NameCensus.

UK surname

Gould

A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a marigold field or a gold mine.

In the 1881 census there were 10,773 people recorded with the Gould surname, ranking it #397 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 15,293, ranked #414, down from #397 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Staffordshire Moorlands, Sedgemoor and High Peak.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gould is 16,239 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.0%.

1881 census count

10,773

Ranked #397

Modern count

15,293

2016, ranked #414

Peak year

1998

16,239 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gould had 10,773 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #397 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 15,293 in 2016, ranked #414.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 14,585 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Gould surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gould surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gould 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 6,990 #400
1861 historical 7,006 #403
1881 historical 10,773 #397
1891 historical 11,135 #403
1901 historical 13,316 #392
1911 historical 14,585 #339
1997 modern 15,579 #389
1998 modern 16,239 #386
1999 modern 16,236 #391
2000 modern 16,123 #392
2001 modern 15,678 #394
2002 modern 16,018 #393
2003 modern 15,493 #398
2004 modern 15,494 #396
2005 modern 15,188 #397
2006 modern 15,110 #401
2007 modern 15,205 #402
2008 modern 15,163 #407
2009 modern 15,514 #406
2010 modern 15,803 #407
2011 modern 15,604 #406
2012 modern 15,251 #407
2013 modern 15,680 #407
2014 modern 15,659 #409
2015 modern 15,464 #412
2016 modern 15,293 #414

Geography

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Where Goulds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Staffordshire Moorlands, Sedgemoor, High Peak and Weymouth and Portland. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Staffordshire Moorlands 007 Staffordshire Moorlands
2 Sedgemoor 001 Sedgemoor
3 High Peak 010 High Peak
4 High Peak 011 High Peak
5 Weymouth and Portland 009 Weymouth and Portland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gould

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gould

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Gould is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gould is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gould falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Gould

The surname Gould is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "golde," meaning "golden," and may have initially referred to someone with golden-colored hair or a fair complexion.

The name is found in early records such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mention a John le Gould. The Domesday Book of 1086 also contains references to places with similar names, such as Gualt and Gualda, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared as Golde, Goolde, and Gulde, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that period. By the 16th century, the spelling had stabilized to Gould, as seen in records from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gould was Sir Thomas Gould (c. 1350–1417), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Bristol in 1395. Another notable figure was Sir John Gould (1592–1638), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1629.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gould family established themselves as landowners and gentry in various parts of England. Benjamin Gould (1661–1737) was a prominent mathematician and astronomer, known for his contributions to celestial navigation and the calculation of longitude.

In the 19th century, John Gould (1804–1881) was a renowned English ornithologist and bird artist, famous for his lavishly illustrated works on birds, including "The Birds of Europe" and "The Birds of Asia." His wife, Elizabeth Gould (1804–1841), was a skilled artist who assisted him in his work.

Another notable figure was Sir Francis Carruthers Gould (1844–1925), a British political cartoonist and illustrator who worked for publications such as The Westminster Gazette and Punch magazine.

The Gould surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Gould's Green in Worcestershire and Gould's Farm in Berkshire, further highlighting its historical roots in the country.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gould families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gould 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 1,252 Goulds recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.19x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,252 1.19x
Somerset 933 5.49x
Staffordshire 921 2.58x
Devon 746 3.39x
Surrey 672 1.31x
Lancashire 495 0.40x
Yorkshire 491 0.47x
Hampshire 470 2.17x
Worcestershire 402 2.92x
Warwickshire 398 1.49x
Essex 384 1.84x
Gloucestershire 354 1.71x
Glamorgan 323 1.76x
Dorset 321 4.63x
Kent 305 0.85x
Derbyshire 276 1.67x
Cheshire 197 0.85x
Norfolk 179 1.10x
Monmouthshire 153 2.00x
Berkshire 116 1.46x
Suffolk 114 0.89x
Wiltshire 114 1.22x
Oxfordshire 103 1.58x
Sussex 102 0.57x
Lanarkshire 87 0.25x
Hertfordshire 75 1.03x
Durham 67 0.21x
Leicestershire 67 0.57x
Midlothian 64 0.45x
Nottinghamshire 63 0.44x
Cornwall 62 0.52x
Lincolnshire 51 0.30x
Shropshire 51 0.56x
Channel Islands 50 1.60x
Buckinghamshire 45 0.71x
Fife 43 0.69x
Westmorland 36 1.55x
Bedfordshire 25 0.46x
Brecknockshire 25 1.18x
Pembrokeshire 20 0.60x
Perthshire 20 0.42x
Angus 18 0.18x
Northumberland 16 0.10x
Herefordshire 13 0.30x
Northamptonshire 11 0.11x
Aberdeenshire 10 0.10x
Cambridgeshire 10 0.15x
Royal Navy 10 0.79x
Radnorshire 9 1.06x
Caernarfonshire 8 0.19x
Cumberland 7 0.08x
Ayrshire 6 0.08x
Renfrewshire 5 0.06x
Buteshire 3 0.47x
Denbighshire 3 0.08x
Huntingdonshire 3 0.14x
Rutland 3 0.39x
Anglesey 2 0.11x
Banffshire 2 0.09x
Isle of Man 2 0.10x
Roxburghshire 2 0.10x
Stirlingshire 2 0.05x
Wigtownshire 2 0.14x
Kinross-shire 1 0.37x
Orkney 1 0.09x
West Lothian 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 131 Goulds recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.79x.

