NameCensus.

UK surname

Grimstead

A topographic surname derived from a place name meaning "Grim's homestead" or farm.

In the 1881 census there were 103 people recorded with the Grimstead surname, ranking it #19,410 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 234, ranked #17,572, up from #19,410 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Winsham , Cricket St Thomas and Mark, Chapel Allerton, Weare, East Brent, South Brent. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Somerset, Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Grimstead is 265 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 127.2%.

1881 census count

103

Ranked #19,410

Modern count

234

2016, ranked #17,572

Peak year

1998

265 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Grimstead had 103 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,410 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 234 in 2016, ranked #17,572.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 211 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Grimstead surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Grimstead surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Grimstead 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 57 #23,092
1861 historical 148 #15,452
1881 historical 103 #19,410
1891 historical 180 #16,143
1901 historical 210 #14,677
1911 historical 211 #14,467
1997 modern 253 #15,152
1998 modern 265 #15,087
1999 modern 264 #15,223
2000 modern 265 #15,143
2001 modern 253 #15,403
2002 modern 252 #15,714
2003 modern 244 #15,861
2004 modern 231 #16,591
2005 modern 223 #16,938
2006 modern 220 #17,204
2007 modern 217 #17,520
2008 modern 221 #17,495
2009 modern 236 #17,103
2010 modern 246 #16,975
2011 modern 251 #16,589
2012 modern 251 #16,467
2013 modern 249 #16,825
2014 modern 246 #17,079
2015 modern 233 #17,627
2016 modern 234 #17,572

Geography

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Where Grimsteads are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Winsham , Cricket St Thomas, Mark, Chapel Allerton, Weare, East Brent, South Brent, Wedmore and Walsoken. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Somerset, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Caerphilly and Havering. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Winsham , Cricket St Thomas Somerset
3 Mark, Chapel Allerton, Weare, East Brent, South Brent Somerset
4 Wedmore Somerset
5 Walsoken Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Somerset 023 South Somerset
2 Neath Port Talbot 011 Neath Port Talbot
3 Rhondda Cynon Taf 010 Rhondda Cynon Taf
4 Caerphilly 011 Caerphilly
5 Havering 012 Havering

Forenames

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First names often paired with Grimstead

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Grimstead

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Grimstead surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Grimstead household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Grimstead is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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 neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Grimstead is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Grimstead 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 Grimstead is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Grimstead, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Grimstead

The surname Grimstead is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It likely stemmed from a place name referring to a settlement or town located in a grim or gloomy area, with "stead" meaning a place or settlement. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be Grymstede in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John de Grymstede, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1349. This suggests that the name was present in various regions of England by the 14th century. The Grimstead spelling itself can be traced back to the 16th century, with an entry for Thomas Grimstead found in the parish registers of Aldenham, Hertfordshire, in 1564.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several mentions of places with similar names, such as Grimestede in Norfolk and Grimmestede in Suffolk, which may have contributed to the formation of the Grimstead surname. These place names likely referred to settlements surrounded by dense forests or located in areas with grim or foreboding landscapes.

One notable bearer of the Grimstead name was William Grimstead, a 17th-century English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Taunton and Canon of Wells Cathedral. He was born around 1620 and died in 1685.

Another individual worth mentioning is John Grimstead, a 16th-century English landowner and member of the gentry from Hertfordshire. He was born around 1550 and owned estates in the county.

In the 18th century, Thomas Grimstead was a prominent figure in the East India Company, serving as a merchant and factor in Bengal. He was born in 1705 and played a role in the company's trade operations in India during that period.

Moving to the 19th century, Samuel Grimstead was an English architect active in the early part of the 1800s. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including churches and public structures, in various parts of England.

Finally, one of the more recent individuals with the Grimstead surname was Arthur Grimstead, an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. He was born in 1874 and made appearances for the county team between 1895 and 1901.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Grimstead families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Grimstead 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. Somerset leads with 39 Grimsteads recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.12x.

County Total Index
Somerset 39 24.12x
Yorkshire 15 1.51x
Durham 10 3.35x
Gloucestershire 8 4.06x
Glamorgan 6 3.43x
Devon 5 2.39x
Hampshire 4 1.94x
Middlesex 4 0.40x
Lincolnshire 3 1.87x
Hertfordshire 2 2.89x
Lancashire 2 0.17x
Norfolk 2 1.29x
Essex 1 0.50x
Kent 1 0.29x
Sussex 1 0.59x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Weare in Somerset leads with 14 Grimsteads recorded in 1881 and an index of 6363.64x.

Place Total Index
Weare 14 6363.64x
Leeds 12 21.34x
Congresbury 7 1707.32x
Keynsham 7 603.45x
Clase 6 92.31x
Monkwearmouth 6 209.79x
Bristol St Augustine 4 125.79x
Clifton 4 40.16x
Southampton St Mary 4 30.89x
Stoke Damerel 4 27.32x
Bedminster 3 19.74x
Skelton In Guisbrough 3 111.52x
Bishopwearmouth 2 7.79x
Ebchester 2 434.78x
Holbeach 2 111.73x
Islington London 2 2.05x
Redbourn 2 263.16x
Sutton 2 50.00x
Sutton Mallett 2 5000.00x
Walsoken 2 215.05x
Chard 1 51.02x
Crewkerne 1 58.14x
Devonport 1 41.67x
Faversham 1 30.58x
Grantham 1 47.85x
Limehouse London 1 9.07x
Nuthurst 1 357.14x
Tottenham 1 6.25x
Wells St Cuthbert 1 90.91x
Wells St Cuthbert Out 1 76.92x
West Ham 1 2.28x
Weston Super Mare 1 24.51x
Worle 1 303.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 4
Emily 4
Harriet 4
Mary 4
Annie 3
Emma 3
Sarah 3
Agness 2
Ann 2
M.A. 2
Margaret 2
Ada 1
Betty 1
Blanche 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
E. 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Hanah 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Jane 1
Jessie 1
Lilly 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Melrind 1
Minnie 1
Phillis 1
Richarda 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 8
William 7
John 5
Albert 2
Charles 2
Eli 2
Fred 2
Henry 2
James 2
Joseph 2
Wm. 2
Edwin 1
G.H. 1
Infant 1
Robert 1
T. 1
Terry 1
Thomas 1
Thos 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Grimstead surname: questions and answers

How common was the Grimstead surname in 1881?

In 1881, 103 people were recorded with the Grimstead surname. That placed it at #19,410 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Grimstead surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 234 in 2016. That gives Grimstead a modern rank of #17,572.

What does the Grimstead surname mean?

A topographic surname derived from a place name meaning "Grim's homestead" or farm.

What does the Grimstead map show?

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