NameCensus.

UK surname

Kidd

A nickname-derived surname referring to a young goat, or a child or young man.

In the 1881 census there were 6,111 people recorded with the Kidd surname, ranking it #716 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,522, ranked #774, down from #716 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Craigmillar, Lancaster and Carlisle.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kidd is 8,774 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.5%.

1881 census count

6,111

Ranked #716

Modern count

8,522

2016, ranked #774

Peak year

2010

8,774 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kidd had 6,111 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #716 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,522 in 2016, ranked #774.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,557 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Kidd surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kidd surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Kidd 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 3,944 #726
1861 historical 4,082 #683
1881 historical 6,111 #716
1891 historical 6,470 #706
1901 historical 7,557 #713
1911 historical 5,242 #996
1997 modern 8,315 #768
1998 modern 8,616 #769
1999 modern 8,585 #776
2000 modern 8,553 #780
2001 modern 8,325 #779
2002 modern 8,451 #786
2003 modern 8,313 #781
2004 modern 8,301 #782
2005 modern 8,288 #767
2006 modern 8,293 #769
2007 modern 8,370 #765
2008 modern 8,376 #771
2009 modern 8,564 #775
2010 modern 8,774 #773
2011 modern 8,584 #778
2012 modern 8,423 #776
2013 modern 8,572 #776
2014 modern 8,675 #773
2015 modern 8,571 #772
2016 modern 8,522 #774

Geography

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Where Kidds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Craigmillar, Lancaster, Carlisle, Blackness, Bo'ness - Carriden and Grahamsdyke and High Peak. 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 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Craigmillar City of Edinburgh
2 Lancaster 005 Lancaster
3 Carlisle 009 Carlisle
4 Blackness, Bo'ness - Carriden and Grahamsdyke Falkirk
5 High Peak 010 High Peak

Forenames

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First names often paired with Kidd

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Kidd

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

Established but Challenged

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Kidd is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kidd is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kidd falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Kidd

The surname Kidd originated in England and Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle English word "kid" or "kyd," which means "young goat." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with goats or had some association with these animals.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kidd can be found in the Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, a collection of inquisitions held after the death of English landowners, where a John Kyd was mentioned in Yorkshire in 1379.

The Kidd surname is also found in various historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1230, which lists a William Kyd, and the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where a Walter Kyd is recorded.

In Scotland, the name Kidd is believed to have originated in the Lowlands, particularly in the areas of Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, and Lanarkshire. The earliest known Scottish bearer of the name was John Kyd, who was mentioned in the records of the Burgh of Glasgow in 1454.

Notable individuals with the surname Kidd throughout history include:

1. William Kidd (c. 1645-1701), a Scottish sailor who was tried and executed for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean. He is one of the most famous pirates in history.

2. Thomas Kidd (1733-1804), a Scottish-American captain and early settler in New Jersey, who played a role in the American Revolutionary War.

3. John Kidd (1775-1851), a Scottish theologian and philosopher who served as a minister in the Church of Scotland and wrote several influential works.

4. Samuel Kidd (1804-1843), an English civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway.

5. William Kidd (1839-1923), a Scottish-American inventor and businessman who founded the Kidd Brothers Dash Company, a manufacturer of carriage and automobile hardware.

