NameCensus.

UK surname

Cardiff

A surname of Welsh origin likely referring to someone from the city of Cardiff.

In the 1881 census there were 63 people recorded with the Cardiff surname, ranking it #24,711 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 205, ranked #19,250, up from #24,711 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, London parishes and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Basingstoke and Deane, Salford and Gourock Upper and West Central and Upper Larkfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cardiff is 205 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 225.4%.

1881 census count

63

Ranked #24,711

Modern count

205

2016, ranked #19,250

Peak year

2015

205 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cardiff had 63 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,711 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 205 in 2016, ranked #19,250.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 113 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Cardiff surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cardiff surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cardiff 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 20 #29,743
1861 historical 42 #28,691
1881 historical 63 #24,711
1891 historical 90 #25,399
1901 historical 98 #23,119
1911 historical 113 #21,168
1997 modern 186 #18,448
1998 modern 184 #19,037
1999 modern 186 #19,073
2000 modern 179 #19,494
2001 modern 174 #19,562
2002 modern 182 #19,411
2003 modern 182 #19,215
2004 modern 176 #19,731
2005 modern 171 #19,985
2006 modern 173 #19,995
2007 modern 176 #20,028
2008 modern 169 #20,745
2009 modern 180 #20,341
2010 modern 186 #20,379
2011 modern 195 #19,610
2012 modern 201 #19,147
2013 modern 200 #19,524
2014 modern 204 #19,439
2015 modern 205 #19,269
2016 modern 205 #19,250

Geography

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Where Cardiffs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, London parishes, Liverpool, West Derby and Walton-on-the-Hill. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Basingstoke and Deane, Salford, Gourock Upper and West Central and Upper Larkfield and Islington. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 West Derby Lancashire
5 Walton-on-the-Hill Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Basingstoke and Deane 020 Basingstoke and Deane
2 Salford 009 Salford
3 Gourock Upper and West Central and Upper Larkfield Inverclyde
4 Islington 002 Islington
5 Salford 006 Salford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cardiff

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cardiff

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cardiff, 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 Cardiff surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Cardiff 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Cardiff is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cardiff is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cardiff falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cardiff 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 Cardiff, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cardiff

The surname Cardiff originates from Wales, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Welsh place name "Caerdydd," which means "fort on the river." The name is closely associated with the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales, which was originally a Roman settlement called "Caer-Didi."

Cardiff is believed to have been first used as a surname by individuals who hailed from the city or surrounding areas. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mentions a "Roger de Kardif."

In the Middle Ages, the surname was occasionally spelled as "Cardyff," "Kardif," or "Kardyff," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that were common during that era. The name is also found in other medieval records, such as the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire in 1347, which references a "William Cardyff."

Notable individuals with the surname Cardiff include Sir Robert Cardiff (c. 1475-1545), a Welsh politician and landowner who served as Sheriff of Glamorganshire in the early 16th century. Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Cardiff (1560-1626), a Welsh lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Carmarthen Circuit.

In the 18th century, John Cardiff (1724-1798) was a Welsh clergyman and author who wrote several works on Welsh history and literature. His contemporary, William Cardiff (1738-1818), was a Welsh Anglican priest and poet, known for his odes and elegies in the Welsh language.

One of the most celebrated individuals with the surname was the Welsh actress and singer Dorothy Cardiff (1888-1964), who gained fame on the stage and in early Hollywood films during the early 20th century.

While the surname Cardiff is relatively uncommon outside of Wales, it remains an important part of Welsh cultural heritage, reflecting the long history and significance of the city from which it derives its name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cardiff families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cardiff 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. Lancashire leads with 41 Cardiffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.62x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 41 5.62x
Aberdeenshire 5 8.79x
Kent 4 1.91x
Lanarkshire 4 2.01x
Cheshire 2 1.47x
Flintshire 2 12.11x
Middlesex 2 0.33x
Bedfordshire 1 3.14x
Sussex 1 0.97x
Warwickshire 1 0.65x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 12 Cardiffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.10x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 12 27.10x
Royton 8 358.74x
Everton 7 30.13x
West Derby 7 32.82x
Glasgow 4 11.34x
Kirkdale 4 32.63x
Lewisham 4 35.78x
Aberdeen Old Machar 3 25.25x
Bury 2 24.01x
Mold 2 133.33x
Peterhead 2 66.45x
Birkenhead 1 9.25x
Edgbaston 1 20.83x
Hove 1 21.98x
Lower Bebington 1 123.46x
St George Martyr London 1 80.65x
Turvey 1 500.00x
Walmersley Cum 1 86.21x
Westminster St Margaret 1 33.78x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Ellen 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Sarah 2
Anastasia 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Bridget 1
Clara 1
Eliza 1
Josephine 1
Kate 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Phoebe 1
Susan 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 5
Richard 4
James 3
William 3
John 2
Michael 2
David 1
Edward 1
George 1
Joseph 1
Samuel 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 Cardiff households.

FAQ

Cardiff surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cardiff surname in 1881?

In 1881, 63 people were recorded with the Cardiff surname. That placed it at #24,711 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cardiff surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 205 in 2016. That gives Cardiff a modern rank of #19,250.

What does the Cardiff surname mean?

A surname of Welsh origin likely referring to someone from the city of Cardiff.

What does the Cardiff map show?

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