NameCensus.

UK surname

Baldock

An English habitational surname for someone from Baldock in Hertfordshire.

In the 1881 census there were 2,093 people recorded with the Baldock surname, ranking it #2,111 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,749, ranked #2,441, down from #2,111 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Tunbridge, Bidborough and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells and Swale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Baldock is 3,251 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 31.3%.

1881 census count

2,093

Ranked #2,111

Modern count

2,749

2016, ranked #2,441

Peak year

1998

3,251 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Baldock had 2,093 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,111 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,749 in 2016, ranked #2,441.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,064 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Baldock surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Baldock surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Baldock 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 1,308 #2,194
1861 historical 1,194 #2,378
1881 historical 2,093 #2,111
1891 historical 2,272 #2,060
1901 historical 2,763 #2,011
1911 historical 3,064 #1,697
1997 modern 3,165 #2,030
1998 modern 3,251 #2,063
1999 modern 3,235 #2,089
2000 modern 3,166 #2,123
2001 modern 3,086 #2,130
2002 modern 3,116 #2,158
2003 modern 3,041 #2,158
2004 modern 3,028 #2,164
2005 modern 2,939 #2,204
2006 modern 2,921 #2,213
2007 modern 2,887 #2,270
2008 modern 2,882 #2,292
2009 modern 2,923 #2,316
2010 modern 2,917 #2,368
2011 modern 2,860 #2,378
2012 modern 2,774 #2,406
2013 modern 2,824 #2,405
2014 modern 2,829 #2,417
2015 modern 2,779 #2,430
2016 modern 2,749 #2,441

Geography

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Where Baldocks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Tunbridge, Bidborough, St Pancras and Brenchley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Swale and Ashford. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Tunbridge, Bidborough Kent
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Brenchley Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sevenoaks 015 Sevenoaks
2 Tunbridge Wells 001 Tunbridge Wells
3 Swale 008 Swale
4 Ashford 010 Ashford
5 Swale 009 Swale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Baldock

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Baldock

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Baldock surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Baldock household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Baldock is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Baldock is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Baldock falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Baldock is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Baldock, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Baldock

The surname Baldock originated in England, specifically in the county of Hertfordshire. It is believed to have derived from the town of Baldock in Hertfordshire, which itself takes its name from the Old English words 'bælde' meaning 'bold' and 'ac' meaning 'oak'. Thus, the name Baldock likely referred to someone who lived near a bold or prominent oak tree.

Records show that the town of Baldock existed as early as the 11th century, and the name Baldock is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the surname Baldock was in use by at least the 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Baldock was Robert de Baldok, who was a prominent English clergyman and Lord Chancellor of England in the 14th century. He was born around 1285 and died in 1327. Another early bearer of the name was John Baldock, a 14th-century English philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Oxford.

In the 15th century, there was a John Baldock who was a member of parliament for Middlesex in 1449. In the 16th century, Sir Robert Baldock was a notable English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the King's Bench from 1556 to 1564.

A more recent bearer of the name was Ralph Baldock, an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. He was born in 1856 and died in 1902.

The surname Baldock has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Baldock in Hertfordshire, as well as Baldock's Hill in Berkshire and Baldock's Green in Middlesex. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Baldock who lived in or owned those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Baldock families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Baldock 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. Kent leads with 629 Baldocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.02x.

County Total Index
Kent 629 9.02x
Middlesex 369 1.81x
Lincolnshire 195 5.97x
Sussex 183 5.31x
Surrey 175 1.76x
Nottinghamshire 69 2.50x
Warwickshire 58 1.13x
Hertfordshire 51 3.62x
Leicestershire 41 1.81x
Bedfordshire 34 3.21x
Essex 34 0.84x
Staffordshire 32 0.46x
Yorkshire 32 0.16x
Cambridgeshire 30 2.32x
Lancashire 30 0.12x
Hampshire 28 0.67x
Huntingdonshire 18 4.44x
Cheshire 16 0.35x
Northamptonshire 11 0.57x
Derbyshire 10 0.31x
Durham 10 0.16x
Norfolk 10 0.32x
Suffolk 7 0.28x
Worcestershire 6 0.22x
Northumberland 4 0.13x
Berkshire 2 0.13x
Dorset 2 0.15x
Gloucestershire 2 0.05x
Royal Navy 2 0.82x
Somerset 2 0.06x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.12x
Devon 1 0.02x
Shropshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chartham in Kent leads with 45 Baldocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 258.92x.

