NameCensus.

UK surname

Gedge

A surname derived from the Old English "gedde" meaning a pike fish.

In the 1881 census there were 585 people recorded with the Gedge surname, ranking it #5,965 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 592, ranked #8,814, down from #5,965 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Walsham, North and Buckenham, Old. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fenland, South Norfolk and North Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gedge is 809 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.2%.

1881 census count

585

Ranked #5,965

Modern count

592

2016, ranked #8,814

Peak year

1911

809 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gedge had 585 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,965 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 592 in 2016, ranked #8,814.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 809 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Gedge surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gedge surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gedge 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 390 #6,155
1861 historical 368 #6,935
1881 historical 585 #5,965
1891 historical 626 #6,177
1901 historical 727 #6,096
1911 historical 809 #5,431
1997 modern 620 #7,967
1998 modern 634 #8,065
1999 modern 629 #8,168
2000 modern 649 #7,942
2001 modern 637 #7,904
2002 modern 625 #8,209
2003 modern 597 #8,368
2004 modern 623 #8,109
2005 modern 597 #8,299
2006 modern 581 #8,485
2007 modern 575 #8,629
2008 modern 577 #8,660
2009 modern 574 #8,880
2010 modern 557 #9,270
2011 modern 557 #9,170
2012 modern 565 #8,993
2013 modern 586 #8,883
2014 modern 586 #8,954
2015 modern 591 #8,828
2016 modern 592 #8,814

Geography

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Where Gedges are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Walsham, North, Buckenham, Old, Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fenland, South Norfolk, North Norfolk and Leeds. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Walsham, North Norfolk
3 Buckenham, Old Norfolk
4 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk
5 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fenland 003 Fenland
2 South Norfolk 011 South Norfolk
3 Fenland 001 Fenland
4 North Norfolk 014 North Norfolk
5 Leeds 033 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gedge

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gedge

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gedge, 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 Gedge surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Gedge 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Gedge 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

Gedge is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Gedge

The surname GEDGE is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a toponymic name, derived from a place name referring to the Old English words "geat" meaning "gate" and "eg" meaning "island" or "piece of dry ground in a fen or marsh." This suggests that the name may have originated from a location that was an island or elevated ground near a gate or entrance.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gedge" in the county of Suffolk. This indicates that the name was already established in East Anglia by the late 11th century.

Over the centuries, the name has been spelled in various ways, including Gedge, Gidge, Gydge, and Gedges. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.

Notable individuals with the surname GEDGE throughout history include:

1. Robert Gedge (c. 1530-1604), an English Member of Parliament for Ipswich in 1571 and 1586. 2. John Gedge (1594-1665), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Cranworth in Norfolk. 3. Thomas Gedge (1648-1714), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Sudbury in 1698 and 1701. 4. William Gedge (1760-1827), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in Suffolk and Norfolk. 5. Henry Gedge (1850-1920), a British Army officer who served in the Anglo-Zulu War and the Second Boer War.

The name GEDGE has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Gedge Hill in Suffolk and Gedge Lane in Norfolk, further reinforcing its geographic origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gedge families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gedge 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. Norfolk leads with 250 Gedges recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.44x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 250 28.44x
Surrey 69 2.48x
Middlesex 62 1.08x
Yorkshire 48 0.85x
Kent 23 1.18x
Gloucestershire 17 1.52x
Suffolk 17 2.44x
Sussex 16 1.66x
Staffordshire 14 0.73x
Buckinghamshire 12 3.47x
Cambridgeshire 11 3.04x
Hampshire 11 0.94x
Lancashire 7 0.10x
Cornwall 5 0.77x
Warwickshire 5 0.35x
Essex 4 0.35x
Lincolnshire 3 0.33x
Pembrokeshire 2 1.10x
Bedfordshire 1 0.34x
Berkshire 1 0.23x
Brecknockshire 1 0.87x
Derbyshire 1 0.11x
Devon 1 0.08x
Hertfordshire 1 0.25x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.88x
Midlothian 1 0.13x
Oxfordshire 1 0.28x
Worcestershire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Yarmouth in Norfolk leads with 53 Gedges recorded in 1881 and an index of 72.80x.

