NameCensus.

UK surname

Pull

A surname derived from the Old English word "pull," meaning a stream or brook.

In the 1881 census there were 214 people recorded with the Pull surname, ranking it #12,284 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 243, ranked #17,131, down from #12,284 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Lewisham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Norfolk, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and North Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pull is 338 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 13.6%.

1881 census count

214

Ranked #12,284

Modern count

243

2016, ranked #17,131

Peak year

1911

338 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pull had 214 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,284 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 243 in 2016, ranked #17,131.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 338 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Pull surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pull surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pull 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 147 #13,084
1861 historical 246 #10,010
1881 historical 214 #12,284
1891 historical 321 #10,520
1901 historical 266 #12,617
1911 historical 338 #10,521
1997 modern 269 #14,543
1998 modern 266 #15,053
1999 modern 262 #15,308
2000 modern 264 #15,191
2001 modern 264 #14,958
2002 modern 273 #14,892
2003 modern 259 #15,254
2004 modern 256 #15,453
2005 modern 241 #16,036
2006 modern 249 #15,784
2007 modern 250 #15,901
2008 modern 241 #16,481
2009 modern 239 #16,951
2010 modern 244 #17,056
2011 modern 243 #16,968
2012 modern 236 #17,187
2013 modern 252 #16,689
2014 modern 250 #16,905
2015 modern 253 #16,669
2016 modern 243 #17,131

Geography

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Where Pulls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Lewisham and St Pancras. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Norfolk, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk, Waveney and Rushcliffe. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 1
3 Lewisham London (South Districts)
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Pancras London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Norfolk 009 South Norfolk
2 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 001 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
3 North Norfolk 003 North Norfolk
4 Waveney 011 Waveney
5 Rushcliffe 013 Rushcliffe

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pull

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pull

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Pull surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Pull household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Pull is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Pull is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pull falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Pull

The surname Pull has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 13th century as an occupational name for someone who worked as a puller or drawer of carts or wagons. It is derived from the Middle English word "pullen," meaning "to pull or draw."

In its earliest recorded form, the name was spelled as "Pulle" or "Puller." It is believed that the name may have originated in the county of Hertfordshire, where several early records of the name have been found in medieval records and parish registers.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John Pulle, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. Another early record is that of William Pulle, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname began to spread across various parts of England, with records showing individuals with the name residing in counties such as Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. Variations in spelling, such as "Polle" and "Poolle," were also common during this period.

A notable bearer of the Pull surname was Sir Thomas Pull, a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament who lived in the late 16th century. He was born in 1549 and served as the Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the year 1597.

Another significant figure with this surname was John Pull, a renowned English author and historian who lived in the 17th century. He was born in 1626 and is best known for his work titled "The History of England," published in 1680.

In the 18th century, the Pull surname continued to be well-represented, with individuals such as William Pull, a successful merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who lived from 1712 to 1786.

During the 19th century, the surname gained further prominence with individuals like Robert Pull, a respected educator and headmaster of a prestigious school in London, who lived from 1823 to 1892.

The surname Pull has also been found in various place names throughout England, such as Pull Court in Kent and Pull Farm in Oxfordshire, further indicating its long-standing presence in the country.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pull families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pull 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. Norfolk leads with 106 Pulls recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.03x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 106 33.03x
Middlesex 51 2.44x
Kent 25 3.51x
Lincolnshire 13 3.90x
Huntingdonshire 5 12.06x
Cambridgeshire 3 2.27x
Devon 2 0.46x
Hampshire 2 0.47x
Suffolk 2 0.79x
Bedfordshire 1 0.93x
Cheshire 1 0.22x
Lancashire 1 0.04x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.36x
Surrey 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aylsham in Norfolk leads with 23 Pulls recorded in 1881 and an index of 1204.19x.

Place Total Index
Aylsham 23 1204.19x
Hampstead London 18 55.37x
Lewisham 15 39.49x
Clee With Weelsby 13 177.84x
St Pancras London 13 7.74x
Margate St John Baptist 8 61.35x
Hammersmith London 7 13.61x
Heacham 7 985.92x
Norwich St Benedict 7 489.51x
Snettisham 7 786.52x
Thwaite In Aylsham 6 6000.00x
West Beckham 6 2857.14x
Runton 5 1388.89x
Skeyton 5 2272.73x
Aldborough 4 1600.00x
Bradfield 4 2500.00x
Honing 4 1739.13x
Huntingdon St John 4 333.33x
Islington London 4 1.98x
Hackford In Aylsham 3 517.24x
St Andrewthe Less 3 19.87x
Cawston 2 253.16x
Costessey 2 289.86x
Cromer 2 175.44x
East Winch 2 689.66x
Great Bircham 2 606.06x
Mundesley 2 740.74x
Paddington London 2 2.61x
Plumbstead 2 1428.57x
Plymouth St Andrew 2 5.98x
Southrepps 2 322.58x
St George Hanover 2 7.34x
Westminster St James 2 9.32x
Alverstoke 1 6.46x
Bacton 1 303.03x
Badwell Ash 1 312.50x
Barrow In Furness 1 2.97x
Diddington 1 666.67x
Downham Market 1 45.45x
Fareham 1 19.46x
Heigham 1 5.80x
Lee 1 9.67x
Luton 1 5.34x
Northrepps 1 243.90x
Norwich St Helen 1 250.00x
Norwich St John Sepulchre 1 48.08x
Norwich St Paul 1 52.08x
Sevenoaks 1 17.33x
Shoreditch London 1 1.11x
South Lynn 1 27.62x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 2.38x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 1 33.90x
Staines 1 30.21x
Sutton In Ashfield 1 16.37x
Swanton Novers 1 500.00x
Tabley Superior 1 312.50x
Thelnetham 1 357.14x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 18
James 10
George 9
John 9
Thomas 6
Frederick 5
Robert 5
Charles 4
Arthur 3
Edward 3
Edwin 3
Ernest 3
Herbert 3
Joseph 3
Cecil 2
Francis 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Chas.Fredk. 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Eustace 1
Henry 1
Herbt.John 1
Peter 1
Reginald 1
Royal 1
Saml. 1

FAQ

Pull surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pull surname in 1881?

In 1881, 214 people were recorded with the Pull surname. That placed it at #12,284 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pull surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 243 in 2016. That gives Pull a modern rank of #17,131.

What does the Pull surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English word "pull," meaning a stream or brook.

What does the Pull map show?

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