NameCensus.

UK surname

Gearon

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word 'gearr' meaning short or small.

In the 1881 census there were 29 people recorded with the Gearon surname, ranking it #29,484 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 87, ranked #32,476, down from #29,484 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Swindon, Elie Colinsburgh and Largoward and Newport.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gearon is 104 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 200.0%.

1881 census count

29

Ranked #29,484

Modern count

87

2016, ranked #32,476

Peak year

1998

104 bearers

Map years

1

1998 to 1998

Key insights

  • Gearon had 29 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,484 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 87 in 2016, ranked #32,476.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 49 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Gearon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gearon surname density by area, 1998 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gearon 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 10 #31,497
1861 historical 41 #28,839
1881 historical 29 #29,484
1891 historical 49 #30,349
1901 historical 43 #29,380
1911 historical 46 #28,224
1997 modern 99 #27,039
1998 modern 104 #26,981
1999 modern 99 #27,906
2000 modern 96 #28,299
2001 modern 91 #28,670
2002 modern 94 #28,797
2003 modern 89 #29,380
2004 modern 91 #29,345
2005 modern 89 #29,683
2006 modern 92 #29,576
2007 modern 96 #29,339
2008 modern 99 #29,181
2009 modern 101 #29,445
2010 modern 97 #30,697
2011 modern 93 #31,169
2012 modern 96 #30,949
2013 modern 88 #32,349
2014 modern 90 #32,309
2015 modern 91 #32,153
2016 modern 87 #32,476

Geography

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Where Gearons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Swindon, Elie Colinsburgh and Largoward, Newport and South Hams. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Swindon 019 Swindon
2 Elie Colinsburgh and Largoward Fife
3 Newport 019 Newport
4 Swindon 015 Swindon
5 South Hams 002 South Hams

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gearon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gearon

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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Gearon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Gearon household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Gearon is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Gearon is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gearon 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 Gearon is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Gearon, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Gearon

The surname GEARON originated in Ireland, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Irish Gaelic words "gearr" meaning short, and "ann" meaning person, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a short or small person.

One of the earliest known records of the GEARON surname can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, a collection of official records from the late 16th century. These records mention a Thomas Gearon, who was granted land in County Westmeath, Ireland, in 1591.

In the 17th century, the GEARON name appeared in various Irish records, such as the Census of Ireland from 1659, which listed several GEARON families living in counties like Westmeath, Longford, and Roscommon. This suggests that the name was particularly prevalent in the midlands region of Ireland during this time.

A notable figure with the GEARON surname was John Gearon (1738-1801), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. He was appointed to this position in 1786 and held it until his death in 1801.

Another historical figure was Michael Gearon (1842-1913), an Irish-American soldier who fought for the Union during the American Civil War. He was born in County Westmeath and later immigrated to the United States, where he enlisted in the 25th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.

In the late 19th century, the GEARON surname began to appear in various locations around the world, likely due to Irish immigration. For example, Hugh Gearon (1856-1928) was an Irish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1894 to 1904.

The name GEARON has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Gearonspark, a townland in County Kildare, and Gearonstown, a townland in County Westmeath. These place names may have derived from the surname itself or vice versa.

While the GEARON surname is not as common as some other Irish surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by notable individuals throughout the centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the Irish midlands and the meaning "short person" in Gaelic.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gearon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gearon 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. Middlesex leads with 14 Gearons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.79x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 14 4.79x
Monmouthshire 9 42.57x
Essex 5 8.66x
Anglesey 1 19.31x
Gloucestershire 1 1.74x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Woollos in Monmouthshire leads with 9 Gearons recorded in 1881 and an index of 381.36x.

Place Total Index
St Woollos 9 381.36x
St Anne Soho London 6 359.28x
Fryerning 5 7142.86x
Westminster St John 4 112.36x
St Andrew Holborn London 2 157.48x
Ealing 1 38.31x
Holyhead 1 103.09x
Quedgley 1 2000.00x
St George Bloomsbury 1 59.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3
Emma 2
Agnes 1
Annie 1
Bridget 1
Elizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Eva 1
Frances 1
Grace 1
Jane 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Norah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 2
Joseph 2
Thomas 2
Charles 1
Dan 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Henry 1
James 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Gearon households.

FAQ

Gearon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gearon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 29 people were recorded with the Gearon surname. That placed it at #29,484 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gearon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 87 in 2016. That gives Gearon a modern rank of #32,476.

What does the Gearon surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word 'gearr' meaning short or small.

What does the Gearon map show?

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