NameCensus.

UK surname

Skelding

An English surname derived from a nickname for someone with an emaciated or gaunt appearance.

In the 1881 census there were 486 people recorded with the Skelding surname, ranking it #6,925 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 793, ranked #6,970, down from #6,925 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dudley, Kidderminster and Oldswinford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Skelding is 866 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 63.2%.

1881 census count

486

Ranked #6,925

Modern count

793

2016, ranked #6,970

Peak year

1999

866 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Skelding had 486 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,925 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 793 in 2016, ranked #6,970.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 662 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Skelding surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Skelding surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Skelding 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 286 #7,933
1861 historical 239 #10,273
1881 historical 486 #6,925
1891 historical 468 #7,833
1901 historical 605 #7,027
1911 historical 662 #6,345
1997 modern 776 #6,700
1998 modern 862 #6,364
1999 modern 866 #6,389
2000 modern 862 #6,377
2001 modern 839 #6,409
2002 modern 845 #6,490
2003 modern 834 #6,435
2004 modern 848 #6,362
2005 modern 818 #6,492
2006 modern 811 #6,548
2007 modern 806 #6,637
2008 modern 809 #6,681
2009 modern 805 #6,851
2010 modern 809 #6,958
2011 modern 827 #6,757
2012 modern 814 #6,743
2013 modern 823 #6,785
2014 modern 826 #6,805
2015 modern 825 #6,756
2016 modern 793 #6,970

Geography

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Where Skeldings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dudley, Kidderminster, Oldswinford, Birmingham Town: Birmingham and Birmingham Town: Aston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dudley. 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 Dudley Staffordshire
2 Kidderminster Worcestershire
3 Oldswinford Worcestershire
4 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
5 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dudley 035 Dudley
2 Dudley 037 Dudley
3 Dudley 021 Dudley
4 Dudley 017 Dudley
5 Dudley 022 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Skelding

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Skelding

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

Skelding 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

Skelding falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Skelding is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Skelding

The surname SKELDING is of English origin, derived from a locational name. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, likely between the 12th and 15th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "scylf" (ledge) and "ing" (meadow or enclosure), suggesting it was originally a place name referring to a meadow or enclosure situated on a ledge or hillside.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, a series of financial records from the late 12th century, where it is spelled as "Skelding". This indicates that the name was present in the northern English county of Yorkshire during this period.

In the 13th century, the name is found in various legal records and charters, such as the Assize Rolls of Lancashire, where it appears as "Skeldyng" and "Schelding". These variations in spelling were common during the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized orthography.

The SKELDING surname is also associated with several place names in northern England, including Skelding Moor and Skelding Beck in Yorkshire, further reinforcing its locational origins.

One notable bearer of the SKELDING name was John Skelding, a 15th-century English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Carlisle from 1451 to 1464. Another early record is that of William Skelding, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1545.

In the 17th century, the name appears in parish records and other historical documents. For example, Thomas Skelding was baptized in St. Michael's Church, Aughton, Lancashire, in 1628, and Richard Skelding was recorded in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Yorkshire in 1672.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the SKELDING surname continued to be found in various records across northern England. Notable individuals include Robert Skelding (1762-1827), a renowned clockmaker from Kirkleatham, Yorkshire, and John Skelding (1784-1858), a prominent landowner and farmer from Ravenstonedale, Westmorland.

While the surname is predominantly English in origin, it has also been documented in other parts of the British Isles and beyond, likely due to migration and dispersal over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Skelding families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Skelding 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. Worcestershire leads with 256 Skeldings recorded in 1881 and an index of 41.27x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 256 41.27x
Staffordshire 108 6.74x
Warwickshire 44 3.67x
Middlesex 28 0.59x
Durham 10 0.71x
Fife 8 2.84x
Cheshire 6 0.57x
Gloucestershire 6 0.64x
Kent 6 0.37x
Shropshire 6 1.46x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.78x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.33x
Hampshire 1 0.10x
Lancashire 1 0.02x
Surrey 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kingswinford in Staffordshire leads with 89 Skeldings recorded in 1881 and an index of 152.87x.

