NameCensus.

UK surname

Poole

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a small body of water or worked in a pool.

In the 1881 census there were 14,382 people recorded with the Poole surname, ranking it #282 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 20,349, ranked #293, down from #282 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Torridge, Wakefield and Forest of Dean.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Poole is 21,851 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.5%.

1881 census count

14,382

Ranked #282

Modern count

20,349

2016, ranked #293

Peak year

1999

21,851 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Poole had 14,382 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #282 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 20,349 in 2016, ranked #293.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 21,166 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Poole surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Poole surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Poole 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 7,881 #354
1861 historical 8,153 #337
1881 historical 14,382 #282
1891 historical 16,260 #256
1901 historical 19,207 #258
1911 historical 21,166 #204
1997 modern 20,512 #285
1998 modern 21,686 #282
1999 modern 21,851 #282
2000 modern 21,607 #283
2001 modern 21,057 #283
2002 modern 21,465 #284
2003 modern 20,839 #284
2004 modern 20,785 #285
2005 modern 20,273 #287
2006 modern 20,181 #287
2007 modern 20,461 #287
2008 modern 20,465 #287
2009 modern 20,944 #286
2010 modern 21,276 #288
2011 modern 20,972 #287
2012 modern 20,435 #290
2013 modern 20,680 #291
2014 modern 20,719 #291
2015 modern 20,450 #292
2016 modern 20,349 #293

Geography

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Where Pooles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Torridge, Wakefield, Forest of Dean, Sandwell and Newcastle-under-Lyme. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 London parishes London 2
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Torridge 008 Torridge
2 Wakefield 016 Wakefield
3 Forest of Dean 001 Forest of Dean
4 Sandwell 022 Sandwell
5 Newcastle-under-Lyme 005 Newcastle-under-Lyme

Forenames

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First names often paired with Poole

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Poole

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Poole is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Poole is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Poole falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Poole

The surname Poole originated in England and is derived from the Old English words "pol" or "pull" meaning a pool or stream. It was a topographic name for someone who lived near a pool or stream.

The name can be traced back to the early medieval period in England. One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "de la Pole" in Norfolk.

In the 12th century, the name appeared as "de Pola" in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1166. The spelling "Poole" became more common in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The surname Poole is also associated with several place names in England, such as Poole in Dorset, which was recorded as "Pole" in the Domesday Book. Other place names include Poole Keynes in Wiltshire and Pool Quay in Shropshire.

Some notable historical figures with the surname Poole include Sir William Poole (1547-1648), an English soldier and politician who served as Governor of Virginia from 1621 to 1624. John Poole (1786-1872) was an English architect and designer, known for his work on the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.

Other prominent individuals with the surname Poole include Robert Poole (1708-1759), an English historian and biographer, and Reginald Stuart Poole (1832-1895), an English historian and librarian at the British Museum.

Edward Poole (1804-1870) was an English painter and illustrator known for his illustrations of scenes from Greek and Roman mythology. He was a member of the Royal Academy.

