NameCensus.

UK surname

Garley

One meaning is an occupational surname referring to a grower or seller of vegetables.

In the 1881 census there were 159 people recorded with the Garley surname, ranking it #14,935 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 166, ranked #22,140, down from #14,935 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Pitchley, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory and Rushden. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Gedling.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Garley is 247 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.4%.

1881 census count

159

Ranked #14,935

Modern count

166

2016, ranked #22,140

Peak year

1891

247 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Garley had 159 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,935 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 166 in 2016, ranked #22,140.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 247 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Garley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Garley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Garley 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 122 #14,966
1861 historical 223 #10,942
1881 historical 159 #14,935
1891 historical 247 #12,880
1901 historical 244 #13,329
1911 historical 243 #13,163
1997 modern 199 #17,668
1998 modern 210 #17,600
1999 modern 214 #17,494
2000 modern 212 #17,554
2001 modern 202 #17,834
2002 modern 203 #18,115
2003 modern 196 #18,358
2004 modern 193 #18,622
2005 modern 186 #18,985
2006 modern 191 #18,825
2007 modern 185 #19,402
2008 modern 187 #19,465
2009 modern 181 #20,277
2010 modern 191 #20,015
2011 modern 192 #19,797
2012 modern 177 #20,836
2013 modern 176 #21,237
2014 modern 171 #21,812
2015 modern 167 #22,066
2016 modern 166 #22,140

Geography

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Where Garleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Pitchley, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, Rushden, Kettering and Hinxworth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Gedling. 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 Pitchley Northamptonshire
2 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
3 Rushden Northamptonshire
4 Kettering Northamptonshire
5 Hinxworth Hertfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Northamptonshire 006 East Northamptonshire
2 East Northamptonshire 007 East Northamptonshire
3 East Northamptonshire 009 East Northamptonshire
4 Kettering 009 Kettering
5 Gedling 002 Gedling

Forenames

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First names often paired with Garley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Garley

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Garley 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

Garley is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Garley falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Garley

The surname Garley is of English origin, first appearing in the late 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "gar" meaning spear and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a meadow where spears were made or used.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297, which lists a Robert de Garlay. The spelling variations at this time included Garlay, Garlie, and Garley. These early spellings provide insight into how the name evolved over time into its modern form.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Pipe Rolls for Berkshire, where a William Garley is mentioned in 1347. This record indicates the name had spread from its Yorkshire origins to other parts of England by this point.

An important historical figure with this surname was John Garley, who lived in the late 15th century and served as Mayor of Coventry in 1483. Records from this time also show a Thomas Garley who was a landowner in Oxfordshire, born around 1450.

Moving into the 16th century, parish records from 1578 in Warwickshire list the marriage of one Alice Garley to William Smyth. This provides evidence of the name's continued use and presence in the West Midlands region of England during this period.

Another notable individual was Captain Edward Garley, born in 1620, who served in the English Civil War and fought for the Parliamentarian forces. He later became a prominent merchant and landowner in Bristol after the war.

As the name spread across England over the centuries, it also took on variations like Garlick and Garlisch, likely influenced by the similar-sounding word for the vegetable garlic. However, these spellings are considered distinct surnames with separate origins from Garley.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Garley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Garley 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. Northamptonshire leads with 104 Garleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 72.20x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 104 72.20x
Middlesex 21 1.37x
Hertfordshire 8 7.58x
Lancashire 8 0.44x
Nottinghamshire 7 3.39x
Yorkshire 4 0.26x
Essex 1 0.33x
Gloucestershire 1 0.33x
Lanarkshire 1 0.20x
Warwickshire 1 0.26x
Wiltshire 1 0.74x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kettering in Northamptonshire leads with 17 Garleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 291.60x.

Place Total Index
Kettering 17 291.60x
Pytchley 17 5666.67x
Northampton St Giles 16 291.44x
Rushden 13 673.58x
Orlingbury 9 6000.00x
Hinxworth 8 5000.00x
Arnold 7 232.56x
Carnforth 6 600.00x
Thorpe Malsor 6 8571.43x
Wellingborough 6 82.87x
Islington London 5 3.37x
St Dunstan In West London 5 1041.67x
Weston Favell 5 1724.14x
Little Harrowden 4 930.23x
Northampton Priory St 4 46.30x
Paddington London 4 7.10x
St Marylebone London 4 4.89x
Duston 3 229.01x
Broughton 2 434.78x
Northampton All Sts 2 40.90x
Ardwick 1 6.10x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 1 7.07x
Bethnal Green London 1 1.50x
Bromley London 1 2.97x
Cirencester 1 24.57x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 3.24x
Govan 1 0.82x
Kensington London 1 1.17x
Leamington Priors 1 10.53x
Linthorpe 1 11.04x
Liverpool 1 0.91x
Walthamstow 1 9.19x
Warminster 1 33.67x
Whitby 1 19.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 9
Mary 8
Emily 5
Elizabeth 4
Jane 4
Ada 3
Ann 3
Eliza 3
Susan 3
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Hannah 2
Harriett 2
Rebecca 2
Adelaide 1
Alace 1
Alice 1
Annie 1
Bertha 1
Betsy 1
Charlott 1
Charlotte 1
Edna 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Harriet 1
Isabella 1
Jemima 1
Lily 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Margret 1
Marina 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Persilla 1
Rose 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Garley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Garley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 159 people were recorded with the Garley surname. That placed it at #14,935 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Garley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 166 in 2016. That gives Garley a modern rank of #22,140.

What does the Garley surname mean?

One meaning is an occupational surname referring to a grower or seller of vegetables.

What does the Garley map show?

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