NameCensus.

UK surname

Headford

In the 1881 census there were 234 people recorded with the Headford surname, ranking it #11,607 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 290, ranked #15,099, down from #11,607 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, St James and St Paul and Paddington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Poole, Tendring and Derbyshire Dales.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Headford is 333 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 23.9%.

1881 census count

234

Ranked #11,607

Modern count

290

2016, ranked #15,099

Peak year

1911

333 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Headford had 234 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,607 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 290 in 2016, ranked #15,099.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 333 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Headford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Headford surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Headford 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 175 #11,542
1861 historical 217 #11,220
1881 historical 234 #11,607
1891 historical 269 #12,060
1901 historical 292 #11,861
1911 historical 333 #10,624
1997 modern 313 #13,158
1998 modern 329 #13,070
1999 modern 326 #13,238
2000 modern 310 #13,618
2001 modern 304 #13,619
2002 modern 315 #13,561
2003 modern 299 #13,850
2004 modern 296 #14,005
2005 modern 294 #14,006
2006 modern 283 #14,432
2007 modern 292 #14,313
2008 modern 297 #14,230
2009 modern 302 #14,353
2010 modern 296 #14,877
2011 modern 287 #15,044
2012 modern 279 #15,289
2013 modern 290 #15,107
2014 modern 289 #15,251
2015 modern 290 #15,117
2016 modern 290 #15,099

Geography

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Where Headfords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, St James and St Paul, Paddington, St Philip and Jacob and Bristol City: St Philip and Jacob. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Poole, Tendring, Derbyshire Dales, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Sheffield. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 St James and St Paul Gloucestershire
3 Paddington London (West Districts)
4 St Philip and Jacob Gloucestershire
5 Bristol City: St Philip and Jacob Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Poole 016 Poole
2 Tendring 017 Tendring
3 Derbyshire Dales 002 Derbyshire Dales
4 Rhondda Cynon Taf 005 Rhondda Cynon Taf
5 Sheffield 003 Sheffield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Headford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Headford

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Headford 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.

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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

Headford 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

Headford falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Headford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Headford 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. Gloucestershire leads with 95 Headfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.22x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 95 21.22x
Middlesex 60 2.63x
Somerset 37 10.07x
Yorkshire 11 0.49x
Kent 10 1.28x
Devon 9 1.89x
Glamorgan 4 1.01x
Essex 2 0.44x
Surrey 2 0.18x
Warwickshire 2 0.35x
Lancashire 1 0.04x
Oxfordshire 1 0.71x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bristol St Philip Jacob in Gloucestershire leads with 60 Headfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 142.35x.

Place Total Index
Bristol St Philip Jacob 60 142.35x
Paddington London 18 21.45x
Bristol St James St Paul 16 107.17x
St Marylebone London 12 9.85x
Sheffield 10 13.89x
Bridgewater 9 90.27x
Bethnal Green London 8 8.07x
Bristol St Paul In 7 58.68x
Islington London 7 3.16x
Maidstone 7 30.17x
Tiverton 7 85.57x
West Bagborough 6 1621.62x
Bristol St George 5 24.15x
Shoreditch London 5 5.05x
Spaxton 5 694.44x
Bishops Hull 4 336.13x
Hornsey 4 13.86x
Roath 4 22.16x
Westbury On Trym 4 26.37x
Weston Super Mare 4 43.10x
Hampton London 3 80.00x
Old Cleeve 3 229.01x
Enmore 2 909.09x
Hougham 2 43.20x
St Pancras London 2 1.09x
West Ham 2 2.01x
Wilnecote 2 121.21x
Battersea 1 1.19x
Blackburn 1 1.39x
Bristol St James In 1 15.20x
Camberwell 1 0.69x
Clifton 1 4.42x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 2.17x
Exeter Heavitree 1 28.25x
Gloucester St John Baptist 1 34.60x
Horsington 1 169.49x
Meare 1 90.91x
Neithrop 1 21.10x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 2.73x
St George Hanover Square 1 2.49x
Tenterden 1 36.36x
Walcot 1 5.11x
Wembdon 1 91.74x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 17
Elizabeth 11
Sarah 10
Eliza 5
Ellen 5
Emily 5
Ann 4
Esther 4
Florence 4
Harriet 4
Susan 4
Agnes 3
Harriett 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Emma 2
Hannah 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Bessie 1
Caroline 1
Clementina 1
Elizh.M. 1
Elizth. 1
Emmeline 1
Eugenia 1
Fanny 1
Florrie 1
Frances 1
H. 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Lilian 1
Marguerita 1
Maria 1
Matilda 1
Nellie 1
Pollie 1
Priscilla 1
Rose 1
Roshannah 1
Rosina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
George 8
James 8
Joseph 8
Charles 7
John 7
Francis 5
Henry 5
Albert 4
Robert 4
Frank 3
Frederick 3
Isaac 3
Thomas 3
Wm. 3
Chas. 2
Edward 2
Ernest 2
Harry 2
Philip 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Daniel 1
Dudley 1
Edwin 1
Garabaldi 1
Geoe. 1
Herbert 1
Irwin 1
Richard 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Thos.Jas. 1
Tom 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Headford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Headford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 234 people were recorded with the Headford surname. That placed it at #11,607 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Headford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 290 in 2016. That gives Headford a modern rank of #15,099.

What does the Headford map show?

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