NameCensus.

UK surname

Gaunt

Derived from a nickname referring to a thin or haggard appearance.

In the 1881 census there were 2,944 people recorded with the Gaunt surname, ranking it #1,521 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,775, ranked #1,788, down from #1,521 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Calverley, Batley and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Leeds, North East Derbyshire and Trafford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gaunt is 4,220 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.2%.

1881 census count

2,944

Ranked #1,521

Modern count

3,775

2016, ranked #1,788

Peak year

1911

4,220 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gaunt had 2,944 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,521 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,775 in 2016, ranked #1,788.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,220 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Gaunt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gaunt surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gaunt 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 1,850 #1,561
1861 historical 1,828 #1,582
1881 historical 2,944 #1,521
1891 historical 3,048 #1,544
1901 historical 3,799 #1,478
1911 historical 4,220 #1,233
1997 modern 3,864 #1,681
1998 modern 3,957 #1,710
1999 modern 4,014 #1,696
2000 modern 4,009 #1,686
2001 modern 3,900 #1,698
2002 modern 3,963 #1,705
2003 modern 3,877 #1,709
2004 modern 3,830 #1,733
2005 modern 3,791 #1,721
2006 modern 3,815 #1,719
2007 modern 3,849 #1,717
2008 modern 3,821 #1,737
2009 modern 3,911 #1,736
2010 modern 3,984 #1,747
2011 modern 3,935 #1,738
2012 modern 3,859 #1,741
2013 modern 3,903 #1,753
2014 modern 3,894 #1,764
2015 modern 3,833 #1,773
2016 modern 3,775 #1,788

Geography

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Where Gaunts are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Leeds, North East Derbyshire, Trafford and Amber Valley. 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 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 London parishes London 2
5 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Leeds 105 Leeds
2 Leeds 076 Leeds
3 North East Derbyshire 009 North East Derbyshire
4 Trafford 017 Trafford
5 Amber Valley 008 Amber Valley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gaunt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gaunt

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

Gaunt 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

Gaunt falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Gaunt

The surname Gaunt originated in England, likely derived from the Old French word "gant" or "gante," meaning "thin" or "slender." It emerged as a descriptive nickname for a thin or slender person during the Middle Ages when surnames were first adopted.

The name Gaunt can be traced back to the 11th century and is found in various historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and tenants in England following the Norman Conquest. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Gaunt, who held lands in Lincolnshire in the late 11th century.

The Gaunt surname is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most prominent was John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (1340-1399), the fourth son of King Edward III of England. He played a significant role in the political and military affairs of England during the late 14th century.

Another notable bearer of the name was Elizabeth Woodville Gaunt (c. 1437-1492), who was the wife of Edward IV, King of England. She was a member of the House of Woodville and played an influential role in the Wars of the Roses.

In the 17th century, John Gaunt (1592-1672) was an English Puritan clergyman and a member of the Westminster Assembly, which played a crucial role in the English Civil War and the establishment of Presbyterianism in England.

The name Gaunt has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Gaunts Earthcott in Somerset and Gaunts Common in Dorset. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the presence of families bearing the name in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the surname Gaunt include Thomas Gaunt (c. 1555-1595), an English Catholic martyr executed during the reign of Elizabeth I, and Humphrey Gaunt (c. 1557-1629), an English Catholic priest and writer.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gaunt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gaunt 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 1,507 Gaunts recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.29x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,507 5.29x
Staffordshire 217 2.24x
Lancashire 187 0.55x
Derbyshire 149 3.31x
Huntingdonshire 103 18.04x
Middlesex 94 0.33x
Lincolnshire 91 1.98x
Warwickshire 89 1.23x
Cheshire 81 1.28x
Nottinghamshire 69 1.78x
Surrey 64 0.46x
Kent 44 0.45x
Bedfordshire 37 2.48x
Worcestershire 33 0.88x
Northamptonshire 32 1.18x
Leicestershire 29 0.91x
Durham 18 0.21x
Essex 12 0.21x
Cambridgeshire 10 0.55x
Norfolk 10 0.23x
Ayrshire 9 0.42x
Northumberland 8 0.19x
Buckinghamshire 6 0.35x
Glamorgan 6 0.12x
Lanarkshire 6 0.06x
Hampshire 5 0.08x
Renfrewshire 5 0.22x
Royal Navy 4 1.17x
Wiltshire 4 0.16x
Gloucestershire 3 0.05x
Suffolk 3 0.09x
Hertfordshire 2 0.10x
Oxfordshire 2 0.11x
Shropshire 2 0.08x
Somerset 2 0.04x
Anglesey 1 0.20x
Channel Islands 1 0.12x
Cumberland 1 0.04x
Isle of Man 1 0.19x
Sussex 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Pudsey in Yorkshire leads with 298 Gaunts recorded in 1881 and an index of 195.64x.

