NameCensus.

UK surname

Dunderdale

Likely derived from a place name or a person who lived near a valley or hill.

In the 1881 census there were 534 people recorded with the Dunderdale surname, ranking it #6,436 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 509, ranked #9,860, down from #6,436 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lancaster Borough, Preston and Corringham, Great & Little. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Lincolnshire, South Ribble and West Lindsey.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dunderdale is 689 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.7%.

1881 census count

534

Ranked #6,436

Modern count

509

2016, ranked #9,860

Peak year

1911

689 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dunderdale had 534 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,436 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 509 in 2016, ranked #9,860.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 689 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Dunderdale surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dunderdale surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dunderdale 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 293 #7,783
1861 historical 463 #5,613
1881 historical 534 #6,436
1891 historical 621 #6,225
1901 historical 615 #6,942
1911 historical 689 #6,159
1997 modern 577 #8,371
1998 modern 574 #8,631
1999 modern 577 #8,662
2000 modern 567 #8,733
2001 modern 550 #8,799
2002 modern 555 #8,919
2003 modern 532 #9,067
2004 modern 530 #9,117
2005 modern 515 #9,251
2006 modern 523 #9,170
2007 modern 520 #9,284
2008 modern 525 #9,286
2009 modern 554 #9,117
2010 modern 558 #9,260
2011 modern 539 #9,428
2012 modern 521 #9,589
2013 modern 528 #9,633
2014 modern 529 #9,683
2015 modern 519 #9,753
2016 modern 509 #9,860

Geography

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Where Dunderdales are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lancaster Borough, Preston, Corringham, Great & Little, Keighley and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Lincolnshire, South Ribble and West Lindsey. 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 Lancaster Borough Lancashire
2 Preston Lancashire
3 Corringham, Great & Little Lincolnshire
4 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Lincolnshire 011 North Lincolnshire
2 North Lincolnshire 001 North Lincolnshire
3 North Lincolnshire 002 North Lincolnshire
4 South Ribble 011 South Ribble
5 West Lindsey 006 West Lindsey

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dunderdale

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dunderdale

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Dunderdale surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Dunderdale 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Dunderdale is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dunderdale is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Dunderdale

The surname Dunderdale is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from a place called Dunderdale or Dunderdell, which was likely a small village or hamlet in the northern counties of England.

The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "dunder" and "dalu," meaning "thunder" and "valley" respectively. This suggests that the original Dunderdale was located in a valley where the sound of thunder was particularly resonant or frequent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1230, where a William de Dunderdale is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already well-established by the 13th century.

In the 14th century, a Richard de Dunderdale is recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, further solidifying the name's connection to the northern counties.

A notable historical figure with the surname Dunderdale was Sir John Dunderdale, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 16th century. He served as Sheriff of London in 1552 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1559.

Another individual of note was Robert Dunderdale, who was born in York in 1637. He was a renowned scholar and philosopher, known for his work on natural philosophy and theology. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and published several influential works during his lifetime.

In the 18th century, a family of Dunderdales owned a significant estate in the village of Laxton in Nottinghamshire. This estate remained in the family's possession for several generations, indicating their social and economic standing in the region.

The surname Dunderdale has also been associated with several notable figures in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including George Dunderdale, a prominent industrialist and philanthropist from Yorkshire, and Emily Dunderdale, a renowned artist and painter from London who exhibited her works at the Royal Academy in the late 1800s.

While the name may have originated in the northern counties of England, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, with bearers of the surname found in various regions and occupations throughout history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dunderdale families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dunderdale 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. Lancashire leads with 310 Dunderdales recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.02x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 310 5.02x
Yorkshire 147 2.85x
Lincolnshire 31 3.72x
Middlesex 12 0.23x
Cheshire 8 0.70x
Nottinghamshire 7 1.00x
Dunbartonshire 6 4.29x
Durham 3 0.19x
Westmorland 3 2.62x
Derbyshire 2 0.25x
Gloucestershire 2 0.20x
Shropshire 1 0.22x
Surrey 1 0.04x
Warwickshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 83 Dunderdales recorded in 1881 and an index of 50.19x.

