NameCensus.

UK surname

Gomersall

A locational surname referring to someone from Gomersall, England.

In the 1881 census there were 730 people recorded with the Gomersall surname, ranking it #5,008 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,158, ranked #5,099, down from #5,008 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Birstall, Batley and Ardsley, West. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gomersall is 1,160 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 58.6%.

1881 census count

730

Ranked #5,008

Modern count

1,158

2016, ranked #5,099

Peak year

2011

1,160 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gomersall had 730 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,008 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,158 in 2016, ranked #5,099.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,141 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Gomersall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gomersall surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gomersall 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 472 #5,269
1861 historical 498 #5,253
1881 historical 730 #5,008
1891 historical 859 #4,770
1901 historical 878 #5,231
1911 historical 1,141 #4,091
1997 modern 1,010 #5,455
1998 modern 1,057 #5,416
1999 modern 1,086 #5,342
2000 modern 1,077 #5,351
2001 modern 1,067 #5,300
2002 modern 1,090 #5,310
2003 modern 1,066 #5,310
2004 modern 1,070 #5,306
2005 modern 1,068 #5,262
2006 modern 1,069 #5,248
2007 modern 1,078 #5,269
2008 modern 1,120 #5,146
2009 modern 1,129 #5,204
2010 modern 1,153 #5,228
2011 modern 1,160 #5,138
2012 modern 1,136 #5,147
2013 modern 1,145 #5,196
2014 modern 1,155 #5,183
2015 modern 1,151 #5,154
2016 modern 1,158 #5,099

Geography

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Where Gomersalls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Birstall, Batley, Ardsley, West and Leeds. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale. 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 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Ardsley, West Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wakefield 029 Wakefield
2 Kirklees 018 Kirklees
3 Kirklees 008 Kirklees
4 Wakefield 021 Wakefield
5 Calderdale 025 Calderdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gomersall

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gomersall

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Gomersall surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Gomersall household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Gomersall is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Gomersall is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gomersall falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Gomersall is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Gomersall

The surname Gomersall originated in the area of West Yorkshire, England, during the late medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the small village of Gomersall, near Leeds. The name is believed to be of Anglo-Saxon origin, with the first part "Gomer" possibly referring to a personal name, and the second part "sall" meaning a hall or dwelling place.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gomersala." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 13th century, records from the West Riding of Yorkshire mention individuals with the surname Gomersall, indicating that the name was well-established in the region by this time. One notable example is Robert de Gomersall, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1246.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Gomersall family was particularly prominent in the parish of Bingley, near Bradford. Several members of the family served as churchwardens and held positions of influence within the local community. One notable figure was John Gomersall (1557-1637), who was a successful merchant and landowner in the area.

In the 18th century, the Gomersall surname spread beyond its Yorkshire roots, with families bearing the name appearing in various parts of England. One notable individual from this period was William Gomersall (1737-1809), a clergyman and author who served as the Vicar of St. Peter's Church in Leeds.

Another notable figure was James Gomersall (1819-1892), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in Leeds, including the Leeds Mechanics' Institute and the Leeds General Infirmary.

Other individuals with the surname Gomersall who made significant contributions include Charles Gomersall (1834-1903), a British industrialist and philanthropist, and Frederick Gomersall (1861-1937), a prominent Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia in the late 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gomersall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gomersall 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. Yorkshire leads with 632 Gomersalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.97x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 632 8.97x
Lancashire 61 0.72x
Middlesex 18 0.25x
Surrey 5 0.14x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.93x
Lincolnshire 3 0.26x
Derbyshire 2 0.18x
Hampshire 2 0.14x
Bedfordshire 1 0.27x
Sussex 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 Ardsley in Yorkshire leads with 51 Gomersalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 601.42x.

