NameCensus.

UK surname

Giles

Derived from the Old French name "Giles," likely referring to a person from the Greek city of Aegea.

In the 1881 census there were 11,369 people recorded with the Giles surname, ranking it #377 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 15,370, ranked #411, down from #377 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Forest of Dean and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Giles is 16,077 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.2%.

1881 census count

11,369

Ranked #377

Modern count

15,370

2016, ranked #411

Peak year

1999

16,077 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Giles had 11,369 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #377 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 15,370 in 2016, ranked #411.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 15,070 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Giles surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Giles surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Giles 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 8,087 #341
1861 historical 8,116 #340
1881 historical 11,369 #377
1891 historical 11,996 #373
1901 historical 13,931 #376
1911 historical 15,070 #324
1997 modern 15,244 #400
1998 modern 15,989 #394
1999 modern 16,077 #396
2000 modern 15,913 #397
2001 modern 15,514 #397
2002 modern 15,791 #399
2003 modern 15,438 #401
2004 modern 15,307 #400
2005 modern 15,049 #404
2006 modern 15,072 #402
2007 modern 15,089 #405
2008 modern 15,114 #408
2009 modern 15,388 #409
2010 modern 15,683 #410
2011 modern 15,328 #414
2012 modern 15,202 #408
2013 modern 15,580 #408
2014 modern 15,664 #408
2015 modern 15,501 #410
2016 modern 15,370 #411

Geography

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Where Giles' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Forest of Dean, Copeland, Bromsgrove and Merthyr Tydfil. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 001 Wiltshire
2 Forest of Dean 004 Forest of Dean
3 Copeland 008 Copeland
4 Bromsgrove 010 Bromsgrove
5 Merthyr Tydfil 002 Merthyr Tydfil

Forenames

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First names often paired with Giles

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Giles

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Giles is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Giles is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Giles falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Giles

The surname GILES is of English origin, derived from the given name Giles, which is ultimately from the Greek name Aegidius, meaning "young goat". The name made its way into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, brought over by Norman settlers from France.

GILES is thought to have originated as a surname in the 12th century, initially used to identify individuals who bore the given name Giles. It was particularly common in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. The earliest recorded instance of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where one Radulfus Giles is mentioned.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname GILES, as surnames were not widely used at that time. However, it does list several individuals with the given name Giles, indicating the presence of the name in England prior to the emergence of hereditary surnames.

In the 13th century, the name GILES is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where it appears as "Gyles". The Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301 also mention a John Gyles. During this period, the name was sometimes associated with the place name Giles, a village in Worcestershire, which may have contributed to its use as a surname.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname GILES was John Giles, a 14th-century English landowner and Member of Parliament for Devizes in 1335 and 1337. Another notable figure was William Giles, a 15th-century English judge and Chief Baron of the Exchequer, who lived from around 1390 to 1458.

In the 16th century, the name GILES gained prominence through individuals such as John Giles, an English Protestant reformer and author who lived from 1543 to 1611. Another notable bearer was Nathaniel Giles, a 17th-century English clergyman and author, who lived from 1635 to 1701.

Other historical figures with the surname GILES include James Giles, an 18th-century English politician who served as Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury from 1754 to 1768, and Benjamin Giles, an American Revolutionary War soldier and member of the Virginia House of Delegates, who lived from 1742 to 1836.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Giles families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Giles 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 1,529 Giles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.37x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,529 1.37x
Surrey 892 1.64x
Kent 836 2.20x
Yorkshire 601 0.54x
Somerset 512 2.86x
Hampshire 499 2.19x
Berkshire 486 5.82x
Warwickshire 461 1.64x
Wiltshire 421 4.28x
Worcestershire 381 2.62x
Devon 370 1.60x
Lancashire 369 0.28x
Cornwall 363 2.88x
Staffordshire 343 0.91x
Gloucestershire 340 1.56x
Oxfordshire 263 3.83x
Glamorgan 223 1.15x
Suffolk 194 1.43x
Durham 185 0.56x
Sussex 184 0.98x
Norfolk 166 0.97x
Buckinghamshire 158 2.35x
Essex 135 0.61x
Monmouthshire 132 1.64x
Nottinghamshire 129 0.86x
Shropshire 125 1.30x
Northamptonshire 111 1.06x
Northumberland 110 0.66x
Lincolnshire 102 0.57x
Dorset 98 1.34x
Aberdeenshire 88 0.85x
Hertfordshire 80 1.04x
Bedfordshire 78 1.35x
Cheshire 66 0.27x
Leicestershire 66 0.53x
Cambridgeshire 50 0.71x
Herefordshire 47 1.03x
Derbyshire 42 0.24x
Channel Islands 31 0.94x
Huntingdonshire 23 1.04x
Midlothian 20 0.13x
Royal Navy 17 1.28x
Brecknockshire 9 0.40x
Pembrokeshire 9 0.25x
Radnorshire 8 0.89x
Angus 7 0.07x
Cumberland 7 0.07x
Denbighshire 7 0.17x
Lanarkshire 7 0.02x
Cardiganshire 6 0.22x
Rutland 6 0.73x
Carmarthenshire 5 0.11x
Ayrshire 3 0.04x
Montgomeryshire 3 0.12x
Renfrewshire 3 0.03x
Fife 2 0.03x
Isle of Man 2 0.10x
Inverness-shire 1 0.03x
Peeblesshire 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 184 Giles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.38x.

