NameCensus.

UK surname

Garnett

A surname derived from a Norman French word meaning "pomegranate," likely referring to someone who grew or sold the fruit.

In the 1881 census there were 3,722 people recorded with the Garnett surname, ranking it #1,230 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,424, ranked #1,538, down from #1,230 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Calverley, Halifax and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Lakeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Garnett is 5,215 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.9%.

1881 census count

3,722

Ranked #1,230

Modern count

4,424

2016, ranked #1,538

Peak year

1911

5,215 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Garnett had 3,722 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,230 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,424 in 2016, ranked #1,538.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,215 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Garnett surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Garnett surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Garnett 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 2,231 #1,316
1861 historical 2,326 #1,268
1881 historical 3,722 #1,230
1891 historical 3,940 #1,218
1901 historical 4,707 #1,200
1911 historical 5,215 #1,004
1997 modern 4,532 #1,444
1998 modern 4,698 #1,450
1999 modern 4,732 #1,450
2000 modern 4,642 #1,469
2001 modern 4,569 #1,461
2002 modern 4,640 #1,467
2003 modern 4,506 #1,473
2004 modern 4,471 #1,485
2005 modern 4,428 #1,481
2006 modern 4,422 #1,485
2007 modern 4,446 #1,483
2008 modern 4,529 #1,471
2009 modern 4,579 #1,494
2010 modern 4,610 #1,517
2011 modern 4,523 #1,521
2012 modern 4,468 #1,514
2013 modern 4,539 #1,512
2014 modern 4,534 #1,522
2015 modern 4,450 #1,532
2016 modern 4,424 #1,538

Geography

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Where Garnetts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Calverley, Halifax, London parishes, Manchester and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Lakeland. 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 Calverley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Lakeland 004 South Lakeland
2 South Lakeland 013 South Lakeland
3 South Lakeland 003 South Lakeland
4 South Lakeland 009 South Lakeland
5 South Lakeland 006 South Lakeland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Garnett

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Garnett

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Garnett 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

Garnett is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Garnett 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 Garnett 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 Garnett, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Garnett

The surname Garnett is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "garnet," which refers to the deep red gemstone of the same name. This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive nickname to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.

Garnett is also sometimes associated with the town of Guernsey, an island in the English Channel. While the connection is not definitive, some sources suggest that the name may have originated from this location, with early spellings including "Garnesey" or "Garnesy."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Garnett can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a "William Garnet." The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a "Robert Garnet" is listed.

The Garnett family has a long history in England, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One prominent figure was Thomas Garnett (c. 1575-1661), an English clergyman and academic who served as the headmaster of Ipswich School and later became a Canon of Norwich Cathedral.

Another famous Garnett was Richard Garnett (1835-1906), an English writer, librarian, and biographer. He served as the Keeper of Printed Books at the British Museum and was a prolific author, publishing works on English literature, biography, and literary criticism.

In the realm of politics, Robert Garnett (1819-1873) was a prominent figure in the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. He served as a general in the Confederate Army and was killed in action during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.

The Garnett name also has connections to the world of art and culture. Edward Garnett (1868-1937) was an influential English writer, literary critic, and publisher's reader. He played a significant role in promoting the works of authors such as D.H. Lawrence, Joseph Conrad, and W.B. Yeats.

Finally, one cannot overlook the contributions of Constance Garnett (1861-1946), an English translator who introduced many Russian literary masterpieces to the English-speaking world. Her translations of works by authors like Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Anton Chekhov were instrumental in popularizing Russian literature in the West.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Garnett families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Garnett 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 1,105 Garnetts recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.07x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,105 3.07x
Lancashire 1,046 2.43x
Westmorland 309 38.76x
Cheshire 216 2.70x
Middlesex 162 0.45x
Hampshire 138 1.86x
Surrey 109 0.62x
Durham 103 0.95x
Cumberland 93 2.98x
Staffordshire 60 0.49x
Essex 46 0.64x
Lincolnshire 35 0.60x
Kent 33 0.27x
Buckinghamshire 31 1.41x
Derbyshire 24 0.42x
Leicestershire 22 0.55x
Norfolk 21 0.38x
Northumberland 18 0.33x
Nottinghamshire 16 0.33x
Northamptonshire 15 0.44x
Sussex 13 0.21x
Devon 10 0.13x
Shropshire 10 0.32x
Warwickshire 10 0.11x
Cardiganshire 9 1.02x
Glamorgan 7 0.11x
Montgomeryshire 7 0.84x
Dorset 6 0.25x
Merionethshire 6 0.90x
Herefordshire 5 0.34x
Berkshire 4 0.15x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.17x
Somerset 4 0.07x
Suffolk 4 0.09x
Isle of Man 3 0.45x
Bedfordshire 2 0.11x
Gloucestershire 2 0.03x
Hertfordshire 2 0.08x
Monmouthshire 2 0.08x
Argyllshire 1 0.10x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.07x
Channel Islands 1 0.09x
Flintshire 1 0.10x
Oxfordshire 1 0.04x
Stirlingshire 1 0.07x
Wiltshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kendal in Westmorland leads with 131 Garnetts recorded in 1881 and an index of 89.76x.

