NameCensus.

UK surname

Gudger

A surname of uncertain origin, potentially from a place name or occupation.

In the 1881 census there were 96 people recorded with the Gudger surname, ranking it #20,248 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 179, ranked #21,086, down from #20,248 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kimcote and Knaptoft, Almondbury and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Warwickshire, Hinckley and Bosworth and Nuneaton and Bedworth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gudger is 199 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 86.5%.

1881 census count

96

Ranked #20,248

Modern count

179

2016, ranked #21,086

Peak year

2000

199 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gudger had 96 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,248 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 179 in 2016, ranked #21,086.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 162 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Gudger surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gudger surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gudger 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 48 #24,615
1861 historical 110 #19,562
1881 historical 96 #20,248
1891 historical 133 #19,870
1901 historical 115 #21,050
1911 historical 162 #17,003
1997 modern 195 #17,912
1998 modern 197 #18,283
1999 modern 197 #18,400
2000 modern 199 #18,278
2001 modern 192 #18,388
2002 modern 187 #19,083
2003 modern 181 #19,277
2004 modern 183 #19,251
2005 modern 183 #19,194
2006 modern 178 #19,666
2007 modern 181 #19,680
2008 modern 180 #19,946
2009 modern 190 #19,656
2010 modern 199 #19,515
2011 modern 193 #19,729
2012 modern 184 #20,291
2013 modern 190 #20,201
2014 modern 181 #21,033
2015 modern 177 #21,220
2016 modern 179 #21,086

Geography

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Where Gudgers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kimcote and Knaptoft, Almondbury, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars, Huddersfield and Mancetter. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Warwickshire, Hinckley and Bosworth, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Flintshire. 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 Kimcote and Knaptoft Leicestershire
2 Almondbury Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
4 Huddersfield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Mancetter Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Warwickshire 003 North Warwickshire
2 Hinckley and Bosworth 011 Hinckley and Bosworth
3 Nuneaton and Bedworth 008 Nuneaton and Bedworth
4 Flintshire 003 Flintshire
5 Hinckley and Bosworth 010 Hinckley and Bosworth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gudger

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gudger

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Gudger surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Gudger household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Gudger is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gudger is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gudger falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Gudger

The surname Gudger is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'gudge', meaning a slender stick or rod. The name is thought to have originated as an occupational name for a maker of sticks or rods, or perhaps someone who worked with sticks or rods in some other capacity.

The earliest known recorded instance of the surname Gudger appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a John Gudger is listed. Other early spellings of the name include Gudgere, Gudzher, and Gudgare, reflecting the variations in dialect and spelling common in medieval times.

In the 16th century, the surname Gudger can be found in various parish records and court rolls throughout England, particularly in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. One notable example is William Gudger, born in 1542 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, who was a merchant and ship owner.

The Gudger surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Gudger's Green in Essex and Gudger's Hill in Suffolk. These place names likely originated from families bearing the Gudger surname who lived in or owned land in those areas.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Gudger, including:

1. Thomas Gudger (1570-1637), an English merchant and landowner from Essex. 2. Elizabeth Gudger (1642-1718), an English Quaker preacher and writer from Norfolk. 3. John Gudger (1712-1784), an English farmer and landowner from Suffolk, known for his extensive landholdings and philanthropic contributions to his local community. 4. Richard Gudger (1789-1862), an English architect and builder who designed several churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas. 5. Margaret Gudger (1827-1901), an English educator and advocate for women's education, who founded several schools for girls in the late 19th century.

While the Gudger surname is not among the most common in England, it has a long and documented history, tracing back to its origins as an occupational name in the 13th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gudger families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gudger 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. Leicestershire leads with 25 Gudgers recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.08x.

County Total Index
Leicestershire 25 24.08x
Warwickshire 21 8.89x
Yorkshire 19 2.05x
Lancashire 18 1.62x
Lincolnshire 6 4.01x
Middlesex 5 0.53x
Berkshire 1 1.42x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.69x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Atherstone in Warwickshire leads with 16 Gudgers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1322.31x.

Place Total Index
Atherstone 16 1322.31x
Oldham 15 41.83x
Kimcote Knaptoft 12 8571.43x
Linthwaite 5 256.41x
Saddleworth 5 69.83x
St Nicholas Lincoln 5 349.65x
Chelsea London 4 14.18x
Misterton 4 2500.00x
South Kilworth 4 2857.14x
Ashton Under Lyne 3 12.36x
Manningham 3 26.25x
Wolvey 3 1200.00x
Honley 2 123.46x
Kimcote 2 5000.00x
York St Andrew 2 2222.22x
Aston 1 1.54x
Bardney 1 222.22x
Cookham 1 45.66x
Grendon 1 500.00x
Heather 1 714.29x
Heworth 1 416.67x
Leeds 1 1.91x
Leicester St Mary 1 11.92x
North Kilworth 1 714.29x
Upwell 1 232.56x
Westminster St Margaret 1 22.12x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Hannah 6
Sarah 6
Eliza 4
Elizabeth 4
Emily 3
Emma 3
Annie 2
Fanny 2
Jane 2
Ann 1
Anne 1
Charlott 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Ellen 1
Faith 1
Jemima 1
Lillian 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 9
Thomas 5
John 3
Joseph 3
Abraham 2
Herbert 2
James 2
Robert 2
Arthur 1
Benj. 1
Charles 1
David 1
Frank 1
Henry 1
Howard 1
Hugh 1
Isaac 1
Jonathan 1
Merhack 1
Owen 1
Ralph 1
Sam 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Shaddhrach 1
Solomon 1
Sydney 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Gudger surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gudger surname in 1881?

In 1881, 96 people were recorded with the Gudger surname. That placed it at #20,248 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gudger surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 179 in 2016. That gives Gudger a modern rank of #21,086.

What does the Gudger surname mean?

A surname of uncertain origin, potentially from a place name or occupation.

What does the Gudger map show?

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