Place Total Index
Aston 131 1.79x
Islington London 125 1.22x
St Pancras London 125 1.47x
Birmingham 122 1.38x
Camberwell 105 1.56x
St Marylebone London 101 1.79x
Lambeth 100 1.09x
Stoke Upon Trent 99 2.62x
Battersea 97 2.50x
Bedminster 84 5.26x
Portsea 74 1.75x
Kingswinford 70 5.41x
Rowley Regis 66 6.65x
Kensington London 60 1.02x
Midsomer Norton 60 37.48x
Hackney London 59 1.00x
Newington 58 1.49x
Ecclesall Bierlow 57 2.68x
Paddington London 57 1.47x
Plymouth St Andrew 57 3.37x
Sheffield 57 1.71x
West Bromwich 55 2.70x
Plymouth Charles The 52 5.37x
Wolverhampton 52 1.90x
Clerkenwell London 48 1.93x
Leek Lowe 48 10.12x
Chelsea London 46 1.45x
Stoke Damerel 46 2.99x
Brightside Bierlow 45 2.19x
Eglwysilan 45 14.11x
Shoreditch London 45 0.98x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 44 2.26x
Tipton 43 3.94x
Oldbury 41 6.04x
Roath 41 4.91x
Barony 39 0.45x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 39 0.69x
St George Hanover Square 39 2.10x
St Woollos 38 4.46x
West Ham 38 0.83x
St Luke London 37 2.19x
Walsall Foreign 37 2.01x
Burton Upon Trent 36 4.32x
Rotherhithe 36 2.76x
Bradfield 35 118.24x
Martock 35 31.68x
Walcot 35 3.87x
Holy Trinity 34 1.35x
Lewisham 34 1.77x
West Coker 34 98.32x
Brassington 33 132.37x
Tottenham 32 1.90x
Southwark St George Martyr 31 1.46x
Tormoham 31 3.33x
Bedwellty 30 2.23x
Bermondsey 30 0.95x
Freshwater 30 30.34x
Liverpool 30 0.39x
Brighton 29 0.81x
Kings Norton 29 2.35x
Toxteth Park 29 0.68x
Ashwick 28 101.97x
Croydon 28 0.98x
St Peter Port 28 4.84x
Weston Super Mare 28 6.53x
Bromley London 27 1.16x
Salford 27 0.73x
Ealing 26 2.76x
Exeter St Sidwell 26 5.17x
Southampton St Mary 26 1.91x
Bethnal Green London 25 0.55x
Bidford 25 43.93x
Chatham 25 2.52x
Cheltenham 25 1.57x
Clifton 25 2.39x
Govan 25 0.30x
Leeds 25 0.42x
Trevethin 25 3.47x
Aberdare 24 1.90x
Clapham 24 1.82x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 752
Elizabeth 426
Sarah 398
Jane 200
Ann 185
Ellen 185
Eliza 177
Emma 164
Alice 156
Emily 142
Annie 137
Martha 110
Hannah 98
Louisa 95
Margaret 84
Florence 71
Fanny 66
Edith 64
Caroline 62
Charlotte 62
Ada 61
Maria 58
Kate 57
Harriet 55
Frances 54
Susan 49
Lucy 47
Clara 40
Julia 37
Catherine 36
Anne 35
Agnes 34
Amelia 32
Lydia 31
Harriett 29
Esther 27
Rose 25
Sophia 24
Matilda 23
Beatrice 22
Ethel 22
Isabella 22
Minnie 22
Amy 21
Anna 21
Bessie 21
Jessie 21
Mabel 18
Rebecca 18
Susannah 18

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 660
John 602
George 406
James 292
Thomas 281
Henry 249
Charles 247
Joseph 207
Frederick 116
Edward 115
Alfred 112
Richard 97
Robert 95
Arthur 92
Samuel 92
Albert 84
Harry 61
Walter 61
Herbert 53
Frank 45
Edwin 39
Francis 36
Ernest 35
David 30
Isaac 30
Wm. 30
Benjamin 25
Geo. 25
Stephen 23
Tom 21
Job 19
Daniel 17
Fred 16
Joshua 13
Willm. 13
Alexander 11
Fredk. 11
Fredrick 11
Philip 11
Sidney 11
Horace 10
Mark 10
Michael 10
Percy 10
Thos. 10
Gilbert 9
Jno. 9
Leonard 9
Moses 9
Peter 9

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 Gould households.

FAQ

Gould surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gould surname in 1881?

In 1881, 10,773 people were recorded with the Gould surname. That placed it at #397 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gould surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 15,293 in 2016. That gives Gould a modern rank of #414.

What does the Gould surname mean?

A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a marigold field or a gold mine.

What does the Gould map show?

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