NameCensus.

UK surname

Skey

In the 1881 census there were 140 people recorded with the Skey surname, ranking it #16,151 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 150, ranked #23,724, down from #16,151 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Great Malvern, Madresfield, Coldingham and Chipping Campden. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Northamptonshire, Lesmahagow and East Northamptonshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Skey is 175 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 7.1%.

1881 census count

140

Ranked #16,151

Modern count

150

2016, ranked #23,724

Peak year

2002

175 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Skey had 140 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,151 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 150 in 2016, ranked #23,724.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 159 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Skey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Skey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Skey 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 148 #13,028
1861 historical 101 #20,955
1881 historical 140 #16,151
1891 historical 156 #17,842
1901 historical 140 #18,795
1911 historical 159 #17,219
1997 modern 162 #20,107
1998 modern 165 #20,423
1999 modern 171 #20,072
2000 modern 156 #21,235
2001 modern 150 #21,482
2002 modern 175 #19,902
2003 modern 168 #20,171
2004 modern 157 #21,168
2005 modern 151 #21,667
2006 modern 159 #21,148
2007 modern 157 #21,546
2008 modern 159 #21,598
2009 modern 159 #22,072
2010 modern 150 #23,482
2011 modern 151 #23,204
2012 modern 159 #22,361
2013 modern 158 #22,817
2014 modern 156 #23,231
2015 modern 151 #23,613
2016 modern 150 #23,724

Geography

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Where Skeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Great Malvern, Madresfield, Coldingham, Chipping Campden, St Marylebone and Cheltenham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Northamptonshire, Lesmahagow, East Northamptonshire and Leeds. 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 Great Malvern, Madresfield Worcestershire
2 Coldingham Berwick
3 Chipping Campden Warwickshire
4 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
5 Cheltenham Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Northamptonshire 005 South Northamptonshire
2 Lesmahagow South Lanarkshire
3 East Northamptonshire 003 East Northamptonshire
4 Leeds 040 Leeds
5 Leeds 047 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Skey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Skey

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Skey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Skey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Skey is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Skey 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

Skey falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Skey is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Skey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Skey 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. Gloucestershire leads with 28 Skeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.46x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 28 10.46x
Middlesex 21 1.54x
Oxfordshire 19 22.53x
Somerset 11 5.00x
Worcestershire 11 6.17x
Surrey 10 1.50x
Lanarkshire 8 1.81x
Durham 7 1.72x
Berwickshire 6 36.28x
Kent 5 1.07x
Hampshire 4 1.43x
Cornwall 3 1.94x
Glamorgan 2 0.84x
Warwickshire 2 0.58x
Derbyshire 1 0.47x
Leicestershire 1 0.66x
Northamptonshire 1 0.78x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cheltenham in Gloucestershire leads with 14 Skeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 67.76x.

Place Total Index
Cheltenham 14 67.76x
Weare 10 3333.33x
Abinger 8 1454.55x
Chipping Campden 8 919.54x
Gorbals 8 305.34x
St Marylebone London 8 10.97x
Chipping Norton 7 358.97x
Headington 7 534.35x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 7 39.80x
Coldingham 6 402.68x
Great Malvern 6 161.29x
Islington London 4 3.02x
Bromley London 3 9.99x
Bucknell 3 2500.00x
Clifton 3 22.16x
Greenwich 3 13.80x
St Clement 3 186.34x
Bengeworth 2 327.87x
Cardiff St Mary 2 15.27x
Christchurch 2 32.95x
Harrow On The Hill 2 73.26x
Isleworth 2 32.95x
Portsea 2 3.65x
Queenborough 2 434.78x
Baslow With Bubnell 1 256.41x
Birmingham 1 0.87x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 11.20x
Gloucester Kingsholm St 1 100.00x
Great Harrowden 1 1428.57x
Hackney London 1 1.31x
Kidderminster Borough 1 9.58x
Lambeth 1 0.84x
Leamington 1 43.86x
Leicester St Mary 1 8.18x
Oxford St Peter In East 1 312.50x
Pershore St Andrew 1 102.04x
Rotherhithe 1 5.93x
St Luke London 1 4.57x
Steeple Aston 1 312.50x
Walcot 1 8.54x
Whistones 1 77.52x
Winchcomb 1 75.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Alice 4
Ellen 4
Jane 4
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Emma 3
Agnes 2
Annie 2
Catherine 2
Cecilia 2
Celine 2
Kate 2
Amy 1
Caroline 1
Cecile 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Elizabeth 1
Ella 1
Ethel 1
Florence 1
Gerallie 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Ida 1
Isabella 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Margrett 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Siate 1
Sophia 1
Ursula 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 6
George 5
Charles 4
Edward 4
Henry 4
William 4
Thomas 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Felix 2
Frank 2
Frederic 2
James 2
Joseph 2
A.C.E. 1
Archibald 1
Clifford 1
Daniel 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Infant 1
Jim 1
Michel 1
Oswald 1
Patrick 1
Sidney 1
Vincent 1
Wilfrid 1
Willm. 1
Woodall 1

FAQ

Skey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Skey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 140 people were recorded with the Skey surname. That placed it at #16,151 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Skey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 150 in 2016. That gives Skey a modern rank of #23,724.

What does the Skey map show?

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