Place Total Index
Preston 83 50.19x
Hunslet 31 38.51x
Leeds 22 7.55x
Keighley 20 36.35x
Pilling 18 620.69x
Corringham 15 1127.82x
Manchester 13 4.68x
Barrowford Booth 12 175.44x
Nateby 12 1714.29x
Toxteth Park 11 5.26x
Charnock Richard 9 737.70x
Holbeck 9 26.32x
Lancaster 9 24.47x
Ellel 8 250.78x
Great Crosby 8 47.48x
Hindley 8 30.36x
St Pancras London 8 1.91x
Upper Rawcliffe With 8 727.27x
Altrincham 7 34.84x
Ardsley 7 117.65x
Gainsborough 7 35.64x
Headingley Cum Burley 7 21.07x
Out Rawcliffe 7 476.19x
Scotforth 7 174.13x
Blackburn 6 3.65x
Doncaster 6 15.91x
Everton 6 3.05x
Goole 6 69.36x
Hulme 6 4.65x
Kirkintilloch 6 31.55x
Barrow In Furness 5 5.95x
Bradford 5 4.00x
Fishwick 5 130.89x
Great Eccleston 5 446.43x
Layton With Warbreck 5 22.05x
Lepton 5 92.76x
Oldham 5 2.51x
Thornton In Fylde 5 36.98x
Willingham 5 609.76x
Barnacre With Bonds 4 245.40x
Barnsley 4 7.51x
Caton 4 206.19x
Halton 4 305.34x
Nether Wyresdale 4 370.37x
Thorne 4 62.50x
Wortley In Bramley 4 9.78x
Cottingham 3 26.98x
Kimberworth 3 10.47x
Little Bolton 3 3.78x
Mansfield 3 12.35x
Orton 3 87.72x
Pilkington 3 12.78x
Rusholme 3 18.19x
Spotland 3 4.37x
Washington 3 46.15x
Bentham 2 50.89x
Blatchinworth 2 14.21x
Brightside Bierlow 2 1.98x
Burton Upon Stather 2 188.68x
Charlton Kings 2 28.29x
Chorlton On Medlock 2 2.04x
Glossop Dale 2 5.24x
Great Little Marsden 2 7.06x
Heapham 2 769.23x
Padiham 2 13.40x
Swinton In Rotherham 2 14.65x
Thornley Cum Wheatley 2 322.58x
Worksop 2 9.61x
Alston 1 34.72x
Bubwith 1 108.70x
Garstang 1 71.43x
Hackney London 1 0.34x
Hampstead London 1 1.23x
North Meols 1 1.65x
Potter Newton 1 10.98x
Stanton Upon Hine Heath 1 84.03x
Stockport 1 1.69x
Stretford 1 2.94x
Tuxford 1 57.80x
Walton Le Dale 1 6.02x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 47
William 28
Thomas 20
Richard 18
James 16
Joseph 12
Robert 12
George 9
David 8
Charles 5
Henry 5
Arthur 3
Edwin 3
Samuel 3
Walter 3
Wm. 3
Christopher 2
Ernest 2
Mathias 2
Matthias 2
Peter 2
Thos. 2
Albert 1
Chrisr. 1
Curtis 1
Edroy 1
Fred 1
Fred. 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
G.B.W. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Hy.G. 1
Isaac 1
Jarvis 1
Job 1
Joshua 1
Lelen 1
Levi 1
Milburn 1
Nathaniel 1
Ruben 1
Tom 1
Willie 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Dunderdale surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dunderdale surname in 1881?

In 1881, 534 people were recorded with the Dunderdale surname. That placed it at #6,436 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dunderdale surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 509 in 2016. That gives Dunderdale a modern rank of #9,860.

What does the Dunderdale surname mean?

Likely derived from a place name or a person who lived near a valley or hill.

What does the Dunderdale map show?

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