NameCensus.

UK surname

Gentry

A surname referring to a person of noble birth, or one who is well-mannered and courteous.

In the 1881 census there were 968 people recorded with the Gentry surname, ranking it #4,014 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,314, ranked #4,569, down from #4,014 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bocking, London parishes and Burstead, Great. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chelmsford, Tendring and Babergh.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gentry is 1,395 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.7%.

1881 census count

968

Ranked #4,014

Modern count

1,314

2016, ranked #4,569

Peak year

1911

1,395 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gentry had 968 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,014 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,314 in 2016, ranked #4,569.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,395 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Gentry surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gentry surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gentry 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 656 #3,955
1861 historical 616 #4,325
1881 historical 968 #4,014
1891 historical 1,055 #3,976
1901 historical 1,258 #3,940
1911 historical 1,395 #3,463
1997 modern 1,339 #4,296
1998 modern 1,386 #4,313
1999 modern 1,368 #4,396
2000 modern 1,376 #4,356
2001 modern 1,369 #4,280
2002 modern 1,381 #4,338
2003 modern 1,304 #4,474
2004 modern 1,317 #4,434
2005 modern 1,294 #4,446
2006 modern 1,289 #4,480
2007 modern 1,293 #4,505
2008 modern 1,292 #4,535
2009 modern 1,318 #4,554
2010 modern 1,349 #4,542
2011 modern 1,348 #4,502
2012 modern 1,310 #4,543
2013 modern 1,346 #4,507
2014 modern 1,364 #4,488
2015 modern 1,352 #4,477
2016 modern 1,314 #4,569

Geography

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Where Gentrys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bocking, London parishes, Burstead, Great and Layer-de-la-Hay. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chelmsford, Tendring, Babergh, Leeds and Wakefield. 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 Bocking Essex
2 London parishes London 1
3 Burstead, Great Essex
4 Layer-de-la-Hay Essex
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chelmsford 001 Chelmsford
2 Tendring 007 Tendring
3 Babergh 010 Babergh
4 Leeds 096 Leeds
5 Wakefield 027 Wakefield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gentry

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gentry

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Gentry is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Gentry 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

Gentry falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Gentry

The surname Gentry is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old French word "genterie", meaning "nobility" or "high birth". The name was initially given to individuals who were members of the gentry class, which was the class of people just below the nobility in the social hierarchy.

Gentry is a variant spelling of the word "gentry", which was originally used to refer to the landed gentry, a class of landowners who were not part of the nobility but still held a significant amount of wealth and social status. The earliest recorded use of the surname Gentry dates back to the 13th century, with records showing individuals with this name living in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Staffordshire.

In the 14th century, the name Gentry appeared in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were a survey of landholdings in England. One notable individual with the surname Gentry was Sir Robert Gentry, who was born in 1330 and served as a knight during the reign of Edward III.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Gentry continued to be associated with individuals of high social standing. One notable example is Thomas Gentry, who was born in 1555 and served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Stafford in 1597.

As the years passed, the surname Gentry spread beyond England and became established in other parts of the world, including the United States. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in America was Samuel Gentry, who was born in Virginia in 1677.

Another notable individual with the surname Gentry was Meredith Poindexter Gentry, who was born in North Carolina in 1809 and served as a lawyer, politician, and brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.

In more recent times, the surname Gentry has been carried by several notable individuals, including the American country music singer-songwriter Earl Eugene Gentry, better known by his stage name, Mickey Gilley, who was born in 1936. Additionally, Curt Gentry, an American author and historian who wrote several books on topics such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, was born in 1931.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gentry families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gentry 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. Essex leads with 458 Gentrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.57x.

County Total Index
Essex 458 24.57x
Middlesex 229 2.43x
Surrey 81 1.76x
Kent 53 1.65x
Suffolk 47 4.09x
Yorkshire 13 0.14x
Cambridgeshire 10 1.67x
Hampshire 10 0.52x
Perthshire 9 2.12x
Lancashire 8 0.07x
Dorset 7 1.13x
Cheshire 6 0.29x
Lincolnshire 5 0.33x
Northumberland 5 0.36x
East Lothian 4 3.20x
Staffordshire 4 0.13x
Berkshire 3 0.42x
Leicestershire 3 0.29x
Bedfordshire 2 0.41x
Durham 2 0.07x
Sussex 2 0.13x
Devon 1 0.05x
Northamptonshire 1 0.11x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.08x
Renfrewshire 1 0.14x
Somerset 1 0.07x
Warwickshire 1 0.04x
Worcestershire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Ham in Essex leads with 48 Gentrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.66x.

