NameCensus.

UK surname

Jelf

In the 1881 census there were 192 people recorded with the Jelf surname, ranking it #13,185 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 296, ranked #14,882, down from #13,185 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sandwell, Forest of Dean and Plymouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Jelf is 311 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.2%.

1881 census count

192

Ranked #13,185

Modern count

296

2016, ranked #14,882

Peak year

1911

311 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Jelf had 192 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,185 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 296 in 2016, ranked #14,882.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 311 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Jelf surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Jelf surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Jelf 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 157 #12,504
1861 historical 90 #22,312
1881 historical 192 #13,185
1891 historical 213 #14,269
1901 historical 290 #11,925
1911 historical 311 #11,150
1997 modern 293 #13,736
1998 modern 290 #14,179
1999 modern 294 #14,140
2000 modern 287 #14,345
2001 modern 288 #14,103
2002 modern 284 #14,524
2003 modern 275 #14,652
2004 modern 279 #14,578
2005 modern 261 #15,216
2006 modern 270 #14,923
2007 modern 272 #14,994
2008 modern 277 #14,940
2009 modern 277 #15,260
2010 modern 295 #14,911
2011 modern 294 #14,798
2012 modern 280 #15,248
2013 modern 286 #15,259
2014 modern 290 #15,203
2015 modern 292 #15,046
2016 modern 296 #14,882

Geography

Back to top

Where Jelfs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick, London parishes, St George and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sandwell, Forest of Dean, Plymouth and Bristol. 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 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
2 Worcester St John Bedwardine, Kenswick Worcestershire
3 London parishes London 3
4 St George Gloucestershire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sandwell 017 Sandwell
2 Forest of Dean 004 Forest of Dean
3 Plymouth 009 Plymouth
4 Bristol 048 Bristol, City of
5 Sandwell 027 Sandwell

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Jelf

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Jelf

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Jelf, 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 Jelf surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Jelf 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, Jelf 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

Jelf is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Jelf 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 Jelf 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 - British

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Jelf families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Jelf 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. Worcestershire leads with 50 Jelfs recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.34x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 50 20.34x
Gloucestershire 48 13.00x
Warwickshire 28 5.90x
Staffordshire 11 1.73x
Sussex 10 3.15x
Kent 8 1.25x
Lancashire 6 0.27x
Derbyshire 5 1.70x
Essex 5 1.35x
Surrey 5 0.55x
Bedfordshire 3 3.08x
Merionethshire 3 8.71x
Yorkshire 3 0.16x
Herefordshire 2 2.59x
Middlesex 2 0.11x
Cheshire 1 0.24x
Hertfordshire 1 0.77x
Royal Navy 1 4.46x
Wiltshire 1 0.60x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 14 Jelfs recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.85x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 14 8.85x
Ashleworth 12 3636.36x
Aston 11 8.41x
Bristol St George 11 64.40x
Martley 9 1285.71x
Worcester St Clement 8 512.82x
Leigh 7 234.90x
Handsworth 6 38.31x
Holy Cross 6 5454.55x
Chatham 5 28.30x
Harborne 5 24.55x
Hastings St Mary In The 5 73.86x
Saffron Walden 5 127.23x
Sandhurst 5 1666.67x
Derby St Peter 4 42.60x
Gloucester St Owen 4 975.61x
Lambeth 4 2.44x
Buckland 3 1666.67x
Cheltenham 3 10.53x
Cotheridge 3 2500.00x
Gloucester St Catherine 3 288.46x
Gloucester St Mary Crypt 3 526.32x
Hastings All Sts 3 100.33x
Henlow 3 500.00x
Salford 3 4.57x
Wichenford 3 1200.00x
Worcester St Peter 3 64.52x
Bosbury 2 312.50x
Chaceley 2 1250.00x
Eckington 2 465.12x
Elmbridge 2 909.09x
Gloucester St Nicholas 2 116.96x
Hastings St Clement 2 66.89x
Lapworth 2 454.55x
Llangelynin 2 270.27x
Manchester 2 1.99x
Rotherham 2 19.01x
Altrincham 1 13.77x
Bredon 1 119.05x
Bristol St James In 1 18.42x
Codnor Park 1 144.93x
Dolgelley 1 39.06x
Folkestone 1 8.03x
Great Amwell 1 76.92x
Hartlebury 1 68.49x
Leckhampton 1 44.05x
Lower Mitton 1 46.08x
Newington 1 1.44x
Paddington London 1 1.44x
Peopleton 1 555.56x
Plumstead 1 4.67x
Richmond 1 34.36x
Rochester St Margaret 1 14.77x
Royal Navy 1 5.21x
Semington 1 370.37x
St Marylebone London 1 0.99x
Stretford 1 8.14x
Sutton Coldfield 1 20.04x
Tutnall Cobley 1 312.50x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Sarah 9
Elizabeth 6
Ann 5
Emma 5
Alice 4
Eliza 4
Jane 4
Hannah 3
Ellen 2
Esther 2
Fanny 2
Helen 2
Kate 2
Lucy 2
Maude 2
Selina 2
Ada 1
Annie 1
Beatrice 1
Carrie 1
Catharine 1
Dorothy 1
Elenaor 1
Emiely 1
Evelyn 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Infant 1
Jemima 1
Julia 1
Katherine 1
Kathn.Frances 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Rachal 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Stella 1
Susehannah 1
T.S. 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 13
George 11
Henry 8
Charles 6
Thomas 5
James 4
John 4
Samuel 4
Walter 4
Frederick 3
Alfred 2
Edward 2
Job 2
Alexander 1
Alexandra 1
Amos 1
Arthur 1
Chas 1
Chas.R. 1
David 1
Ernest 1
Frances 1
Fred 1
Fredk 1
Fredrick 1
Giles 1
Gorge 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Jeremiah 1
Lowis 1
Minat 1
Minot 1
Moses 1
Richd.W. 1
Robert 1
Samual 1
Willie 1
Wilson 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Jelf surname: questions and answers

How common was the Jelf surname in 1881?

In 1881, 192 people were recorded with the Jelf surname. That placed it at #13,185 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Jelf surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 296 in 2016. That gives Jelf a modern rank of #14,882.

What does the Jelf map show?

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