NameCensus.

UK surname

Guilder

A surname derived from the Dutch word "gulden," meaning a gold coin or money.

In the 1881 census there were 78 people recorded with the Guilder surname, ranking it #22,500 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 131, ranked #26,004, down from #22,500 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Bonhill. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Colchester, Guildford and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Guilder is 139 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 67.9%.

1881 census count

78

Ranked #22,500

Modern count

131

2016, ranked #26,004

Peak year

2010

139 bearers

Map years

5

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Guilder had 78 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,500 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016, ranked #26,004.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 118 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Guilder surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Guilder surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Guilder 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 65 #21,747
1861 historical 118 #18,512
1881 historical 78 #22,500
1891 historical 91 #25,239
1901 historical 100 #22,863
1911 historical 75 #25,322
1997 modern 117 #24,553
1998 modern 125 #24,198
1999 modern 123 #24,643
2000 modern 123 #24,585
2001 modern 115 #25,222
2002 modern 124 #24,616
2003 modern 116 #25,415
2004 modern 114 #25,870
2005 modern 113 #25,974
2006 modern 124 #24,750
2007 modern 132 #24,166
2008 modern 133 #24,350
2009 modern 132 #24,929
2010 modern 139 #24,688
2011 modern 131 #25,430
2012 modern 133 #25,187
2013 modern 139 #24,912
2014 modern 139 #25,093
2015 modern 138 #25,103
2016 modern 131 #26,004

Geography

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Where Guilders are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Bonhill, St Marylebone and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Colchester, Guildford, Leeds and Chelmsford. 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 3
2 St Pancras London (North Districts)
3 Bonhill Dunbarton
4 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Colchester 008 Colchester
2 Guildford 001 Guildford
3 Leeds 074 Leeds
4 Colchester 010 Colchester
5 Chelmsford 003 Chelmsford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Guilder

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Guilder

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Guilder surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Guilder household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Guilder is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Guilder is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Guilder falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Guilder

The surname Guilder is of English origin, with records indicating its presence as early as the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "gyldan," which means "to gild" or "to cover with gold." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone involved in the trade of gilding or working with gold.

One of the earliest known records of the Guilder surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1196, where it appears as "Guyldar." This medieval document served as a record of financial transactions and tax payments made to the English Crown during the reign of King Richard I.

The name Guilder also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a survey of landowners and their holdings commissioned by King Edward I. In this record, the name is spelled as "Gyldour," further reinforcing its connection to the occupation of gilding.

In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the Guilder surname was John Guilder, a merchant and alderman of the City of London. He is mentioned in the court records of the time, having served as a representative for the city in various legal matters.

During the 16th century, the Guilder name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, where a family with the surname resided. One member of this family, William Guilder, was a prominent landowner and served as a local magistrate in the region.

Another historical figure with the Guilder surname was Thomas Guilder, a Church of England clergyman who lived in the late 17th century. He was the rector of St. Peter's Church in Northampton and is mentioned in several ecclesiastical records from that time period.

In the 18th century, the Guilder name was associated with the village of Guilden Morden in Cambridgeshire, which likely derived its name from the same Old English root as the surname. A notable resident of this village was John Guilder, a successful farmer and landowner who lived in the early 1700s.

Throughout its history, the Guilder surname has been subject to various spellings, including Guylder, Gilder, and Guildar, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time. However, the core connection to the occupation of gilding or working with gold has remained a consistent theme in the name's etymology.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Guilder families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Guilder 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. Essex leads with 20 Guilders recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.32x.

County Total Index
Essex 20 13.32x
Middlesex 13 1.71x
Dunbartonshire 10 48.92x
Surrey 9 2.43x
Bedfordshire 7 17.77x
Northamptonshire 6 8.39x
Buckinghamshire 3 6.52x
Hampshire 3 1.92x
Hertfordshire 2 3.81x
Worcestershire 2 2.01x
Kent 1 0.39x
Lancashire 1 0.11x
Lincolnshire 1 0.82x

Top districts and towns

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

Place Total Index
Terling 14 6363.64x
Bonhill 10 304.88x
Kew 7 3181.82x
Shefford Hardwick 7 70000.00x
Warmington 6 3333.33x
St Pancras London 5 8.17x
Little Waltham 4 2666.67x
Chalfont St Peter 3 789.47x
Hillingdon 3 123.46x
Millbrook 3 76.34x
Clerkenwell London 2 11.14x
Kings Norton 2 22.45x
Watford 2 49.14x
Compton 1 833.33x
Ealing 1 14.71x
Haxey 1 192.31x
Lambeth 1 1.51x
Lewisham 1 7.23x
Little Dunmow 1 1111.11x
Little Leighs 1 3333.33x
Paddington London 1 3.58x
Poplar London 1 6.96x
Preston 1 4.14x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Emma 4
Mary 4
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Ellen 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Annie 1
Babra 1
Barbara 1
Catharine 1
Elinor 1
Eliza 1
Elizath. 1
Frances 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Lettia 1
Lydia 1
Martha 1
Maryann 1
Maud 1
Naomi 1
Rebecca 1
Sushannah 1
Tamer 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 4
Robert 4
Charles 3
William 3
Henry 2
Samuel 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Charley 1
David 1
Ernest 1
Fredk 1
Gustavus 1
James 1
Leonard 1
Thomas 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Guilder households.

FAQ

Guilder surname: questions and answers

How common was the Guilder surname in 1881?

In 1881, 78 people were recorded with the Guilder surname. That placed it at #22,500 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Guilder surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016. That gives Guilder a modern rank of #26,004.

What does the Guilder surname mean?

A surname derived from the Dutch word "gulden," meaning a gold coin or money.

What does the Guilder map show?

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