NameCensus.

UK surname

Gorton

A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Gorton in England.

In the 1881 census there were 1,853 people recorded with the Gorton surname, ranking it #2,354 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,342, ranked #2,786, down from #2,354 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Eccles and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Burnley and Trafford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gorton is 2,645 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 26.4%.

1881 census count

1,853

Ranked #2,354

Modern count

2,342

2016, ranked #2,786

Peak year

1911

2,645 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gorton had 1,853 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,354 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,342 in 2016, ranked #2,786.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,645 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Gorton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gorton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gorton 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 1,159 #2,431
1861 historical 1,246 #2,285
1881 historical 1,853 #2,354
1891 historical 2,028 #2,276
1901 historical 2,350 #2,310
1911 historical 2,645 #1,944
1997 modern 2,315 #2,687
1998 modern 2,463 #2,652
1999 modern 2,439 #2,690
2000 modern 2,424 #2,686
2001 modern 2,351 #2,705
2002 modern 2,423 #2,692
2003 modern 2,349 #2,704
2004 modern 2,339 #2,715
2005 modern 2,268 #2,753
2006 modern 2,261 #2,759
2007 modern 2,267 #2,777
2008 modern 2,273 #2,797
2009 modern 2,351 #2,781
2010 modern 2,417 #2,769
2011 modern 2,398 #2,757
2012 modern 2,379 #2,731
2013 modern 2,419 #2,740
2014 modern 2,395 #2,770
2015 modern 2,355 #2,784
2016 modern 2,342 #2,786

Geography

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Where Gortons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Eccles, Manchester and Blackburn. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Burnley and Trafford. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Eccles Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Blackburn Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 039 County Durham
2 Burnley 010 Burnley
3 Trafford 017 Trafford
4 Burnley 006 Burnley
5 Burnley 004 Burnley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gorton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gorton

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

Challenged Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Gorton 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

Gorton is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gorton 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 Gorton 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 Gorton, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Gorton

The surname Gorton originated in England and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gor" meaning muddy or dirty, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement. It is thought to have been initially a place name for a settlement located in a muddy or marshy area.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gortune" in reference to a place in Cheshire, England. Other early spellings include "Gorton" and "Gortun".

In the 13th century, records show a William de Gorton who held lands in Lancashire, England. This is one of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Gorton.

The name Gorton is also associated with the town of Gorton, now a part of Manchester, England. This town likely derived its name from the same Old English roots as the surname.

One notable figure in history with the surname Gorton was Samuel Gorton (1592-1677), an English Protestant Christian settler and founder of the town of Warwick, Rhode Island. He was a prominent figure in the early colonial history of New England.

Another individual of historical significance was John Gorton (1835-1916), a Canadian politician who served as the 10th Prime Minister of Canada from 1868 to 1871.

In the literary world, Ida Gorton (1861-1944) was an English novelist and short story writer who published several works in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sir Benjamin Gorton (1776-1855) was a British naval officer and explorer who made significant contributions to the mapping and exploration of the Arctic regions in the early 19th century.

Finally, John Gorton (1911-2002) was an Australian politician who served as the 19th Prime Minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971, leading the country during a pivotal period in its history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gorton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gorton 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. Lancashire leads with 1,018 Gortons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.73x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,018 4.73x
Staffordshire 182 2.97x
Middlesex 143 0.79x
Cheshire 95 2.37x
Gloucestershire 75 2.11x
Wiltshire 54 3.37x
Warwickshire 39 0.85x
Worcestershire 35 1.48x
Surrey 28 0.32x
Essex 21 0.59x
Durham 17 0.32x
Oxfordshire 14 1.25x
Berkshire 13 0.96x
Kent 12 0.19x
Cumberland 11 0.70x
Yorkshire 11 0.06x
Sussex 10 0.33x
Monmouthshire 8 0.61x
Somerset 8 0.27x
Hampshire 7 0.19x
Perthshire 7 0.86x
Dorset 6 0.50x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.25x
Derbyshire 5 0.18x
Isle of Man 5 1.48x
Shropshire 5 0.32x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.55x
Lincolnshire 4 0.14x
Northamptonshire 4 0.23x
Suffolk 4 0.18x
Glamorgan 3 0.10x
Leicestershire 2 0.10x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.06x
Channel Islands 1 0.19x
Norfolk 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Blackburn in Lancashire leads with 85 Gortons recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.85x.

