NameCensus.

UK surname

Skewes

An English surname likely derived from a medieval nickname for a cross-eyed or squinting person.

In the 1881 census there were 233 people recorded with the Skewes surname, ranking it #11,648 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 126, ranked #26,686, down from #11,648 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Redruth, Illogan and Gwennap. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Skewes is 245 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 45.9%.

1881 census count

233

Ranked #11,648

Modern count

126

2016, ranked #26,686

Peak year

1851

245 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Skewes had 233 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,648 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 126 in 2016, ranked #26,686.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 245 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Skewes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Skewes surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Skewes 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 245 #8,920
1861 historical 190 #12,520
1881 historical 233 #11,648
1891 historical 235 #13,316
1901 historical 239 #13,489
1911 historical 196 #15,150
1997 modern 136 #22,398
1998 modern 145 #22,139
1999 modern 149 #21,924
2000 modern 135 #23,250
2001 modern 143 #22,133
2002 modern 137 #23,198
2003 modern 136 #23,045
2004 modern 137 #23,098
2005 modern 129 #23,963
2006 modern 132 #23,834
2007 modern 130 #24,389
2008 modern 133 #24,350
2009 modern 134 #24,711
2010 modern 124 #26,582
2011 modern 112 #28,117
2012 modern 115 #27,717
2013 modern 131 #25,932
2014 modern 127 #26,634
2015 modern 127 #26,494
2016 modern 126 #26,686

Geography

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Where Skewes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Redruth, Illogan, Gwennap, Cury and Camborne. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall. 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 Redruth Cornwall
2 Illogan Cornwall
3 Gwennap Cornwall
4 Cury Cornwall
5 Camborne Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 073 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 061 Cornwall
3 Cornwall 071 Cornwall
4 Cornwall 045 Cornwall
5 Cornwall 052 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Skewes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Skewes

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

European Enclaves

Within London, Skewes 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

Skewes 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

Skewes falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Skewes

The surname Skewes has its origins in Cornwall, England. It is believed to have derived from the Cornish place name "Skewis" or "Skewys," which may have been derived from the Cornish words "skeys" meaning "thick wood" or "skew" meaning "projecting ridge."

Historically, the name Skewes can be traced back to the 16th century in Cornwall. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Cornish Subsidy Rolls of 1543, where a "John Skewys" is listed.

During the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records throughout Cornwall. For example, in 1602, the baptism of "John Skewes" is recorded in the parish of St. Columb Major.

The Skewes name is also found in the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, which were a series of pledges of allegiance to the Protestant religion and the English Parliament. In the records for Cornish parishes, several individuals with the surname Skewes are listed, suggesting the name was well-established in the region by that time.

One notable individual with the Skewes surname was John Skewes (1578-1646), a Cornish clergyman who served as the Vicar of St. Endellion from 1619 until his death.

Another historically significant Skewes was William Skewes (1751-1834), a Cornish mining engineer and entrepreneur. He was involved in the development of several mines in Cornwall and is credited with introducing important innovations in mining technology.

In the 19th century, the Skewes name continued to be prevalent in Cornwall. One individual of note was William Skewes (1827-1914), a Cornish architect who designed several notable buildings in the region, including the Cornish Studies Library in Redruth.

Another prominent figure from this era was John Skewes (1844-1917), a Cornish politician and businessman. He served as the Mayor of Truro, the capital of Cornwall, from 1897 to 1898.

While the Skewes surname originated in Cornwall, it has since spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond. However, its roots remain firmly planted in the history and culture of Cornwall, where it has been a part of the local heritage for centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Skewes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Skewes 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. Cornwall leads with 190 Skewes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 73.84x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 190 73.84x
Devon 25 5.28x
Lancashire 11 0.41x
Middlesex 3 0.13x
Surrey 2 0.18x
Kent 1 0.13x
Norfolk 1 0.29x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Camborne in Cornwall leads with 26 Skewes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 245.28x.

Place Total Index
Camborne 26 245.28x
Cury 21 6176.47x
Illogan 18 264.32x
Redruth 18 247.25x
Kenwyn 17 252.60x
Landewednack 15 3260.87x
Mawnan 9 2195.12x
Broughton In Salford 8 32.44x
Truro St Mary 8 370.37x
Bere Ferrers 7 897.44x
Buckfastleigh 6 275.23x
Ashburton 5 221.24x
Gwennap 5 103.09x
Ruan Major 5 7142.86x
Gwinear 4 327.87x
Perranuthnoe 4 571.43x
St Cleer 4 179.37x
Uny Lelant 4 287.77x
Constantine 3 200.00x
Crowan 3 147.06x
East Stonehouse 3 32.19x
Marazion 3 967.74x
Mawgan In Meneage 3 447.76x
Plymouth Charles The 3 14.40x
Falmouth 2 21.95x
Kea 2 104.17x
Perranarworthal 2 232.56x
Sithney 2 76.92x
St Clement 2 74.35x
St Marylebone London 2 1.65x
Walton On Hill 2 13.69x
Acton 1 7.51x
Ardwick 1 4.11x
Breage 1 42.55x
Budock 1 51.55x
Camberwell 1 0.69x
Chatham 1 4.69x
Coltishall 1 135.14x
Devonport 1 18.38x
Helston 1 37.45x
Liskeard 1 23.20x
Madron Penzance 1 10.68x
Mullion 1 212.77x
Richmond 1 6.44x
Ruan Minor 1 434.78x
St Columb Major 1 46.73x
St Hilary 1 133.33x
St Winnow 1 113.64x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 22
Elizabeth 11
Jane 10
Annie 6
Bessie 4
Emily 4
Grace 4
Susan 4
Clara 3
Ellen 3
Emma 3
Florence 3
Kate 3
Laura 3
Ada 2
Ann 2
Caroline 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Harriett 2
Julia 2
Louisa 2
Sarah 2
Alice 1
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Catharine 1
Charlotte 1
Christian 1
Eleanor 1
Elizh.J. 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.A. 1
Elizth.Jane 1
Elzabeth 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Fulina 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Hester 1
Katie 1
Lilly 1
Lovdy 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Rosina 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Skewes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Skewes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 233 people were recorded with the Skewes surname. That placed it at #11,648 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Skewes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 126 in 2016. That gives Skewes a modern rank of #26,686.

What does the Skewes surname mean?

An English surname likely derived from a medieval nickname for a cross-eyed or squinting person.

What does the Skewes map show?

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