NameCensus.

UK surname

Porthouse

In the 1881 census there were 135 people recorded with the Porthouse surname, ranking it #16,515 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 298, ranked #14,801, up from #16,515 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Carlisle St Cuthbert, Wigton and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Allerdale, South Tyneside and Mansfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Porthouse is 309 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 120.7%.

1881 census count

135

Ranked #16,515

Modern count

298

2016, ranked #14,801

Peak year

2014

309 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Porthouse had 135 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,515 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 298 in 2016, ranked #14,801.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 250 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Porthouse surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Porthouse surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Porthouse 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 111 #16,006
1861 historical 128 #17,375
1881 historical 135 #16,515
1891 historical 217 #14,062
1901 historical 229 #13,894
1911 historical 250 #12,918
1997 modern 283 #14,037
1998 modern 300 #13,877
1999 modern 304 #13,843
2000 modern 287 #14,345
2001 modern 274 #14,576
2002 modern 284 #14,524
2003 modern 267 #14,950
2004 modern 272 #14,843
2005 modern 263 #15,139
2006 modern 271 #14,880
2007 modern 279 #14,732
2008 modern 288 #14,537
2009 modern 297 #14,519
2010 modern 293 #14,974
2011 modern 295 #14,758
2012 modern 297 #14,607
2013 modern 308 #14,482
2014 modern 309 #14,533
2015 modern 300 #14,758
2016 modern 298 #14,801

Geography

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Where Porthouses are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Carlisle St Cuthbert, Wigton, Gateshead, Monkwearmouth (Fulwell), Jarrow (Monkton and Jarrow) and Newcastle St John. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Allerdale, South Tyneside and Mansfield. 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 Carlisle St Cuthbert Cumberland
2 Wigton Cumberland
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Monkwearmouth (Fulwell), Jarrow (Monkton and Jarrow) Durham
5 Newcastle St John Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Allerdale 005 Allerdale
2 Allerdale 004 Allerdale
3 South Tyneside 015 South Tyneside
4 South Tyneside 017 South Tyneside
5 Mansfield 011 Mansfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Porthouse

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Porthouse

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Porthouse surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Porthouse household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Porthouse 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

Porthouse 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

Porthouse falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Porthouse families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Porthouse 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. Cumberland leads with 81 Porthouses recorded in 1881 and an index of 70.92x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 81 70.92x
Northumberland 20 10.13x
Durham 14 3.55x
Lancashire 11 0.70x
Worcestershire 4 2.31x
Dumfriesshire 2 6.83x
Derbyshire 1 0.48x
Isle of Man 1 4.06x
Middlesex 1 0.08x
Surrey 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Rickergate in Cumberland leads with 13 Porthouses recorded in 1881 and an index of 537.19x.

Place Total Index
Rickergate 13 537.19x
Wigton 13 760.23x
Crosscanonby 12 317.46x
Elswick 11 69.84x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 10 58.51x
St Cuthbert W O 9 161.58x
Caldewgate 7 111.82x
Chollerton 7 1272.73x
Wetheral 5 331.13x
Ainstable 4 1904.76x
Feckenham 4 202.02x
Winlaton 4 105.54x
Holme Abbey 3 697.67x
Manchester 3 4.24x
Toxteth Park 3 5.63x
West Derby 3 6.51x
Dumfries 2 69.20x
Flimby 2 208.33x
Hayton 2 307.69x
Preston Quarter 2 62.50x
Acomb 1 208.33x
Bispham With Norbreck 1 303.03x
Bootle 1 270.27x
Cockermouth 1 41.67x
Dalston 1 113.64x
Doveridge 1 312.50x
Everton 1 1.99x
Holme St Cuthbert 1 294.12x
Kirklinton Middle 1 555.56x
Lambeth 1 0.86x
Onchan 1 14.08x
Paddington London 1 2.05x
Penrith 1 23.70x
Stanwix 1 108.70x
Westgate 1 8.18x
Whicham 1 588.24x
Woodside Quarter 1 370.37x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Jane 12
Mary 11
Elizabeth 10
Sarah 9
Ann 5
Margaret 3
Annie 2
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Isabella 2
Ada 1
Allena 1
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Bessie 1
Betsy 1
Catherine 1
Dinah 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Harriet 1
L.P. 1
Martha 1
Nanny 1
Priscilla 1
Saah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
William 9
Joseph 8
George 4
James 4
David 3
Archibald 2
Henry 2
Jonathan 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Tom 2
Allan 1
Andrew 1
Archibold 1
Felix 1
Jonathon 1
Peter 1
Richard 1
Richardson 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Porthouse surname: questions and answers

How common was the Porthouse surname in 1881?

In 1881, 135 people were recorded with the Porthouse surname. That placed it at #16,515 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Porthouse surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 298 in 2016. That gives Porthouse a modern rank of #14,801.

What does the Porthouse map show?

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