NameCensus.

UK surname

Gage

An English occupational surname for a measurer or assessor of weights, measurements, or distances.

In the 1881 census there were 1,678 people recorded with the Gage surname, ranking it #2,558 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,049, ranked #3,151, down from #2,558 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Braintree and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Somerset, Scarborough and Denbighshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gage is 2,214 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.1%.

1881 census count

1,678

Ranked #2,558

Modern count

2,049

2016, ranked #3,151

Peak year

1999

2,214 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gage had 1,678 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,558 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,049 in 2016, ranked #3,151.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,130 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Gage surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gage surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gage 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 1,204 #2,367
1861 historical 1,243 #2,293
1881 historical 1,678 #2,558
1891 historical 1,853 #2,481
1901 historical 2,060 #2,601
1911 historical 2,130 #2,357
1997 modern 2,103 #2,934
1998 modern 2,190 #2,927
1999 modern 2,214 #2,927
2000 modern 2,190 #2,936
2001 modern 2,136 #2,941
2002 modern 2,153 #2,979
2003 modern 2,103 #2,975
2004 modern 2,081 #3,015
2005 modern 2,018 #3,063
2006 modern 1,994 #3,104
2007 modern 2,033 #3,079
2008 modern 2,033 #3,101
2009 modern 2,092 #3,093
2010 modern 2,138 #3,095
2011 modern 2,108 #3,095
2012 modern 2,116 #3,025
2013 modern 2,117 #3,080
2014 modern 2,112 #3,112
2015 modern 2,065 #3,147
2016 modern 2,049 #3,151

Geography

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Where Gages are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Braintree, London parishes and Dulverton, Brompton Regis. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Somerset, Scarborough, Denbighshire and Gloucester. 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 Braintree Essex
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Dulverton, Brompton Regis Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Somerset 023 South Somerset
2 South Somerset 022 South Somerset
3 Scarborough 014 Scarborough
4 Denbighshire 011 Denbighshire
5 Gloucester 004 Gloucester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gage

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gage

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gage, 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 Gage surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Gage 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Gage 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

Gage 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

Gage falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Gage

The surname GAGE originated in England and is derived from the Old French word "gauge," meaning a measure or gauge. The name is thought to have first appeared in the 12th century and was likely an occupational name for someone who worked as a surveyor, inspector, or measurer of land, goods, or materials.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Richard le Gagour is mentioned. The surname was also recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a Richard le Gauge is listed.

The GAGE surname is believed to have originated in the county of Suffolk, where it was particularly prevalent in the medieval period. The parish of Gage in Suffolk may have been named after an early bearer of the surname, or vice versa.

In the 13th century, a person named John le Gage was recorded as holding lands in the village of Gage in Suffolk. This is one of the earliest known instances of the surname being associated with a specific location.

The GAGE surname has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history, including Sir Thomas Gage (1597-1656), an English soldier and colonial governor of Virginia, and Thomas Gage (1719-1787), a British military leader who served as the Commander-in-Chief of British forces in North America during the American Revolutionary War.

Another prominent figure with the GAGE surname was Nicholas Gage (1939-2008), an American author and journalist best known for his memoir "Eleni," which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1983.

In the literary world, James Gage (1615-1654) was an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works, while Thomas Gage (1597-1675) was an English Catholic missionary who wrote about his experiences in Mexico and Central America in his book "The English-American: A New Survey of the West Indies."

The GAGE surname has also been associated with various places, such as Gage County in Nebraska, which was named after a prominent early settler named John Gage, and the town of Gage, Oklahoma, which was likely named after another individual with the same surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gage families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gage 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. Middlesex leads with 239 Gages recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.45x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 239 1.45x
Essex 157 4.84x
Somerset 147 5.56x
Norfolk 145 5.74x
Surrey 138 1.72x
Kent 116 2.07x
Gloucestershire 114 3.54x
Suffolk 94 4.70x
Devon 66 1.93x
Yorkshire 66 0.41x
Lanarkshire 46 0.87x
Lancashire 46 0.24x
Hampshire 42 1.25x
Durham 32 0.65x
Wiltshire 21 1.45x
Hertfordshire 20 1.77x
Dorset 18 1.67x
Glamorgan 17 0.59x
Ayrshire 15 1.22x
Cambridgeshire 15 1.44x
Northamptonshire 14 0.91x
Sussex 14 0.51x
Brecknockshire 9 2.74x
Monmouthshire 9 0.76x
Berkshire 8 0.65x
Angus 7 0.46x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.32x
Warwickshire 7 0.17x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.39x
Leicestershire 6 0.33x
Renfrewshire 6 0.47x
Buckinghamshire 5 0.50x
Staffordshire 5 0.09x
Huntingdonshire 4 1.23x
Derbyshire 3 0.12x
Royal Navy 3 1.53x
Worcestershire 3 0.14x
Cumberland 2 0.14x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.45x
Flintshire 2 0.45x
Northumberland 2 0.08x
Bedfordshire 1 0.12x
Buteshire 1 1.00x
Channel Islands 1 0.21x
Cheshire 1 0.03x
Herefordshire 1 0.15x
Midlothian 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. West Ham in Essex leads with 30 Gages recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.19x.

