NameCensus.

UK surname

Gebhard

A German surname derived from the Germanic given name "Gerard", which means "brave spear" or "strong with the spear".

In the 1881 census there were 32 people recorded with the Gebhard surname, ranking it #29,082 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 121, ranked #27,399, up from #29,082 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Birmingham and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gebhard is 124 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 278.1%.

1881 census count

32

Ranked #29,082

Modern count

121

2016, ranked #27,399

Peak year

2010

124 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gebhard had 32 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,082 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 121 in 2016, ranked #27,399.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 62 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Gebhard surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gebhard surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gebhard 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 8 #31,867
1861 historical 8 #32,887
1881 historical 32 #29,082
1891 historical 58 #29,439
1901 historical 62 #27,252
1911 historical 62 #26,622
1997 modern 97 #27,342
1998 modern 103 #27,141
1999 modern 109 #26,439
2000 modern 109 #26,381
2001 modern 110 #25,900
2002 modern 110 #26,412
2003 modern 109 #26,361
2004 modern 115 #25,740
2005 modern 119 #25,193
2006 modern 112 #26,415
2007 modern 118 #25,913
2008 modern 115 #26,635
2009 modern 118 #26,766
2010 modern 124 #26,582
2011 modern 122 #26,647
2012 modern 119 #27,100
2013 modern 109 #29,209
2014 modern 120 #27,646
2015 modern 120 #27,561
2016 modern 121 #27,399

Geography

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Where Gebhards 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 Birmingham and Northumberland. 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 Birmingham 008 Birmingham
2 Birmingham 005 Birmingham
3 Northumberland 023 Northumberland
4 Birmingham 017 Birmingham
5 Birmingham 113 Birmingham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gebhard

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gebhard

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Gebhard 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

Gebhard 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

Gebhard falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Gebhard

The surname GEBHARD is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German personal name Gebhart, which is composed of the elements "geb," meaning "gift," and "hart," meaning "hardy" or "strong." The name therefore signifies a strong or hardy gift.

The earliest recorded instances of the name GEBHARD can be found in various German and Swiss records from the 11th and 12th centuries. One notable early bearer was Gebhard III, Count of Supplinburg, who lived from around 1015 to 1098 and served as Bishop of Regensburg from 1060 to 1064.

In the 12th century, the name GEBHARD appeared in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Raitenbuch, a cartulary of the Raitenbucher Monastery in Bavaria, which recorded various land transactions and donations involving individuals with this surname.

The name GEBHARD is also closely associated with several German and Swiss towns and villages, many of which were likely named after early bearers of the surname. These include Gebhardshain in Hesse, Gebhardsmühlen in Rhineland-Palatinate, and Gebhardschwil in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

One of the most notable historical figures bearing the surname GEBHARD was Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg (1547-1601), a German prince-bishop who served as the Prince-Archbishop of Cologne from 1577 to 1583. He was a key figure in the Counter-Reformation and played a significant role in the religious and political conflicts of the time.

Other noteworthy individuals with the surname GEBHARD include Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (1742-1819), a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall who led his army against Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, and Gebhard Fürst zu Waldburg-Zeil-Trauchburg (1899-1976), a German nobleman and resistance fighter against the Nazi regime.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gebhard families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gebhard 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. Warwickshire leads with 14 Gebhards recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.79x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 14 17.79x
Middlesex 9 2.88x
Yorkshire 9 2.91x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 8 Gebhards recorded in 1881 and an index of 30.51x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 8 30.51x
Aston 6 27.69x
Shoreditch London 6 44.35x
Wakefield 6 253.16x
Sheffield 3 30.49x
St Pancras London 2 7.97x
St Marylebone London 1 6.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2
Alice 1
Christiana 1
Elizabeth 1
F. 1
Frishu 1
Kate 1
Katherine 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Maggie 1
Miriam 1
Rachel 1
Rosa 1
Sophie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Martin 3
Christian 2
Henry 2
William 2
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredric 1
Harry 1
John 1
W.L. 1
Wilhelm 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 Gebhard households.

FAQ

Gebhard surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gebhard surname in 1881?

In 1881, 32 people were recorded with the Gebhard surname. That placed it at #29,082 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gebhard surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 121 in 2016. That gives Gebhard a modern rank of #27,399.

What does the Gebhard surname mean?

A German surname derived from the Germanic given name "Gerard", which means "brave spear" or "strong with the spear".

What does the Gebhard map show?

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