NameCensus.

UK surname

Defty

In the 1881 census there were 124 people recorded with the Defty surname, ranking it #17,429 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 424, ranked #11,328, up from #17,429 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Gateshead and Seaham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Defty is 444 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 241.9%.

1881 census count

124

Ranked #17,429

Modern count

424

2016, ranked #11,328

Peak year

2011

444 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Defty had 124 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,429 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 424 in 2016, ranked #11,328.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 248 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Defty surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Defty surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Defty 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 63 #22,069
1861 historical 64 #25,747
1881 historical 124 #17,429
1891 historical 158 #17,705
1901 historical 190 #15,634
1911 historical 248 #12,988
1997 modern 395 #11,106
1998 modern 403 #11,275
1999 modern 418 #11,071
2000 modern 417 #11,068
2001 modern 412 #10,980
2002 modern 418 #11,084
2003 modern 402 #11,228
2004 modern 417 #10,943
2005 modern 408 #11,024
2006 modern 408 #11,062
2007 modern 412 #11,116
2008 modern 426 #10,911
2009 modern 421 #11,246
2010 modern 432 #11,262
2011 modern 444 #10,902
2012 modern 429 #11,078
2013 modern 437 #11,090
2014 modern 436 #11,198
2015 modern 428 #11,276
2016 modern 424 #11,328

Geography

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Where Deftys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Gateshead, Seaham, Kelloe and Trimdon. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Seaham Durham
4 Kelloe Durham
5 Trimdon Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 018 County Durham
2 County Durham 016 County Durham
3 County Durham 017 County Durham
4 County Durham 025 County Durham
5 County Durham 032 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Defty

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Defty

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Defty surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Defty 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 predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Defty 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

Defty is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Defty 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 Defty is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Defty families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Defty 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. Durham leads with 98 Deftys recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.02x.

County Total Index
Durham 98 27.02x
Yorkshire 13 1.08x
Northumberland 6 3.31x
Surrey 3 0.51x
Lancashire 2 0.14x
Cheshire 1 0.37x
Derbyshire 1 0.52x
Royal Navy 1 6.88x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishopwearmouth in Durham leads with 19 Deftys recorded in 1881 and an index of 61.03x.

Place Total Index
Bishopwearmouth 19 61.03x
Ryhope 16 634.92x
Wingate 13 522.09x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 8 50.92x
Linthorpe 8 110.96x
Monkwearmouth Shore 7 98.87x
Seaham 7 530.30x
Bishop Auckland 5 102.67x
Hetton Le Hole 5 108.70x
Kimblesworth 5 1020.41x
Middlesbrough 5 31.79x
Byker 4 44.59x
Whitworth 4 150.38x
Houghton Le Spring 3 119.52x
Bermondsey 2 5.51x
Pollards Land 2 769.23x
Radcliffe 2 28.69x
Birkenhead 1 4.66x
Coxlodge 1 72.46x
Crossgate 1 62.89x
Dawdon 1 22.42x
Gateshead 1 3.68x
Litchurch 1 13.02x
Morpeth 1 46.95x
Newington 1 2.22x
Trimdon 1 78.13x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 13
Mary 12
Margaret 11
Catherine 3
Sarah 3
Anne 2
Emily 2
Hannah 2
Jane 2
Lily 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Ann 1
Barbara 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Margret 1
Margt. 1
Margt.A. 1
Maria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 9
Thomas 8
Henry 7
John 7
Emanuel 5
George 5
Robert 4
James 3
Emmanuel 2
Richard 2
Alfred 1
Charles 1
Coulison 1
Edward 1
Herbert 1
Lancelot 1
Launcelot 1
Manuel 1
Patrick 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Defty surname: questions and answers

How common was the Defty surname in 1881?

In 1881, 124 people were recorded with the Defty surname. That placed it at #17,429 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Defty surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 424 in 2016. That gives Defty a modern rank of #11,328.

What does the Defty map show?

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