Place Total Index
West Ardsley 51 601.42x
Cleckheaton 50 192.60x
Hunslet 46 41.86x
Liversedge 33 105.20x
Rothwell 33 231.90x
Holy Trinity 31 18.29x
Leeds 30 7.54x
Morley 24 65.50x
Batley 23 34.34x
Gildersome 23 271.55x
Dalton In Huddersfield 19 120.33x
Hipperholme Cum 19 61.37x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 19 75.49x
Worsbrough 16 77.48x
Oldham 12 4.41x
Skircoat 12 43.18x
Dewsbury 10 13.84x
Otterburn 10 11111.11x
Soothill 10 39.29x
Salford 9 3.63x
St Marylebone London 9 2.37x
Adwick On Dearne 8 1290.32x
Barnsley 8 11.01x
Headingley Cum Burley 8 17.64x
Nether Hallam 8 8.39x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 7 27.35x
Bramley In Bramley 7 25.95x
Castleford 7 27.28x
Huddersfield 7 6.82x
Rastrick 7 35.77x
Spotland 7 7.46x
Bowling 6 8.60x
Bradford 6 3.52x
Heckmondwike 6 26.48x
Normanton 6 28.33x
Sandal Magna 6 57.58x
Toxteth Park 6 2.10x
Wortley In Bramley 6 10.75x
Wyke In Bradford 6 47.62x
Beeston 5 70.13x
Blackley 5 33.81x
Glass Houghton 5 195.31x
Gorton 5 6.30x
Lofthouse Cum Carlton 5 58.21x
Manchester 5 1.32x
Pudsey 5 13.27x
Sheffield 5 2.23x
Skipton 5 22.54x
Whitechapel London 5 7.13x
Clifton In Halifax 4 95.01x
Holbeck 4 8.57x
Preston 4 102.83x
Wolverton 4 44.94x
Ardwick 3 3.94x
Bradford 3 7.59x
Farnley In Bramley 3 34.09x
Great Grimsby 3 4.16x
Wath On Dearne 3 21.34x
Belper 2 9.27x
Chorlton On Medlock 2 1.49x
Croydon 2 1.04x
Hulme 2 1.14x
Manningham 2 2.30x
Stanwell 2 38.02x
Streatham 2 3.79x
Ventnor 2 14.43x
Wetherby 2 43.57x
Bedford St Paul 1 3.96x
Clayton 1 5.80x
Ilkley 1 8.68x
Knaresborough 1 9.03x
Knottingley 1 8.07x
Layton With Warbreck 1 3.23x
Reddish 1 8.61x
Scarborough 1 1.56x
Seaford 1 24.51x
Shipley 1 2.73x
St Luke London 1 0.88x
Stainland Cum Old 1 8.29x
Westminster St James 1 1.37x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 49
Sarah 38
Elizabeth 25
Ann 21
Eliza 16
Jane 15
Annie 14
Ellen 13
Emma 13
Hannah 11
Alice 10
Harriet 10
Ada 9
Martha 9
Emily 8
Clara 7
Louisa 5
Margaret 5
Maria 5
Agnes 4
Charlotte 4
Grace 4
Caroline 3
Florence 3
Frances 3
Lucy 3
Polly 3
Edith 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Fanny 2
Harriett 2
Lilian 2
Lydia 2
Ruth 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Adelaide 1
Alberta 1
Annis 1
Bertha 1
Betsy 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizth. 1
Hela 1
Helen 1
Isabella 1
Jannet 1
Justine 1
Violeta 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 51
William 25
Joseph 23
George 21
Thomas 14
Charles 12
James 11
Arthur 10
Walter 8
Henry 7
Albert 6
Benjamin 6
Edwin 6
Harry 6
Alfred 5
David 5
Edward 5
Herbert 5
Joshua 4
Samuel 4
Tom 4
Ben 3
Frank 3
Fred 3
Frederick 3
Jas. 3
Richard 3
Sam 3
Thos. 3
Amos 2
Ernest 2
Fredk. 2
Geo. 2
Isaac 2
Jesse 2
Jonathan 2
Mathew 2
Matthew 2
Phillip 2
Robert 2
Seth 2
Smith 2
Squire 2
Timothy 2
Wilfred 2
Willie 2
Wm. 2
Foster 1
Frederic 1
Wm.Henry 1

FAQ

Gomersall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gomersall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 730 people were recorded with the Gomersall surname. That placed it at #5,008 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gomersall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,158 in 2016. That gives Gomersall a modern rank of #5,099.

What does the Gomersall surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Gomersall, England.

What does the Gomersall map show?

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