NameCensus.

UK surname

Ground

From an occupational surname referring to a person who lived and worked on the ground, such as a farmer or groundskeeper.

In the 1881 census there were 122 people recorded with the Ground surname, ranking it #17,602 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 166, ranked #22,140, down from #17,602 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Haddenham and Doddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Holland, Tower Hamlets and Windsor and Maidenhead.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ground is 199 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.1%.

1881 census count

122

Ranked #17,602

Modern count

166

2016, ranked #22,140

Peak year

1891

199 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ground had 122 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,602 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 166 in 2016, ranked #22,140.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 199 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Ground surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ground surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Ground 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 142 #13,428
1861 historical 174 #13,483
1881 historical 122 #17,602
1891 historical 199 #14,977
1901 historical 173 #16,579
1911 historical 184 #15,742
1997 modern 162 #20,107
1998 modern 180 #19,298
1999 modern 179 #19,539
2000 modern 178 #19,570
2001 modern 184 #18,907
2002 modern 184 #19,275
2003 modern 171 #19,953
2004 modern 165 #20,530
2005 modern 159 #20,983
2006 modern 162 #20,886
2007 modern 165 #20,893
2008 modern 170 #20,672
2009 modern 174 #20,782
2010 modern 185 #20,453
2011 modern 176 #20,957
2012 modern 166 #21,683
2013 modern 177 #21,170
2014 modern 170 #21,914
2015 modern 166 #22,159
2016 modern 166 #22,140

Geography

Back to top

Where Grounds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Haddenham, Doddington and Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Holland, Tower Hamlets, Windsor and Maidenhead and Hammersmith and Fulham. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Haddenham Cambridgeshire
4 Doddington Cambridgeshire
5 Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire) Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Holland 007 South Holland
2 Tower Hamlets 007 Tower Hamlets
3 Windsor and Maidenhead 002 Windsor and Maidenhead
4 South Holland 006 South Holland
5 Hammersmith and Fulham 024 Hammersmith and Fulham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Ground

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Ground

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

Ground is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Ground

The surname Ground originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "grund," meaning "ground" or "earth." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or mound, or perhaps worked as a groundskeeper or farmer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mentions a John atte Grounde in Oxfordshire. The "atte" prefix was commonly used in medieval times to indicate a relationship or association with a particular place or occupation.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as atte Grounde, del Grounde, and Grounde. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during that era.

The Ground surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name has deep roots in English history.

Notable individuals with the surname Ground include Sir William Ground (1615-1679), an English politician and member of the Commonwealth Parliament during the English Civil War. Another prominent figure was John Ground (1616-1662), a Puritan minister and author of several religious works.

In the 18th century, John Ground (1724-1799) was a successful banker and merchant in London, while in the 19th century, James Ground (1832-1901) was a renowned English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings.

The surname Ground has also been found in other parts of the British Isles, such as Scotland and Ireland, where it may have been adopted by families migrating from England or derived from separate linguistic roots.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Ground families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ground 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 26 Grounds recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.18x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 26 2.18x
Cambridgeshire 20 26.54x
Lincolnshire 17 8.94x
Essex 9 3.83x
Norfolk 9 4.92x
Surrey 7 1.21x
Warwickshire 6 2.00x
Worcestershire 6 3.86x
Lancashire 5 0.35x
Hampshire 3 1.23x
Kent 3 0.74x
Durham 2 0.57x
Northamptonshire 2 1.79x
Northumberland 2 1.13x
Yorkshire 2 0.17x
Cheshire 1 0.38x
Derbyshire 1 0.54x
Suffolk 1 0.69x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whittlesey St Mary St in Cambridgeshire leads with 14 Grounds recorded in 1881 and an index of 532.32x.

Place Total Index
Whittlesey St Mary St 14 532.32x
Chelsea London 9 25.10x
West Ham 9 17.35x
Wiggenhall St Mary 8 2857.14x
Islington London 7 6.07x
Moulton 7 760.87x
Birmingham 6 6.00x
Gainsborough 5 111.36x
Kings Norton 5 35.89x
Spalding 5 132.28x
Caterham 4 156.25x
Paddington London 3 6.86x
Wapping London 3 329.67x
Wigan 3 15.21x
Airmyn 2 1000.00x
Battersea 2 4.57x
East Denton 2 500.00x
Haddenham 2 281.69x
Halliwell 2 38.91x
Portsea 2 4.18x
St George Bloomsbury 2 29.28x
Wisbech St Peter 2 52.91x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 1 36.76x
Claines 1 23.47x
Croydon 1 3.11x
Folkestone 1 12.71x
Framwellgate 1 47.62x
Greenwich 1 5.28x
Hackney London 1 1.50x
Kensington London 1 1.51x
Lanchester 1 153.85x
Leverington 1 200.00x
Maidstone 1 8.27x
Matlock 1 40.00x
Oundle 1 80.00x
Peterborough 1 12.35x
St Andrewthe Less 1 11.61x
St Lawrence 1 1000.00x
Terrington St Clement 1 120.48x
Weston In Nantwich 1 476.19x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
John 7
Thomas 6
Edward 4
George 4
Henry 3
Benjamin 2
Charles 2
Daniel 2
Jonathan 2
Joshua 2
Robert 2
Arthur 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
James 1
Job 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Tom 1
Victor 1

FAQ

Ground surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ground surname in 1881?

In 1881, 122 people were recorded with the Ground surname. That placed it at #17,602 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ground surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 166 in 2016. That gives Ground a modern rank of #22,140.

What does the Ground surname mean?

From an occupational surname referring to a person who lived and worked on the ground, such as a farmer or groundskeeper.

What does the Ground map show?

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