NameCensus.

UK surname

Goodridge

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "good ridge" or "ridge of land suitable for farming."

In the 1881 census there were 992 people recorded with the Goodridge surname, ranking it #3,932 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,486, ranked #4,153, down from #3,932 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Paignton, St Mary and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bridgend, Pembrokeshire and Milton Keynes.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Goodridge is 1,594 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 49.8%.

1881 census count

992

Ranked #3,932

Modern count

1,486

2016, ranked #4,153

Peak year

2010

1,594 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Goodridge had 992 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,932 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,486 in 2016, ranked #4,153.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,315 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Goodridge surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Goodridge surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Goodridge 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 716 #3,652
1861 historical 697 #3,879
1881 historical 992 #3,932
1891 historical 1,033 #4,040
1901 historical 1,239 #3,993
1911 historical 1,315 #3,626
1997 modern 1,539 #3,827
1998 modern 1,572 #3,889
1999 modern 1,580 #3,909
2000 modern 1,560 #3,936
2001 modern 1,557 #3,877
2002 modern 1,589 #3,881
2003 modern 1,553 #3,878
2004 modern 1,551 #3,879
2005 modern 1,519 #3,913
2006 modern 1,524 #3,908
2007 modern 1,526 #3,927
2008 modern 1,509 #4,010
2009 modern 1,565 #3,957
2010 modern 1,594 #3,964
2011 modern 1,564 #3,998
2012 modern 1,536 #3,994
2013 modern 1,551 #4,023
2014 modern 1,547 #4,061
2015 modern 1,521 #4,086
2016 modern 1,486 #4,153

Geography

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Where Goodridges are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Paignton, St Mary, London parishes and Salisbury St Edmund. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bridgend, Pembrokeshire, Milton Keynes and South Northamptonshire. 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 Paignton Devon
2 St Mary Pembrokeshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Salisbury St Edmund Wiltshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bridgend 001 Bridgend
2 Pembrokeshire 009 Pembrokeshire
3 Pembrokeshire 008 Pembrokeshire
4 Milton Keynes 026 Milton Keynes
5 South Northamptonshire 005 South Northamptonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Goodridge

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Goodridge

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Goodridge 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

Goodridge 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

Goodridge falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Goodridge

The surname GOODRIDGE is an English toponymic name derived from the place name Goodridge or Goderidge in Hertfordshire, England. It is believed to have originated in the early 11th century, with the first recorded spelling being Godric, taken from the Old English personal name Godric, meaning "good ruler" or "god ruler".

The name Goodridge is thought to have evolved from the place name Goderichesgate, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a hamlet in Hertfordshire. The village was likely named after a Saxon landholder named Godric who resided there during the 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Goodridge can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire from 1195, where a Robert de Goderich is mentioned. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a John de Goderugg is listed as residing in Oxfordshire.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the surname such as Godrige, Goderyge, and Goderyche were commonly found in medieval records across various counties in England, including Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Goodridge throughout history include:

1. Sir Henry Goodridge (1571-1627), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire in the early 17th century. 2. Thomas Goodridge (1621-1688), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Clapham in Surrey. 3. John Goodridge (1786-1854), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a renowned explorer and surveyor in the Arctic regions. 4. Elizabeth Goodridge (1798-1882), an American educator and activist who founded the Goodridge Academy, one of the earliest schools for African American children in New England. 5. William Goodridge (1804-1876), an American businessman and civil rights activist who was influential in the Underground Railroad and helped establish several churches and schools in Pennsylvania.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Goodridge families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Goodridge 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 157 Goodridges recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.61x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 157 1.61x
Wiltshire 107 12.42x
Pembrokeshire 83 26.80x
Hampshire 73 3.65x
Devon 64 3.15x
Yorkshire 61 0.63x
Essex 45 2.34x
Glamorgan 40 2.36x
Surrey 37 0.78x
Sussex 30 1.83x
Northamptonshire 28 3.05x
Durham 26 0.90x
Somerset 24 1.53x
Gloucestershire 23 1.20x
Kent 22 0.66x
Warwickshire 21 0.85x
Leicestershire 19 1.76x
Worcestershire 19 1.49x
Buckinghamshire 18 3.06x
Dorset 15 2.35x
Lincolnshire 12 0.77x
Cheshire 9 0.42x
Hertfordshire 7 1.04x
Shropshire 7 0.83x
Monmouthshire 6 0.85x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.46x
Royal Navy 6 5.17x
Derbyshire 5 0.33x
Lancashire 5 0.04x
Oxfordshire 5 0.83x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.44x
Staffordshire 4 0.12x
Berkshire 3 0.41x
Norfolk 2 0.13x
Northumberland 2 0.14x
Bedfordshire 1 0.20x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.16x
Channel Islands 1 0.35x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.52x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Downton in Wiltshire leads with 27 Goodridges recorded in 1881 and an index of 239.36x.

