NameCensus.

UK surname

Garford

In the 1881 census there were 74 people recorded with the Garford surname, ranking it #23,062 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 196, ranked #19,848, up from #23,062 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George Bloomsbury, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Peterborough, Fenland and Mid Suffolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Garford is 221 in 2008. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 164.9%.

1881 census count

74

Ranked #23,062

Modern count

196

2016, ranked #19,848

Peak year

2008

221 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Garford had 74 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,062 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 196 in 2016, ranked #19,848.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 146 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Mature Families.

Garford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Garford surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Garford 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 110 #16,093
1861 historical 146 #15,628
1881 historical 74 #23,062
1891 historical 123 #20,939
1901 historical 97 #23,227
1911 historical 146 #18,179
1997 modern 208 #17,219
1998 modern 207 #17,749
1999 modern 205 #17,960
2000 modern 199 #18,278
2001 modern 198 #18,047
2002 modern 208 #17,848
2003 modern 211 #17,513
2004 modern 205 #17,935
2005 modern 187 #18,924
2006 modern 201 #18,226
2007 modern 216 #17,575
2008 modern 221 #17,495
2009 modern 216 #18,120
2010 modern 214 #18,601
2011 modern 207 #18,841
2012 modern 205 #18,909
2013 modern 204 #19,276
2014 modern 204 #19,439
2015 modern 199 #19,640
2016 modern 196 #19,848

Geography

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Where Garfords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St George Bloomsbury, London parishes, Manchester, Lambeth and Wisbech St Peter. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Peterborough, Fenland, Mid Suffolk and Torbay. 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 St George Bloomsbury London (Central Districts)
2 London parishes London 1
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Wisbech St Peter Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Peterborough 001 Peterborough
2 Fenland 003 Fenland
3 Mid Suffolk 003 Mid Suffolk
4 Torbay 003 Torbay
5 Fenland 002 Fenland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Garford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Garford

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

Established Mature Families

Nationally, the Garford surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established Mature Families, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Garford household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Married couples predominate, many with older dependent children. Detached housing is common. Homeownership rates are the highest within this Supergroup. The presence of some students suggests that households are towards the end of a child rearing phase. Many residents have degree level qualifications, and the occupational profile is heavily skewed towards managerial and professional occupations. Residential developments commonly occur on the periphery of major urban cities or conurbations.

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Garford is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Garford is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Garford falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Garford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Garford 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. Cambridgeshire leads with 14 Garfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 30.22x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 14 30.22x
Northamptonshire 12 17.44x
Middlesex 11 1.50x
Lancashire 9 1.04x
Carmarthenshire 6 19.46x
Cheshire 6 3.72x
Surrey 5 1.40x
Lincolnshire 3 2.57x
Monmouthshire 3 5.67x
Kent 2 0.80x
Durham 1 0.46x
Norfolk 1 0.89x
Royal Navy 1 11.47x
Sussex 1 0.81x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wisbech St Peter in Cambridgeshire leads with 13 Garfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 560.34x.

Place Total Index
Wisbech St Peter 13 560.34x
Maxey 12 8000.00x
Bettws 6 1363.64x
Nantwich 6 319.15x
St Marylebone London 5 12.80x
Croydon 4 20.21x
Newton 4 59.79x
Blackburn 3 12.99x
Newport 3 119.05x
Kensington London 2 4.92x
Market Deeping 2 666.67x
Oldham 2 7.14x
Poplar London 2 14.48x
Bourn 1 106.38x
Chelsea London 1 4.54x
Cheriton 1 98.04x
Elm 1 222.22x
Hastings St Mary In The 1 38.02x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 1 29.59x
Lambeth 1 1.57x
Middleton In Teesdale 1 175.44x
Royal Navy 1 13.42x
St Pancras London 1 1.70x
Woolwich 1 10.85x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Sarah 3
Elizabeth 2
Margaret 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Amy 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Bella 1
Betrice 1
Catherine 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Hannah 1
Helen 1
Henrietta 1
Lavinia 1
Louisa 1
Mabel 1
Mariden 1
May 1
Mina 1
Nancy 1
Nina 1
Sophia 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 7
John 4
Alfred 3
Francis 3
Joseph 3
William 3
Thomas 2
Albert 1
Anthony 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Edward 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Henry 1
James 1
Jas.Hy. 1
Sidney 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Garford households.

FAQ

Garford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Garford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 74 people were recorded with the Garford surname. That placed it at #23,062 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Garford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 196 in 2016. That gives Garford a modern rank of #19,848.

What does the Garford map show?

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