The Kidd surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Kiddington in Oxfordshire, England, and Kidderminster in Worcestershire, which may have contributed to the development of the surname in certain regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Kidd families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kidd 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 687 Kidds recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.17x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 687 1.17x
Angus 680 12.34x
Lancashire 499 0.71x
Fife 362 10.28x
Durham 339 1.92x
Middlesex 336 0.57x
Midlothian 254 3.19x
Lanarkshire 232 1.21x
Staffordshire 228 1.14x
Northumberland 225 2.54x
Norfolk 192 2.10x
Aberdeenshire 186 3.38x
Surrey 161 0.56x
Derbyshire 138 1.48x
Perthshire 138 5.17x
Kent 120 0.59x
Ayrshire 115 2.58x
Essex 91 0.78x
Stirlingshire 86 3.92x
Lincolnshire 85 0.89x
Hampshire 83 0.68x
Banffshire 66 5.35x
Suffolk 60 0.83x
Renfrewshire 58 1.26x
Cambridgeshire 54 1.43x
Cumberland 54 1.05x
West Lothian 52 5.81x
Sussex 49 0.49x
Cheshire 47 0.36x
Nottinghamshire 43 0.54x
Westmorland 39 2.98x
Berkshire 28 0.63x
Gloucestershire 26 0.22x
Hertfordshire 23 0.56x
Warwickshire 20 0.13x
Dunbartonshire 19 1.19x
East Lothian 19 2.41x
Huntingdonshire 19 1.61x
Somerset 17 0.18x
Devon 16 0.13x
Cornwall 15 0.22x
Clackmannanshire 12 2.44x
Wiltshire 11 0.21x
Kirkcudbrightshire 9 1.05x
Sutherland 9 1.97x
Denbighshire 8 0.36x
Kincardineshire 8 1.10x
Wigtownshire 8 1.01x
Buteshire 6 1.67x
Glamorgan 6 0.06x
Royal Navy 6 0.85x
Worcestershire 6 0.08x
Dumfriesshire 4 0.30x
Northamptonshire 4 0.07x
Selkirkshire 4 0.74x
Shetland 4 0.66x
Bedfordshire 3 0.10x
Monmouthshire 3 0.07x
Roxburghshire 3 0.28x
Rutland 3 0.69x
Berwickshire 2 0.28x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.08x
Flintshire 2 0.13x
Isle of Man 2 0.18x
Leicestershire 2 0.03x
Shropshire 2 0.04x
Argyllshire 1 0.06x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.03x
Inverness-shire 1 0.06x
Kinross-shire 1 0.67x
Morayshire 1 0.11x
Oxfordshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 257 Kidds recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.50x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 257 12.50x
Liff Benvie 107 12.79x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 96 3.00x
Everton 85 3.78x
Dysart 80 33.75x
Monifieth 74 38.03x
Barony 68 1.40x
Govan 66 1.39x
Stanhope 59 32.30x
Portsea 58 2.43x
Glasgow 51 1.49x
Eggleston 48 315.58x
West Ham 48 1.85x
Cromford 40 182.65x
Gamrie 40 29.05x
Bedlington 39 13.20x
Falkirk 38 7.40x
Scarborough 38 7.10x
Islington London 37 0.64x
Hackney London 35 1.05x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 34 3.30x
Lambeth 34 0.66x
Longbenton 34 9.07x
West Derby 32 1.55x
Aberdeen Old Machar 30 2.61x
Middlesbrough 30 3.91x
Peterhead 30 10.30x
St Pancras London 30 0.63x
Stoke Upon Trent 30 1.41x
Bishopwearmouth 29 1.91x
Camberwell 28 0.74x
Ferry Port On Craig 28 48.35x
Keighley 28 4.46x
Liverpool 27 0.63x
Matlock 27 21.60x
Brechin 26 12.01x
Carriden 26 64.06x
Forfar 26 8.72x
Kirkcaldy 26 14.89x
Leek Lowe 26 9.74x
Largo 25 54.68x
Maybole 25 18.45x
Salford 25 1.20x
South Leith 25 2.79x
Kensington London 24 0.73x
Ringland 24 361.45x
Addingham 23 52.24x
Battersea 23 1.05x
Caldewgate 23 8.20x
Leeds 23 0.69x
Tynemouth 23 4.85x
Alyth 21 29.24x
Perth East Church 21 8.35x
Nottingham St Mary 20 0.96x
Aberdour 19 43.78x
Cathcart 19 7.62x
Montrose 19 5.69x
Paddington London 19 0.87x
Gateshead 18 1.36x
Hartington Upper 18 40.52x
Mains 18 38.45x
Rothbury 18 70.87x
West Greenock 18 2.18x
Westgate 18 3.29x
Barry 17 25.71x
Byker 17 3.89x
Droylsden 17 7.38x
King Edward 17 26.78x
Mildenhall 17 22.09x
Slamannan 17 14.15x
Bethnal Green London 16 0.62x
Bishop Auckland 16 6.74x
Cupar 16 10.45x
Poplar London 16 1.43x
St Vigeans 16 5.38x
Stockton On Tees 16 1.88x
Kirkdale 15 1.26x
Kirriemuir 15 11.04x
Larling 15 407.61x
Melbourne 15 159.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 272
Elizabeth 149
Sarah 127
Jane 89
Ann 69
Margaret 68
Hannah 58
Eliza 49
Emma 49
Annie 46
Ellen 42
Alice 40
Martha 33
Emily 26
Isabella 26
Edith 25
Maria 24
Catherine 23
Frances 23
Charlotte 21
Florence 21
Louisa 20
Ada 19
Agnes 17
Caroline 16
Harriet 14
Harriett 14
Kate 14
Rebecca 14
Susan 14
Beatrice 13
Amelia 12
Clara 11
Elizth. 11
Jessie 11
Laura 11
Amy 10
Eleanor 10
Elisabeth 10
Fanny 10
Anne 9
Lucy 9
Ethel 8
Ruth 8
Susannah 8
Grace 7
Barbara 6
Lydia 6
Gertrude 5
Rose 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 248
William 218
Thomas 142
George 138
James 133
Robert 85
Joseph 77
Charles 69
Henry 62
Arthur 31
Samuel 29
David 28
Alfred 26
Edward 26
Frederick 25
Richard 23
Walter 23
Herbert 18
Ernest 16
Albert 15
Harry 15
Benjamin 14
Frank 14
Jonathan 14
Edwin 13
Francis 12
Geo. 11
Wm. 9
Alexander 8
Hugh 8
Chas. 7
Isaac 7
Moses 7
Peter 7
Thos. 7
Andrew 6
Christopher 6
Daniel 6
Horace 6
Leonard 6
Abraham 5
Anthony 5
Caleb 5
Fred 5
Matthew 5
Sampson 5
Harold 4
Mark 4
Sam 4
Tom 4

FAQ

Kidd surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kidd surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,111 people were recorded with the Kidd surname. That placed it at #716 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kidd surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,522 in 2016. That gives Kidd a modern rank of #774.

What does the Kidd surname mean?

A nickname-derived surname referring to a young goat, or a child or young man.

What does the Kidd map show?

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