NameCensus.

UK surname

Kedward

In the 1881 census there were 112 people recorded with the Kedward surname, ranking it #18,501 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 348, ranked #13,233, up from #18,501 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Kington and Gelligaer. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and Merthyr Tydfil.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kedward is 359 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 210.7%.

1881 census count

112

Ranked #18,501

Modern count

348

2016, ranked #13,233

Peak year

2014

359 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kedward had 112 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,501 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 348 in 2016, ranked #13,233.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 206 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Kedward surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kedward surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kedward 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 90 #18,317
1861 historical 80 #23,566
1881 historical 112 #18,501
1891 historical 157 #17,778
1901 historical 184 #15,942
1911 historical 206 #14,677
1997 modern 320 #12,966
1998 modern 330 #13,046
1999 modern 340 #12,870
2000 modern 337 #12,901
2001 modern 334 #12,789
2002 modern 349 #12,652
2003 modern 347 #12,479
2004 modern 339 #12,744
2005 modern 333 #12,847
2006 modern 330 #13,021
2007 modern 335 #13,001
2008 modern 330 #13,257
2009 modern 337 #13,318
2010 modern 341 #13,477
2011 modern 335 #13,528
2012 modern 331 #13,538
2013 modern 358 #12,952
2014 modern 359 #13,025
2015 modern 356 #13,009
2016 modern 348 #13,233

Geography

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Where Kedwards are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Kington, Gelligaer, Bedwelty and Aberystruth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and Merthyr Tydfil. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Kington Radnorshire
3 Gelligaer Glamorganshire
4 Bedwelty Monmouthshire
5 Aberystruth Monmouthshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Blaenau Gwent 002 Blaenau Gwent
2 Monmouthshire 005 Monmouthshire
3 Monmouthshire 007 Monmouthshire
4 Merthyr Tydfil 007 Merthyr Tydfil
5 Blaenau Gwent 005 Blaenau Gwent

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kedward

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kedward

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Kedward surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Kedward household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Kedward is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kedward 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

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

1881 census detail

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Kedward families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kedward 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. Herefordshire leads with 38 Kedwards recorded in 1881 and an index of 84.84x.

County Total Index
Herefordshire 38 84.84x
Brecknockshire 16 73.26x
Kent 10 2.68x
Monmouthshire 9 11.40x
Warwickshire 8 2.90x
Lancashire 7 0.54x
Yorkshire 7 0.65x
Radnorshire 6 68.10x
Worcestershire 5 3.51x
Gloucestershire 2 0.93x
Staffordshire 2 0.54x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.51x
Glamorgan 1 0.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kington in Herefordshire leads with 13 Kedwards recorded in 1881 and an index of 1171.17x.

Place Total Index
Kington 13 1171.17x
Llangattock 11 617.98x
Westwell 10 2702.70x
Birmingham 8 8.71x
Pennington In Leigh 7 281.12x
Bedwellty 5 35.87x
Brecknock St John 5 271.74x
Middlesbrough 5 35.46x
St Margarets 5 4545.45x
Aberystruth 4 57.47x
Boulstone 4 20000.00x
Colva 3 5000.00x
Discoed 3 10000.00x
Eardisland 3 1034.48x
Pershore Holy Cross 3 329.67x
Burghill 2 392.16x
Cannock 2 31.10x
Chipping Campden 2 285.71x
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 9.08x
Leigh 2 115.61x
Leominster Out 2 476.19x
Staunton On Wye 2 1000.00x
Ullingswick 2 1818.18x
Brilley 1 666.67x
Denham 1 212.77x
Eardisley 1 312.50x
Hereford All Sts 1 48.78x
Lyonshall 1 312.50x
Merthyr Tydfil 1 5.47x
Peterchurch 1 416.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Elizabeth 6
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Martha 3
Alice 2
Eliza 2
Esther 2
Hannah 2
Lucy 2
Adley 1
Agness 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Bessie 1
Celia 1
Claudia 1
Elizebeth 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
John 1
Laura 1
Margarett 1
Mollie 1
Olive 1
Rosa 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
Thomas 9
John 7
James 4
Arthur 3
George 3
Robert 3
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Andrew 1
Anthony 1
Arthyr 1
Charles 1
Dolphin 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Gwin 1
H.W. 1
Henry 1
Noah 1
Phillip 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Wesley 1

FAQ

Kedward surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kedward surname in 1881?

In 1881, 112 people were recorded with the Kedward surname. That placed it at #18,501 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kedward surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 348 in 2016. That gives Kedward a modern rank of #13,233.

What does the Kedward map show?

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