NameCensus.

UK surname

Duffield

Habitational surname derived from places in Derbyshire and East Yorkshire, England, likely referring to a field frequented by doves.

In the 1881 census there were 2,592 people recorded with the Duffield surname, ranking it #1,720 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,591, ranked #1,892, down from #1,720 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, London parishes and Great Yarmouth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sandwell, Hambleton and Redcar and Cleveland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Duffield is 3,759 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.5%.

1881 census count

2,592

Ranked #1,720

Modern count

3,591

2016, ranked #1,892

Peak year

1999

3,759 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Duffield had 2,592 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,720 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,591 in 2016, ranked #1,892.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,291 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Duffield surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Duffield surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Duffield 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 1,543 #1,856
1861 historical 1,631 #1,751
1881 historical 2,592 #1,720
1891 historical 2,772 #1,702
1901 historical 3,043 #1,841
1911 historical 3,291 #1,586
1997 modern 3,580 #1,809
1998 modern 3,721 #1,812
1999 modern 3,759 #1,804
2000 modern 3,701 #1,823
2001 modern 3,639 #1,811
2002 modern 3,702 #1,829
2003 modern 3,563 #1,851
2004 modern 3,602 #1,834
2005 modern 3,542 #1,848
2006 modern 3,567 #1,832
2007 modern 3,597 #1,831
2008 modern 3,597 #1,844
2009 modern 3,665 #1,857
2010 modern 3,718 #1,870
2011 modern 3,636 #1,886
2012 modern 3,612 #1,862
2013 modern 3,686 #1,861
2014 modern 3,678 #1,874
2015 modern 3,644 #1,872
2016 modern 3,591 #1,892

Geography

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Where Duffields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, London parishes, Great Yarmouth and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sandwell, Hambleton, Redcar and Cleveland, Monmouthshire and Great Yarmouth. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Great Yarmouth Norfolk
5 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sandwell 014 Sandwell
2 Hambleton 009 Hambleton
3 Redcar and Cleveland 022 Redcar and Cleveland
4 Monmouthshire 008 Monmouthshire
5 Great Yarmouth 006 Great Yarmouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Duffield

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Duffield

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Duffield surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Duffield household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Duffield is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Duffield is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Duffield falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Duffield

The surname Duffield originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Duffield, which means "the field by the little hill" in Old English, combining the words "dun" meaning hill and "feld" meaning field.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Duffield appears in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire in 1176, referring to a person named William de Duffeld. The name is also found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists people by their place of residence.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Duffield was primarily concentrated in the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire, where several villages and hamlets bear the name Duffield. This suggests that the surname likely originated from one of these locations.

Notable individuals with the surname Duffield include Sir William Duffield (c. 1587-1670), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Derby in the 17th century. Another was Sir Ralph Duffield (1614-1677), an English politician and landowner who served as Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1660.

In the 16th century, a variant spelling of the name, Duffeild, is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire. This spelling variation highlights the fluidity of surnames during that time period.

John Duffield (1832-1895) was a prominent English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. He was known for his exceptional batting skills and holds the record for the highest individual score in a first-class match for Nottinghamshire, scoring 238 runs against Surrey in 1884.

Another notable individual was Benjamin Duffield (1816-1887), an English Methodist minister and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects and served as the President of the Wesleyan Conference in 1877.

Overall, the surname Duffield has a rich history deeply rooted in the landscape and communities of central England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Duffield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Duffield 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 416 Duffields recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.66x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 416 1.66x
Norfolk 373 9.57x
Middlesex 269 1.06x
Staffordshire 191 2.23x
Surrey 156 1.26x
Warwickshire 150 2.35x
Lancashire 120 0.40x
Sussex 98 2.29x
Monmouthshire 85 4.64x
Cheshire 83 1.48x
Worcestershire 83 2.51x
Derbyshire 82 2.07x
Essex 56 1.12x
Nottinghamshire 55 1.61x
Kent 52 0.60x
Durham 50 0.66x
Oxfordshire 31 1.98x
Hampshire 25 0.48x
Lincolnshire 23 0.57x
Suffolk 22 0.71x
Buckinghamshire 19 1.24x
Glamorgan 19 0.43x
Cambridgeshire 18 1.12x
Berkshire 17 0.89x
Gloucestershire 13 0.26x
Midlothian 11 0.32x
Northumberland 11 0.29x
Leicestershire 9 0.32x
Ayrshire 8 0.42x
Rutland 7 3.76x
Herefordshire 6 0.58x
Hertfordshire 6 0.34x
Stirlingshire 6 0.64x
Lanarkshire 5 0.06x
Channel Islands 3 0.40x
Devon 3 0.06x
Flintshire 3 0.44x
Somerset 3 0.07x
Brecknockshire 2 0.39x
Denbighshire 2 0.21x
Northamptonshire 2 0.08x
Cornwall 1 0.03x
Dorset 1 0.06x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.20x
Royal Navy 1 0.33x
Shropshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 87 Duffields recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.94x.

