NameCensus.

UK surname

Gagen

A surname likely of Germanic origin meaning "wanderer" or "adventurer".

In the 1881 census there were 114 people recorded with the Gagen surname, ranking it #18,324 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 281, ranked #15,449, up from #18,324 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Leverington, London parishes and Wimbledon. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fenland, Breckland and King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gagen is 301 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 146.5%.

1881 census count

114

Ranked #18,324

Modern count

281

2016, ranked #15,449

Peak year

2010

301 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gagen had 114 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,324 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016, ranked #15,449.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 224 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Gagen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gagen surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gagen 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 105 #16,618
1861 historical 115 #18,880
1881 historical 114 #18,324
1891 historical 171 #16,733
1901 historical 217 #14,381
1911 historical 224 #13,914
1997 modern 253 #15,152
1998 modern 262 #15,203
1999 modern 269 #15,040
2000 modern 269 #14,983
2001 modern 260 #15,113
2002 modern 281 #14,619
2003 modern 278 #14,540
2004 modern 276 #14,684
2005 modern 290 #14,140
2006 modern 289 #14,234
2007 modern 290 #14,372
2008 modern 290 #14,466
2009 modern 297 #14,519
2010 modern 301 #14,697
2011 modern 290 #14,933
2012 modern 286 #15,012
2013 modern 281 #15,487
2014 modern 291 #15,168
2015 modern 277 #15,622
2016 modern 281 #15,449

Geography

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Where Gagens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Leverington, London parishes, Wimbledon, Terrington St Clement, Terrington St John and Foulsham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fenland, Breckland and King's Lynn and West Norfolk. 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 Leverington Cambridgeshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Wimbledon Surrey
4 Terrington St Clement, Terrington St John Cambridgeshire
5 Foulsham Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fenland 001 Fenland
2 Breckland 002 Breckland
3 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 012 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
4 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 004 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
5 Breckland 007 Breckland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gagen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gagen

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

Gagen 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

Gagen falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Gagen

The surname Gagen is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "gagen," meaning "to go against" or "to oppose." It likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who was perceived as argumentative or confrontational.

The earliest recorded instances of the Gagen surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany. In the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, a certain Johannes Gagen is mentioned in a record dated 1287.

During the late medieval period, the Gagen surname appeared in various forms, including Gagen, Gaghen, and Gaughen, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. Some of these variants may have derived from the Old High German word "gaganen," which also meant "to go against" or "to oppose."

One notable historical figure with the Gagen surname was Hans Gagen, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He served as the organist at the St. Nikolai Church in Stralsund, a city in modern-day northeastern Germany.

Another individual of note was Johann Gagen, a German Lutheran theologian and reformer who lived from 1525 to 1595. He was a prominent figure in the Reformation movement and served as a court preacher and superintendent in the Duchy of Pomerania.

In the 17th century, the Gagen surname was also found in parts of the Netherlands, possibly due to migration or intermarriage with Dutch families. One example is Dirck Gagen, a Dutch painter who was active in the city of Haarlem between 1630 and 1650.

Moving into the 18th century, the Gagen surname appeared in various regions of what is now modern-day Germany. Friedrich Gagen, born in 1701 in Saxony, was a notable German jurist and legal scholar who authored several influential works on civil law.

Another figure of note was Carl Gagen, a German architect who lived from 1773 to 1845. He was known for his work on several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche.

While the Gagen surname has maintained a presence in various parts of Germany and other German-speaking regions over the centuries, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration patterns.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gagen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gagen 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. Norfolk leads with 60 Gagens recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.78x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 60 34.78x
Yorkshire 21 1.89x
Cambridgeshire 7 9.85x
Warwickshire 7 2.47x
Hampshire 6 2.61x
Middlesex 4 0.36x
Derbyshire 2 1.14x
Suffolk 2 1.46x
Cheshire 1 0.40x
Durham 1 0.30x
Kent 1 0.26x
Lancashire 1 0.08x
Lincolnshire 1 0.56x
Royal Navy 1 7.48x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Terrington St Clement in Norfolk leads with 19 Gagens recorded in 1881 and an index of 2435.90x.

Place Total Index
Terrington St Clement 19 2435.90x
Great Massingham 11 3235.29x
Aston Cum Aughton 10 1098.90x
East Rudham 10 3333.33x
North Wootton 7 5833.33x
Birmingham 6 6.36x
Scarborough 5 49.51x
Bentworth 4 1904.76x
Boroughbridge 4 1081.08x
Denver 4 1250.00x
Tydd St Giles 4 1176.47x
Swannington 3 2307.69x
Tottenham 3 16.79x
Castle Acre 2 392.16x
Great Thurlow 2 1333.33x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 2 38.61x
Wisbech St Peter 2 56.18x
Aldershot 1 12.99x
Alton 1 57.80x
Bishopwearmouth 1 3.49x
Chesterfield 1 15.20x
Curdworth 1 384.62x
Gillingham 1 12.67x
Great Bircham 1 555.56x
Handsworth 1 34.01x
Hoole 1 106.38x
Newton 1 357.14x
Paddington London 1 2.42x
Pemberton 1 18.83x
Royal Navy 1 8.75x
Southcoates 1 16.21x
Stamford St Michael 1 196.08x
Thetford St Peter 1 222.22x
Whittington 1 41.15x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Elizabeth 3
Jane 3
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Maria 2
Agnes 1
Anne 1
Bessie 1
Caroline 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Emmily 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Herbert 1
Isabella 1
Janetta 1
John 1
Louie 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Margarett 1
Martha 1
Rachel 1
Rhoda 1
Roda 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 7
James 6
John 5
Henry 4
William 4
Daniel 3
Frederick 3
Thomas 3
Ernest 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Jonathan 2
Robert 2
Stephen 2
Albert 1
Alek 1
Edward 1
Goddard 1
Henary 1
Michael 1
Samuel 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Gagen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gagen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 114 people were recorded with the Gagen surname. That placed it at #18,324 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gagen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016. That gives Gagen a modern rank of #15,449.

What does the Gagen surname mean?

A surname likely of Germanic origin meaning "wanderer" or "adventurer".

What does the Gagen map show?

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