Place Total Index
Great Yarmouth 53 72.80x
Honing 26 4126.98x
Heigham 24 50.88x
Lambeth 21 4.21x
Leeds 15 4.69x
St Marylebone London 13 4.26x
Wortley In Bramley 13 28.98x
Westbury On Trym 10 26.33x
Chesterton 9 80.65x
East Bergholt 9 386.27x
Ludham 9 576.92x
Old Buckenham 9 400.00x
Brighton 8 4.11x
Norwich St John Sepulchre 8 140.35x
Reigate Foreign 8 26.53x
Smallburgh 8 769.23x
Stoke Poges 8 190.02x
Coltishall 7 374.33x
Filey 7 152.84x
Hemsby 7 551.18x
Horsey 7 1794.87x
Islington London 7 1.26x
Newington 7 3.32x
Tettenhall 7 59.32x
Thorpe Next Norwich 7 75.11x
Greenwich 6 6.59x
Holbeck 6 15.99x
Methwold 6 211.27x
Mitcham 6 34.09x
North Walsham 6 94.64x
Norwich St James 6 86.96x
Swanton Abbott 6 606.06x
Aston 5 1.26x
Banham 5 223.21x
Bristol St Stephen 5 171.82x
Caistor Next Yarmouth 5 161.81x
Chelsea London 5 2.90x
Dorking 5 26.74x
Enfield 5 13.33x
Halliwell 5 20.25x
Kensington London 5 1.57x
Lewisham 5 4.81x
Mylor 5 115.21x
St George Hanover Square 5 4.96x
Blofield 4 178.57x
Brundall 4 3636.36x
Carleton St Peter 4 2222.22x
Norwich St Peter Mancroft 4 90.70x
Waxham 4 1379.31x
West Meon 4 254.78x
Willenhall 4 11.07x
Wimbledon 4 12.79x
Barwick In Elmet 3 69.12x
Battersea 3 1.43x
Blundeston 3 214.29x
Bromley 3 10.09x
Camberwell 3 0.82x
Cratfield 3 309.28x
Hackford In Aylsham 3 189.87x
Hackney London 3 0.94x
Havant 3 50.59x
Ludborough 3 441.18x
Paddington London 3 1.43x
St George In East London 3 5.58x
Subdeanary 3 115.83x
Tottenham 3 3.30x
Burgh St Margaret 2 185.19x
Burnham 2 45.45x
Caterham 2 16.25x
Deal 2 12.02x
Gorleston 2 11.31x
Halvergate 2 210.53x
Hastings St Mary In The 2 9.73x
Martham 2 93.02x
Ormesby St Margaret W 2 90.91x
Rowner 2 526.32x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 1.74x
Stokesby With Herringby 2 307.69x
West Ham 2 0.80x
Wolverhampton 2 1.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 37
John 28
George 24
Charles 19
James 17
Arthur 14
Robert 11
Alfred 9
Edward 9
Frederick 7
Christopher 6
Thomas 6
Walter 6
Daniel 5
Jonathan 5
Henry 4
Herbert 4
Horace 4
Sydney 4
Albert 3
Edwin 3
Francis 3
Martin 3
Samuel 3
Frank 2
Joseph 2
Matthew 2
Percy 2
Richard 2
David 1
Denny 1
E.C. 1
Earnest 1
Ernest 1
Flaxman 1
Fred.W. 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Gains 1
Geo.E. 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Infant 1
Jack 1
Jacob 1
Leslie 1
Lionel 1
Mark 1
Reames 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Gedge surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gedge surname in 1881?

In 1881, 585 people were recorded with the Gedge surname. That placed it at #5,965 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gedge surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 592 in 2016. That gives Gedge a modern rank of #8,814.

What does the Gedge surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English "gedde" meaning a pike fish.

What does the Gedge map show?

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