These are just a few examples of the rich history and origins of the surname Poole, which has roots in England dating back to the medieval period and reflects the country's diverse geography and place names.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Poole families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Poole 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 1,554 Pooles recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.10x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,554 1.10x
Lancashire 1,326 0.79x
Staffordshire 1,280 2.69x
Gloucestershire 1,028 3.72x
Yorkshire 942 0.68x
Warwickshire 806 2.27x
Surrey 742 1.08x
Somerset 717 3.16x
Cheshire 537 1.73x
Essex 472 1.70x
Shropshire 472 3.88x
Worcestershire 408 2.22x
Kent 391 0.81x
Nottinghamshire 265 1.40x
Hampshire 262 0.91x
Wiltshire 251 2.02x
Glamorgan 219 0.89x
Suffolk 199 1.16x
Devon 194 0.66x
Sussex 178 0.75x
Derbyshire 164 0.74x
Lincolnshire 156 0.69x
Northamptonshire 153 1.16x
Leicestershire 146 0.94x
Cambridgeshire 130 1.46x
Durham 123 0.29x
Monmouthshire 122 1.20x
Dorset 121 1.31x
Cumberland 106 0.87x
Berkshire 102 0.97x
Oxfordshire 95 1.09x
Buckinghamshire 80 0.94x
Lanarkshire 74 0.16x
Bedfordshire 70 0.96x
Herefordshire 67 1.16x
Hertfordshire 50 0.52x
Ayrshire 41 0.39x
Montgomeryshire 41 1.27x
Channel Islands 36 0.86x
Northumberland 35 0.17x
Midlothian 27 0.14x
Denbighshire 25 0.47x
Westmorland 22 0.71x
Caernarfonshire 21 0.37x
Cornwall 21 0.13x
Norfolk 20 0.09x
Huntingdonshire 16 0.57x
Renfrewshire 16 0.15x
Flintshire 15 0.40x
Brecknockshire 11 0.39x
Carmarthenshire 11 0.19x
Kirkcudbrightshire 10 0.49x
Merionethshire 10 0.39x
Royal Navy 10 0.60x
Anglesey 9 0.36x
Angus 8 0.06x
Inverness-shire 7 0.17x
Dumfriesshire 3 0.10x
Kincardineshire 3 0.18x
Cardiganshire 2 0.06x
Fife 2 0.02x
Perthshire 2 0.03x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.09x
East Lothian 1 0.05x
Wigtownshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 302 Pooles recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.55x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 302 2.55x
Stoke Upon Trent 258 5.12x
Aston 184 1.88x
Lambeth 181 1.47x
Islington London 127 0.93x
St Pancras London 105 0.93x
St Marylebone London 96 1.28x
Salford 95 1.93x
West Ham 92 1.50x
Wolverhampton 90 2.46x
Hackney London 89 1.13x
Camberwell 86 0.96x
Dawley 85 19.21x
Liverpool 84 0.83x
Wellington 83 12.14x
Toxteth Park 82 1.45x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 80 3.08x
Shoreditch London 78 1.28x
West Derby 76 1.56x
Cheltenham 75 3.52x
Kensington London 75 0.96x
Rowley Regis 74 5.59x
Wolstanton 74 5.13x
Bethnal Green London 71 1.16x
Kings Norton 71 4.31x
Bradford 68 2.01x
Writtle 68 59.88x
Preston 67 1.50x
Nottingham St Mary 66 1.35x
Weston Super Mare 64 11.19x
Barrow In Furness 63 2.77x
Croydon 61 1.60x
Bermondsey 59 1.41x
Bromley London 58 1.87x
Clifton 58 4.16x
Brightside Bierlow 57 2.08x
Coventry Holy Trinity 57 5.38x
Westbury On Trym 57 6.09x
Coventry St Michael 55 4.82x
Burslem 54 3.97x
Walsall Foreign 54 2.20x
Hulme 53 1.52x
Brighton 52 1.09x
Bristol St Paul In 51 6.93x
Dudley 51 2.28x
Paddington London 50 0.97x
Bedminster 49 2.30x
Congleton 49 9.13x
Hammersmith London 49 1.41x
St George Hanover 47 2.56x
Mile End Old Town 45 2.03x
Willenhall 45 5.06x
Haverhill 44 28.89x
Taunton St James 44 13.32x
Leeds 43 0.55x
Manchester 41 0.55x
Kidderminster Borough 39 3.63x
Leicester St Margaret 39 1.02x
Monks Coppenhall 38 3.24x
Nantwich 38 10.53x
Battersea 37 0.71x
Chelsea London 37 0.87x
Deptford St Paul 37 1.00x
Harborne 37 2.43x
Newington 37 0.71x
Southwark Christchurch 37 5.61x
West Bromwich 37 1.36x
Roath 36 3.23x
Walthamstow 36 3.60x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 35 2.69x
Biddulph 35 13.06x
Broseley 35 16.20x
Glasgow 35 0.43x
Portsea 35 0.62x
Bristol St James St Paul 33 3.59x
Northampton Priory St 33 4.15x
Beaminster 32 31.17x
Folkestone 32 3.44x
Fulham London 32 1.57x
Upper Broughton 32 201.89x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 909
Elizabeth 567
Sarah 529
Jane 275
Emma 250
Eliza 246
Ann 245
Annie 244
Ellen 224
Emily 213
Alice 208
Hannah 151
Martha 118
Harriet 105
Margaret 104
Louisa 98
Charlotte 96
Maria 94
Ada 93
Edith 89
Fanny 87
Caroline 82
Florence 81
Clara 77
Kate 68
Anne 63
Agnes 62
Lucy 53
Harriett 52
Frances 50
Catherine 49
Amelia 46
Susan 44
Esther 37
Rose 37
Gertrude 35
Minnie 35
Julia 34
Matilda 32
Susannah 31
Jessie 30
Elizth. 29
Laura 29
Eleanor 28
Sophia 28
Rebecca 26
Isabella 25
Amy 23
Beatrice 23
Ethel 23

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 882
John 715
Thomas 497
George 478
James 365
Charles 337
Henry 331
Joseph 280
Alfred 179
Arthur 168
Edward 159
Richard 153
Frederick 149
Robert 142
Walter 117
Samuel 115
Albert 104
Edwin 77
Frank 75
Herbert 72
Harry 69
Francis 64
Ernest 62
Benjamin 54
Wm. 40
Daniel 32
David 31
Isaac 31
Thos. 23
Fredrick 22
Sidney 21
Fred 20
Fredk. 19
Alexander 18
Abraham 16
Chas. 16
Tom 16
Andrew 15
Enoch 13
Jesse 13
Matthew 13
Peter 13
Geo. 12
Philip 12
Reginald 12
Edmund 11
Joshua 11
Josiah 11
Mark 11
Reuben 11

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 Poole households.

FAQ

Poole surname: questions and answers

How common was the Poole surname in 1881?

In 1881, 14,382 people were recorded with the Poole surname. That placed it at #282 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Poole surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 20,349 in 2016. That gives Poole a modern rank of #293.

What does the Poole surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a small body of water or worked in a pool.

What does the Poole map show?

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