NameCensus.

UK surname

Garside

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "greensward side" or "side of the green hill."

In the 1881 census there were 4,328 people recorded with the Garside surname, ranking it #1,033 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,166, ranked #1,629, down from #1,033 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Glossop and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kirklees and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Garside is 5,196 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.7%.

1881 census count

4,328

Ranked #1,033

Modern count

4,166

2016, ranked #1,629

Peak year

1911

5,196 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Garside had 4,328 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,033 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,166 in 2016, ranked #1,629.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,196 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Garside surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Garside surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Garside 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 2,914 #997
1861 historical 2,865 #1,017
1881 historical 4,328 #1,033
1891 historical 4,382 #1,080
1901 historical 4,799 #1,179
1911 historical 5,196 #1,005
1997 modern 4,194 #1,544
1998 modern 4,387 #1,537
1999 modern 4,442 #1,534
2000 modern 4,365 #1,546
2001 modern 4,301 #1,536
2002 modern 4,367 #1,543
2003 modern 4,236 #1,558
2004 modern 4,201 #1,571
2005 modern 4,092 #1,589
2006 modern 4,113 #1,589
2007 modern 4,124 #1,594
2008 modern 4,136 #1,604
2009 modern 4,216 #1,607
2010 modern 4,246 #1,629
2011 modern 4,266 #1,607
2012 modern 4,163 #1,613
2013 modern 4,253 #1,610
2014 modern 4,262 #1,615
2015 modern 4,222 #1,615
2016 modern 4,166 #1,629

Geography

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Where Garsides are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Glossop, Manchester, Almondbury and Huddersfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kirklees and County Durham. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Glossop Derbyshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Almondbury Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Huddersfield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kirklees 055 Kirklees
2 Kirklees 036 Kirklees
3 Kirklees 049 Kirklees
4 County Durham 035 County Durham
5 Kirklees 052 Kirklees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Garside

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Garside

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Garside, 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 Garside surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Garside 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, Garside 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

Garside is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Garside

The surname Garside originated in the northern English counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire during the 12th century. It derives from the Old English words "gara" meaning a triangular piece of land, and "side" meaning a hillside or slope. Thus, the name refers to someone who lived by a triangular hillside or slope.

One of the earliest known records of the name dates back to 1275 in the Wakefield Manor Rolls, where it appears as "de Garsyde". This spelling variation was common during that era. Other early spellings included Garsyde, Garsyde, and Gairsyde.

The Garside name is not found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, but it does appear in various tax rolls and parish records from the 14th century onwards. Some of these early records list individuals like John de Garsyde (1327) and Richard del Garsyde (1379) from Lancashire.

One of the first notable bearers of the name was John Garside (c.1550-1625), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of Wigan in Lancashire. Another early Garside of note was Roger Garside (c.1608-1670), a prosperous yeoman farmer from Yorkshire.

As the centuries passed, the Garside family spread across different parts of northern England. Prominent individuals included Samuel Garside (1736-1805), a successful merchant from Manchester, and Joseph Garside (1828-1891), a renowned landscape painter from Lancashire.

Other famous Garsides throughout history include Sir John Garside (1867-1953), a British civil engineer who helped construct the Manchester Ship Canal, and Edith Garside (1890-1975), an English writer and poet from Yorkshire.

While the Garside name originated in northern England, it eventually spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond through migration and settlement patterns over the centuries. However, it maintains its roots in the historical regions of Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Garside families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Garside 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 1,931 Garsides recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.62x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,931 4.62x
Lancashire 1,495 2.99x
Cheshire 391 4.20x
Derbyshire 163 2.47x
Middlesex 47 0.11x
Staffordshire 34 0.24x
Surrey 34 0.17x
Nottinghamshire 32 0.56x
Durham 29 0.23x
Denbighshire 22 1.38x
Kent 21 0.15x
Westmorland 15 1.62x
Warwickshire 13 0.12x
Northumberland 12 0.19x
Cambridgeshire 9 0.34x
Lincolnshire 9 0.13x
Shropshire 9 0.25x
Lanarkshire 8 0.06x
Berkshire 7 0.22x
Devon 7 0.08x
Bedfordshire 5 0.23x
Glamorgan 5 0.07x
Cumberland 3 0.08x
Northamptonshire 3 0.08x
Royal Navy 3 0.60x
Worcestershire 3 0.05x
Hampshire 2 0.02x
Sussex 2 0.03x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.04x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.06x
Caithness 1 0.17x
Isle of Man 1 0.13x
Midlothian 1 0.02x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.10x
Renfrewshire 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. Ashton Under Lyne in Lancashire leads with 363 Garsides recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.21x.

