 According to the 2011 UK census, Skirpenbeck parish had a population of 192, an increase on the 2001 UK census figure of 142.The place-name 'Skirpenbeck' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Scarpenbec".It derives from the Old Norse "skerping" and "bekkr", meaning barren land by a beck or stream.