NameCensus.

UK surname

Geal

In the 1881 census there were 242 people recorded with the Geal surname, ranking it #11,333 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 304, ranked #14,606, down from #11,333 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew, London parishes and Paddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Isle of Anglesey, Tandridge and Horsham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Geal is 325 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.6%.

1881 census count

242

Ranked #11,333

Modern count

304

2016, ranked #14,606

Peak year

1998

325 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Geal had 242 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,333 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 304 in 2016, ranked #14,606.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 316 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Geal surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Geal surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Geal 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 126 #14,626
1861 historical 189 #12,570
1881 historical 242 #11,333
1891 historical 311 #10,781
1901 historical 289 #11,944
1911 historical 316 #11,031
1997 modern 310 #13,241
1998 modern 325 #13,166
1999 modern 321 #13,362
2000 modern 311 #13,588
2001 modern 301 #13,700
2002 modern 305 #13,865
2003 modern 310 #13,522
2004 modern 309 #13,618
2005 modern 290 #14,140
2006 modern 287 #14,295
2007 modern 283 #14,579
2008 modern 293 #14,364
2009 modern 309 #14,135
2010 modern 306 #14,529
2011 modern 304 #14,475
2012 modern 302 #14,451
2013 modern 312 #14,332
2014 modern 304 #14,703
2015 modern 297 #14,863
2016 modern 304 #14,606

Geography

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Where Geals are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew, London parishes, Paddington, Reigate and Croydon, Battersea (Penge), Sanderstead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Isle of Anglesey, Tandridge, Horsham and Worthing. 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 Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew Sussex
2 London parishes London 1
3 Paddington London (West Districts)
4 Reigate Surrey
5 Croydon, Battersea (Penge), Sanderstead Surrey

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Isle of Anglesey 009 Isle of Anglesey
2 Tandridge 007 Tandridge
3 Horsham 009 Horsham
4 Horsham 015 Horsham
5 Worthing 007 Worthing

Forenames

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First names often paired with Geal

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Geal

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Geal is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Geal is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Geal families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Geal 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. Sussex leads with 109 Geals recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.62x.

County Total Index
Sussex 109 27.62x
Surrey 70 6.14x
Middlesex 32 1.37x
Kent 6 0.75x
Bedfordshire 5 4.13x
Gloucestershire 5 1.09x
Glamorgan 3 0.74x
Yorkshire 3 0.13x
Berkshire 1 0.57x
Devon 1 0.21x
Dorset 1 0.65x
Hampshire 1 0.21x
Lancashire 1 0.04x
Leicestershire 1 0.39x
Wiltshire 1 0.48x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Chiltington in Sussex leads with 24 Geals recorded in 1881 and an index of 4705.88x.

Place Total Index
West Chiltington 24 4705.88x
Ripe 22 7096.77x
Nutfield 16 1860.47x
Reigate Foreign 16 129.55x
Pulborough 13 896.55x
Camberwell 12 8.03x
Horley 10 523.56x
Mile End Old Town London 9 18.07x
Uckfield 9 523.26x
Hastings St Clement 8 215.63x
Battle 7 263.16x
Shipley 7 786.52x
St Pancras London 7 3.71x
Croydon 6 9.48x
Islington London 6 2.64x
Cheam 5 409.84x
Old Warden 5 1250.00x
Westerham 5 271.74x
Bitton 4 100.00x
Hastings St Leonards 4 68.97x
Hastings St Mary 4 40.73x
St Marylebone London 4 3.20x
Aberdare 3 10.72x
Chalvington 3 3000.00x
Middlesbrough 3 9.93x
Hampstead London 2 5.49x
Willesden 2 9.06x
Allington 1 72.99x
Bottesford 1 93.46x
Brighton 1 1.26x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 6.53x
Caterham 1 19.84x
Chailey 1 81.97x
Clewer 1 13.89x
Cliffe 1 55.56x
Epsom 1 17.99x
Fulham London 1 2.95x
Fulwood 1 33.33x
Hastings St Michael 1 357.14x
Holdenhurst 1 7.94x
Hove 1 5.77x
Lindfield 1 59.88x
Newington 1 1.16x
Ore 1 34.01x
Paddington London 1 1.16x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 2.66x
Preshute 1 78.74x
Preston 1 14.51x
Reigate Borough 1 38.02x
Tandridge 1 204.08x
Thakeham 1 227.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Elizabeth 9
Ellen 8
Sarah 8
Emily 7
Caroline 6
Eliza 6
Emma 6
Jane 6
Alice 4
Annie 4
Martha 4
Ann 3
Fanny 3
Louisa 3
Agnes 2
Clara 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Lucy 2
... 1
...lda 1
Amelia 1
Amnie 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Catherine 1
Dorcas 1
Esther 1
Frances 1
Harrett 1
Harriet 1
Lillian 1
Linda 1
Lois 1
Lydia 1
Margarita 1
Marian 1
Naomi 1
Orpah 1
Philadelphia 1
Rose 1
Selina 1
Sophia 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Geal surname: questions and answers

How common was the Geal surname in 1881?

In 1881, 242 people were recorded with the Geal surname. That placed it at #11,333 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Geal surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 304 in 2016. That gives Geal a modern rank of #14,606.

What does the Geal map show?

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