Place Total Index
Kendal 131 89.76x
Idle 77 46.19x
Bingley 56 24.46x
Halifax 56 10.61x
Carlton In Skipton 48 228.46x
Leeds 45 2.22x
Portsea 40 2.74x
Ulverston 39 31.10x
Morley 37 19.80x
Toxteth Park 37 2.54x
Bradford 36 4.14x
Warrington 33 6.47x
Gomersal 31 18.47x
Preston 29 2.52x
Bury 28 5.69x
Gorton 28 6.92x
Hunslet 28 4.99x
Barrow In Furness 27 4.61x
Armley 26 16.40x
Everton 26 1.90x
Stockport 26 6.31x
Bowling 25 7.02x
Oldham 25 1.80x
St Pancras London 25 0.86x
Garston 24 18.89x
Sheffield 24 2.10x
Penketh 23 148.39x
Newington 22 1.64x
Silkstone 22 123.60x
Manchester 21 1.08x
Nantwich 21 22.57x
Ovenden 21 13.13x
St Marylebone London 21 1.08x
Tottington Lower End 21 10.27x
Millom 20 20.89x
Runcorn 20 10.83x
Skipton 20 17.68x
West Derby 20 1.59x
Wortley In Bramley 20 7.02x
Camberwell 19 0.82x
Hackney London 19 0.93x
Holbeck 19 7.98x
Kirkby Lonsdale 19 88.13x
Lambeth 19 0.60x
Wavertree 19 13.79x
Eccleshill 18 20.57x
Habergham Eaves 18 4.57x
Heversham With Milnthorpe 18 93.75x
Walton On Hill 18 7.72x
Claife 17 248.18x
Didsbury 17 29.74x
Gargrave 17 106.12x
Hawkshead Monk Coniston 17 113.33x
Keighley 17 4.44x
Kimberworth 17 8.52x
Liverpool 17 0.65x
Turton 17 24.12x
Bishops Waltham 16 51.66x
Kirkland 16 94.12x
Leftwich 16 44.98x
Levens 16 136.29x
Aylesbury 15 15.43x
Kensington London 15 0.74x
Worsley 15 5.65x
Accrington 14 3.58x
Great Grimsby 14 3.80x
Pendleton In Salford 14 2.73x
Stretford 14 5.91x
Dalton In Furness 13 7.82x
Elton 13 8.74x
Horton In Bradford 13 2.32x
Clerkenwell London 12 1.40x
Farnworth 12 4.65x
Glossop Dale 12 4.51x
Hart 12 45.64x
Headingley Cum Burley 12 5.19x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 12 7.17x
Lytham 12 18.26x
Salford 12 0.95x
Warley 12 11.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 302
Elizabeth 159
Sarah 148
Margaret 84
Jane 78
Ann 74
Alice 57
Ellen 56
Hannah 55
Annie 48
Eliza 46
Emma 44
Emily 36
Martha 36
Agnes 27
Isabella 27
Florence 21
Harriet 19
Clara 18
Charlotte 17
Maria 17
Eleanor 16
Fanny 16
Esther 14
Frances 14
Ada 13
Caroline 13
Catherine 13
Louisa 13
Lucy 13
Rebecca 12
Amy 11
Anne 11
Edith 11
Susannah 11
Kate 10
Amelia 9
Beatrice 9
Elizth. 9
Nancy 9
Ruth 9
Harriett 8
Ethel 7
Lily 7
Susan 7
Grace 6
Maud 6
Rachel 6
Bertha 5
Margret 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 244
John 233
Thomas 153
James 147
George 136
Robert 64
Joseph 62
Charles 51
Henry 51
Richard 47
Edward 43
Samuel 26
Arthur 23
Walter 21
Alfred 20
Frederick 19
Harry 19
Albert 18
Herbert 17
Ernest 16
Frank 16
David 12
Fred 12
Wm. 12
Thos. 11
Anthony 10
Christopher 10
Francis 10
Edwin 9
Daniel 8
Eli 7
Hartley 6
Isaac 6
Jno. 6
Peter 6
Abraham 5
Benjamin 5
Harold 5
Joshua 5
Tom 5
Amos 4
Edmund 4
Adam 3
Allan 3
Jeremiah 3
Jesse 3
Joe 3
Jonathan 3
Robt. 3
Sam 3

FAQ

Garnett surname: questions and answers

How common was the Garnett surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,722 people were recorded with the Garnett surname. That placed it at #1,230 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Garnett surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,424 in 2016. That gives Garnett a modern rank of #1,538.

What does the Garnett surname mean?

A surname derived from a Norman French word meaning "pomegranate," likely referring to someone who grew or sold the fruit.

What does the Garnett map show?

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