The Pilkington surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,336 people carried this name — #7,660 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 68,000 people counted. That is up 3% from 4,221 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Pilkington surname

English habitational surname from a minor place in Lancashire, from an Old English personal name *Pīleca + -ing (“belonging to”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Pilkington» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Pilkington’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 606 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 8 births for the Pilkington name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 3
Leinster 3
Munster 1
Ulster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Pilkington was found among the farmers of Lancashire: 21 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Lancashire 21

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Pilkington was recorded 12 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1665th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Pilkington in American newspapers,
1885–1916.

Newspaper page from The Corvallis Times carrying the name Pilkington
The Corvallis Times 1903-11-28
Newspaper page from The Bolivar Bulletin carrying the name Pilkington
The Bolivar Bulletin 1885-07-17
Newspaper page from Goodwin's Weekly : A Thinking Paper For Thinking People carrying the name Pilkington
Goodwin's Weekly : A Thinking Paper For Thinking People 1916-03-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 9,565 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Pilkington in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

17,483 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pilkington. The most, 3,992, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Western Australia, at 4.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Western Australia 6,830
South Australia 3,843
Victoria 2,678
New South Wales 2,098
Queensland 1,469
Tasmania 496
ACT (Canberra) 32
Northern Territory 5

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Pilkington.

Who carried it

People named Pilkington,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Richard Pilkington d. 1631 · cleric
  • John Pilkington d. 1421
  • John Pilkington d. 1451
  • Charles Pilkington d. 1485
  • Margery Dora Helen Ross d. 1988
  • Ruth Pilkington d. 1627

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Pilkington,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States682 records

682 records of the Pilkington name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 195
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 166
  • Other U.S. records 321
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Fowler Pilkington

    Born 1920 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Croft, South Carolina; construction laborer. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Lauada Cemetery, Bryson City, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Samuel Pilkington

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 49; founder. From Lancaster, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Thomas Holt Pilkington

    Born 1941; from Morton Grove, Illinois. U.S. Navy, pilot; declared dead 1966 in North Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 682 records for Pilkington in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia711 records

711 records of the Pilkington name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 355
  • Tasmanian Names Index 128
  • Other Australian records 228
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Edward Pilkington

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Gilmore, sailing from London in 1843. Native of Up Holland, Lancashire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Thomas Levi Pilkington

    Died 1891 in New Norfolk, Tasmania, aged 60. Will registered in Tasmania in 1891.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jeremiah Rich Patten Pilkington

    Born 1883 in New Norfolk, Tasmania. Died 1936 in Tasmania, aged 53.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 711 records for Pilkington in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada60 records

60 records of the Pilkington name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 13
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 13
  • Other Canadian records 34
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Brian Pilkington

    Buried in 1994 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 43.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Norma Pilkington

    Died 1989, aged 67; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record David W. Pilkington

    Died 1931 in North Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 60 records for Pilkington in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom36 records

36 records of the Pilkington name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 29
  • Stirling Council burial records 3
  • Other British records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Arthur Pilkington

    Died 1986, aged 74; buried at St Thomas Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Pilkington

    Buried in 1795 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 62.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Stanley H. Pilkington

    Died 1917. Named in the roll of honour (1926).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 36 records for Pilkington in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands19 records

19 records of the Pilkington name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 15
  • Dutch population registers 3
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Alexander Pilkington

    Died 1824 in Vianen, aged 67.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Eeleonora Pilkington

    Married in 1792 in Geertruidenberg; born in Bergen op Zoom.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frediganda Pilkington

    Buried in 1762 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Pilkington in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand14 records

14 records of the Pilkington name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 12
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Aileen June Pilkington

    Died 1986, aged 64; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Pilkington

    Buried in 1873 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 46.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Pilkington

    Died 1910, aged 77; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Pilkington in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Ireland1 record

1 record of the Pilkington name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joe Pilkington

    Died 1999, aged 59; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Pilkington name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Edithe Juliette Louise Pilkington

    Born 1899 in Rouen; died 1972 in Rouen (Seine-Maritime).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Pilkington.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Pilkington is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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