NameCensus.

UK surname

Pulman

In the 1881 census there were 473 people recorded with the Pulman surname, ranking it #7,057 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 500, ranked #9,983, down from #7,057 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Topsham, London parishes and Halifax. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Merthyr Tydfil and East Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pulman is 542 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 5.7%.

1881 census count

473

Ranked #7,057

Modern count

500

2016, ranked #9,983

Peak year

2010

542 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pulman had 473 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,057 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 500 in 2016, ranked #9,983.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 534 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pulman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pulman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pulman 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 359 #6,583
1861 historical 293 #8,589
1881 historical 473 #7,057
1891 historical 434 #8,290
1901 historical 449 #8,717
1911 historical 534 #7,458
1997 modern 502 #9,273
1998 modern 513 #9,404
1999 modern 519 #9,401
2000 modern 529 #9,233
2001 modern 514 #9,267
2002 modern 538 #9,132
2003 modern 497 #9,526
2004 modern 501 #9,511
2005 modern 490 #9,577
2006 modern 497 #9,518
2007 modern 501 #9,552
2008 modern 510 #9,499
2009 modern 530 #9,432
2010 modern 542 #9,461
2011 modern 520 #9,681
2012 modern 485 #10,089
2013 modern 505 #9,949
2014 modern 512 #9,911
2015 modern 506 #9,916
2016 modern 500 #9,983

Geography

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Where Pulmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Topsham, London parishes, Halifax and Hull Holy Trinity. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Merthyr Tydfil and East Devon. 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 Topsham Devon
2 London parishes London 1
3 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Merthyr Tydfil 003 Merthyr Tydfil
2 East Devon 002 East Devon
3 Merthyr Tydfil 004 Merthyr Tydfil
4 Merthyr Tydfil 006 Merthyr Tydfil
5 East Devon 001 East Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pulman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pulman

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

Pulman is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pulman 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 Pulman 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 Pulman, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Pulman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pulman 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. Yorkshire leads with 126 Pulmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.74x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 126 2.74x
Devon 106 10.99x
Middlesex 64 1.38x
Surrey 42 1.86x
Somerset 31 4.16x
Dorset 29 9.54x
Lancashire 24 0.44x
Monmouthshire 12 3.58x
Glamorgan 6 0.74x
Staffordshire 5 0.32x
Gloucestershire 4 0.44x
Kent 4 0.25x
Northumberland 4 0.58x
Essex 3 0.33x
Hampshire 2 0.21x
Hertfordshire 2 0.63x
Berkshire 1 0.29x
Cornwall 1 0.19x
Durham 1 0.07x
Lanarkshire 1 0.07x
Norfolk 1 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.16x
Renfrewshire 1 0.28x
Royal Navy 1 1.81x
Warwickshire 1 0.09x
Wiltshire 1 0.24x
Worcestershire 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Halifax in Yorkshire leads with 35 Pulmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 51.92x.

Place Total Index
Halifax 35 51.92x
Northowram 26 80.75x
St Marylebone London 18 7.28x
Topsham 17 373.63x
Mappowder 11 3055.56x
Battersea 9 5.28x
Holy Trinity 9 8.15x
Whitby 9 58.18x
Dunkeswell 8 1290.32x
Ealing 8 19.32x
Croydon 7 5.59x
Exeter St George The 7 660.38x
Exeter St Mary Steps 7 321.10x
Kew 7 534.35x
Oldham 7 3.94x
Panteg 7 132.58x
Pitminster 7 319.63x
Seaton 7 188.17x
Wolborough 7 57.42x
Bermondsey 6 4.35x
Evershot 6 759.49x
Exeter St Thomas The 6 61.04x
Ottery St Mary 6 94.79x
Pendleton In Salford 6 9.16x
Accrington 5 10.00x
Burton Upon Trent 5 13.66x
Chiswick 5 19.75x
East Coker 5 306.75x
Exeter Allhallows On The 5 316.46x
Hackney London 5 1.92x
Lambeth 5 1.24x
Llanover 5 43.71x
Long Preston 5 446.43x
St Martin In Fields 5 18.02x
Beverley Parks 4 740.74x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 4 4.68x
Colyton 4 108.11x
Holy Trinity St Mary 4 57.22x
Honiton 4 74.91x
Horton In Bradford 4 5.58x
Loders 4 264.90x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 4 9.71x
Ratcliffe London 4 15.63x
Trent 4 540.54x
Wandsworth 4 8.97x
Warley 4 30.14x
Axminster 3 66.37x
Bradford 3 2.70x
Broadway 3 247.93x
Exeter St David 3 36.41x
Exeter St Sidwell 3 13.58x
Great Driffield 3 31.85x
Holy Trinity 3 148.51x
St George Bloomsbury 3 11.29x
St George Hanover 3 4.96x
St Mary 3 97.72x
Taunton St Mary 3 21.91x
Tiverton 3 18.06x
Wellington 3 29.67x
Buckerell 2 500.00x
Clerkenwell London 2 1.83x
Cowpe Lench Newhall Hey 2 34.07x
Droylsden 2 11.15x
Harpenden 2 41.07x
Hipperholme Cum 2 9.91x
Islington London 2 0.45x
Kensington London 2 0.78x
Knottingley 2 24.78x
Leeds 2 0.77x
Llanwonno 2 6.90x
Manningham 2 3.54x
Martock 2 41.24x
Merthyr Tydfil 2 2.58x
Mudford 2 327.87x
Musbury 2 235.29x
Poplar London 2 2.29x
Ramsgate 2 7.75x
St Pancras London 2 0.54x
Uplyme 2 138.89x
Wyke In Bradford 2 24.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 27
William 27
James 20
Thomas 15
Henry 12
George 10
Joseph 8
Robert 8
Charles 7
Edward 7
Alfred 6
Arthur 6
Frederick 6
Samuel 6
Harry 5
Herbert 4
Walter 4
Albert 3
Daniel 3
Francis 3
Richard 3
Adolphus 2
Fred 2
Percy 2
Philip 2
Tom 2
Archie 1
Barraclough 1
Christopher 1
Clarence 1
Cuthbert 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Ferederic 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo.Barrow 1
Harold 1
Hubert 1
Isaac 1
Jehoida 1
Jn. 1
Laban 1
Lewis 1
Lional 1
Mark 1
Prockler 1
Raymond 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Pulman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pulman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 473 people were recorded with the Pulman surname. That placed it at #7,057 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pulman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 500 in 2016. That gives Pulman a modern rank of #9,983.

What does the Pulman map show?

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