NameCensus.

UK surname

Cayley

In the 1881 census there were 240 people recorded with the Cayley surname, ranking it #11,410 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 178, ranked #21,160, down from #11,410 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St John Hackney and Staines. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Spelthorne, South Kesteven and South Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cayley is 272 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 25.8%.

1881 census count

240

Ranked #11,410

Modern count

178

2016, ranked #21,160

Peak year

1911

272 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cayley had 240 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,410 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 178 in 2016, ranked #21,160.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 272 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Multi-Ethnic Communities.

Cayley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cayley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cayley 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 139 #13,659
1861 historical 128 #17,375
1881 historical 240 #11,410
1891 historical 212 #14,318
1901 historical 220 #14,245
1911 historical 272 #12,205
1997 modern 214 #16,893
1998 modern 225 #16,846
1999 modern 229 #16,744
2000 modern 222 #17,032
2001 modern 217 #17,059
2002 modern 218 #17,338
2003 modern 208 #17,685
2004 modern 209 #17,706
2005 modern 194 #18,512
2006 modern 201 #18,226
2007 modern 196 #18,737
2008 modern 190 #19,246
2009 modern 188 #19,797
2010 modern 197 #19,640
2011 modern 201 #19,213
2012 modern 183 #20,356
2013 modern 186 #20,502
2014 modern 186 #20,664
2015 modern 182 #20,856
2016 modern 178 #21,160

Geography

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Where Cayleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St John Hackney, Staines and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Spelthorne, South Kesteven, South Norfolk and Guildford. 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 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
3 Staines Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Spelthorne 002 Spelthorne
2 South Kesteven 014 South Kesteven
3 South Norfolk 015 South Norfolk
4 Guildford 018 Guildford
5 Spelthorne 003 Spelthorne

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cayley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cayley

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

Low-Skilled Migrant and Student Communities

Group

Established Multi-Ethnic Communities

Nationally, the Cayley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Multi-Ethnic Communities, within Low-Skilled Migrant and Student Communities. This does not mean every Cayley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Parents and young children in this Group are drawn from diverse ethnic backgrounds in broadly similar proportions. Employment is typically in elementary occupations, though workers in professional, intermediate or skilled trades occupations are also present. The residential landscape is dominated by terraced housing, although semi-detached houses and flats are also present. This Group is found in London and in many provincial towns and cities throughout the U.K.

Wider pattern

Young adults, many of whom are students, predominate in these high-density and overcrowded neighbourhoods of rented terrace houses or flats. Most ethnic minorities are present in these communities, as are people born in European countries that are not part of the EU. Students aside, low skilled occupations predominate, and unemployment rates are above average. Overall, the mix of students and more sedentary households means that neighbourhood average numbers of children are not very high. The Mixed or Multiple ethnic group composition of neighbourhoods is often associated with low rates of affiliation to Christian religions. This Supergroup predominates in non-central urban locations the UK, particularly within England in the Midlands and the outskirts of west, south and north-east London.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Cayley 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

Cayley 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

Cayley 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 Cayley 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 Cayley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Cayley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cayley 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. Middlesex leads with 54 Cayleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.33x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 54 2.33x
Surrey 33 2.92x
Kent 30 3.79x
Yorkshire 26 1.13x
Lancashire 16 0.58x
Sussex 13 3.32x
Warwickshire 13 2.22x
Lincolnshire 11 2.96x
Durham 6 0.87x
Gloucestershire 5 1.10x
Northamptonshire 5 2.29x
Buckinghamshire 4 2.85x
Cambridgeshire 4 2.72x
Denbighshire 4 4.56x
Berkshire 2 1.15x
Devon 2 0.41x
Dorset 2 1.31x
Essex 2 0.44x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.64x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.47x
Hampshire 1 0.21x
Staffordshire 1 0.13x
Wiltshire 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Croydon in Surrey leads with 18 Cayleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.67x.

Place Total Index
Croydon 18 28.67x
Brompton In Scarborough 12 2181.82x
Margate St John Baptist 10 68.97x
Stanwell 9 523.26x
Barrowford Booth 8 262.30x
Birmingham 8 4.10x
Hackney London 8 6.15x
Hove 8 46.57x
Limehouse London 8 31.38x
Islington London 7 3.11x
Aston 5 3.10x
Clifton 5 21.72x
Ormesby 5 80.91x
Ryhope 5 104.17x
Scampton 5 2777.78x
St Lawrence 5 91.74x
Wothorpe 5 5555.56x
Everton 4 4.56x
Henllan 4 178.57x
Marske In Guisbrough 4 97.80x
St Margaret Lincoln 4 1212.12x
St Marythe Less 4 449.44x
St Peters 4 109.29x
Walton On Thames 4 77.07x
Bethnal Green London 3 2.97x
Hammersmith London 3 5.25x
Scarborough 3 14.35x
Westminster St John 3 10.61x
Buckingham 2 70.18x
Burnley 2 8.62x
Camberwell 2 1.35x
Dover St James 2 57.64x
Ealing 2 9.64x
Folkestone 2 13.02x
Grantham 2 41.32x
Hastings St Mary 2 20.53x
Hornsey 2 6.81x
Leyton 2 25.35x
Lingfield 2 90.91x
Mile End Old Town London 2 4.05x
Newington 2 2.33x
Ramsgate 2 15.47x
Sandhurst 2 59.17x
South Leverton 2 625.00x
St Nicholas At Wade 2 434.78x
Stony Stratford East 2 344.83x
Westminster St Margaret 2 17.86x
Beddington 1 22.88x
Bexley 1 14.29x
Brighton 1 1.27x
Canterbury Holy Cross 1 131.58x
Cattistock 1 238.10x
Crossgate 1 33.11x
Dartmouth Townstall 1 50.76x
Devonport 1 18.02x
Frimley 1 31.06x
Gate Fulford 1 18.62x
Glenmuick Tullich 1 64.52x
Godalming 1 14.04x
Godshill 1 90.91x
Hastings St Mary In The 1 11.98x
Heene 1 149.25x
Kensington London 1 0.77x
Lambeth 1 0.49x
Manchester 1 0.81x
Norwood 1 18.83x
Parkstone 1 56.18x
Preshute 1 79.37x
Southcoates 1 7.83x
St George In East London 1 4.58x
St Giles In Fields London 1 8.78x
St Marylebone London 1 0.81x
Thames Ditton 1 42.55x
Wall 1 1111.11x
West Derby 1 1.24x
Woolwich 1 3.42x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Elizabeth 9
Sarah 7
Emma 6
Margaret 6
Ellen 5
Ada 3
Ann 3
Caroline 3
Charlotte 3
Emily 3
Harriet 3
Helen 3
Jane 3
Agnes 2
Alice 2
Catherine 2
Edith 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Hannah 2
Henrietta 2
Julia 2
Louisa 2
Susan 2
Augusta 1
Cathe. 1
Clara 1
Constance 1
Dolly 1
Dora 1
Dorothy 1
Eliza 1
Elizbth. 1
Elizth. 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Evelyn 1
Harriett 1
Hester 1
Ida 1
Isabel 1
Lucy 1
Margerie 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Precilla 1
Rosa 1
Rosalia 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Cayley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cayley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 240 people were recorded with the Cayley surname. That placed it at #11,410 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cayley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 178 in 2016. That gives Cayley a modern rank of #21,160.

What does the Cayley map show?

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