Place Total Index
Ashton Under Lyne 363 33.21x
Oldham 194 12.02x
Golcar 150 135.82x
Dukinfield 127 29.54x
Linthwaite 103 117.34x
Glossop Dale 102 33.01x
Manchester 93 4.13x
Huddersfield 91 14.95x
Elland Cum Greetland 88 46.77x
Gorton 73 15.53x
North Bierley 72 31.93x
Saddleworth 70 21.73x
Meltham 61 93.90x
Castleton 59 11.81x
Chadderton 57 23.31x
Hunslet 56 8.60x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 55 52.20x
Wyke In Bradford 54 72.29x
Lockwood 51 33.94x
Slaithwaite 48 110.37x
Hayfield 46 113.61x
Holbeck 45 16.26x
Halifax 44 7.18x
Leeds 44 1.87x
Rastrick 44 37.92x
Salford 44 2.99x
Longwood 41 60.90x
Stayley 41 38.55x
Pendleton In Salford 40 6.71x
Liversedge 38 20.44x
Hyde 34 12.38x
Soyland 33 65.86x
Sheffield 31 2.33x
Almondbury 29 14.36x
Bowling 29 7.01x
Crompton 29 20.36x
Worksop 29 17.21x
Moss Side 27 10.26x
Bradford 26 2.57x
Chorlton On Medlock 26 3.27x
Cleckheaton 26 16.90x
Dalton In Huddersfield 26 27.79x
South Crosland 26 59.12x
Ardwick 24 5.32x
Marsden In Almondbury 24 63.16x
Spotland 24 4.32x
Fixby 23 316.37x
Hipperholme Cum 23 12.53x
Stoke Upon Trent 23 1.52x
Bradfield 22 13.66x
Hulme 22 2.11x
Lingards 22 174.46x
Macclesfield 22 5.32x
Congleton 21 13.06x
Honley 21 28.72x
Hunsworth 21 95.80x
Ruabon 21 9.59x
Droylsden 20 12.26x
Stainland Cum Old 20 27.98x
Cheadle 19 10.69x
Batley 18 4.53x
Tintwistle 18 36.20x
Broughton In Salford 17 3.72x
Bury 17 2.98x
Nether Hallam 17 3.01x
Skircoat 17 10.32x
Tong 17 21.07x
Marple 16 25.05x
Mirfield 16 6.98x
Wigan 16 2.29x
Gillingham 15 5.06x
Warley 15 12.43x
Wuerdle Wardle 15 9.88x
Camberwell 14 0.52x
Everton 14 0.88x
Little Bolton 14 2.18x
Wardleworth 14 4.90x
Blackburn 13 0.98x
Layton With Warbreck 13 7.08x
Newton In Ashton Under 13 14.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 332
Sarah 235
Elizabeth 169
Hannah 106
Ann 94
Alice 77
Jane 73
Emma 67
Martha 67
Annie 64
Eliza 54
Ellen 47
Clara 41
Emily 36
Harriet 29
Ada 27
Maria 26
Betty 25
Edith 25
Margaret 25
Lucy 19
Fanny 17
Caroline 16
Florence 16
Louisa 15
Esther 14
Nancy 14
Ethel 13
Bertha 12
Frances 12
Gertrude 11
Matilda 11
Rachel 11
Anne 10
Grace 10
Sophia 10
Lily 9
Susannah 9
Agnes 8
Betsy 8
Charlotte 8
Elizth. 8
Eva 8
Harriett 8
Ruth 8
Selina 8
Amelia 7
Isabella 7
Lilly 7
Lydia 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 276
James 210
William 176
Joseph 145
Thomas 93
George 91
Samuel 59
Henry 57
Robert 56
Alfred 41
Charles 39
Edward 38
Fred 37
Walter 30
Harry 26
Albert 24
Arthur 23
Benjamin 21
Frank 21
Frederick 21
Herbert 21
David 20
Edwin 19
Joe 19
Wm. 19
Richard 18
Tom 16
Joshua 15
Abraham 12
Ben 10
Daniel 10
Eli 10
Sam 10
Willie 10
Wright 9
Hugh 8
Isaac 8
Jonathan 8
Lewis 8
Adam 7
Harold 7
Peter 7
Saml. 7
Allen 6
Edmund 6
Ernest 6
Geo. 6
Seth 6
Dyson 5
Ralph 5

FAQ

Garside surname: questions and answers

How common was the Garside surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,328 people were recorded with the Garside surname. That placed it at #1,033 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Garside surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,166 in 2016. That gives Garside a modern rank of #1,629.

What does the Garside surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "greensward side" or "side of the green hill."

What does the Garside map show?

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