NameCensus.

UK surname

Denford

In the 1881 census there were 185 people recorded with the Denford surname, ranking it #13,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 259, ranked #16,393, down from #13,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Tormoham with Torquay and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North East Lincolnshire, Cornwall and West Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Denford is 282 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.0%.

1881 census count

185

Ranked #13,506

Modern count

259

2016, ranked #16,393

Peak year

1911

282 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Denford had 185 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 259 in 2016, ranked #16,393.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 282 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Denford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Denford surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Denford 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 83 #19,181
1861 historical 143 #15,906
1881 historical 185 #13,506
1891 historical 214 #14,214
1901 historical 239 #13,489
1911 historical 282 #11,915
1997 modern 256 #15,034
1998 modern 267 #15,016
1999 modern 272 #14,912
2000 modern 273 #14,828
2001 modern 272 #14,654
2002 modern 265 #15,197
2003 modern 265 #15,025
2004 modern 263 #15,189
2005 modern 269 #14,869
2006 modern 268 #15,000
2007 modern 266 #15,261
2008 modern 258 #15,732
2009 modern 246 #16,597
2010 modern 254 #16,604
2011 modern 266 #15,937
2012 modern 268 #15,745
2013 modern 269 #15,963
2014 modern 265 #16,247
2015 modern 257 #16,475
2016 modern 259 #16,393

Geography

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Where Denfords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Tormoham with Torquay, London parishes, Hatherleigh and Merton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North East Lincolnshire, Cornwall and West Devon. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Tormoham with Torquay Devon
3 London parishes London 3
4 Hatherleigh Devon
5 Merton Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North East Lincolnshire 002 North East Lincolnshire
2 North East Lincolnshire 006 North East Lincolnshire
3 Cornwall 002 Cornwall
4 North East Lincolnshire 008 North East Lincolnshire
5 West Devon 001 West Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Denford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Denford

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

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Denford surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Denford household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Denford is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Denford 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

Denford 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 Denford is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Denford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Denford 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. Devon leads with 79 Denfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.92x.

County Total Index
Devon 79 20.92x
Gloucestershire 25 7.03x
Middlesex 23 1.27x
Surrey 23 2.60x
Essex 13 3.63x
Lincolnshire 10 3.45x
Durham 2 0.37x
Kent 2 0.32x
Oxfordshire 2 1.79x
Ayrshire 1 0.74x
Dunbartonshire 1 2.05x
Lancashire 1 0.05x
Monmouthshire 1 0.76x
Royal Navy 1 4.63x
Somerset 1 0.34x
Suffolk 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hatherleigh in Devon leads with 14 Denfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 1489.36x.

Place Total Index
Hatherleigh 14 1489.36x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 13 401.23x
Bermondsey 12 22.22x
Stoke Damerel 12 45.40x
Merton 11 3055.56x
Tormoham 11 68.84x
Clee With Weelsby 9 141.73x
Hackney London 9 8.85x
Littleham 9 326.09x
Leyton 7 113.45x
St George Hanover Square 7 21.90x
Walthanstow 6 1016.95x
Bristol St James St Paul 5 42.16x
Merrow 5 1351.35x
Westminster St James 5 26.81x
Yarnscombe 5 2941.18x
Black Torrington 4 740.74x
Exeter St Mary Major 4 175.44x
Bristol St George 3 18.23x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 3 8.96x
Barnstaple 2 33.73x
Frimley 2 79.37x
Huish 2 2857.14x
Limehouse London 2 10.04x
Norton 2 101.01x
Oxford St Giles 2 37.45x
Reigate Foreign 2 20.90x
St Budeaux 2 169.49x
St Lawrence 2 46.95x
Christchurch 1 24.63x
Dolton 1 212.77x
Dreghorn 1 40.65x
Elmswell 1 212.77x
Exeter St Sidwell 1 11.56x
Great Grimsby 1 5.43x
Kirkintilloch 1 15.11x
Newton Abbot St Mary 1 31.55x
Royal Navy 1 5.41x
Stapleton 1 14.81x
Stoke 1 23.98x
Streatham 1 7.43x
Walcot 1 6.43x
West Derby 1 1.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 13
Mary 13
Emily 6
Eliza 5
Ellen 5
Ann 4
Florence 4
Jane 4
Sarah 4
Alice 2
Annie 2
Beatrice 2
Clara 2
Lucy 2
Rose 2
Ada 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Eleanor 1
Elizebth 1
Elizebth. 1
Emma 1
Florie 1
Francis 1
Frans 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Henrietta 1
Jesse 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Leah 1
Leola 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Phoebe 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 15
George 11
Thomas 11
John 8
Henry 4
James 4
Alfred 3
Ernest 3
Walter 3
Willm. 3
Albert 2
Frank 2
Albion 1
Ambrose 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Benjn. 1
Charles 1
Christopher 1
Frederick 1
Geo. 1
Henery 1
Herbert 1
Laurence 1
Richard 1
Sydney 1
Thos.Murrow 1
Wallace 1

FAQ

Denford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Denford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 185 people were recorded with the Denford surname. That placed it at #13,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Denford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 259 in 2016. That gives Denford a modern rank of #16,393.

What does the Denford map show?

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