Place Total Index
Kingswinford 89 152.87x
Lye 51 494.19x
Upperswinford 47 895.24x
Wollescote 47 940.00x
Birmingham 34 8.52x
Dudley 21 27.84x
Kidderminster Borough 16 44.07x
Stourbridge 14 87.72x
Wolverley 13 238.53x
Wollaston 9 228.43x
Beath 8 89.99x
Harborne 8 15.57x
Shoreditch London 8 3.88x
Aston 6 1.82x
Rock 6 241.94x
Rouse Lench 6 1250.00x
Westbury On Trym 6 19.01x
Halton 5 213.68x
Kirkby In Ashfield 5 72.99x
Maidstone 5 10.36x
Pensax 5 649.35x
Rowley Regis 5 11.19x
Seaton Carew 5 176.06x
St Marylebone London 5 1.97x
Stockton On Tees 5 7.34x
Whitechapel London 5 10.68x
Yardley 5 31.51x
Kensington London 4 1.51x
Ribbesford 4 77.52x
Sutton Coldfield 4 31.77x
Areley Kings 3 272.73x
Church Stretton 3 109.09x
Wolverhampton 3 2.43x
Abberley 2 204.08x
Bridgnorth St Leonard 2 43.01x
Halesowen 2 36.70x
Lower Mitton 2 36.56x
Ombersley 2 57.80x
St Pancras London 2 0.52x
Aldridge 1 32.47x
Ashford 1 26.67x
Barrow In Furness 1 1.30x
Hanwell 1 11.88x
Hartlebury 1 27.10x
Margate St John Baptist 1 3.37x
Penge 1 3.30x
Portsmouth 1 4.46x
Sandbach 1 11.19x
Sedgley 1 1.68x
Shrewsbury St Chad 1 6.94x
Spitalfields London 1 2.80x
St Michael Cambridge 1 113.64x
St Stephen Walbrook 1 588.24x
Walsall Foreign 1 1.21x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 25
Sarah 18
Eliza 17
Elizabeth 16
Annie 9
Ann 8
Emma 7
Hannah 7
Alice 6
Ellen 6
Jane 6
Maria 6
Fanny 4
Lucy 4
Phoebe 4
Beatrice 3
Clara 3
Edith 3
Esther 3
Louisa 3
Agnes 2
Amy 2
Caroline 2
Cath. 2
Elisa 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Georgina 2
Harriett 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Lizzie 2
Margaret 2
Martha 2
Rhoda 2
Ammelia 1
Betsy 1
Catharine 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliz. 1
Elizabth 1
Ella 1
Emely 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Harriot 1
Isadora 1
Jemma 1
Jessie 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 28
George 19
Joseph 15
John 14
James 13
Samuel 10
Thomas 10
Benjamin 9
Henry 9
Arthur 8
David 7
Charles 6
Edward 6
Albert 5
Alfred 5
Eli 4
Jesse 4
Frank 3
Harry 3
Herbert 3
Simeon 3
Wm. 3
Daniel 2
Enoch 2
Francis 2
Frederick 2
Geo. 2
Thos. 2
Walter 2
Andrew 1
Barazilla 1
Chas. 1
Christopher 1
Ezra 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo.R. 1
H.J. 1
Harrie 1
J.A. 1
Jas.Harry 1
Jean 1
Jessie 1
Jimie 1
Jonis 1
Levi 1
Lewis 1
Miles 1
Moses 1
Nimrod 1

FAQ

Skelding surname: questions and answers

How common was the Skelding surname in 1881?

In 1881, 486 people were recorded with the Skelding surname. That placed it at #6,925 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Skelding surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 793 in 2016. That gives Skelding a modern rank of #6,970.

What does the Skelding surname mean?

An English surname derived from a nickname for someone with an emaciated or gaunt appearance.

What does the Skelding map show?

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