NameCensus.

UK surname

Gurney

An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "grain farm" or "granary."

In the 1881 census there were 3,101 people recorded with the Gurney surname, ranking it #1,449 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,455, ranked #1,967, down from #1,449 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Willesden and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Central Bedfordshire, Wychavon and Dacorum.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gurney is 3,982 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.4%.

1881 census count

3,101

Ranked #1,449

Modern count

3,455

2016, ranked #1,967

Peak year

1911

3,982 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gurney had 3,101 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,449 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,455 in 2016, ranked #1,967.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,982 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Gurney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gurney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gurney 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 2,036 #1,425
1861 historical 1,735 #1,663
1881 historical 3,101 #1,449
1891 historical 3,033 #1,552
1901 historical 3,721 #1,510
1911 historical 3,982 #1,282
1997 modern 3,774 #1,721
1998 modern 3,894 #1,727
1999 modern 3,909 #1,741
2000 modern 3,873 #1,744
2001 modern 3,806 #1,738
2002 modern 3,828 #1,771
2003 modern 3,719 #1,780
2004 modern 3,649 #1,818
2005 modern 3,556 #1,841
2006 modern 3,568 #1,830
2007 modern 3,597 #1,831
2008 modern 3,564 #1,860
2009 modern 3,616 #1,884
2010 modern 3,686 #1,887
2011 modern 3,622 #1,897
2012 modern 3,510 #1,920
2013 modern 3,565 #1,924
2014 modern 3,561 #1,942
2015 modern 3,492 #1,955
2016 modern 3,455 #1,967

Geography

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Where Gurneys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Central Bedfordshire, Wychavon, Dacorum and North Norfolk. 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 Willesden Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Watford Hertfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Central Bedfordshire 003 Central Bedfordshire
2 Wychavon 016 Wychavon
3 Dacorum 018 Dacorum
4 Dacorum 021 Dacorum
5 North Norfolk 005 North Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gurney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gurney

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

London Fringe

Within London, Gurney is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Gurney is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Gurney

The surname Gurney originates from the Anglo-Norman French word "gournet" meaning a fish pond or small stream. It is believed to have first emerged in England during the Norman conquest of 1066. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gornai" in Oxfordshire.

The Gurney family initially settled in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, including Gornay, Gournay, and Gurnard. One notable early bearer of the name was Hugh de Gournay, who was appointed Lord of Gournay in the 12th century.

In the 13th century, records show a Sir Thomas de Gournay serving as a knight in the retinue of King Edward I during the Scottish Wars of Independence. His son, also named Thomas de Gournay, fought alongside Edward III at the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

The name Gurney can also be found associated with several place names in Norfolk, such as Gurney Street and Gurney Court in Norwich. This suggests that the family may have held significant landholdings in the region.

One of the most famous bearers of the Gurney surname was Joseph John Gurney (1788-1847), a prominent Quaker banker and philanthropist. He was instrumental in campaigning for the abolition of slavery and improving prison conditions in Britain.

Another notable figure was Goldsworthy Gurney (1793-1875), an English scientist and inventor. He is credited with developing the first commercial steam-powered road vehicle, known as the Gurney Steam Carriage, in the 1820s.

In the literary world, Edmund Gurney (1847-1888) was an English psychologist and co-founder of the Society for Psychical Research. He conducted pioneering research into hypnosis, telepathy, and other paranormal phenomena.

Lastly, Sir Henry Gurney (1888-1951) was a British colonial administrator who served as High Commissioner of the Malay States and Governor of the Straits Settlements in the 1940s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gurney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gurney 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 580 Gurneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.91x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 580 1.91x
Surrey 316 2.13x
Hertfordshire 314 14.98x
Bedfordshire 284 18.03x
Buckinghamshire 240 13.05x
Herefordshire 137 10.98x
Kent 137 1.32x
Gloucestershire 113 1.89x
Norfolk 105 2.25x
Yorkshire 94 0.31x
Warwickshire 91 1.19x
Northamptonshire 81 2.83x
Worcestershire 69 1.74x
Lancashire 61 0.17x
Suffolk 49 1.32x
Hampshire 44 0.71x
Leicestershire 43 1.28x
Berkshire 40 1.75x
Somerset 40 0.82x
Sussex 36 0.70x
Oxfordshire 33 1.76x
Devon 24 0.38x
Essex 19 0.32x
Durham 18 0.20x
Lanarkshire 15 0.15x
Staffordshire 14 0.14x
Cambridgeshire 11 0.57x
Channel Islands 10 1.11x
Cheshire 10 0.15x
Cornwall 9 0.26x
Lincolnshire 9 0.19x
Shropshire 9 0.34x
Cardiganshire 8 1.08x
Glamorgan 8 0.15x
Roxburghshire 7 1.27x
Wiltshire 7 0.26x
Angus 5 0.18x
Monmouthshire 4 0.18x
Northumberland 4 0.09x
Radnorshire 4 1.63x
Derbyshire 3 0.06x
Royal Navy 3 0.83x
Dorset 2 0.10x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.33x
Brecknockshire 1 0.16x
Denbighshire 1 0.09x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.02x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Camberwell in Surrey leads with 74 Gurneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.81x.