Place Total Index
Aston 87 4.94x
Leeds 60 4.23x
Birmingham 53 2.49x
Great Yarmouth 53 16.42x
West Bromwich 42 8.58x
Macclesfield 33 13.27x
Holy Trinity 31 5.13x
Wednesbury 31 14.50x
Battersea 30 3.22x
Islington London 29 1.18x
West Ham 27 2.44x
Kensington London 26 1.85x
Mile End Old Town London 24 4.45x
Bermondsey 23 3.05x
South Normanton 23 82.53x
Wolverhampton 23 3.50x
Heigham 21 10.04x
Owston 20 173.91x
St Pancras London 20 0.98x
Tottenhill 20 628.93x
Chatham 19 7.99x
Greasley 19 24.65x
Kidderminster Borough 19 9.81x
Lambeth 19 0.86x
Harborne 18 6.57x
Ormesby 18 26.67x
Stockton On Tees 18 4.95x
Broadwater 17 17.35x
Chelsea London 17 2.23x
Derby St Werburgh 17 7.42x
Kelling 17 923.91x
Sutton In Macclesfield 17 29.29x
Calverley Cum Farsley 16 22.44x
Horsham 16 19.28x
Hilgay 15 102.39x
Kings Norton 15 5.05x
Oldbury 15 9.21x
Sculcoates 15 3.77x
Tipton 15 5.73x
Upton Cum Chalvey 15 24.57x
Haslingden 14 11.24x
Thetford St Cuthbert 14 99.36x
Wortley In Bramley 14 7.04x
Bollington In 13 26.10x
Darlaston 13 11.00x
Gorleston 13 16.58x
Toxteth Park 13 1.28x
Hurdsfield 12 34.86x
Paddington London 12 1.29x
Reigate Foreign 12 8.97x
West Tarring 12 188.68x
Caerleon 11 115.06x
Caistor Next Yarmouth 11 80.17x
Camberwell 11 0.68x
Christchurch 11 19.41x
Dorking 11 13.27x
Dronfield 11 21.64x
Liverpool 11 0.60x
Oldham 11 1.13x
Portsea 11 1.08x
Risca 11 31.85x
Scruton 11 353.70x
Claines 10 11.01x
Kingston On Thames 10 3.37x
Newington 10 1.07x
Old Buckenham 10 100.10x
Stow Bardolph 10 86.28x
Uttoxeter 10 22.84x
Wootton 10 106.61x
Bowling 9 3.62x
Coston 9 2142.86x
Darlington 9 3.09x
Holbeck 9 5.41x
North Leith 9 5.73x
Norwich St Michael At 9 39.81x
Preston 9 1.12x
Runhall 9 532.54x
Slinfold 9 134.13x
Stokesley 9 57.51x
Thorner 9 110.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 161
Elizabeth 110
Sarah 78
Ann 57
Annie 43
Jane 42
Alice 40
Eliza 40
Emma 40
Emily 36
Ellen 35
Hannah 31
Martha 26
Harriet 24
Margaret 22
Florence 21
Maria 21
Louisa 20
Charlotte 19
Catherine 18
Anne 14
Fanny 14
Caroline 13
Clara 13
Edith 13
Susan 12
Susannah 11
Kate 10
Isabella 9
Ada 8
Elizth. 8
Harriett 8
Lucy 8
Lydia 8
Isabel 7
Matilda 7
Rebecca 7
Amelia 6
Gertrude 6
Minnie 6
Rose 6
Agnes 5
Ethel 5
Frances 5
Julia 5
Lizzie 5
May 5
Jessie 4
Margt. 4
Naomi 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 136
John 129
George 98
Thomas 85
James 81
Henry 49
Charles 47
Alfred 43
Robert 41
Joseph 38
Edward 32
Arthur 26
Frederick 26
Walter 23
Samuel 22
Albert 19
Ernest 19
Francis 16
Harry 15
Richard 15
Benjamin 13
Frank 10
Herbert 10
David 8
Edwin 7
Mark 7
Wm. 7
Chas. 6
Fredk. 6
Abraham 5
Christopher 5
Geo. 5
Lewis 5
Sidney 5
Edmund 4
Isaac 4
Silas 4
Sydney 4
Thos. 4
Amos 3
Ed. 3
Israel 3
Jasper 3
Job 3
Matthew 3
Paul 3
Percy 3
Peter 3
Timothy 3
Tom 3

FAQ

Duffield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Duffield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,592 people were recorded with the Duffield surname. That placed it at #1,720 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Duffield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,591 in 2016. That gives Duffield a modern rank of #1,892.

What does the Duffield surname mean?

Habitational surname derived from places in Derbyshire and East Yorkshire, England, likely referring to a field frequented by doves.

What does the Duffield map show?

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