Top Locations

See the bottom of the page for an explanation of the numeric columns.

Counties

Census Districts

Demographics

Numbers in brackets are the total recorded in the census. Note that for less common surnames, some of these may well be typos or transcription errors. See below for some more information on occupational titles.

Top male names

  1. George (14)
  2. William (11)
  3. Arthur (9)
  4. Henry (8)
  5. Thomas (6)
  6. John (6)
  7. Ernest (5)
  8. Charles (5)
  9. Herbert (4)
  10. James (4)
  11. Frederick (3)
  12. Joseph (2)
  13. Henery (2)
  14. Harry (2)
  15. Willm. (2)
  16. Robert (2)
  17. Geo. (2)
  18. Walter (2)
  19. Dudley (2)
  20. Dennis (2)
  21. Frank (2)
  22. Edward (2)
  23. Chestefield (1)
  24. Kitton (1)
  25. Leonard (1)
  26. Aurther (1)
  27. Benjamin (1)
  28. Fredk. (1)
  29. Sydney (1)
  30. Alfred (1)
  31. Albert (1)
  32. Chesterfield (1)
  33. Jesse (1)
  34. Fredk.C. (1)
  35. Gerald (1)
  36. Harold (1)
  37. Earnest (1)
  38. Fred (1)
  39. Alan (1)
  40. Horace (1)
  41. Hy. (1)
  42. Clarke (1)
  43. Sidney (1)

Top female names

  1. Mary (9)
  2. Ellen (7)
  3. Eliza (6)
  4. Annie (5)
  5. Maria (5)
  6. Kate (4)
  7. Elizabeth (4)
  8. Lucy (4)
  9. Alice (4)
  10. Sarah (3)
  11. Catherine (3)
  12. Agnes (3)
  13. Edith (3)
  14. Ann (3)
  15. Louisa (2)
  16. Jane (2)
  17. Gertrude (2)
  18. Martha (2)
  19. Emma (2)
  20. Jessie (1)
  21. Hattie (1)
  22. Lavinia (1)
  23. Lettitia (1)
  24. Lilian (1)
  25. Maud (1)
  26. Lousia (1)
  27. Millicent (1)
  28. Mildred (1)
  29. Maralina (1)
  30. Margaret (1)
  31. Harriet (1)
  32. Hannah (1)
  33. Hanah (1)
  34. Anna (1)
  35. Bertha (1)
  36. Bessie (1)
  37. Charlotte (1)
  38. Clara (1)
  39. E. (1)
  40. Eleanor (1)
  41. Elenor (1)
  42. Elizth. (1)
  43. Elvina (1)
  44. Emily (1)
  45. Ethel (1)
  46. Evelyn (1)
  47. Fanny (1)
  48. Florence (1)
  49. Georgiana (1)
  50. Gwendolene (1)

Top occupations

  1. Scholar (47)
  2. Carpenter (5)
  3. No Occupation (4)
  4. Ag Lab (4)
  5. Visitor (4)
  6. Housekeeper (4)
  7. Independant (4)
  8. Farmers Son (3)
  9. Cape Milliner (3)
  10. Farmers Daughter (3)
  11. Farmers Dau (3)
  12. Annuitant (2)
  13. Clerk (2)
  14. Farmer (2)
  15. Farmer (Bros) (1)
  16. Farmer & Smith (1)
  17. Errand Boy (1)
  18. Farmer Of 650 Ac Emp 15 Men 9 Boys (1)
  19. Engraver (General) (1)
  20. Engineers Fitter (1)
  21. Farmer 1746 Acrs Employing 15 Men 2 Boys 2 Women (1)
  22. Farmer 243 Acres Employing 6 Men And 1 Boy (1)
  23. Farmers Sister (1)
  24. Farmer 350 Acres Employs 12 Men & 3 Boys (1)
  25. Farmer 730 Acres Empl 18 Men & 3 Boys (1)
  26. Farmer Of 1130 Acres Employing 32 Labourers 6 Boys 5 Women 1 Girl (1)
  27. Farmer Of 200 Acres Employing 6 Ag Lab And 3 Boys (1)
  28. Farmer of 270 Acres Employing 9 Men 3 Boys & 2 Women (1)
  29. Farmer Of 390 Acres Employing 13 Men & 4 Boys (1)
  30. Clerk To Tea Merchant (1)
  31. Dressmakers Apprentice (1)
  32. Dressmaker (1)
  33. Clerk Post Office Savings Bank (1)
  34. Yeoman (1)
  35. Carter (Ag) (1)
  36. Carpenters Apprentice (1)
  37. Carpenter & Inn Keeper (1)
  38. Butchers Lab (1)
  39. Asst Book Keeper (1)
  40. Assistant Clerk Post Office (1)
  41. Clerk To Builder (1)
  42. Commercial Clerk Export Merchants (1)
  43. Dress Maker (1)
  44. Drapers Apprentice (1)
  45. Domestic Serv (1)
  46. Dock Labr (1)
  47. Cotton Doffer (1)
  48. Corn Miller Master Emp (4 Men & 2 Boys) (1)
  49. Corn Merchant (1)
  50. Corn & Coal Merchant Employg 6 Men & Maltster Employg 4 M en (1)

Explanation of numeric columns in the county and district tables

The Total column shows the total number of people in that county or town with this surname. For example, there were 112 people with the surname Gayford in the county of Norfolk in 1881.

The Frequency column shows the percentage of people in this county or town with this surname. For example, 0.02% of the people in Norfolk were called Gayford.

The Index column shows how more or less common a surname is in a particular location compared to the population as a whole. If the index is higher than 1, then you more likely to find a person with this name here than you would in the country as a whole. And if it's less than 1, you are less likely to find someone with this surname here. For example, the Gayford surname has an index of 32.33 in Norfolk, meaning that you are 32.33 times as likely to find a Gayford here than you would in the population as a whole.

The Total value is an absolute figure which takes no account of the size of the county or town, so it tends to be biased towards larger towns and counties. The Frequency and Index values are relative to the local population, so they give a better idea of where a surname is most concentrated.

A note on occupational titles

Occupational titles are presented exactly as recorded on the census and later transcribed, with no attempt made to unify names that are the same. So, for example, 'Ag Lab' and 'Agricultural Labourer' will apear as separate entries, and so will any misspellings of them.

'Scholar' was the census term for any child in education. Given that families tended to be large, this means that school children, or scholars, are almost always the largest recorded occupational group for any surname. A better idea of what the family breadwinners did for a living will be found in the other job titles.

BritishSurnames.uk is a Good Stuff website.