Place Total Index
Aston 184 2.38x
Lambeth 161 1.66x
Bromsgrove 147 30.04x
Birmingham 139 1.49x
Islington London 128 1.19x
Kensington London 118 1.91x
St Pancras London 114 1.27x
Camberwell 108 1.52x
Darlaston 89 17.14x
Paddington London 82 2.00x
Shoreditch London 79 1.64x
Croydon 77 2.56x
Newington 76 1.85x
West Ham 68 1.40x
St Marylebone London 64 1.08x
Cricklade St Sampson 61 133.04x
Bethnal Green London 60 1.24x
Leeds 56 0.90x
St Austell 53 12.30x
Mile End Old Town London 52 2.19x
Battersea 50 1.22x
Portsea 49 1.10x
Clerkenwell London 48 1.83x
Deptford St Paul 48 1.64x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 48 9.34x
Southampton St Mary 48 3.35x
Tottenham 48 2.71x
Bedminster 47 2.79x
Hackney London 47 0.75x
Plymouth St Andrew 46 2.58x
Wellington 46 18.93x
Poplar London 45 2.14x
Kidderminster Borough 43 5.05x
Wednesfield 43 7.78x
Bishopwearmouth 42 1.48x
Bromley London 42 1.71x
Wield 41 437.10x
Bermondsey 40 1.21x
Maidstone 39 3.45x
St George Hanover Square 39 1.99x
Bromley 38 6.56x
Buckingham 38 27.76x
Chelsea London 38 1.13x
Blackburn 37 1.05x
Cricklade St Mary 36 229.89x
Reading St Mary 35 5.23x
Kidlington 34 63.91x
Paul 34 14.85x
Walsall Foreign 33 1.70x
Brighton 32 0.85x
East Coker 32 81.61x
Willesden 32 3.05x
Ystradyfodwg 32 1.88x
Wolverhampton 31 1.07x
Fulham London 30 1.86x
Hammersmith London 30 1.09x
Swindon 30 3.93x
Aberdare 29 2.18x
Manchester 29 0.49x
Westminster St John 29 2.14x
Yeovil 29 7.96x
Aberdeen Old Machar 28 1.30x
Holy Trinity 28 1.06x
Limehouse London 28 2.29x
Neithrop 28 12.12x
South Stoneham 28 5.66x
Southwark St George Martyr 28 1.25x
Westbury On Trym 28 3.79x
East Hendred 27 86.93x
Hampstead London 27 1.56x
Nottingham St Mary 27 0.70x
Plymouth Charles The 27 2.64x
Walkhampton 27 121.73x
Ashford 26 7.03x
Reading St Giles 26 3.17x
Hurst 25 22.86x
St Columb Major 25 23.90x
Westgate 25 2.44x
North Bradley 24 33.39x
Wandsworth 24 2.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 709
Elizabeth 484
Sarah 420
Emma 221
Ann 217
Jane 201
Ellen 190
Eliza 189
Alice 172
Emily 166
Annie 165
Martha 101
Louisa 93
Hannah 90
Harriet 87
Ada 83
Caroline 78
Edith 77
Charlotte 74
Fanny 74
Florence 72
Maria 69
Margaret 65
Kate 55
Clara 48
Susan 46
Amelia 45
Esther 44
Lucy 44
Anne 43
Agnes 42
Catherine 42
Frances 41
Rose 38
Matilda 37
Harriett 35
Sophia 30
Julia 29
Minnie 29
Rebecca 28
Isabella 27
Lydia 27
Susannah 24
Amy 23
Eleanor 23
Bessie 22
Rosa 21
Gertrude 20
Laura 20
Elizth. 19

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 743
John 556
George 441
Thomas 311
James 284
Henry 262
Charles 255
Joseph 161
Edward 151
Frederick 143
Alfred 134
Robert 117
Richard 113
Walter 106
Albert 105
Arthur 104
Samuel 79
Harry 66
Ernest 52
Frank 52
Edwin 50
David 46
Herbert 42
Francis 36
Benjamin 34
Stephen 33
Fredrick 24
Thos. 23
Daniel 21
Wm. 19
Fredk. 18
Abraham 16
Fred 16
Jesse 16
Isaac 14
Peter 14
Tom 14
Sydney 12
Geo. 11
Lewis 11
Chas. 10
Reuben 9
Andrew 8
Earnest 7
Ephraim 7
Jno. 7
Mark 7
Percy 7
Robt. 7
Sidney 7

FAQ

Giles surname: questions and answers

How common was the Giles surname in 1881?

In 1881, 11,369 people were recorded with the Giles surname. That placed it at #377 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Giles surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 15,370 in 2016. That gives Giles a modern rank of #411.

What does the Giles surname mean?

Derived from the Old French name "Giles," likely referring to a person from the Greek city of Aegea.

What does the Giles map show?

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