NameCensus.

UK surname

Garforth

In the 1881 census there were 837 people recorded with the Garforth surname, ranking it #4,505 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 767, ranked #7,156, down from #4,505 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, Birstall and Batley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Oldham, Kirklees and Barnsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Garforth is 1,021 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 8.4%.

1881 census count

837

Ranked #4,505

Modern count

767

2016, ranked #7,156

Peak year

1901

1,021 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Garforth had 837 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,505 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 767 in 2016, ranked #7,156.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,021 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Garforth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Garforth surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Garforth 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 609 #4,230
1861 historical 577 #4,568
1881 historical 837 #4,505
1891 historical 971 #4,261
1901 historical 1,021 #4,676
1911 historical 937 #4,794
1997 modern 777 #6,691
1998 modern 805 #6,719
1999 modern 816 #6,687
2000 modern 828 #6,591
2001 modern 798 #6,662
2002 modern 814 #6,675
2003 modern 803 #6,630
2004 modern 783 #6,791
2005 modern 778 #6,751
2006 modern 779 #6,780
2007 modern 777 #6,858
2008 modern 788 #6,839
2009 modern 805 #6,851
2010 modern 794 #7,070
2011 modern 793 #7,003
2012 modern 787 #6,938
2013 modern 802 #6,938
2014 modern 799 #7,011
2015 modern 784 #7,054
2016 modern 767 #7,156

Geography

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Where Garforths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, Birstall, Batley, Dewsbury and Ashton-under-Lyne. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Oldham, Kirklees, Barnsley and Newmilns. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Dewsbury Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Ashton-under-Lyne Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Oldham 012 Oldham
2 Kirklees 002 Kirklees
3 Barnsley 004 Barnsley
4 Newmilns East Ayrshire
5 Kirklees 006 Kirklees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Garforth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Garforth

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Garforth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Garforth household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Garforth 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

Garforth is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Garforth falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Garforth is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Garforth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Garforth 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. Yorkshire leads with 552 Garforths recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.81x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 552 6.81x
Lancashire 192 1.98x
Cheshire 29 1.61x
Durham 13 0.53x
Middlesex 12 0.15x
Hertfordshire 9 1.60x
Gloucestershire 4 0.25x
Leicestershire 4 0.44x
Sussex 4 0.29x
Lincolnshire 3 0.23x
Surrey 3 0.08x
Kent 2 0.07x
Worcestershire 2 0.19x
Berkshire 1 0.16x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.29x
Cumberland 1 0.14x
Derbyshire 1 0.08x
Essex 1 0.06x
Isle of Man 1 0.66x
Northamptonshire 1 0.13x
Royal Navy 1 1.03x
Staffordshire 1 0.04x
Suffolk 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Soothill in Yorkshire leads with 76 Garforths recorded in 1881 and an index of 259.39x.

Place Total Index
Soothill 76 259.39x
Oldham 72 22.97x
Dewsbury 44 52.90x
Drighlington 36 304.83x
Ashton Under Lyne 33 15.55x
Ovenden 32 88.67x
Manningham 25 25.02x
Halifax 24 20.16x
Northowram 17 29.89x
Great Bolton 16 12.44x
Mirfield 16 35.93x
Shipley 16 38.01x
Thornhill 15 63.40x
Dukinfield 14 16.77x
Leeds 14 3.06x
Liversedge 14 38.78x
Sculcoates 14 10.89x
Armley 12 33.55x
Bradford 12 6.11x
Nether Hallam 12 10.94x
Openshaw 12 26.39x
Aldenham 9 175.44x
Headingley Cum Burley 9 17.24x
Hunslet 9 7.12x
Micklefield 9 461.54x
Bingley 8 15.49x
Gildersome 8 82.05x
Great Boughton 8 128.41x
Hunwick Helmington 8 136.75x
Barnsley 7 8.37x
Idle 7 18.62x
Royton 7 23.56x
Wetherby 7 132.58x
Bishop Wilton Cum 6 384.62x
Clitheroe 6 20.99x
Keighley 6 6.94x
Methley 6 52.54x
Newton 6 8.02x
Wortley In Bramley 6 9.34x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 5 6.62x
Cheetham 5 6.90x
Dalton In Huddersfield 5 27.52x
Flockton 5 151.06x
Holbeck 5 9.31x
Horton In Bradford 5 3.95x
Huddersfield 5 4.23x
Pendleton In Salford 5 4.32x
Salford 5 1.75x
Batley 4 5.19x
Cheltenham 4 3.23x
Hastings St Leonards 4 19.72x
Heckmondwike 4 15.34x
Hunsworth 4 93.90x
Sutton 4 43.29x
Bootle Cum Linacre 3 3.89x
Bramley In Bramley 3 9.66x
Chadderton 3 6.32x
Macclesfield 3 3.74x
Manchester 3 0.69x
Newchurch 3 3.78x
Rusholme 3 11.58x
Skircoat 3 9.38x
Spofforth Cum Stockeld 3 232.56x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 3 25.91x
Barnard Castle 2 16.61x
Beverley St Martin 2 14.77x
Bexley 2 8.10x
Brightside Bierlow 2 1.26x
Chester St Oswald 2 6.11x
Great Easton 2 132.45x
Hammersmith London 2 0.99x
Holy Trinity 2 1.03x
Kensington London 2 0.44x
Kimberworth 2 4.44x
Manthorpe Cum Little 2 20.00x
Menston 2 108.11x
Seacroft 2 52.08x
Stayley 2 9.69x
Westminster St John 2 2.01x
Worcester St Martin 2 13.87x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 72
Sarah 36
Elizabeth 31
Jane 31
Hannah 30
Ann 22
Martha 15
Eliza 11
Emma 11
Annie 9
Ellen 9
Alice 6
Charlotte 6
Emily 6
Betty 5
Clara 5
Margaret 5
Ruth 5
Susannah 5
Elizth. 4
Fanny 4
Lucy 4
Maria 4
Ada 3
Florence 3
Harriet 3
Lydia 3
Nancy 3
Rhoda 3
Susan 3
Agnes 2
Amy 2
Catherine 2
Esther 2
Francis 2
Grace 2
Harriett 2
Letty 2
Lillian 2
Sabina 2
Sophia 2
Anna 1
Betsey 1
Caroline 1
Edith 1
Edster 1
Elizabath 1
Elizebeth 1
Haidee 1
Helena 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 57
James 33
William 33
Thomas 28
Joseph 27
George 20
Samuel 13
Charles 9
David 9
Henry 9
Harry 6
Michael 6
Richard 6
Sam 6
Albert 5
Arthur 5
Robert 5
Abraham 4
Alfred 4
Edward 4
Ben 3
Benjamin 3
Isaac 3
Walter 3
Wm. 3
Anthony 2
Chas. 2
Enoch 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Geo. 2
Harrison 2
Herbert 2
Jeremiah 2
Lewis 2
Mark 2
Milford 2
Percy 2
Reuben 2
Sarah 2
Thos. 2
Tom 2
Willie 2
Calvery 1
Eli 1
F. 1
Fearnley 1
Irving 1
Jacob 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Garforth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Garforth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 837 people were recorded with the Garforth surname. That placed it at #4,505 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Garforth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 767 in 2016. That gives Garforth a modern rank of #7,156.

What does the Garforth map show?

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