Place Total Index
Downton 27 239.36x
Tenby St Mary In 27 171.32x
West Ham 20 4.71x
Hackney London 18 3.29x
Wolverton 18 147.66x
Paddington London 16 4.47x
Paignton 16 103.69x
Westbury On Trym 16 24.71x
Burton 15 480.77x
Chelsea London 15 5.11x
Ystradyfodwg 14 9.41x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 13 28.98x
Richmond 12 18.03x
Shoreditch London 12 2.84x
Stockton On Tees 12 8.59x
Swansea Town 12 8.63x
Totnes 12 101.10x
Bromley London 11 5.13x
Islington London 11 1.16x
Kings Norton 11 9.64x
Milford 10 171.53x
Salisbury St Edmund 10 72.31x
Southampton St Mary 10 7.96x
Blisworth 9 254.24x
Brighton 9 2.72x
Edmonton 9 11.46x
Heck 9 1200.00x
Pembroke St Mary 9 22.57x
St Pancras London 9 1.15x
Barlestone 8 338.98x
Bethnal Green London 8 1.89x
Durnford 8 533.33x
Farningham 8 268.46x
Leicester All Sts 8 37.70x
Llanstadwell 8 79.05x
Monks Coppenhall 8 9.86x
Sykehouse 8 588.24x
Walcot 8 9.58x
Alderbury 7 172.84x
Bedminster 7 4.75x
Birmingham 7 0.85x
Bishopwearmouth 7 2.81x
Colchester St Leonard 7 113.09x
Dartmouth Townstall 7 84.75x
Fordingbridge 7 64.46x
Fovant 7 374.33x
Maddington 7 518.52x
Mile End Old Town London 7 3.38x
Milford 7 151.52x
Rottingdean 7 124.78x
South Newton 7 311.11x
Stoke 7 31.24x
Stoke Damerel 7 4.93x
Stonehouse East 7 68.03x
Cosheston 6 317.46x
Coventry St Michael 6 7.60x
Exton 6 625.00x
Fontmell Magna 6 245.90x
Hammersmith London 6 2.50x
Haxey 6 90.77x
Horsham 6 18.80x
Idmiston 6 310.88x
Lewisham 6 3.38x
Marldon 6 352.94x
Martin 6 350.88x
Morton Pinkney 6 405.41x
Much Wenlock 6 77.22x
Portchester 6 231.66x
Preston 6 20.91x
Roade 6 250.00x
Roath 6 7.79x
St Woollos 6 7.63x
Burnham 5 41.81x
Carew 5 161.81x
Eling 5 24.72x
Hucknall Torkard 5 15.01x
Kidderminster Borough 5 6.71x
Mile End 5 142.05x
Polesworth 5 42.84x
Tring 5 27.89x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 56
Mary 51
Elizabeth 41
Jane 23
Ann 21
Alice 19
Annie 19
Emily 17
Emma 15
Martha 14
Ellen 12
Eliza 11
Fanny 10
Louisa 10
Florence 9
Hannah 9
Ada 8
Margaret 8
Amelia 7
Kate 7
Anne 5
Edith 5
Susan 5
Beatrice 4
Elizth. 4
Harriet 4
Jessie 4
Lucy 4
Maria 4
Rhoda 4
Rose 4
Agnes 3
Amy 3
Anna 3
Charlotte 3
Eleanor 3
Flora 3
Isabella 3
Susannah 3
Caroline 2
Catherine 2
Ester 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Frances 2
Laura 2
Louise 2
Margret 2
Matilda 2
Melora 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 65
John 46
George 37
Henry 31
Thomas 31
James 23
Charles 15
Alfred 12
Frank 10
Joseph 10
Richard 9
Albert 8
Arthur 7
David 7
Ernest 7
Edward 6
Frederick 6
Robert 6
Walter 6
Francis 5
Stephen 5
Fredk. 4
Herbert 4
Samuel 4
Chas. 3
Daniel 3
Edmund 3
Harry 3
Christopher 2
Edwin 2
Fred 2
Fredrick 2
Geo. 2
Geo.A. 2
Geoffrey 2
Isaac 2
Jeffery 2
Matthew 2
Percy 2
Ralph 2
Thos. 2
Wm. 2
Andrew 1
Elizabeth 1
Erastus 1
Fred. 1
Howard 1
Hy.P.(Rev.) 1
J.M. 1
Jasper 1

FAQ

Goodridge surname: questions and answers

How common was the Goodridge surname in 1881?

In 1881, 992 people were recorded with the Goodridge surname. That placed it at #3,932 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Goodridge surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,486 in 2016. That gives Goodridge a modern rank of #4,153.

What does the Goodridge surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "good ridge" or "ridge of land suitable for farming."

What does the Goodridge map show?

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