NameCensus.

UK surname

Skill

An occupational surname indicating an ancestor who possessed a particular talent or ability.

In the 1881 census there were 111 people recorded with the Skill surname, ranking it #18,597 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 133, ranked #25,765, down from #18,597 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Swineshead, North Forty Foot Bank, Drainage Marsh, Forty-foot Bridge, Gibbet Hills, Rakes Farm, Roya and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newark and Sherwood, Rotherham and East Lindsey.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Skill is 156 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 19.8%.

1881 census count

111

Ranked #18,597

Modern count

133

2016, ranked #25,765

Peak year

1901

156 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Skill had 111 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,597 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 133 in 2016, ranked #25,765.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 156 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Skill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Skill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Skill 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 71 #20,875
1861 historical 104 #20,477
1881 historical 111 #18,597
1891 historical 130 #20,173
1901 historical 156 #17,638
1911 historical 138 #18,811
1997 modern 106 #26,057
1998 modern 111 #25,990
1999 modern 111 #26,182
2000 modern 97 #28,142
2001 modern 97 #27,823
2002 modern 92 #29,040
2003 modern 106 #26,775
2004 modern 107 #26,899
2005 modern 108 #26,736
2006 modern 115 #25,969
2007 modern 113 #26,641
2008 modern 112 #27,061
2009 modern 117 #26,927
2010 modern 129 #25,900
2011 modern 125 #26,220
2012 modern 128 #25,852
2013 modern 130 #26,074
2014 modern 131 #26,089
2015 modern 130 #26,093
2016 modern 133 #25,765

Geography

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Where Skills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Swineshead, North Forty Foot Bank, Drainage Marsh, Forty-foot Bridge, Gibbet Hills, Rakes Farm, Roya, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Leake and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newark and Sherwood, Rotherham and East Lindsey. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Swineshead, North Forty Foot Bank, Drainage Marsh, Forty-foot Bridge, Gibbet Hills, Rakes Farm, Roya Lincolnshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 Leake Lincolnshire
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newark and Sherwood 006 Newark and Sherwood
2 Rotherham 029 Rotherham
3 Rotherham 028 Rotherham
4 Rotherham 032 Rotherham
5 East Lindsey 002 East Lindsey

Forenames

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First names often paired with Skill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Skill

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

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Skill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Skill household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Skill is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Skill is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Skill falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Skill

The surname "Skill" is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "scill," which means "discernment" or "ability." It is likely that the name originated as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who possessed particular skills or abilities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Skill" can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where a person named William Skill is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use during the 12th century.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John Skyll is listed in the county of Oxfordshire. This variation in spelling, "Skyll," was common during that time period.

The name "Skill" can also be traced back to places like Skillington, a village in Lincolnshire, England. It is possible that some individuals with the surname "Skill" may have derived their name from this place name.

One notable individual with the surname "Skill" was John Skill (c. 1595 - c. 1670), an English colonial leader who served as the governor of the Somers Isles (now known as Bermuda) from 1663 to 1668.

Another prominent figure was John Skill (1644 - 1724), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings, including St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

In the 18th century, Thomas Skill (1723 - 1793) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.

During the 19th century, James Skill (1804 - 1873) was a Scottish minister and author who wrote several books on religious topics.

In the 20th century, Wilfred Skill (1917 - 1987) was a British soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party in the 1960s.

These examples demonstrate the historical presence of the surname "Skill" in various fields, ranging from politics and the military to architecture and literature, spanning several centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Skill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Skill 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. Lincolnshire leads with 37 Skills recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.37x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 37 21.37x
Middlesex 10 0.92x
Staffordshire 8 2.19x
Cornwall 7 5.71x
Devon 7 3.11x
Nottinghamshire 7 4.80x
Surrey 7 1.33x
Worcestershire 5 3.54x
Derbyshire 4 2.36x
Shropshire 4 4.28x
Essex 3 1.40x
Leicestershire 3 2.50x
Norfolk 3 1.80x
Sussex 3 1.64x
Gloucestershire 1 0.47x
Hertfordshire 1 1.34x
Yorkshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leake in Lincolnshire leads with 14 Skills recorded in 1881 and an index of 1772.15x.

Place Total Index
Leake 14 1772.15x
Swineshead 9 1578.95x
Wolverhampton 8 28.47x
Exeter Heavitree 7 416.67x
Madron Penzance 7 156.95x
Nottingham St Mary 7 18.55x
Northfield 5 186.57x
St Paul Lincoln 5 1666.67x
Derby St Peter 4 74.07x
Madeley 4 116.62x
Aylestone 3 315.79x
Bermondsey 3 9.31x
Great Grimsby 3 27.30x
Hastings St Mary 3 66.08x
St Nicholas Lincoln 3 181.82x
St Pancras London 3 3.44x
Swaffham 3 222.22x
Camberwell 2 2.89x
Great Carlton 2 2000.00x
Paddington London 2 5.02x
St Marylebone London 2 3.46x
Bardney 1 192.31x
Bramley 1 217.39x
Colchester St Botolph 1 54.95x
Doncaster 1 12.76x
Felstead 1 136.99x
Finchley 1 24.10x
Islington London 1 0.95x
Lambeth 1 1.06x
Leckhampton 1 76.34x
Maldon All Sts 1 238.10x
St Martin In Fields 1 15.43x
Ware 1 46.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Emma 5
Alice 4
Elizabeth 3
Jane 3
Sarah 3
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Julia 2
Ann 1
Anne 1
Asebay 1
Caroline 1
Ceali 1
Evelyn 1
Fanny 1
Georgiana 1
Harriet 1
Harriette 1
Helder 1
Lillie 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Maud 1
Maude 1
May 1
Mildred 1
Phoebe 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 6
Thomas 6
William 6
George 4
Henry 4
Arthur 3
Franz 2
Fred 2
Frederick 2
Joseph 2
Samuel 2
Alfred 1
Charles 1
Edgar 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Elijah 1
Enoch 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Herbert 1
Jeffry 1
Leonard 1
Neville 1
Noah 1
Paul 1
Robt. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Skill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Skill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 111 people were recorded with the Skill surname. That placed it at #18,597 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Skill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 133 in 2016. That gives Skill a modern rank of #25,765.

What does the Skill surname mean?

An occupational surname indicating an ancestor who possessed a particular talent or ability.

What does the Skill map show?

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