NameCensus.

UK surname

Skelsey

In the 1881 census there were 96 people recorded with the Skelsey surname, ranking it #20,248 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 125, ranked #26,827, down from #20,248 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St James Clerkenwell and Leamington Priors. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Coventry, South Somerset and Calderdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Skelsey is 158 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.2%.

1881 census count

96

Ranked #20,248

Modern count

125

2016, ranked #26,827

Peak year

1911

158 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Skelsey had 96 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,248 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016, ranked #26,827.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 158 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Skelsey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Skelsey surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Skelsey 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 41 #25,926
1861 historical 75 #24,238
1881 historical 96 #20,248
1891 historical 116 #21,766
1901 historical 155 #17,704
1911 historical 158 #17,277
1997 modern 120 #24,158
1998 modern 124 #24,316
1999 modern 135 #23,279
2000 modern 130 #23,785
2001 modern 129 #23,557
2002 modern 131 #23,793
2003 modern 125 #24,265
2004 modern 121 #24,939
2005 modern 121 #24,947
2006 modern 120 #25,269
2007 modern 119 #25,747
2008 modern 123 #25,505
2009 modern 127 #25,564
2010 modern 124 #26,582
2011 modern 131 #25,430
2012 modern 123 #26,561
2013 modern 133 #25,655
2014 modern 130 #26,216
2015 modern 133 #25,729
2016 modern 125 #26,827

Geography

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Where Skelseys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St James Clerkenwell, Leamington Priors, West Derby and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Coventry, South Somerset, Calderdale and Teignbridge. 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 London parishes London 3
2 St James Clerkenwell London (Central Districts)
3 Leamington Priors Warwickshire
4 West Derby Lancashire
5 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Coventry 023 Coventry
2 South Somerset 019 South Somerset
3 Calderdale 020 Calderdale
4 Coventry 036 Coventry
5 Teignbridge 001 Teignbridge

Forenames

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First names often paired with Skelsey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Skelsey

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Skelsey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Skelsey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Skelsey is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Skelsey 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

Skelsey falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Skelsey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Skelsey 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. Warwickshire leads with 34 Skelseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.40x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 34 14.40x
Middlesex 26 2.78x
Yorkshire 23 2.48x
Surrey 6 1.32x
Wiltshire 4 4.83x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.69x
Essex 1 0.54x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.79x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cubbington in Warwickshire leads with 16 Skelseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 5161.29x.

Place Total Index
Cubbington 16 5161.29x
Bethnal Green London 11 27.05x
Clerkenwell London 8 36.20x
Kenilworth 6 451.13x
Lambeth 6 7.35x
Batley 5 56.69x
Hatfield In Thorne 5 862.07x
Sandal Magna 5 364.96x
Barnsley 4 41.80x
Leamington 4 256.41x
Soothill 4 119.40x
West Lavington 4 1000.00x
Hackney London 3 5.72x
Leamington Priors 3 51.64x
Milverton 3 434.78x
St George In East 3 47.10x
Coventry St Michael 2 26.39x
East Stockwith 1 1000.00x
Hornsey 1 8.45x
Leyton 1 31.45x
St Andrewthe Less 1 14.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Emma 5
Elizabeth 4
Ellen 3
Louisa 3
Alice 2
Clara 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Mary 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Blanch 1
Eliza 1
Harret 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Henry 1
Letitia 1
Lilian 1
Louie 1
Mabel 1
Maria 1
Marion 1
Maude 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 8
George 7
John 6
Henry 3
James 3
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Edward 2
Thomas 2
Allan 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Norman 1
Oswald 1
Richard 1
Sam. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Skelsey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Skelsey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 96 people were recorded with the Skelsey surname. That placed it at #20,248 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Skelsey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016. That gives Skelsey a modern rank of #26,827.

What does the Skelsey map show?

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