NameCensus.

UK surname

Bridgeford

A locational surname referring to a place with a bridge across a ford.

In the 1881 census there were 158 people recorded with the Bridgeford surname, ranking it #14,989 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 160, ranked #22,694, down from #14,989 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wellingborough, Swavesey and Kinellar. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Seaboard, Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bridgeford is 182 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.3%.

1881 census count

158

Ranked #14,989

Modern count

160

2016, ranked #22,694

Peak year

1901

182 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bridgeford had 158 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,989 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 160 in 2016, ranked #22,694.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 182 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Bridgeford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bridgeford surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bridgeford 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 73 #20,581
1861 historical 150 #15,296
1881 historical 158 #14,989
1891 historical 167 #17,006
1901 historical 182 #16,057
1911 historical 107 #21,842
1997 modern 145 #21,571
1998 modern 157 #21,058
1999 modern 161 #20,868
2000 modern 161 #20,822
2001 modern 156 #20,974
2002 modern 156 #21,348
2003 modern 156 #21,115
2004 modern 162 #20,756
2005 modern 163 #20,627
2006 modern 165 #20,634
2007 modern 173 #20,243
2008 modern 170 #20,672
2009 modern 173 #20,869
2010 modern 169 #21,652
2011 modern 162 #22,101
2012 modern 164 #21,883
2013 modern 162 #22,433
2014 modern 167 #22,180
2015 modern 163 #22,407
2016 modern 160 #22,694

Geography

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Where Bridgefords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wellingborough, Swavesey, Kinellar, Manchester and Banchory-Devenick. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Seaboard, Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire. 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 Wellingborough Northamptonshire
2 Swavesey Huntingdonshire
3 Kinellar Aberdeen
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Banchory-Devenick Kincardine

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Seaboard Highland
2 Wellingborough 002 Wellingborough
3 Wellingborough 006 Wellingborough
4 Wellingborough 010 Wellingborough
5 East Northamptonshire 008 East Northamptonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bridgeford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bridgeford

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Bridgeford surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bridgeford household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Bridgeford is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bridgeford is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bridgeford falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bridgeford is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 20-25 mbit/s.

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

4
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Bridgeford

The surname Bridgeford has its origins in England, tracing back to the late medieval period of the 13th and 14th centuries. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Old English words "brycg" meaning bridge, and "ford" referring to a shallow river crossing or ford. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a bridged ford or river crossing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which mention a Roger de Bridgeford. The name also appears in various tax records and legal documents from the same era, often with variations in spelling such as Bryggeford, Briggeforde, and Bruggeford.

The Bridgeford surname is closely associated with several place names across England, including Bridgford in Nottinghamshire and Bridgeford Hill in Shropshire. These locations likely provided the basis for the surname, as it was common practice at the time for people to take on surnames derived from the places they lived or originated from.

Notable individuals bearing the Bridgeford surname throughout history include:

1. Sir John Bridgeford (1480-1557), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire in the early 16th century.

2. William Bridgeford (1609-1675), a prominent English Puritan minister and author who published several religious works during the 17th century.

3. Mary Bridgeford (1730-1805), a prolific English author and playwright who wrote several popular novels and plays in the late 18th century.

4. Sir Thomas Bridgeford (1823-1897), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and later became a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire.

5. James Bridgeford (1878-1942), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire in the early 20th century.

While the Bridgeford surname has maintained a presence throughout England's history, it has never been among the most common or widespread surnames in the country. However, its origins and connections to various place names across England provide an intriguing glimpse into the naming practices and linguistic influences that have shaped English surnames over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bridgeford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bridgeford 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 38 Bridgefords recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.63x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 38 26.63x
Kincardineshire 24 127.86x
Northamptonshire 14 9.66x
Middlesex 12 0.78x
Cambridgeshire 11 11.27x
Staffordshire 10 1.92x
Surrey 10 1.33x
Derbyshire 7 2.90x
Sutherland 7 59.07x
Lancashire 6 0.33x
Yorkshire 5 0.33x
Angus 4 2.80x
Leicestershire 2 1.17x
Bedfordshire 1 1.25x
Cheshire 1 0.29x
Durham 1 0.22x
Inverness-shire 1 2.17x
Midlothian 1 0.48x
Suffolk 1 0.53x
Warwickshire 1 0.26x
Worcestershire 1 0.50x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Swavesey in Cambridgeshire leads with 11 Bridgefords recorded in 1881 and an index of 1746.03x.

Place Total Index
Swavesey 11 1746.03x
Kintore 9 725.81x
Nigg 9 580.65x
Banchory Devenick 8 457.14x
Burton Upon Trent 8 65.74x
Dornoch 7 522.39x
Kinellar 7 2258.06x
Pitsligo 7 514.71x
Pendleton In Salford 6 27.54x
Belper 5 106.84x
Bermondsey 5 10.90x
Newhills 5 171.23x
Rotherhithe 5 26.26x
Brightside Bierlow 4 13.36x
Irthlingborough 4 281.69x
Northampton St Sepulchre 4 54.27x
St Gilesin Fields London 4 307.69x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 3 11.24x
Dundee 3 5.63x
Dunnottar 3 227.27x
Rushden 3 154.64x
Acton 2 22.15x
Duffield 2 105.26x
Dyce 2 322.58x
Fetteresso 2 68.03x
Leicester St Margaret 2 4.80x
Mile End Old Town London 2 6.10x
Northampton St Giles 2 36.23x
Paddington London 2 3.53x
Aberdeen Old Machar 1 3.36x
Alford 1 128.21x
Auchterhouse 1 285.71x
Bedford St Paul 1 18.28x
Branstone 1 192.31x
Chester St Oswald 1 16.23x
Clerkenwell London 1 2.75x
Cluny 1 144.93x
Foveran 1 92.59x
Great Barr 1 166.67x
Higham Ferrers 1 126.58x
Inveresk 1 17.89x
Inverness 1 8.64x
Inverurie 1 62.11x
Lower Mitton 1 56.50x
Maryculter 1 175.44x
Marykirk 1 129.87x
Newmarket St Mary 1 69.44x
Sheffield 1 2.06x
St Andrew Holborn London 1 14.99x
Sutton Coldfield 1 24.51x
Westoe 1 3.85x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Elizabeth 5
Jane 4
Alice 2
Ann 2
Emma 2
Esther 2
Martha 2
Rebecca 2
Selina 2
Ada 1
Amy 1
Caroline 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1
Minnie 1
Ruth 1
Sarah 1
Susan 1
Wengatia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 6
William 5
Arthur 3
George 2
Henry 2
John 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
David 1
Edward 1
Groom 1
Isaac 1
Jack 1
Jno. 1
Matthew 1
Percy 1
Samuel 1
Walter 1
Wilfred 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Bridgeford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bridgeford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 158 people were recorded with the Bridgeford surname. That placed it at #14,989 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bridgeford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 160 in 2016. That gives Bridgeford a modern rank of #22,694.

What does the Bridgeford surname mean?

A locational surname referring to a place with a bridge across a ford.

What does the Bridgeford map show?

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