Place Total Index
Blackburn 85 14.85x
Wolverhampton 48 10.20x
Little Hulton 47 131.91x
Pendleton In Salford 44 17.16x
Salford 41 6.48x
Worsley 38 28.65x
West Bromwich 36 10.27x
Manchester 34 3.51x
Preston 32 5.56x
Liverpool 31 2.37x
Oswaldtwistle 30 39.46x
Chorley 29 24.02x
Farnworth 29 22.49x
Highworth 29 141.46x
Macclesfield 28 15.74x
Oddington 27 865.38x
Walton Le Dale 26 44.97x
Aston 25 1.99x
Barton Upon Irwell 25 15.43x
Spotland 25 10.45x
Hulme 24 5.34x
Newton 21 12.66x
Little Bolton 20 7.23x
Gorton 19 9.39x
Habergham Eaves 19 9.66x
Oldham 19 2.74x
St Pancras London 19 1.30x
St Marylebone London 17 1.76x
Wingate 17 45.97x
Tamworth 16 48.88x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 15 24.22x
Dudley 14 4.86x
Islington London 13 0.74x
Kensington London 13 1.29x
Stockport 13 6.31x
Burton Upon Trent 12 8.38x
Bury 12 4.88x
Heap 12 10.51x
Tottington Lower End 12 11.74x
Ashton In Makerfield 11 17.95x
Birkenhead 11 3.45x
Bradford On Avon 11 21.43x
Great Boughton 11 79.71x
Hammersmith London 11 2.46x
Hopwood 11 39.10x
Swindon 11 8.84x
Whittle Le Woods 11 154.28x
Great Bolton 10 3.51x
Kearsley 10 22.08x
Lea Ashton Ingol 10 70.03x
Rusholme 10 17.42x
Brindle 9 121.29x
Hindley 9 9.81x
Mile End Old Town London 9 2.33x
Pendlebury 9 19.81x
Poulton Barre 9 36.76x
Rodborough 9 52.39x
Shoreditch London 9 1.14x
Stoke Upon Trent 9 1.39x
Tonge With Haulgh 9 21.48x
Toxteth Park 9 1.24x
Workington 9 10.07x
Accrington 8 4.09x
Aspull 8 15.80x
Birtle Cum Bamford 8 56.98x
Bowdon 8 50.38x
Camberwell 8 0.69x
Cheltenham 8 2.92x
Deptford St Paul 8 1.68x
Latchford 8 30.09x
Milton Under Wychwood 8 154.14x
Poulton Le Fylde 8 104.71x
Standish With Langtree 8 30.19x
Tettenhall 8 21.38x
Tonge 8 17.72x
Uffington 8 226.63x
Walmersley Cum 8 23.27x
Wednesbury 8 5.23x
Billington 7 79.73x
Moss Side 7 6.18x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 151
Elizabeth 84
Sarah 61
Ellen 48
Alice 46
Ann 34
Jane 30
Annie 27
Emma 20
Margaret 19
Martha 18
Eliza 17
Emily 17
Catherine 15
Florence 13
Fanny 12
Hannah 12
Louisa 12
Caroline 11
Edith 11
Ada 9
Maria 9
Harriet 8
Agnes 7
Esther 7
Susan 7
Betsy 6
Betty 6
Charlotte 6
Clara 6
Jessie 6
Minnie 6
Nancy 6
Bertha 5
Rachel 5
Susannah 5
Amy 4
Beatrice 4
Eleanor 4
Gertrude 4
Isabella 4
Kate 4
Lucy 4
Matilda 4
Phoebe 4
Amelia 3
Anne 3
Elizth. 3
Lilly 3
May 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 113
William 102
James 74
Thomas 74
George 44
Richard 38
Charles 33
Henry 30
Joseph 29
Edward 27
Robert 22
Samuel 22
Arthur 19
Alfred 18
Frederick 14
Edwin 10
Frank 10
Harry 10
Walter 10
Wm. 10
Albert 9
Ernest 6
Herbert 6
Thos. 6
Abraham 5
Benjamin 5
Peter 5
Andrew 4
Daniel 4
David 4
Francis 4
Matthew 4
Stephen 4
Tom 4
Chas. 3
Jas. 3
Cornelius 2
Enoch 2
Ephraim 2
Geo. 2
Humphrey 2
Isaac 2
Jonathan 2
Mark 2
Maurice 2
Miles 2
Noah 2
Richd. 2
Sam 2
Saml. 2

FAQ

Gorton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gorton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,853 people were recorded with the Gorton surname. That placed it at #2,354 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gorton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,342 in 2016. That gives Gorton a modern rank of #2,786.

What does the Gorton surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Gorton in England.

What does the Gorton map show?

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