NameCensus.

UK surname

Guilfoyle

A Scottish surname meaning "the son of little wolf".

In the 1881 census there were 111 people recorded with the Guilfoyle surname, ranking it #18,597 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 828, ranked #6,712, up from #18,597 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Manchester and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lesmahagow, Birmingham and Hyndburn.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Guilfoyle is 844 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 645.9%.

1881 census count

111

Ranked #18,597

Modern count

828

2016, ranked #6,712

Peak year

2013

844 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Guilfoyle had 111 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,597 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 828 in 2016, ranked #6,712.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 197 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Guilfoyle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Guilfoyle surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Guilfoyle 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 33 #27,390
1861 historical 58 #26,585
1881 historical 111 #18,597
1891 historical 137 #19,501
1901 historical 158 #17,507
1911 historical 197 #15,101
1997 modern 791 #6,593
1998 modern 814 #6,667
1999 modern 822 #6,654
2000 modern 812 #6,699
2001 modern 804 #6,629
2002 modern 839 #6,531
2003 modern 812 #6,575
2004 modern 804 #6,642
2005 modern 798 #6,626
2006 modern 788 #6,710
2007 modern 793 #6,741
2008 modern 802 #6,733
2009 modern 804 #6,858
2010 modern 819 #6,884
2011 modern 826 #6,765
2012 modern 827 #6,666
2013 modern 844 #6,674
2014 modern 839 #6,730
2015 modern 836 #6,689
2016 modern 828 #6,712

Geography

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Where Guilfoyles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Manchester, Liverpool, Bradford and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lesmahagow, Birmingham, Hyndburn and Cheshire East. 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 Manchester Lancashire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lesmahagow South Lanarkshire
2 Birmingham 011 Birmingham
3 Hyndburn 002 Hyndburn
4 Hyndburn 001 Hyndburn
5 Cheshire East 039 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Guilfoyle

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Guilfoyle

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Guilfoyle, 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 Guilfoyle surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Guilfoyle 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Guilfoyle is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

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

Guilfoyle is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Guilfoyle falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Guilfoyle is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Guilfoyle

The surname Guilfoyle has its origins in Ireland, where it is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Giolla Phóil. This name translates to "descendant of the servant of Paul", indicating that the name may have religious significance.

The name is believed to have originated in County Mayo, located in the west of Ireland. It first appeared in records during the 12th century, with early variations in spelling including O'Gilfoyle, O'Gylfoyle, and O'Gylfoill.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Annals of Loch Cé, a chronicle of Irish history compiled by monks in the 14th century. The annals mention a member of the Guilfoyle family, Gilla Póil Ó Giolla Phóil, who was killed in a battle in County Mayo in 1284.

In the 16th century, the Guilfoyle family was recorded as holding lands in the baronies of Clanmorris and Gallen in County Mayo. During this time, the name was also found in records from County Sligo, indicating that the family had spread to other areas of Ireland.

One notable figure in the history of the Guilfoyle name was Cathal Óg Ó Giolla Phóil, a poet and scholar who lived in the late 16th century. He was known for his works in both Irish and Latin, and his poems were included in the famous Irish manuscript collection known as the Leabhar Chlainne Suibhne.

Another prominent member of the Guilfoyle family was Brian Ó Giolla Phóil, a Catholic priest who lived in the late 17th century. He served as the Vicar General of the Diocese of Killala and was known for his efforts in preserving Irish language and culture during a time of oppression.

In the 19th century, many Guilfoyles emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable Guilfoyle from this era was Michael Guilfoyle (1819-1897), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco from 1882 to 1883.

Other historical figures with the surname Guilfoyle include Patrick Guilfoyle (1858-1929), an Irish-Australian horticulturist and botanist who worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, and William Guilfoyle (1869-1947), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Guilfoyle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Guilfoyle 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. Yorkshire leads with 41 Guilfoyles recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.79x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 41 3.79x
Lancashire 26 2.01x
Middlesex 22 2.01x
Cheshire 8 3.32x
Durham 7 2.15x
Somerset 2 1.14x
Derbyshire 1 0.58x
Devon 1 0.44x
Hampshire 1 0.45x
Leicestershire 1 0.83x
Surrey 1 0.19x
Sussex 1 0.54x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bradford in Yorkshire leads with 14 Guilfoyles recorded in 1881 and an index of 53.44x.

Place Total Index
Bradford 14 53.44x
Bow London 11 79.08x
Birkenhead 7 36.42x
Thornaby 7 173.27x
Manchester 6 10.29x
Saddleworth 6 71.86x
Sheffield 6 17.41x
Liverpool 5 6.35x
St George In East London 5 48.69x
Willington 5 265.96x
Islington London 4 3.78x
Bowling 3 27.99x
Broughton In Salford 3 25.32x
Leeds 3 4.91x
Rainford 3 214.29x
Hartlepool 2 43.29x
Oldham 2 4.78x
Southowram 2 60.61x
West Derby 2 5.27x
Aldershot 1 13.33x
Bath St James 1 54.64x
Bathwick 1 51.28x
Burnley 1 9.16x
Cheadle 1 21.69x
Derby All Sts 1 69.93x
Lancaster 1 12.97x
Leicester St Margaret 1 3.39x
Royton 1 25.25x
Salford 1 2.62x
Shoreditch London 1 2.11x
St Pancras London 1 1.14x
Subdeanery 1 71.43x
Toxteth Park 1 2.28x
Wandsworth 1 9.51x
Wolborough 1 34.84x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 16
Margaret 7
Catherine 6
Ellen 5
Elizabeth 4
Anne 3
Annie 2
Elizth. 2
Jane 2
Maria 2
Ada 1
Allice 1
Ann 1
Bessie 1
Bridget 1
Christina 1
Helen 1
Joanna 1
Josaphine 1
Kate 1
Maggie 1
Margeret 1
Maryon 1
Rosanna 1
Sophia 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
Michael 8
James 4
Patrick 4
Thomas 3
William 3
Edward 2
George 2
Christopher 1
Daniel 1
Francis 1
Jos. 1
Joseph 1
Martin 1
Richard 1
Timothy 1
Willie 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Guilfoyle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Guilfoyle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 111 people were recorded with the Guilfoyle surname. That placed it at #18,597 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Guilfoyle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 828 in 2016. That gives Guilfoyle a modern rank of #6,712.

What does the Guilfoyle surname mean?

A Scottish surname meaning "the son of little wolf".

What does the Guilfoyle map show?

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