Place Total Index
Pudsey 298 195.64x
Leeds 126 7.83x
Armley 101 80.36x
Wortley In Bramley 95 42.09x
Morley 80 54.00x
Bramley In Bramley 75 68.75x
Birmingham 52 2.15x
Calverley Cum Farsley 51 63.03x
Headingley Cum Burley 47 25.62x
Barnsley 40 13.61x
Aston 35 1.75x
Bradford 26 3.77x
Wolverhampton 26 3.48x
Horsforth 25 40.01x
Hunslet 25 5.63x
Brampton 24 38.14x
St Pancras London 24 1.04x
Drighlington 22 53.00x
Batley 21 7.75x
Bermondsey 21 2.45x
Denby 21 136.54x
Dewsbury 21 7.19x
Abbots Ripton 20 515.46x
Raunds 20 72.62x
Belper 19 21.77x
Bradfield 19 17.29x
Lockwood 18 17.56x
Halifax 17 4.06x
Leek Lowe 17 13.16x
Nether Hallam 17 4.41x
Nottingham St Mary 17 1.70x
Rocester 17 141.31x
Boston 16 11.47x
Goldington 16 280.70x
Leicester St Margaret 16 2.06x
Ripley 16 28.75x
West Derby 15 1.50x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 15 26.55x
Huddersfield 14 3.37x
Preston 14 1.53x
Shelley 14 83.98x
West Bromwich 14 2.52x
Bilston 13 6.91x
Burton Upon Trent 13 5.72x
Congleton 13 11.85x
Eynesbury 13 98.26x
Holy Trinity 13 1.90x
Islington London 13 0.47x
Manningham 13 3.70x
St Ives 13 43.90x
Balby Cum Hexthorpe 12 35.28x
Bulwell 12 14.24x
Lambeth 12 0.48x
Matlock 12 19.85x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 11 10.63x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 11 15.30x
Peterborough 11 5.62x
Rusholme 11 12.09x
Sedgley 11 3.05x
Shipley 11 7.44x
Tottenham 11 2.40x
Wombwell 11 13.24x
Cheetham 10 3.93x
Crich 10 34.04x
Downham Market 10 32.92x
Horton In Bradford 10 2.25x
Huntingdon St Benedict 10 139.66x
Kirkdale 10 1.74x
Skircoat 10 8.90x
Yeadon 10 15.54x
Alvechurch 9 56.32x
Doveridge 9 131.39x
Hothfield 9 283.02x
Keighley 9 2.96x
Oldham 9 0.82x
Pendleton In Salford 9 2.21x
Southwark St George Martyr 9 1.56x
Stoke Upon Trent 9 0.87x
Bradford 8 5.01x
Dailly 8 36.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 202
Sarah 154
Elizabeth 91
Ann 65
Emma 63
Jane 54
Annie 46
Martha 44
Hannah 43
Eliza 42
Alice 40
Emily 39
Ellen 36
Harriet 30
Louisa 25
Clara 24
Florence 20
Edith 18
Frances 16
Charlotte 15
Ada 13
Kate 13
Maria 13
Lydia 12
Agnes 11
Caroline 10
Margaret 10
Fanny 9
Minnie 9
Ruth 9
Catherine 8
Rhoda 8
Rose 8
Amelia 7
Anne 7
Jessie 7
Rebecca 7
Susan 7
Esther 6
Grace 6
Lilly 6
Lucy 6
Amy 5
Betsy 5
Gertrude 5
Harriett 5
Maud 5
Susannah 5
Henrietta 4
Rachel 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 183
William 161
Joseph 106
James 76
George 71
Thomas 69
Samuel 62
Charles 52
Arthur 46
Henry 44
Walter 38
Alfred 36
Harry 22
Benjamin 21
Edward 21
Frederick 21
David 19
Robert 19
Albert 18
Herbert 17
Edwin 14
Ernest 13
Fred 12
Joshua 12
Richard 12
Frank 11
Wm. 11
Thos. 9
Matthew 8
Percy 6
Willie 5
Ben 4
Earnest 4
Harold 4
Isaac 4
Mathew 4
Ralph 4
Simeon 4
Tom 4
Benjn. 3
Chas. 3
Cook 3
Daniel 3
Francis 3
Geo. 3
Jonas 3
Moses 3
Nathaniel 3
Reuben 3
Sidney 3

FAQ

Gaunt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gaunt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,944 people were recorded with the Gaunt surname. That placed it at #1,521 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gaunt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,775 in 2016. That gives Gaunt a modern rank of #1,788.

What does the Gaunt surname mean?

Derived from a nickname referring to a thin or haggard appearance.

What does the Gaunt map show?

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