NameCensus.

UK surname

Skellern

In the 1881 census there were 195 people recorded with the Skellern surname, ranking it #13,054 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 281, ranked #15,449, down from #13,054 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Wolstanton and Astbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Stafford and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Skellern is 307 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 44.1%.

1881 census count

195

Ranked #13,054

Modern count

281

2016, ranked #15,449

Peak year

2000

307 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Skellern had 195 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,054 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016, ranked #15,449.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 295 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Skellern surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Skellern surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Skellern 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 55 #23,413
1861 historical 98 #21,388
1881 historical 195 #13,054
1891 historical 235 #13,316
1901 historical 293 #11,829
1911 historical 295 #11,597
1997 modern 243 #15,556
1998 modern 304 #13,773
1999 modern 305 #13,808
2000 modern 307 #13,717
2001 modern 297 #13,816
2002 modern 306 #13,835
2003 modern 295 #13,964
2004 modern 299 #13,904
2005 modern 288 #14,189
2006 modern 282 #14,459
2007 modern 288 #14,428
2008 modern 282 #14,748
2009 modern 292 #14,700
2010 modern 294 #14,940
2011 modern 297 #14,698
2012 modern 292 #14,770
2013 modern 289 #15,142
2014 modern 288 #15,285
2015 modern 290 #15,117
2016 modern 281 #15,449

Geography

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Where Skellerns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Wolstanton, Astbury, Manchester and Coppenhall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, Stafford and Cheshire East. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 Astbury Cheshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Coppenhall Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 035 Shropshire
2 Stafford 007 Stafford
3 Shropshire 036 Shropshire
4 Shropshire 039 Shropshire
5 Cheshire East 032 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Skellern

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Skellern

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Skellern, 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 Skellern surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Skellern 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Skellern is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Skellern is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Skellern falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Skellern families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Skellern 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. Cheshire leads with 133 Skellerns recorded in 1881 and an index of 31.68x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 133 31.68x
Staffordshire 26 4.05x
Lancashire 23 1.02x
Derbyshire 6 2.01x
Kent 4 0.62x
Middlesex 3 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Congleton in Cheshire leads with 71 Skellerns recorded in 1881 and an index of 979.31x.

Place Total Index
Congleton 71 979.31x
Buglawton 28 2772.28x
Tonge 11 232.07x
Chester St Oswald 8 105.26x
Wolstanton 8 41.03x
Great Harwood 7 171.57x
Ashborne 6 297.03x
Biddulph 6 165.75x
Bosley 6 2307.69x
Stoke Upon Trent 6 8.81x
Eaton In Macclesfield 5 1923.08x
Monks Coppenhall 5 31.57x
Smallwood 5 1315.79x
Burslem 4 21.75x
Deptford St Paul 3 5.99x
St Marylebone London 3 2.95x
Hulme 2 4.24x
Hurdsfield 2 77.52x
Audley Talk O Th Hill 1 86.21x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 2.79x
Hindley 1 10.40x
Hulme Walfield 1 1428.57x
Kingsley 1 83.33x
Manchester 1 0.99x
Newbold Astbury 1 200.00x
Sandbach 1 27.93x
Walmer 1 35.46x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 11
Ann 9
Hannah 9
Sarah 8
Jane 5
Alice 4
Annie 4
Ellen 3
Emma 3
Martha 3
Agnes 2
Clara 2
Edith 2
Elizh. 2
Emily 2
Frances 2
Harriett 2
Maria 2
Ada 1
Adalaide 1
Adeline 1
Beatrice 1
Dora 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Ella 1
Elzth. 1
Fanny 1
Henrietta 1
Jessie 1
Jillian 1
Judith 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Nellie 1
Pheobe 1
Rachel 1
Rosa 1
Ruth 1
Susanna 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
Thomas 8
Frank 6
James 5
William 5
George 4
Joseph 4
Walter 4
Edwin 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Richard 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Fred 2
Henry 2
Samuel 2
Alfred 1
Amos 1
Clement 1
Edmund 1
Francis 1
Hugh 1
Jabez 1
Jas.E. 1
Luke 1
Remus 1
Simion 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Skellern surname: questions and answers

How common was the Skellern surname in 1881?

In 1881, 195 people were recorded with the Skellern surname. That placed it at #13,054 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Skellern surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016. That gives Skellern a modern rank of #15,449.

What does the Skellern map show?

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