NameCensus.

UK surname

Priestnall

In the 1881 census there were 149 people recorded with the Priestnall surname, ranking it #15,551 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 198, ranked #19,713, down from #15,551 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, London parishes and Wingfield, North. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hinckley and Bosworth, Flintshire and East Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Priestnall is 278 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.9%.

1881 census count

149

Ranked #15,551

Modern count

198

2016, ranked #19,713

Peak year

1911

278 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Priestnall had 149 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,551 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 198 in 2016, ranked #19,713.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 278 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Priestnall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Priestnall surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Priestnall 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 101 #17,036
1861 historical 97 #21,503
1881 historical 149 #15,551
1891 historical 200 #14,913
1901 historical 232 #13,769
1911 historical 278 #12,038
1997 modern 236 #15,852
1998 modern 230 #16,607
1999 modern 231 #16,646
2000 modern 227 #16,792
2001 modern 224 #16,716
2002 modern 226 #16,939
2003 modern 216 #17,229
2004 modern 236 #16,335
2005 modern 221 #17,028
2006 modern 218 #17,297
2007 modern 211 #17,856
2008 modern 206 #18,300
2009 modern 202 #18,896
2010 modern 205 #19,140
2011 modern 204 #19,040
2012 modern 207 #18,777
2013 modern 215 #18,598
2014 modern 215 #18,764
2015 modern 212 #18,842
2016 modern 198 #19,713

Geography

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Where Priestnalls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, London parishes, Wingfield, North, Leek and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hinckley and Bosworth, Flintshire, East Devon and Tendring. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Wingfield, North Derbyshire
4 Leek Staffordshire
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hinckley and Bosworth 005 Hinckley and Bosworth
2 Hinckley and Bosworth 003 Hinckley and Bosworth
3 Flintshire 007 Flintshire
4 East Devon 017 East Devon
5 Tendring 002 Tendring

Forenames

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First names often paired with Priestnall

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Priestnall

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Priestnall, 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 Priestnall surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Priestnall household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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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, Priestnall 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

Priestnall is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Priestnall falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Priestnall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Priestnall 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 57 Priestnalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.33x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 57 3.33x
Cheshire 25 7.85x
Leicestershire 17 10.62x
Derbyshire 13 5.75x
Yorkshire 9 0.63x
Surrey 6 0.85x
Warwickshire 6 1.65x
Worcestershire 5 2.65x
Staffordshire 3 0.62x
Durham 2 0.47x
Middlesex 2 0.14x
Sussex 2 0.82x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.51x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Droylsden in Lancashire leads with 21 Priestnalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 375.67x.

Place Total Index
Droylsden 21 375.67x
Butley 14 5185.19x
Newbold Verdon 9 2432.43x
Ashton Under Lyne 7 18.70x
Woodthorpe 7 1750.00x
Farnworth 6 58.48x
Newton 6 45.45x
Kings Norton 5 29.59x
Normanby In 5 130.89x
Glossop Dale 4 37.81x
Leicester All Sts 4 127.39x
Newington 4 7.50x
Salford 4 7.94x
Widnes 4 32.39x
Aston 3 2.99x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 3 22.51x
Bramhall 3 227.27x
Kearsley 3 83.33x
Leicester St Mary 3 23.20x
Stockport 3 18.29x
Titteworth 3 400.00x
Birmingham 2 1.65x
Bollington In 2 70.42x
Camberwell 2 2.17x
Chichester St Pancras 2 273.97x
Claylane 2 63.69x
Islington London 2 1.43x
Latchford 2 94.34x
Manchester 2 2.60x
Whitworth 2 63.69x
Brightside Bierlow 1 3.57x
Cheadle 1 16.42x
Coventry St Michael 1 8.55x
Failsworth 1 25.51x
Hinckley 1 26.32x
Hucknall Torkard 1 20.28x
Parr 1 16.31x
Warrington 1 4.92x
West Derby 1 2.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Elizabeth 7
Ann 6
Sarah 6
Eliza 5
Jane 4
Esther 3
Lilly 3
Fanny 2
Harriet 2
Alice 1
Amy 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Delia 1
Edith 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Hattie 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
May 1
Naomi 1
Parnell 1
Rachael 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 13
William 13
Thomas 11
George 5
Arthur 4
Joseph 4
Samuel 4
James 3
Wm. 3
Robert 2
Clarence 1
Earnest 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredk.A.A.W. 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
J. 1
Jeremiah 1
Jonas 1
Nathan 1
Walter 1
Wilfrid 1

FAQ

Priestnall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Priestnall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 149 people were recorded with the Priestnall surname. That placed it at #15,551 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Priestnall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 198 in 2016. That gives Priestnall a modern rank of #19,713.

What does the Priestnall map show?

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