NameCensus.

UK surname

Gaydon

A locational surname referring to someone from Gaydon, a village in Warwickshire, England.

In the 1881 census there were 188 people recorded with the Gaydon surname, ranking it #13,379 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 259, ranked #16,393, down from #13,379 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Fremington, Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cherwell, West Somerset and Bristol.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gaydon is 306 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.8%.

1881 census count

188

Ranked #13,379

Modern count

259

2016, ranked #16,393

Peak year

1911

306 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gaydon had 188 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,379 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 259 in 2016, ranked #16,393.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 306 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Gaydon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gaydon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gaydon 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 137 #13,812
1861 historical 132 #16,957
1881 historical 188 #13,379
1891 historical 247 #12,880
1901 historical 273 #12,409
1911 historical 306 #11,281
1997 modern 273 #14,417
1998 modern 280 #14,550
1999 modern 281 #14,578
2000 modern 273 #14,828
2001 modern 262 #15,034
2002 modern 265 #15,197
2003 modern 268 #14,897
2004 modern 261 #15,274
2005 modern 257 #15,365
2006 modern 257 #15,448
2007 modern 248 #15,994
2008 modern 247 #16,205
2009 modern 251 #16,368
2010 modern 253 #16,652
2011 modern 253 #16,493
2012 modern 249 #16,572
2013 modern 261 #16,309
2014 modern 263 #16,334
2015 modern 262 #16,278
2016 modern 259 #16,393

Geography

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Where Gaydons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Fremington, Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton, London parishes, Swimbridge and Dalton-in-Furness. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cherwell, West Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and North Devon. 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 Fremington Devon
2 Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton Devon
3 London parishes London 3
4 Swimbridge Devon
5 Dalton-in-Furness Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cherwell 009 Cherwell
2 West Somerset 001 West Somerset
3 Bristol 035 Bristol, City of
4 North Somerset 007 North Somerset
5 North Devon 007 North Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gaydon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gaydon

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Gaydon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Gaydon household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Gaydon is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gaydon 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

Gaydon falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Gaydon

The surname GAYDON is of English origin, originating from the village of Gaydon in Warwickshire, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "gaeg" meaning "ravine" or "chasm" and "dun" meaning "hill" or "down," referring to the topographical features of the area where the village was located.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with records showing individuals bearing the surname Gaydon residing in Warwickshire and neighboring counties. One of the earliest documented references is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a John de Gaydon from Warwickshire.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various legal documents and records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where a William Gaydon is listed as residing in Oxfordshire. The Pipe Rolls of 1332 also reference a Robert Gaydon from Warwickshire.

During the medieval period, the GAYDON surname was closely associated with the village of Gaydon, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the name "Geidene." This suggests that the name and its variants were well-established in the region before the Norman Conquest.

Among notable individuals bearing the GAYDON surname throughout history are:

1. Sir John Gaydon (c. 1470-1556), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Warwickshire during the reign of Henry VIII. 2. Thomas Gaydon (c. 1540-1612), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Rector of Killingworth. 3. Edward Gaydon (1670-1737), a prominent English architect known for his work on various churches and country houses in Warwickshire and Oxfordshire. 4. William Gaydon (1792-1868), a British author and poet who published several works, including "The Pleasures of Retirement" and "Rural Scenes." 5. Henry Gaydon (1821-1903), a British engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to agricultural machinery and steam engines.

The GAYDON surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Gaydon Hill in Warwickshire, where the village of Gaydon is located, and Gaydon Farm in Oxfordshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gaydon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gaydon 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. Devon leads with 94 Gaydons recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.63x.

County Total Index
Devon 94 24.63x
Warwickshire 31 6.70x
Middlesex 21 1.15x
Surrey 18 2.01x
Staffordshire 8 1.29x
Gloucestershire 4 1.11x
Hampshire 3 0.80x
Cornwall 2 0.96x
Northamptonshire 2 1.16x
Derbyshire 1 0.35x
Essex 1 0.28x
Glamorgan 1 0.31x
Oxfordshire 1 0.88x
Yorkshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barnstaple in Devon leads with 24 Gaydons recorded in 1881 and an index of 400.67x.

Place Total Index
Barnstaple 24 400.67x
Bishops Tawton 12 1008.40x
Fremington 12 1538.46x
Old Stratford 10 381.68x
Harborne 8 40.32x
Budbrooke 7 1489.36x
St Giles In Fields London 7 77.78x
Hackney London 6 5.84x
Ilfracombe 6 152.67x
New Brentford 5 515.46x
South Molton 5 238.10x
Bristol St James St Paul 4 33.36x
Filleigh 4 1904.76x
Kingston On Thames 4 18.64x
Landkey 4 1081.08x
Norton Lindsey 4 4444.44x
Richmond 4 31.95x
Streatham 4 29.39x
Swimbridge 4 519.48x
Basingstoke 3 69.44x
Ilmington 3 600.00x
Lambeth 3 1.88x
Plymouth St Andrew 3 10.20x
Tawstock 3 441.18x
Aston 2 1.57x
Birmingham 2 1.30x
Chittlehampton 2 212.77x
Devonport 2 45.56x
East Stonehouse 2 26.60x
Hatherleigh 2 210.53x
Horwood 2 2857.14x
Maker 2 104.17x
Stoke Damerel 2 7.49x
Tormoham 2 12.38x
Bideford 1 24.45x
Blakesley 1 384.62x
Brackley St Peter 1 84.75x
Clerkenwell London 1 2.31x
Croydon 1 2.02x
Derby St Peter 1 10.94x
East Buckland 1 909.09x
Fenny Compton 1 270.27x
Great Torrington 1 46.30x
Horton In Bradford 1 3.52x
Islington London 1 0.56x
Neithrop 1 26.25x
Putney 1 11.96x
Shoreditch London 1 1.26x
Southam 1 89.29x
Swansea Town 1 3.82x
Walthanstow 1 166.67x
Woking 1 18.55x
Wolston Marston 1 285.71x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 18
John 10
George 9
Robert 8
Henry 6
Thomas 6
Alfred 3
Frank 3
Frederick 3
Samuel 3
Albert 2
Ernest 2
Richard 2
Alex. 1
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Daniel 1
Edwd. 1
Edwin 1
F. 1
Harry 1
James 1
Jonathan 1
Joseph 1
Lionel 1
Percy 1
Solomon 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Gaydon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gaydon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 188 people were recorded with the Gaydon surname. That placed it at #13,379 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gaydon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 259 in 2016. That gives Gaydon a modern rank of #16,393.

What does the Gaydon surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Gaydon, a village in Warwickshire, England.

What does the Gaydon map show?

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