Place Total Index
Chartham 45 258.92x
St Pancras London 42 2.55x
Brenchley 41 164.33x
Faversham 41 61.66x
Islington London 39 1.97x
Tonbridge 35 13.92x
Nottingham St Mary 31 4.35x
Mile End Old Town London 30 6.90x
Croydon 29 5.25x
Kensington London 27 2.38x
Pluckley 24 371.52x
Wadhurst 24 106.10x
Battersea 23 3.06x
Lambeth 23 1.29x
West Ham 23 2.58x
Ruskington 22 264.11x
Ticehurst 22 104.36x
Camberwell 21 1.61x
Hornsey 21 8.13x
Wivelsfield 19 141.05x
Otterden 17 1478.26x
Lewisham 16 4.30x
Bermondsey 15 2.47x
Birkenhead 15 4.17x
Folkestone 15 11.09x
Portsea 15 1.83x
Westwell 15 214.90x
Mayfield 14 68.69x
Newington 14 1.85x
Poplar London 14 3.63x
Rotherfield 14 46.14x
St George In East London 14 7.28x
Ware 14 34.67x
Burton Upon Trent 13 8.06x
Enfield 13 9.70x
Ospringe 13 151.52x
St Nicholas Lincoln 13 41.63x
Streatham 13 8.57x
Chelsea London 12 1.95x
Ewell Lydden 12 220.99x
Hackney London 12 1.05x
Milton In Milton 12 40.49x
Salehurst 12 80.43x
Shoreditch London 12 1.35x
Ashford 11 16.20x
Bromley London 11 2.45x
Cranbrook 11 37.24x
Dunston 11 201.47x
Maidstone 11 5.30x
Paddington London 11 1.46x
Pembury 11 111.34x
Stanstead Abbots 11 128.66x
Tottenham 11 3.38x
Biddenden 10 104.82x
Cherry Hinton 10 164.20x
Elm 10 78.86x
Winshill 10 49.02x
York St Maurice 10 26.23x
Bow London 9 3.46x
Clerkenwell London 9 1.87x
Hackington St Stephen 9 201.34x
Horninglow 9 27.70x
Louth 9 12.02x
Metheringham 9 68.97x
Orpington 9 42.15x
Preston Next Faversham 9 54.91x
Rye 9 27.48x
Aston 8 0.56x
Bethnal Green London 8 0.90x
Birmingham 8 0.47x
Carlton Le Moorland 8 368.66x
Clee With Weelsby 8 11.18x
Cropwell Butler 8 211.64x
Deptford St Paul 8 1.49x
Edmonton 8 4.86x
Hastings St Mary In The 8 10.88x
Little Barford 8 606.06x
Speldhurst 8 22.54x
Stanwell 8 52.91x
Throwley 8 183.91x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 115
Elizabeth 79
Sarah 61
Jane 46
Alice 44
Emma 39
Ann 35
Eliza 35
Annie 30
Ellen 30
Emily 30
Harriet 30
Fanny 26
Frances 19
Florence 17
Caroline 14
Charlotte 14
Hannah 13
Martha 13
Ada 11
Anne 11
Matilda 11
Clara 10
Edith 10
Louisa 10
Margaret 10
Maria 10
Esther 9
Lucy 9
Susannah 9
Amelia 8
Grace 8
Susan 8
Agnes 7
Harriett 7
Catherine 6
Ethel 6
Kate 6
Amy 5
Eleanor 5
Minnie 5
Rachel 5
Rose 5
Gertrude 4
Mercy 4
Phoebe 4
Rosa 4
Ruth 4
Selina 4
Sophia 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 147
George 101
John 94
Henry 61
James 58
Charles 53
Thomas 49
Edward 44
Joseph 43
Alfred 38
Frederick 24
Arthur 20
Albert 18
Richard 18
Walter 17
Frank 13
Robert 11
Daniel 10
Harry 10
Samuel 10
Ernest 8
Herbert 8
Fredk. 7
Stephen 7
Jesse 6
Benjamin 5
David 5
Wm. 5
Isaac 4
Percy 4
Francis 3
Frederic 3
Fredrick 3
Horace 3
Jason 3
Thos. 3
Authur 2
Chas. 2
E. 2
Earnest 2
Edwin 2
Fred 2
Fredk.G. 2
G. 2
Jas. 2
Jno. 2
Jonathan 2
Lewis 2
Peter 2
Sydney 2

FAQ

Baldock surname: questions and answers

How common was the Baldock surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,093 people were recorded with the Baldock surname. That placed it at #2,111 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Baldock surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,749 in 2016. That gives Baldock a modern rank of #2,441.

What does the Baldock surname mean?

An English habitational surname for someone from Baldock in Hertfordshire.

What does the Baldock map show?

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