NameCensus.

UK surname

Godsman

In the 1881 census there were 77 people recorded with the Godsman surname, ranking it #22,617 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 212, ranked #18,843, up from #22,617 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Deer, Old Deer and Aberdeen and Old Machar. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ellon East, Calderdale and Ythanside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Godsman is 212 in 2005. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 175.3%.

1881 census count

77

Ranked #22,617

Modern count

212

2016, ranked #18,843

Peak year

2005

212 bearers

Map years

6

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Godsman had 77 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,617 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016, ranked #18,843.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 115 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Godsman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Godsman surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Godsman 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 64 #21,914
1861 historical 103 #20,650
1881 historical 77 #22,617
1891 historical 104 #23,388
1901 historical 115 #21,050
1911 historical 15 #31,938
1997 modern 185 #18,506
1998 modern 196 #18,342
1999 modern 197 #18,400
2000 modern 210 #17,670
2001 modern 198 #18,047
2002 modern 209 #17,803
2003 modern 200 #18,139
2004 modern 205 #17,935
2005 modern 212 #17,473
2006 modern 210 #17,718
2007 modern 212 #17,803
2008 modern 200 #18,640
2009 modern 207 #18,600
2010 modern 205 #19,140
2011 modern 204 #19,040
2012 modern 205 #18,909
2013 modern 202 #19,389
2014 modern 212 #18,945
2015 modern 211 #18,906
2016 modern 212 #18,843

Geography

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Where Godsmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Deer, Old Deer, Aberdeen and Old Machar, Ellon and Tarves. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ellon East, Calderdale, Ythanside, Inverness Hilton and Inverness Central, Raigmore and Longman. 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 New Deer Aberdeen
2 Old Deer Aberdeen
3 Aberdeen and Old Machar Aberdeen
4 Ellon Aberdeen
5 Tarves Aberdeen

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ellon East Aberdeenshire
2 Calderdale 013 Calderdale
3 Ythanside Aberdeenshire
4 Inverness Hilton Highland
5 Inverness Central, Raigmore and Longman Highland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Godsman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Godsman

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Godsman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Godsman household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Godsman is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Godsman is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Godsman falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Godsman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Godsman 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 65 Godsmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 93.44x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 65 93.44x
Inverness-shire 10 44.58x
Angus 1 1.44x
Durham 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ellon in Aberdeenshire leads with 11 Godsmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1145.83x.

Place Total Index
Ellon 11 1145.83x
Foveran 10 1886.79x
Inverness 10 177.31x
Methlick 7 1250.00x
Meldrum 6 1016.95x
New Deer 6 476.19x
Cruden 5 555.56x
Forgue 5 806.45x
Longside 5 602.41x
Tarves 3 454.55x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 2 15.37x
Dundee 1 3.85x
Fyvie 1 87.72x
Inverurie 1 126.58x
Kemnay 1 238.10x
Kintore 1 166.67x
New Machar 1 256.41x
Sunderland 1 25.32x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 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 Godsman households.

Occupation Count
Domestic Servant 1

FAQ

Godsman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Godsman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 77 people were recorded with the Godsman surname. That placed it at #22,617 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Godsman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016. That gives Godsman a modern rank of #18,843.

What does the Godsman map show?

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