NameCensus.

UK surname

Godbeer

In the 1881 census there were 159 people recorded with the Godbeer surname, ranking it #14,935 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 188, ranked #20,417, down from #14,935 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), Tormoham with Torquay and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Somerset, Sedgemoor and Hammersmith and Fulham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Godbeer is 250 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.2%.

1881 census count

159

Ranked #14,935

Modern count

188

2016, ranked #20,417

Peak year

1911

250 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Godbeer had 159 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,935 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 188 in 2016, ranked #20,417.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 250 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Godbeer surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Godbeer surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Godbeer 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 145 #13,223
1861 historical 130 #17,164
1881 historical 159 #14,935
1891 historical 204 #14,702
1901 historical 221 #14,212
1911 historical 250 #12,918
1997 modern 213 #16,948
1998 modern 225 #16,846
1999 modern 222 #17,080
2000 modern 212 #17,554
2001 modern 205 #17,683
2002 modern 212 #17,651
2003 modern 196 #18,358
2004 modern 198 #18,308
2005 modern 191 #18,707
2006 modern 202 #18,160
2007 modern 204 #18,251
2008 modern 200 #18,640
2009 modern 206 #18,657
2010 modern 217 #18,443
2011 modern 210 #18,677
2012 modern 200 #19,207
2013 modern 193 #19,997
2014 modern 191 #20,302
2015 modern 186 #20,576
2016 modern 188 #20,417

Geography

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Where Godbeers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), Tormoham with Torquay, London parishes and St Thomas the Apostle, Whitestone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Somerset, Sedgemoor, Hammersmith and Fulham and Exeter. 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 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
2 Tormoham with Torquay Devon
3 London parishes London 1
4 St Thomas the Apostle, Whitestone Devon
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Somerset 021 North Somerset
2 Sedgemoor 013 Sedgemoor
3 Hammersmith and Fulham 013 Hammersmith and Fulham
4 Exeter 005 Exeter
5 Exeter 006 Exeter

Forenames

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First names often paired with Godbeer

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Godbeer

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

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Godbeer surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Godbeer household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Godbeer 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

Godbeer is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Godbeer falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Godbeer is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Godbeer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Godbeer 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. Devon leads with 91 Godbeers recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.19x.

County Total Index
Devon 91 28.19x
Middlesex 22 1.42x
Glamorgan 21 7.78x
Surrey 8 1.06x
Somerset 6 2.40x
Bedfordshire 4 4.98x
Cornwall 3 1.71x
Essex 2 0.65x
Berkshire 1 0.86x
Hampshire 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Exeter St Sidwell in Devon leads with 24 Godbeers recorded in 1881 and an index of 324.76x.

Place Total Index
Exeter St Sidwell 24 324.76x
Newton Abbot St Mary 23 848.71x
Chelsea London 13 27.81x
Powderham 12 8000.00x
Llantwit Lower 10 421.94x
Exeter St David 8 289.86x
Bishopston Higher 7 6363.64x
St Luke London 7 28.14x
Bridgewater 6 88.50x
Exeter St Mary Major 6 307.69x
Reigate Foreign 6 73.35x
Manaton 5 2777.78x
Stotfold 4 259.74x
Llandaff 3 33.41x
Bridestow 2 588.24x
Chingford 2 270.27x
Chudleigh 2 194.17x
Exeter St Edmund 2 285.71x
Kenwyn 2 43.57x
St Pancras London 2 1.60x
Chittlehampton 1 125.00x
Coffinswell 1 1000.00x
East Stonehouse 1 15.72x
Exeter St Paul 1 156.25x
Exeter St Thomas The 1 30.40x
Lambeth 1 0.74x
Old Windsor 1 74.07x
Portsmouth 1 13.66x
Saltash 1 73.53x
Swansea Town 1 4.52x
Tormoham 1 7.32x
Wandsworth 1 6.70x
West Teignmouth 1 40.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 5
Emma 5
Jane 5
Alice 3
Caroline 3
Margaret 3
Ann 2
Catherine 2
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Eleanor 2
Eliza 2
Elizth. 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Laura 2
Lucy 2
Sarah 2
Susan 2
Ada 1
Adria 1
Amealia 1
Amelia 1
Anna 1
Annie 1
Besse 1
Betsey 1
Celia 1
Elizth 1
Emily 1
Eva 1
Frances 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Johanna 1
Lillian 1
Louisa 1
Minnie 1
Tryphena 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Godbeer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Godbeer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 159 people were recorded with the Godbeer surname. That placed it at #14,935 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Godbeer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 188 in 2016. That gives Godbeer a modern rank of #20,417.

What does the Godbeer map show?

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