NameCensus.

UK surname

Punshon

In the 1881 census there were 231 people recorded with the Punshon surname, ranking it #11,722 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 415, ranked #11,550, up from #11,722 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Sunderland and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Punshon is 497 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 79.7%.

1881 census count

231

Ranked #11,722

Modern count

415

2016, ranked #11,550

Peak year

1999

497 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Punshon had 231 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,722 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 415 in 2016, ranked #11,550.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 353 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Punshon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Punshon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Punshon 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 182 #11,209
1861 historical 159 #14,553
1881 historical 231 #11,722
1891 historical 280 #11,665
1901 historical 346 #10,516
1911 historical 353 #10,212
1997 modern 457 #9,957
1998 modern 480 #9,909
1999 modern 497 #9,698
2000 modern 484 #9,873
2001 modern 480 #9,760
2002 modern 481 #9,923
2003 modern 456 #10,179
2004 modern 452 #10,270
2005 modern 439 #10,401
2006 modern 437 #10,487
2007 modern 433 #10,662
2008 modern 450 #10,416
2009 modern 443 #10,821
2010 modern 445 #11,002
2011 modern 448 #10,829
2012 modern 423 #11,195
2013 modern 420 #11,489
2014 modern 425 #11,432
2015 modern 423 #11,392
2016 modern 415 #11,550

Geography

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Where Punshons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Sunderland, Gateshead, Durham St Giles Gilligate and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham. 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 Sunderland Durham
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Durham St Giles Gilligate Durham
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 019 County Durham
2 County Durham 016 County Durham
3 County Durham 027 County Durham
4 County Durham 029 County Durham
5 County Durham 017 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Punshon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Punshon

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Punshon, 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 Punshon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Punshon 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, Punshon 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

Punshon 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

Punshon 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 Punshon is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Punshon, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Punshon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Punshon 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. Durham leads with 163 Punshons recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.42x.

County Total Index
Durham 163 24.42x
Northumberland 21 6.29x
Essex 9 2.03x
Lancashire 7 0.26x
Middlesex 7 0.31x
Fife 6 4.52x
Surrey 5 0.46x
Yorkshire 5 0.22x
West Lothian 3 8.88x
Buckinghamshire 2 1.47x
Hampshire 1 0.22x
Kent 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishopwearmouth in Durham leads with 51 Punshons recorded in 1881 and an index of 89.02x.

Place Total Index
Bishopwearmouth 51 89.02x
Chester Le Street 24 467.84x
Gateshead 16 32.01x
Westoe 10 26.43x
Monkwearmouth Shore 9 69.07x
Sunderland 9 76.34x
Witton Gilbert 8 303.03x
Elswick 7 26.28x
Leyton 7 91.74x
Stockton On Tees 7 21.76x
Hayes 6 262.01x
Kirkcaldy 6 91.05x
Pittington 6 319.15x
Skelton In Guisbrough 5 83.19x
Byker 4 24.24x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 4 13.84x
Liverpool 4 2.47x
Linlithgow 3 69.28x
Newcastle On Tyne St 3 17.34x
West Derby 3 3.85x
Westgate 3 14.51x
Beaconsfield 2 158.73x
Crossgate 2 68.49x
Croydon 2 3.30x
Egglescliffe 2 400.00x
Haswell 2 41.84x
Kimblesworth 2 224.72x
Longbenton 2 14.14x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 2 45.56x
Sherburn 2 98.52x
South Shields 2 33.61x
South Weald 2 52.77x
St Giles 2 47.96x
Woking 2 30.35x
Barnard Castle 1 30.30x
Elvet 1 20.75x
Hylton 1 84.75x
Lewisham 1 2.45x
Portsea 1 1.11x
Shincliffe 1 135.14x
Shotton 1 60.61x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 2.21x
St Marylebone London 1 0.83x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Isabella 12
Ann 10
Jane 10
Mary 10
Elizabeth 9
Sarah 9
Margaret 8
Catherine 5
Anne 3
Eleanor 3
Margt. 3
Ada 2
Ellen 2
Hannah 2
Kate 2
Martha 2
Annie 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Dorothy 1
Edith 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Ellenor 1
Emma 1
Francis 1
Georgina 1
Johnston 1
Maryann 1
Maud 1
Olive 1
Selina 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 19
John 15
William 15
Robert 12
Ralph 7
George 5
Anthony 3
Jno. 3
Thos. 3
Arthur 2
Geo 2
Henry 2
James 2
Richard 2
Walter 2
Benjamin 1
Bertram 1
Earnest 1
Edward 1
Hugh 1
Hy. 1
Hy.F. 1
Jonathan 1
Joshua 1
Lionel 1
Matt. 1
Michael 1
Obadiah 1
Percy 1
W. 1
Wilson 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Punshon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Punshon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 231 people were recorded with the Punshon surname. That placed it at #11,722 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Punshon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 415 in 2016. That gives Punshon a modern rank of #11,550.

What does the Punshon map show?

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