Place Total Index
Camberwell 74 3.81x
Islington London 61 2.07x
Hemel Hempstead 56 59.28x
Birmingham 45 1.76x
St Marylebone London 44 2.71x
St Pancras London 44 1.80x
Lambeth 43 1.62x
Hammersmith London 40 5.34x
Watford 36 22.15x
Hackney London 34 1.99x
Luton 34 12.47x
Wigginton 34 460.08x
Kensington London 33 1.95x
Tring 33 58.96x
Aylesbury 30 36.82x
Biggleswade 30 58.16x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 29 26.57x
Kingston On Thames 28 7.86x
Ledbury 28 65.37x
Leighton Buzzard 25 36.90x
Portsea 24 1.96x
Tingrith 24 1379.31x
Clapham 23 6.05x
Dunstable 23 47.53x
Redbourn 23 100.39x
Upton On Severn 23 88.39x
Leicester St Margaret 22 2.68x
Newington 22 1.96x
Eaton Bray 21 132.08x
Hampstead London 21 4.43x
Bermondsey 20 2.21x
Renhold 20 368.32x
Bovingdon 19 173.04x
Clerkenwell London 19 2.65x
Everton 19 844.44x
Paddington London 19 1.70x
Bridstow 18 253.52x
Kings Sutton 18 141.62x
St George Hanover Square 18 3.36x
Poplar London 17 2.96x
Rugby 17 16.38x
Shoreditch London 17 1.29x
Great Gaddesden 16 162.93x
Richmond 16 7.70x
Winwick In Daventry 16 851.06x
Aston 15 0.71x
Croydon 15 1.82x
Halton 15 738.92x
Lowestoft 15 8.57x
Potton 15 71.74x
Wingrave 15 158.90x
Ealing 14 5.15x
Aston Clinton 13 83.39x
Barony 13 0.52x
Brighton 13 1.26x
Gillingham 13 6.08x
Hornsey 13 3.38x
Lewisham 13 2.35x
Margate St John Baptist 13 6.84x
Norwich St Martin At Oak 13 45.71x
Rickmansworth 13 22.52x
Streatham 13 5.76x
Blunham 12 112.46x
Clevedon 12 23.57x
Tewkesbury 12 22.54x
Bradford 11 1.51x
Burnham 11 46.93x
Norwich St Stephen 11 25.62x
Pencombe 11 408.92x
Pinner 11 41.29x
Woolwich 11 2.87x
Chalfont St Giles 10 75.93x
Chelsea London 10 1.09x
Cheltenham 10 2.17x
Fulham London 10 2.27x
Great Yarmouth 10 2.58x
Leominster Out 10 85.18x
Oldham 10 0.86x
Slapton 10 362.32x
Southwark St George Martyr 10 1.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 169
Elizabeth 112
Sarah 100
Emma 62
Ann 58
Annie 50
Alice 47
Ellen 44
Emily 43
Jane 41
Eliza 36
Louisa 33
Maria 28
Caroline 27
Martha 27
Fanny 26
Hannah 25
Ada 23
Clara 22
Kate 21
Edith 20
Florence 19
Charlotte 18
Harriet 18
Catherine 17
Esther 17
Lucy 15
Agnes 14
Lizzie 14
Margaret 14
Susan 13
Eleanor 12
Julia 12
Laura 12
Amelia 11
Anne 10
Frances 10
Beatrice 9
Elizth. 9
Harriett 9
Rebecca 9
Amy 8
Lydia 8
Rachel 8
Gertrude 7
Jessie 7
Nellie 7
Helen 6
Isabella 6
Rose 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 193
John 129
Thomas 111
George 108
James 102
Henry 71
Joseph 61
Charles 55
Alfred 45
Arthur 42
Frederick 31
Walter 30
Albert 27
Robert 27
Edward 25
Richard 20
Francis 18
Edwin 16
Frank 14
Harry 14
Samuel 14
Herbert 12
Daniel 10
David 10
Amos 9
Ernest 8
Jesse 8
Mark 7
Sidney 6
Chas. 5
Edmund 5
Fred 5
Geo. 5
Harold 5
Owen 5
Thos. 5
Fredrick 4
Matthew 4
Philip 4
Stephen 4
Sydney 4
Wm. 4
Alexander 3
Fredk. 3
Isaac 3
Jabez 3
Jason 3
Job 3
Leonard 3
Peter 3

FAQ

Gurney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gurney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,101 people were recorded with the Gurney surname. That placed it at #1,449 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gurney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,455 in 2016. That gives Gurney a modern rank of #1,967.

What does the Gurney surname mean?

An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "grain farm" or "granary."

What does the Gurney map show?

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