NameCensus.

UK surname

Gager

An English surname derived from the Norman French word "gager", meaning to pledge or wage.

In the 1881 census there were 117 people recorded with the Gager surname, ranking it #18,026 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 205, ranked #19,250, down from #18,026 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Foxearth, London parishes and Walthamstow, Low Leyton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lambeth, Maldon and Reading.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gager is 235 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 75.2%.

1881 census count

117

Ranked #18,026

Modern count

205

2016, ranked #19,250

Peak year

2010

235 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gager had 117 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,026 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 205 in 2016, ranked #19,250.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 170 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Gager surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gager surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gager 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 102 #16,933
1861 historical 92 #22,112
1881 historical 117 #18,026
1891 historical 170 #16,816
1901 historical 151 #17,988
1911 historical 158 #17,277
1997 modern 201 #17,564
1998 modern 203 #17,949
1999 modern 206 #17,905
2000 modern 206 #17,880
2001 modern 197 #18,108
2002 modern 204 #18,062
2003 modern 201 #18,089
2004 modern 205 #17,935
2005 modern 199 #18,198
2006 modern 198 #18,425
2007 modern 198 #18,600
2008 modern 206 #18,300
2009 modern 221 #17,848
2010 modern 235 #17,477
2011 modern 223 #17,940
2012 modern 223 #17,852
2013 modern 216 #18,543
2014 modern 217 #18,645
2015 modern 214 #18,712
2016 modern 205 #19,250

Geography

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Where Gagers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Foxearth, London parishes, Walthamstow, Low Leyton and Sudbury All Saints, Sudbury St Gregory, Sudbury St Peter, Sudbury St Bartholomew. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lambeth, Maldon, Reading and Harrow. 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 Foxearth Suffolk
2 London parishes London 1
3 Walthamstow, Low Leyton Essex
4 London parishes London 3
5 Sudbury All Saints, Sudbury St Gregory, Sudbury St Peter, Sudbury St Bartholomew Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lambeth 005 Lambeth
2 Maldon 001 Maldon
3 Reading 006 Reading
4 Reading 008 Reading
5 Harrow 027 Harrow

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gager

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gager

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

Gager 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

Gager 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 Gager is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Gager

The surname GAGER is of English origin, with roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "gagian," which means "to go" or "to wander." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone who frequently traveled or had a nomadic lifestyle.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GAGER surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Gagerus" in this historical document, indicating its presence in the region during the Norman conquest.

The GAGER name has also been associated with various place names, such as Gager's Green in Suffolk and Gager's Hill in Kent. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the surname or have influenced the spelling variations of the name over time.

Among the notable historical figures with the GAGER surname, one can mention:

1. William Gager (c. 1555-1622), an English schoolmaster and classical scholar known for his writings on Latin grammar and rhetoric.

2. John Gager (1564-1598), an English Puritan minister and author who played a role in the Marprelate controversy, a series of satirical pamphlets criticizing the Church of England.

3. Lewis Gager (c. 1585-1635), an English playwright and poet who wrote tragedies and masques during the Jacobean era.

4. Sir William Gager (c. 1592-1655), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament and supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.

5. Thomas Gager (c. 1635-1701), an English nonconformist minister and theologian who advocated for religious toleration and wrote on the doctrine of justification.

The GAGER surname has also been found in various historical records, such as parish registers, census records, and court documents, providing insights into its geographic distribution and the lives of individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gager families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gager 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. Essex leads with 42 Gagers recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.49x.

County Total Index
Essex 42 18.49x
Surrey 25 4.46x
Middlesex 19 1.65x
Hampshire 8 3.39x
Suffolk 7 4.99x
Lincolnshire 6 3.26x
Cambridgeshire 4 5.49x
Yorkshire 3 0.26x
Devon 1 0.42x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.64x
Royal Navy 1 7.29x
Warwickshire 1 0.34x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tolleshunt Major in Essex leads with 9 Gagers recorded in 1881 and an index of 5625.00x.

Place Total Index
Tolleshunt Major 9 5625.00x
Lambeth 8 7.97x
Leyton Low 8 173.16x
St George In East London 8 73.87x
Camberwell 7 9.52x
Great Grimsby 6 51.37x
Little Waltham 6 2608.70x
Newington 6 14.11x
St Marylebone London 6 9.76x
Sudbury St Gregory 5 446.43x
Tolleshunt D Arcy 5 1562.50x
St Andrewthe Great 4 425.53x
Tollesbury 4 701.75x
Wickford 4 2500.00x
Earls Colne 3 476.19x
Portsea 3 6.49x
Fordingbridge 2 156.25x
Hanworth 2 500.00x
Long Melford 2 153.85x
Southcoates 2 31.60x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 8.64x
Bethnal Green London 1 2.00x
Birmingham 1 1.03x
Croydon 1 3.21x
East Meon 1 161.29x
Foxearth 1 625.00x
Goldhanger 1 500.00x
Gosfield 1 416.67x
Harrow 1 56.82x
Holdenhurst 1 16.16x
Hunton 1 3333.33x
Nottingham St Mary 1 2.49x
Pool 1 434.78x
Royal Navy 1 8.53x
St George Hanover Square 1 4.93x
Stoke Damerel 1 5.96x
Streatham 1 11.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 6
Charles 5
James 5
Joseph 4
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
John 3
Walter 3
Frederick 2
George 2
Harry 2
Thomas 2
Albert 1
Alexander 1
David 1
Ebenezer 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Hennery 1
Hennry 1
Henry 1
Mark 1
Percival 1
Robert 1
Stephen 1

FAQ

Gager surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gager surname in 1881?

In 1881, 117 people were recorded with the Gager surname. That placed it at #18,026 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gager surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 205 in 2016. That gives Gager a modern rank of #19,250.

What does the Gager surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Norman French word "gager", meaning to pledge or wage.

What does the Gager map show?

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