Place Total Index
West Ham 48 11.66x
Hackney London 45 8.50x
Bocking 42 374.67x
Great Burstead 31 457.23x
Great Waltham 23 303.03x
Mile End Old Town London 21 10.45x
St Pancras London 19 2.50x
Braintree 18 107.53x
Kensington London 17 3.24x
Layer De La Hay 17 765.77x
Mundon 15 1442.31x
Southwark St Saviour 15 30.91x
St Osyth 15 331.13x
Barking 12 22.00x
Fulham London 12 8.76x
Grays Thurrock 12 69.24x
Great Totham 12 495.87x
Lambeth 12 1.46x
Brightlingsea 11 103.29x
Maldon St Peter 11 115.79x
Rainham 11 270.94x
Rayne 11 839.69x
Bethnal Green London 10 2.44x
Chiswick 10 19.38x
Croydon 10 3.92x
Hammersmith London 10 4.30x
Plumstead 10 9.31x
St Andrewthe Less 10 14.63x
Weybridge 10 101.32x
Bow London 9 7.49x
Islington London 9 0.98x
Chelmsford 8 25.02x
Colchester Holy Trinity 8 193.70x
Newington 8 2.29x
Poplar London 8 4.49x
St Marylebone London 8 1.59x
Battersea 7 2.01x
Goldhanger 7 434.78x
Ipswich St Nicholas 7 110.41x
Orford 7 188.68x
Shoreditch London 7 1.71x
St George Martyr London 7 36.59x
Tonbridge 7 6.02x
West Bergholt 7 201.15x
West Mersea 7 196.08x
Assington 6 250.00x
Camberwell 6 0.99x
Canterbury St Mary 6 27.75x
Fryerning 6 263.16x
Hadleigh 6 53.76x
Hordle 6 178.04x
Little Waltham 6 320.86x
Liverpool 6 0.88x
Maldon St Marys 6 134.23x
Milton In Gravesend 6 12.42x
Mountnessing 6 212.01x
Shilling Okeford 6 327.87x
Wortley In Bramley 6 8.10x
Great Bentley 5 168.92x
Lexden 5 66.84x
Leyton Low 5 13.20x
Little Thurrock 5 335.57x
Nantwich 5 20.64x
Rotherhithe 5 4.29x
Stanford Le Hope 5 187.27x
Thorpe 5 253.81x
Westminster St John 5 4.35x
Woolwich 5 4.20x
Byker 4 5.76x
Dagenham 4 36.07x
East Hanningfield 4 305.34x
Hatfield Peverel 4 99.50x
Laindon 4 388.35x
Lewisham 4 2.33x
Middlesbrough 4 3.28x
Perth East Church 4 10.01x
Reigate Borough 4 37.70x
St Nicholas Lincoln 4 27.72x
Stratford St Mary 4 242.42x
Whitekirk Tynninghame 4 116.96x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 37
Elizabeth 32
Eliza 22
Emma 21
Sarah 21
Alice 20
Jane 20
Ellen 18
Emily 14
Annie 13
Hannah 13
Ann 12
Ada 10
Charlotte 10
Clara 10
Edith 9
Florence 9
Kate 8
Louisa 8
Lucy 8
Martha 8
Fanny 6
Harriet 6
Agnes 4
Caroline 4
Ethel 4
Gertrude 4
Harriett 4
Lilian 4
Margaret 4
Maria 4
Matilda 4
Susannah 4
Amelia 3
Henrietta 3
Rachel 3
Susan 3
Ella 2
Helen 2
M. 2
Marian 2
Minnie 2
Sophia 2
Thirza 2
Cathrine 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizth. 1
Inez 1
Infant 1
Zilpah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 49
John 45
George 38
Charles 27
Henry 27
James 25
Alfred 23
Arthur 21
Thomas 21
Robert 17
Walter 16
Edward 15
Harry 13
Joseph 13
Frederick 11
Herbert 11
Ernest 9
Daniel 6
Richard 6
Samuel 6
Albert 5
Fredk. 5
Mark 5
Chas. 4
Edwin 4
Frank 4
Geo. 4
Wm. 4
Francis 3
Isaac 3
Thos. 3
Abraham 2
C. 2
David 2
Fred 2
Fred. 2
Fredrick 2
Percy 2
Sidney 2
Aubry 1
Barnard 1
Cane 1
Carl 1
Cecil 1
Edmund 1
Edwad 1
Ezra 1
F. 1
Isaiah 1
Jane 1

FAQ

Gentry surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gentry surname in 1881?

In 1881, 968 people were recorded with the Gentry surname. That placed it at #4,014 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gentry surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,314 in 2016. That gives Gentry a modern rank of #4,569.

What does the Gentry surname mean?

A surname referring to a person of noble birth, or one who is well-mannered and courteous.

What does the Gentry map show?

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