NameCensus.

UK surname

Cager

A surname referring to someone who kept cages, such as for birds or small animals.

In the 1881 census there were 69 people recorded with the Cager surname, ranking it #23,816 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 98, ranked #31,470, down from #23,816 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Brighton and Hove, Wealden and Lewes.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cager is 104 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.0%.

1881 census count

69

Ranked #23,816

Modern count

98

2016, ranked #31,470

Peak year

1999

104 bearers

Map years

1

1998 to 1998

Key insights

  • Cager had 69 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,816 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016, ranked #31,470.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 80 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Cager surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cager surname density by area, 1998 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cager 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 50 #24,274
1861 historical 80 #23,566
1881 historical 69 #23,816
1891 historical 58 #29,439
1901 historical 56 #27,952
1911 historical 77 #25,106
1997 modern 89 #28,490
1998 modern 103 #27,141
1999 modern 104 #27,164
2000 modern 96 #28,299
2001 modern 94 #28,246
2002 modern 101 #27,766
2003 modern 92 #28,974
2004 modern 95 #28,746
2005 modern 87 #29,966
2006 modern 89 #30,027
2007 modern 85 #30,954
2008 modern 84 #31,370
2009 modern 92 #30,820
2010 modern 100 #30,225
2011 modern 95 #30,877
2012 modern 85 #32,395
2013 modern 93 #31,785
2014 modern 88 #32,495
2015 modern 91 #32,153
2016 modern 98 #31,470

Geography

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Where Cagers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Brighton and Hove, Wealden and Lewes. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Brighton and Hove 016 Brighton and Hove
2 Wealden 018 Wealden
3 Brighton and Hove 008 Brighton and Hove
4 Brighton and Hove 030 Brighton and Hove
5 Lewes 012 Lewes

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cager

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cager

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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Cager surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Cager household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Cager is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Cager is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cager falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cager is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Cager

The surname Cager is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the county of Northumberland. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cæger," which means "key-keeper" or "gatekeeper." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have held positions as keepers of keys or gates, possibly in a castle or manor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cager surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland, dated around 1195. These were financial records kept by the English Exchequer, and they mention a person named Willelmus le Cagere, which translates to "William the Gatekeeper."

Another early reference to the Cager surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census-like records compiled for taxation purposes. These rolls mention a John Cager residing in the village of Warkworth, Northumberland.

During the 14th century, the Cager surname began to spread beyond Northumberland to other parts of England. Records from this period include Richard Cagere, who was listed as a resident of Yorkshire in 1379, and Henry Cager, who was recorded in the Poll Tax returns of Cambridgeshire in 1381.

One notable individual bearing the Cager surname was Sir John Cager (1524-1592), who served as a member of the Privy Council under Queen Elizabeth I. He was a prominent statesman and diplomat during the Tudor period and played a significant role in the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559.

Another distinguished Cager was Robert Cager (1647-1719), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1713 to 1719. He was also the master of Christ's College, Cambridge, from 1711 until his death.

In the 18th century, the Cager surname appeared in various records across England, including parish registers and tax rolls. One such record mentions a William Cager, who was born in Lincolnshire in 1743 and later became a successful merchant in London.

The 19th century saw the Cager surname spread further across the British Isles, with bearers of the name found in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. One notable individual from this period was James Cager (1819-1887), a Scottish inventor and engineer who patented several improvements to steam engine design.

As the Cager surname continued to disperse throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, it also began to appear in various regions of the United States and other parts of the world, likely due to immigration from the British Isles.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cager families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cager 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. Sussex leads with 47 Cagers recorded in 1881 and an index of 36.64x.

County Total Index
Sussex 47 36.64x
Surrey 13 3.51x
Channel Islands 9 39.93x
Middlesex 5 0.66x
Hampshire 3 1.92x
Suffolk 1 1.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brighton in Sussex leads with 25 Cagers recorded in 1881 and an index of 96.60x.

Place Total Index
Brighton 25 96.60x
Cobham 11 1803.28x
St Clement 8 2352.94x
Keymer 7 769.23x
Preston 7 312.50x
Southwick 4 588.24x
Islington London 3 4.07x
Broadwater 2 68.03x
Camberwell 2 4.12x
Crondall 2 238.10x
St Anne Soho London 2 46.08x
Alverstoke 1 17.73x
Long Melford 1 116.28x
South Bersted 1 91.74x
St Saviour 1 80.00x
Washington 1 454.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Jane 4
Eliza 3
Sarah 3
Ann 2
Elizabeth 2
Ellen 2
Frances 2
Alice 1
Annie 1
Bessie 1
Caroline 1
Connie 1
Edith 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Grace 1
Lille 1
Margerett 1
Mary 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1
Tiby 1
Una 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 10
George 5
Charles 4
John 4
Albert 2
Alfred 2
James 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Arthur 1
Earnest 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Emery 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Herbert 1
Valentice 1
Valentine 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Cager households.

FAQ

Cager surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cager surname in 1881?

In 1881, 69 people were recorded with the Cager surname. That placed it at #23,816 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cager surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016. That gives Cager a modern rank of #31,470.

What does the Cager surname mean?

A surname referring to someone who kept cages, such as for birds or small animals.

What does the Cager map show?

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