who cultivated or sold apples.

One of the earliest known references to the POMFREY surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, where a John Pomfrey is recorded. This indicates that the name was established in the northern regions of England by the 14th century.

In the 15th century, the POMFREY surname appears in various records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1431, which mention a Thomas Pomfrey. During this time, variations in spelling were common, with forms such as Pomfret, Pomfrett, and Pomfrayt being used interchangeably.

The POMFREY surname has also been associated with the town of Pontefract in West Yorkshire, which was formerly known as Pomfret or Pomfrett. This connection suggests that some individuals with this surname may have originally hailed from that area.

Notable individuals with the POMFREY surname throughout history include:

1. Richard Pomfrey (c. 1512-1592), an English Protestant prelate who served as the Bishop of Rochester from 1576 until his death. 2. Samuel Pomfrey (1619-1677), an English clergyman and nonconformist minister known for his religious writings. 3. John Pomfret (c. 1667-1703), an English poet and clergyman best known for his poem "The Choice." 4. William Pomfret (1702-1768), an English clergyman and translator of works from classical Greek and Latin. 5. Thomas Pomfrey (1750-1819), an English landowner and politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Doncaster.

While the POMFREY surname may have originated from an occupational connection to apples, it has since become a well-established English surname with a long and diverse history spanning multiple centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pomfrey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pomfrey 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 17 Pomfreys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.93x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 17 1.93x
Sussex 17 13.60x
Suffolk 13 14.40x
Yorkshire 6 0.82x
Gloucestershire 4 2.75x
Hertfordshire 3 5.87x
Middlesex 3 0.40x
Norfolk 3 2.63x
Surrey 3 0.83x
Essex 2 1.37x
Warwickshire 2 1.07x
Devon 1 0.65x
Nottinghamshire 1 1.00x
Rutland 1 18.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lowestoft in Suffolk leads with 13 Pomfreys recorded in 1881 and an index of 305.16x.

Place Total Index
Lowestoft 13 305.16x
Oldham 11 38.75x
Fletching 9 1607.14x
Hove 7 127.74x
Sutton Stoneferry 6 285.71x
Churchdown 4 1379.31x
Everton 4 14.27x
Shenley 3 882.35x
Dunton Cum Doughton 2 5000.00x
Hackney London 2 4.81x
Rotherhithe 2 21.83x
Bermondsey 1 4.53x
Chigwell 1 72.46x
Exeter St Thomas The 1 63.69x
Hammersmith London 1 5.48x
Hastings St Mary 1 32.15x
Hingham 1 256.41x
Manchester 1 2.53x
Milverton 1 181.82x
Preston 1 4.25x
Snenton 1 25.51x
South Luffenham 1 1111.11x
West Ham 1 3.10x
Wolston Marston 1 714.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Ann 3
Sarah 3
Annie 2
Elizabeth 2
Ellen 2
Kate 2
Minnie 2
Ruth 2
Abegil 1
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Daisy 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Frances 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Hester 1
Lilias 1
Louisa 1
Martha 1
Phebe 1
Rosa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 5
Robert 3
William 3
Alfred 2
James 2
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Edmond 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Elijah 1
George 1
Henry 1
Jesse 1
Joseph 1
Matthew 1
Samuel 1
Thomas 1
W.C. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Pomfrey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pomfrey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 76 people were recorded with the Pomfrey surname. That placed it at #22,745 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pomfrey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 130 in 2016. That gives Pomfrey a modern rank of #26,152.

What does the Pomfrey surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from the Anglo-Norman French "pomfrir," meaning someone who worked with apples or apple orchards.

What does the Pomfrey map show?

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