NameCensus.

UK surname

Greenhead

In the 1881 census there were 121 people recorded with the Greenhead surname, ranking it #17,671 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 98, ranked #31,470, down from #17,671 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Herne (incl. Herne Bay Chapelry), Bletchingley and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Croydon, Sutton and Canterbury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Greenhead is 190 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 19.0%.

1881 census count

121

Ranked #17,671

Modern count

98

2016, ranked #31,470

Peak year

1911

190 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2006

Key insights

  • Greenhead had 121 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,671 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016, ranked #31,470.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 190 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Greenhead surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Greenhead surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Greenhead 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 71 #20,875
1861 historical 111 #19,429
1881 historical 121 #17,671
1891 historical 146 #18,664
1901 historical 172 #16,643
1911 historical 190 #15,438
1997 modern 145 #21,571
1998 modern 144 #22,221
1999 modern 144 #22,405
2000 modern 143 #22,457
2001 modern 138 #22,647
2002 modern 129 #24,021
2003 modern 132 #23,459
2004 modern 129 #24,019
2005 modern 115 #25,702
2006 modern 123 #24,873
2007 modern 116 #26,209
2008 modern 122 #25,638
2009 modern 123 #26,098
2010 modern 119 #27,250
2011 modern 116 #27,477
2012 modern 104 #29,543
2013 modern 103 #30,235
2014 modern 101 #30,855
2015 modern 102 #30,624
2016 modern 98 #31,470

Geography

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Where Greenheads are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Herne (incl. Herne Bay Chapelry), Bletchingley, London parishes and St Giles Camberwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Croydon, Sutton, Canterbury and Surrey Heath. 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 Herne (incl. Herne Bay Chapelry) Kent
2 Bletchingley Surrey
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Croydon 028 Croydon
2 Sutton 019 Sutton
3 Canterbury 006 Canterbury
4 Croydon 030 Croydon
5 Surrey Heath 001 Surrey Heath

Forenames

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First names often paired with Greenhead

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Greenhead

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Greenhead surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Greenhead household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Greenhead 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

Greenhead 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

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

1881 census detail

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Greenhead families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Greenhead 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. Surrey leads with 66 Greenheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.57x.

County Total Index
Surrey 66 11.57x
Middlesex 18 1.54x
Yorkshire 13 1.12x
Kent 8 2.00x
Warwickshire 5 1.69x
Suffolk 4 2.81x
Lancashire 3 0.22x
Norfolk 2 1.11x
Bedfordshire 1 1.65x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Croydon in Surrey leads with 35 Greenheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 110.58x.

Place Total Index
Croydon 35 110.58x
Camberwell 9 12.04x
Bletchingley 8 1081.08x
Holy Trinity 6 21.51x
Beeston 5 427.35x
Hammersmith London 5 17.34x
Islington London 5 4.41x
Lambeth 5 4.90x
Lewisham 5 23.49x
Nuneaton 5 146.20x
Streatham 5 57.60x
Lavenham 4 533.33x
Gorton 3 22.99x
Bermondsey 2 5.74x
Fulham London 2 11.79x
Great Yarmouth 2 13.41x
Aspley Guise 1 172.41x
Bromley London 1 3.88x
Deptford St Paul 1 3.25x
Folkestone 1 12.90x
Kensington London 1 1.54x
Penge 1 13.37x
Richmond 1 12.52x
Southcoates 1 15.53x
St George Hanover Square 1 4.85x
St Marylebone London 1 1.60x
St Pancras London 1 1.06x
Tonbridge 1 6.94x
Tottenham 1 5.36x
Welton Melton 1 294.12x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Emma 8
Jane 5
Alice 4
Mary 4
Sarah 4
Clara 3
Elizabeth 3
Emily 3
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Jessie 2
Kate 2
Letitia 2
Lucy 2
Ann 1
Bessey 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Harriet 1
Henrietta 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Lizzie 1
Martha 1
Rachel 1
Rose 1
Susanah 1
Zara 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 8
Charles 5
William 5
John 4
Albert 3
Alfred 3
Edward 3
Thomas 3
Arthur 2
Fredrick 2
Henry 2
Joseph 2
Arth. 1
Augustus 1
Chas.S. 1
David 1
Henry.J. 1
Herbert 1
Hy.H. 1
James 1
Matthew 1
Percy 1
Philip 1
Stephen 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Greenhead surname: questions and answers

How common was the Greenhead surname in 1881?

In 1881, 121 people were recorded with the Greenhead surname. That placed it at #17,671 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Greenhead surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016. That gives Greenhead a modern rank of #31,470.

What does the Greenhead map show?

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