NameCensus.

UK surname

Greenleaf

A descriptive surname referring to a person who lived near a patch of green leaves or foliage.

In the 1881 census there were 164 people recorded with the Greenleaf surname, ranking it #14,624 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 213, ranked #18,785, down from #14,624 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Fingringhoe, East Donyland, London parishes and Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tendring, Colchester and Ipswich.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Greenleaf is 264 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.9%.

1881 census count

164

Ranked #14,624

Modern count

213

2016, ranked #18,785

Peak year

1911

264 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Greenleaf had 164 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,624 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 213 in 2016, ranked #18,785.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 264 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Greenleaf surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Greenleaf surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Greenleaf 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 88 #18,569
1861 historical 85 #22,922
1881 historical 164 #14,624
1891 historical 188 #15,609
1901 historical 209 #14,712
1911 historical 264 #12,449
1997 modern 231 #16,049
1998 modern 240 #16,117
1999 modern 255 #15,599
2000 modern 254 #15,578
2001 modern 244 #15,753
2002 modern 238 #16,378
2003 modern 227 #16,718
2004 modern 228 #16,723
2005 modern 220 #17,078
2006 modern 222 #17,092
2007 modern 221 #17,343
2008 modern 223 #17,395
2009 modern 219 #17,960
2010 modern 230 #17,750
2011 modern 224 #17,891
2012 modern 213 #18,422
2013 modern 222 #18,198
2014 modern 221 #18,412
2015 modern 218 #18,478
2016 modern 213 #18,785

Geography

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Where Greenleafs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Fingringhoe, East Donyland, London parishes, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a, St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford and Langenhoe. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tendring, Colchester, Ipswich and South Bucks. 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 Fingringhoe, East Donyland Essex
2 London parishes London 3
3 Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a Essex
4 St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford London (South Districts)
5 Langenhoe Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tendring 007 Tendring
2 Colchester 021 Colchester
3 Ipswich 015 Ipswich
4 Colchester 022 Colchester
5 South Bucks 008 South Bucks

Forenames

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First names often paired with Greenleaf

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Greenleaf

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Challenged Inner London Communities

Within London, Greenleaf is most associated with areas classed as Challenged Inner London Communities, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Resident in some of Inner London’s most over-crowded communities, many families have children and marriage/civil partnership rates are above the Supergroup average. Other adults such as students live in communal establishments. Few residents have Level 4 educational qualifications, levels of unemployment are above the Supergroup average, and employment is concentrated in service occupations such as distribution, hotels and restaurants. Relative to the Supergroup average, fewer residents identify as being of mixed/multiple ethnicities, Black or Other Asian.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Greenleaf 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

Greenleaf falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Greenleaf

The surname Greenleaf is of English origin, dating back to the medieval era. It is a locational surname, derived from the various places named "Greenleaf" found across England, particularly in counties like Lancashire and Yorkshire. These place names are believed to have originated from the Old English words "grene" meaning green and "leaf" meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Greenleaf can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1190, where a Robert de Grenelef is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time. The Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327 also list a Richard de Grenelef, further solidifying the surname's presence during the Middle Ages.

In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the surname Greenleaf. However, the book does mention several places with similar names, such as Grenefeld and Grenehull, which may have been the ancestral homes of some of the earliest bearers of the Greenleaf surname.

One notable early bearer of the surname was Sir Thomas Greenleaf, a English landowner and Member of Parliament for Lancashire in the late 16th century (c. 1545 - 1612). Another prominent figure was Reverend Jonathan Greenleaf (1590 - 1674), a Puritan minister who emigrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in America and became one of the founders of the town of Newbury.

In the 17th century, Tristram Greenleaf (c. 1621 - 1704) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Boston, Massachusetts. His son, Stephen Greenleaf (1654 - 1737), was a judge and served as a member of the Governor's Council in the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

Another notable bearer of the Greenleaf surname was Jonathan Greenleaf (1785 - 1853), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Newburyport, Massachusetts, who donated significant funds towards the establishment of schools and libraries in his hometown.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Greenleaf who have made their mark throughout history, highlighting the surname's longstanding presence and evolution across various regions and time periods.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Greenleaf families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Greenleaf 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 59 Greenleafs recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.69x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 59 3.69x
Essex 54 17.10x
Kent 18 3.30x
Surrey 10 1.28x
Devon 5 1.50x
Lincolnshire 5 1.95x
Hampshire 4 1.22x
Dorset 3 2.86x
Suffolk 3 1.54x
Yorkshire 2 0.13x
Wiltshire 1 0.71x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 17 Greenleafs recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.46x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 17 24.46x
Langenhoe 16 12307.69x
Deptford St Paul 11 26.13x
Fingringhoe 9 7500.00x
Mile End Old Town London 9 26.43x
West Ham 9 12.91x
Hackney London 7 7.80x
West Mersea 7 1147.54x
Colchester St Giles 6 192.31x
Plumstead 6 32.99x
Clee With Weelsby 5 89.29x
Hornsey 5 24.72x
Westminster St John 5 25.67x
Poplar London 4 13.25x
Stoke 4 108.70x
Plymouth Charles The 3 20.45x
St Marylebone London 3 3.51x
Wimborne 3 236.22x
Great Dunmow 2 121.21x
Knottingley 2 71.68x
Lowestoft 2 21.74x
Portsea 2 3.11x
Ratcliffe London 2 22.65x
Rotherhithe 2 10.12x
Westminster St Margaret 2 25.91x
Wivenhoe 2 160.00x
Bromley London 1 2.84x
Chelsea London 1 2.07x
Chester St Nicholas 1 434.78x
Colchester Holy Trinity 1 142.86x
Croydon 1 2.31x
Darenth 1 119.05x
Ealing 1 6.99x
Fingrinhoe 1 555.56x
Fisherton Anger 1 38.17x
Ipswich St Mathew 1 18.32x
Kensington London 1 1.12x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 3.90x
Reigate Foreign 1 11.85x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 3.11x
St Pancras London 1 0.78x
Stoke Damerel 1 4.29x
Streatham 1 8.42x
Upper Clatford 1 243.90x
Whippingham 1 40.32x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 8
Emma 6
Mary 6
Eliza 5
Jane 5
Alice 4
Amelia 3
Ellen 3
Hannah 3
Ann 2
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Elizabeth 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Phoebe 2
Rose 2
Ruth 2
Susan 2
Bessie 1
Clara 1
Dabora 1
Elsie 1
Emily 1
Francis 1
Georgeina 1
Georgiana 1
Grace 1
Janet 1
Julia 1
Lousia 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Maryann 1
Mira 1
Mitty 1
Naomi 1
Philis 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 12
John 10
James 7
William 7
Edward 6
Thomas 5
Robert 3
Arthur 2
David 2
Frederick 2
Henry 2
Herbert 2
Alfred 1
Anith 1
Charles 1
Clement 1
Edwin 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Harry 1
Jesse 1
Joseph 1
Percy 1
Philip 1
Richard 1
Un 1
Walter 1
Will 1

FAQ

Greenleaf surname: questions and answers

How common was the Greenleaf surname in 1881?

In 1881, 164 people were recorded with the Greenleaf surname. That placed it at #14,624 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Greenleaf surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 213 in 2016. That gives Greenleaf a modern rank of #18,785.

What does the Greenleaf surname mean?

A descriptive surname referring to a person who lived near a patch of green leaves or foliage.

What does the Greenleaf map show?

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