Place Total Index
West Ham 30 4.19x
Bridgewater 25 34.83x
Lambeth 25 1.75x
Bristol St George 23 15.44x
Hackney London 23 2.50x
Clapham 22 10.71x
Necton 22 493.27x
Bermondsey 21 4.29x
Cheltenham 21 8.45x
Deptford St Paul 21 4.86x
Lowestoft 21 22.22x
Hammersmith London 19 4.70x
St Marylebone London 18 2.05x
Camberwell 17 1.62x
Chelsworth 17 1231.88x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 17 22.42x
Govan 16 1.22x
Dulverton 15 193.80x
Islington London 15 0.94x
Axminster 14 87.34x
Chiswick 14 15.60x
Lyme Regis 14 108.44x
Barking 13 13.70x
Glasgow 13 1.38x
Middridge 13 268.60x
Peterborough 13 11.62x
St Pancras London 13 0.98x
Braintree 12 41.21x
Chorlton On Medlock 12 3.88x
Kingston Seymour 12 727.27x
Monks Eleigh 12 369.23x
Narborough 12 489.80x
Rotherhithe 12 5.91x
Woolwich 12 5.80x
Bitton Oldland 11 33.40x
Bromley London 11 3.04x
Ryde 11 15.21x
East Chinnock 10 306.75x
Great Massingham 10 200.80x
New Monkland 10 6.37x
Ayr 9 15.51x
Bristol St James In 9 19.00x
Cardiff St Mary 9 5.71x
Great Coggeshall 9 53.38x
Holy Trinity 9 2.30x
Hutton Cranswick 9 131.39x
Netheravon 9 275.23x
Awliscombe 8 266.67x
Baldock 8 75.19x
Bocking 8 41.03x
Chigwell 8 26.14x
Great Yarmouth 8 3.82x
Horsley 8 56.06x
Little Fransham 8 615.38x
North Petherton 8 37.51x
Southcoates 8 8.85x
Springfield 8 56.30x
St Bartholomew Less 8 94.67x
Stoke Newington London 8 6.25x
Teynham 8 79.21x
Wanstead 8 14.09x
Westminster St John 8 4.00x
Basingstoke 7 18.07x
Bethnal Green London 7 0.98x
Bow London 7 3.35x
Castle Acre 7 93.21x
Clerkenwell London 7 1.81x
Great Driffield 7 20.95x
Guisbrough 7 19.68x
Kensington London 7 0.77x
Lewisham 7 2.34x
Llanelly 7 17.81x
Mile End Old Town London 7 2.00x
Newington 7 1.15x
Portsea 7 1.06x
Southwark St George Martyr 7 2.12x
Sporle With Palgrave 7 170.73x
St Margarets At Cliffe 7 208.96x
Walcot 7 4.97x
Withycombe Rawleigh 7 39.30x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 104
John 72
James 56
George 47
Charles 40
Henry 37
Thomas 35
Robert 27
Arthur 22
Alfred 21
Joseph 21
Frederick 20
Benjamin 17
Samuel 17
Walter 16
Edward 15
Albert 13
Frank 10
Harry 10
Richard 10
Ernest 9
Edwin 7
Herbert 6
Daniel 5
Mark 5
Willm. 5
Saml. 4
Thos. 4
Edgar 3
Edmund 3
Fredk. 3
Isaac 3
Jesse 3
Josiah 3
Sidney 3
W. 3
Adrian 2
Alfd. 2
Ambrose 2
Clement 2
Creswell 2
David 2
Felix 2
Fred 2
J. 2
Jno. 2
Moses 2
Philip 2
Robt. 2
Victor 2

FAQ

Gage surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gage surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,678 people were recorded with the Gage surname. That placed it at #2,558 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gage surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,049 in 2016. That gives Gage a modern rank of #3,151.

What does the Gage surname mean?

An English occupational surname for a measurer or assessor of weights, measurements, or distances.

What does the Gage map show?

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