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Name check reveals a new pecking order
4 June 2006
Are you keeping up with the Pigdens? The 145 holders of this surname have emerged alongside the Fortescues, Pakenhams, Goldsteins and Mukherjees among the most socially exclusive British families.
The ranking has emerged in research by academics at 果冻影院, who have assessed the social status of nearly 26,000 surnames on income, house value, educational attainment and health.
The academics have adapted their research to create a "snobs online" database that enables anyone to type in their surname and find out what proportion of the population is above them on the class ladder. 鈥�
The database also allows users to check how many people share their surname and the parts of the country where they live. The social status of first names has also been analysed, although this cannot yet be checked by users of the internet database. 鈥�
"People tend to mark themselves out as upmarket by choosing different first names from the rest of the population," said Professor Richard Webber. 鈥�
Webber and his team have calculated the status of names by taking their postcodes from the electoral roll. These are then cross-referenced with educational attainment, employment levels, financial data and health statistics to calculate an average status for each name. 鈥�
The league of first names, perhaps because parents have latitude to choose them for aspirational purposes, signal status more obviously. Names such as Camilla and Rupert retain their upper-class profiles, while those linked to passing fashion, such as Charlene, Toyah and Wayne, are nearer the bottom. 鈥�
To check the social standing of your surname, go to
John Elliott, 'The Sunday Times'