NameCensus.

UK surname

Delafield

A locational surname originating from a locality with an open field.

In the 1881 census there were 76 people recorded with the Delafield surname, ranking it #22,745 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 134, ranked #25,636, down from #22,745 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Aston Rowant, Bedford St Paul and Smeeton, Great. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolton, Sedgemoor and Blackburn with Darwen.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Delafield is 148 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 76.3%.

1881 census count

76

Ranked #22,745

Modern count

134

2016, ranked #25,636

Peak year

1911

148 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Delafield had 76 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,745 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016, ranked #25,636.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 148 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Delafield surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Delafield surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Delafield 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 33 #27,390
1861 historical 60 #26,313
1881 historical 76 #22,745
1891 historical 109 #22,701
1901 historical 115 #21,050
1911 historical 148 #18,023
1997 modern 136 #22,398
1998 modern 141 #22,517
1999 modern 144 #22,405
2000 modern 145 #22,259
2001 modern 141 #22,344
2002 modern 148 #22,087
2003 modern 143 #22,367
2004 modern 138 #22,997
2005 modern 139 #22,887
2006 modern 131 #23,942
2007 modern 133 #24,059
2008 modern 138 #23,763
2009 modern 139 #24,161
2010 modern 137 #24,907
2011 modern 138 #24,615
2012 modern 132 #25,289
2013 modern 138 #25,020
2014 modern 138 #25,218
2015 modern 136 #25,352
2016 modern 134 #25,636

Geography

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Where Delafields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Aston Rowant, Bedford St Paul, Smeeton, Great, Manchester and Abergavenny. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolton, Sedgemoor and Blackburn with Darwen. 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 Aston Rowant Oxfordshire
2 Bedford St Paul Bedfordshire
3 Smeeton, Great Yorkshire, North Riding
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Abergavenny Monmouthshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolton 031 Bolton
2 Sedgemoor 001 Sedgemoor
3 Bolton 028 Bolton
4 Blackburn with Darwen 014 Blackburn with Darwen
5 Blackburn with Darwen 017 Blackburn with Darwen

Forenames

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First names often paired with Delafield

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Delafield

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

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Delafield surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Delafield household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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, Delafield 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

Delafield is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Delafield

The surname Delafield originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from a place called Delafield, a township in the parish of Leintwardine, Herefordshire. The name is believed to come from the Old English words "dael" meaning valley and "feld" meaning field, essentially translating to "valley field."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Delafield appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Delefeld." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, provides a detailed survey of landholdings and population across England and parts of Wales.

In the 13th century, the name Delafield is found in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire in 1273, where it is recorded as "Delafeld." This suggests that the name had already been established and widely used by that time.

The earliest known individual with the surname Delafield was Sir John Delafield, who lived in the late 13th century and served as a knight during the reign of King Edward I. Another notable figure was William Delafield, born in 1452, who was a prominent landowner in Herefordshire.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Delafield family became well-established in various parts of England, particularly in Buckinghamshire and Kent. One notable member was Thomas Delafield, born in 1585, who was a merchant and alderman in the city of London.

In the 18th century, the name Delafield gained prominence with John Delafield, born in 1748, who was a successful banker and businessman in London. His son, Joseph Delafield, born in 1790, was a renowned author and historian who wrote extensively on the history of England.

Another significant figure was Edward Delafield, born in 1812, who served as a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He played a crucial role in several battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg.

Throughout its history, the surname Delafield has been associated with various professions, including military service, banking, literature, and landholding. While the name has evolved in its spellings over time, it has retained its connection to the original place name and its Old English roots.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Delafield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Delafield 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. Yorkshire leads with 20 Delafields recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.76x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 20 2.76x
Devon 15 9.85x
Middlesex 9 1.23x
Oxfordshire 8 17.71x
Bedfordshire 7 18.48x
Lancashire 6 0.69x
Cornwall 4 4.83x
Monmouthshire 3 5.67x
Surrey 2 0.56x
Lanarkshire 1 0.42x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Plymouth St Andrew in Devon leads with 11 Delafields recorded in 1881 and an index of 93.78x.

Place Total Index
Plymouth St Andrew 11 93.78x
Bedford St Paul 7 269.23x
Chorlton On Medlock 6 43.51x
Skinningrove 5 1136.36x
Appleton Wiske 4 5000.00x
Aston Rowant 4 2500.00x
Ewelme 4 2666.67x
Northallerton 4 430.11x
St Andrew Holborn London 4 126.18x
St Clement 4 465.12x
Abergavenny 3 151.52x
Bow London 3 32.22x
Lofthouse 3 277.78x
Plymouth Charles The 3 44.71x
Bermondsey 1 4.59x
Bethnal Green London 1 3.15x
Brompton In 1 312.50x
Croydon 1 5.05x
East Cowton 1 1000.00x
Hampstead London 1 8.78x
Kirkleatham 1 102.04x
Maryhill 1 21.60x
Tormoham 1 15.53x
Upleatham 1 833.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Jane 3
Mary 3
Emma 2
Jessie 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Amelia 1
Bridget 1
C.E. 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Cecil 1
Charlotte 1
Cornelia 1
Elizabeth 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Florance 1
Hannah 1
Lilian 1
Lilly 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Mildred 1
Mitilda 1
Polly 1
S.E. 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 5
William 5
Thomas 4
Charles 2
Edwin 2
Henry 2
James 2
Joseph 2
Samuel 2
Thos. 2
Alfred 1
D.Harry 1
D.J. 1
Daniel 1
Fred 1
Herbert 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Delafield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Delafield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 76 people were recorded with the Delafield surname. That placed it at #22,745 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Delafield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016. That gives Delafield a modern rank of #25,636.

What does the Delafield surname mean?

A locational surname originating from a locality with an open field.

What does the Delafield map show?

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