NameCensus.

UK surname

Gotham

A surname derived from the name of the English village of Gateshead, which became known as Gotham.

In the 1881 census there were 68 people recorded with the Gotham surname, ranking it #23,950 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 136, ranked #25,377, down from #23,950 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stokeinteignhead, Combeinteignhead, Haccombe, St Nicholas, Bredgar and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Plymouth, Cheshire East and Staffordshire Moorlands.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gotham is 170 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 100.0%.

1881 census count

68

Ranked #23,950

Modern count

136

2016, ranked #25,377

Peak year

1999

170 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gotham had 68 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,950 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016, ranked #25,377.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 154 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Gotham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gotham surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gotham 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 39 #26,319
1861 historical 103 #20,650
1881 historical 68 #23,950
1891 historical 123 #20,939
1901 historical 116 #20,933
1911 historical 154 #17,553
1997 modern 116 #24,688
1998 modern 159 #20,916
1999 modern 170 #20,153
2000 modern 155 #21,341
2001 modern 152 #21,294
2002 modern 155 #21,431
2003 modern 145 #22,172
2004 modern 144 #22,379
2005 modern 144 #22,367
2006 modern 137 #23,270
2007 modern 137 #23,590
2008 modern 140 #23,511
2009 modern 146 #23,352
2010 modern 145 #24,031
2011 modern 143 #24,056
2012 modern 142 #24,148
2013 modern 146 #24,107
2014 modern 140 #24,977
2015 modern 137 #25,226
2016 modern 136 #25,377

Geography

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Where Gothams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stokeinteignhead, Combeinteignhead, Haccombe, St Nicholas, Bredgar, Liverpool, Blackburn and Plymouth St Charles the Martyr. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Plymouth, Cheshire East and Staffordshire Moorlands. 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 Stokeinteignhead, Combeinteignhead, Haccombe, St Nicholas Devon
2 Bredgar Kent
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Blackburn Lancashire
5 Plymouth St Charles the Martyr Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Plymouth 031 Plymouth
2 Plymouth 012 Plymouth
3 Cheshire East 028 Cheshire East
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 012 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 Plymouth 015 Plymouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gotham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gotham

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gotham, 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 Gotham surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Gotham 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Gotham is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Gotham is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Gotham

The surname Gotham has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "gat" meaning "goat" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." The name likely refers to a place where goats were raised or a settlement located near goat farms.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gateham" and "Gatham." These entries refer to places in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, respectively. The name was also spelled as "Gotham" in medieval records, indicating its evolution into the modern form.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Gotham was William de Gotham, a landowner in Derbyshire mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1166. Another notable figure was Sir John de Gotham, a knight who fought in the Battle of Poitiers during the Hundred Years' War in 1356.

In the 15th century, the name gained literary significance through the folk tales of the "Wise Men of Gotham." These stories depicted the villagers of Gotham, Nottinghamshire, as foolish and eccentric, leading to the association of the name with madness or folly. This connection later influenced the naming of the fictional city of Gotham in the Batman comics and other popular culture references.

Among the more prominent individuals with the surname Gotham in history are:

1. Matthew Gotham (c. 1560-1628), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. 2. Richard Gotham (1598-1669), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons during the English Civil War. 3. John Gotham (1670-1743), a British naval officer who served as a captain in the Royal Navy during the early 18th century. 4. Elizabeth Gotham (1725-1804), an English writer and poet known for her work "The Poetical Blossoms of Elizabeth Gotham." 5. Thomas Gotham (1835-1912), an American businessman and philanthropist who established the Gotham Trust, a charitable foundation in New York City.

The surname Gotham has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its origins rooted in English place names and evolving to include literary and cultural references over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gotham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gotham 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. Staffordshire leads with 42 Gothams recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.76x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 42 18.76x
Lancashire 11 1.40x
Surrey 4 1.24x
Devon 3 2.17x
Sussex 3 2.68x
Kent 1 0.44x
Middlesex 1 0.15x
Norfolk 1 0.98x
Nottinghamshire 1 1.12x
Yorkshire 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 33 Gothams recorded in 1881 and an index of 139.01x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 33 139.01x
Everton 9 35.89x
Caverswall 6 517.24x
Burslem 3 46.80x
Hove 3 61.10x
Bermondsey 2 10.13x
Croydon 2 11.15x
East Teignmouth 2 357.14x
Drypool 1 99.01x
Great Yarmouth 1 11.83x
Manchester 1 2.83x
Nottingham St Mary 1 4.33x
Over Darwen 1 15.90x
Paddington London 1 4.10x
Stoke 1 178.57x
Walmer 1 102.04x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Ann 4
Elizabeth 4
Eliza 3
Ada 2
Agnes 1
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Annie 1
Ellen 1
Floria 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Jessie 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Mercy 1
Sarah 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 4
James 4
John 4
Mathew 4
Thomas 4
William 4
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Frances 1
Frederick 1
Lawrence 1
Michael 1
Thos. 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 Gotham households.

FAQ

Gotham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gotham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 68 people were recorded with the Gotham surname. That placed it at #23,950 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gotham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016. That gives Gotham a modern rank of #25,377.

What does the Gotham surname mean?

A surname derived from the name of the English village of Gateshead, which became known as Gotham.

What does the Gotham map show?

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