NameCensus.

UK surname

Kilgariff

A surname derived from an Irish Gaelic place name meaning "church of the rock".

In the 1881 census there were 22 people recorded with the Kilgariff surname, ranking it #30,464 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 187, ranked #20,488, up from #30,464 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Staffordshire Moorlands, Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Kilgariff is 187 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 750.0%.

1881 census count

22

Ranked #30,464

Modern count

187

2016, ranked #20,488

Peak year

2016

187 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Kilgariff had 22 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30,464 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 187 in 2016, ranked #20,488.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 62 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Kilgariff surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Kilgariff surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Kilgariff 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 #32,890
1861 historical 18 #31,580
1881 historical 22 #30,464
1891 historical 34 #31,604
1901 historical 62 #27,252
1911 historical 57 #27,099
1997 modern 123 #23,792
1998 modern 163 #20,582
1999 modern 168 #20,312
2000 modern 172 #19,974
2001 modern 168 #19,986
2002 modern 173 #20,043
2003 modern 173 #19,834
2004 modern 183 #19,251
2005 modern 173 #19,851
2006 modern 165 #20,634
2007 modern 173 #20,243
2008 modern 170 #20,672
2009 modern 177 #20,560
2010 modern 176 #21,101
2011 modern 178 #20,809
2012 modern 179 #20,679
2013 modern 185 #20,575
2014 modern 186 #20,664
2015 modern 186 #20,576
2016 modern 187 #20,488

Geography

Back to top

Where Kilgariffs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Staffordshire Moorlands, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Barnsley and Shepway. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Staffordshire Moorlands 012 Staffordshire Moorlands
2 Manchester 015 Manchester
3 Stoke-on-Trent 009 Stoke-on-Trent
4 Barnsley 017 Barnsley
5 Shepway 003 Shepway

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Kilgariff

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Kilgariff

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Kilgariff surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Kilgariff household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Kilgariff is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Kilgariff is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Kilgariff falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Kilgariff 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Kilgariff

The surname Kilgariff originated in Ireland, specifically in the counties of Mayo and Roscommon. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic words 'cill' meaning church and 'garbh' meaning rough or rugged, suggesting the name may have initially been a descriptive term for a person living near a remote or rugged church.

Variations in early spellings of the name include Kilgarriffe, Kilgariff, Kilgaryffe, and Kilgary. The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Annals of Ulster from the year 1435, which mentions an individual named Fergus Ó Cillgaraidh.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns of Ireland, which were records of royal grants and pardons. A Thomas Kilgariff is mentioned in these records in 1569.

The Kilgariff name can be traced back to the Gaelic-Irish family of Ó Cillgaraidh, who were a prominent clan in the Roscommon area during the Middle Ages. They held territories around the town of Elphin and were known as lords of the territory of Cálraighe.

One notable early figure was Diarmaid Ó Cillgaraidh, who was a 13th-century bishop of Elphin (c. 1230-1249). Another was Tomás Ó Cillgaraidh, who served as the Bishop of Elphin from 1354 to 1368.

In more recent history, James Kilgarriff (1834-1923) was an Irish-born priest who became the first Bishop of Marquette, Michigan in the United States. He was a prominent figure in the early Catholic Church in the Upper Midwest region.

Other notable individuals with the surname include Patrick Kilgarriff (1899-1977), an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann, and Niall Kilgarriff (born 1957), an Irish cricketer who played for the Irish national team.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Kilgariff families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Kilgariff 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 11 Kilgariffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.18x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 11 5.18x
Lancashire 10 3.93x
Staffordshire 1 1.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 10 Kilgariffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 83.33x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 10 83.33x
Hulme 9 169.49x
Burn 1 3333.33x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 13.02x
Worsley 1 63.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Catherine 2
Julia 2
Mary 2
Sarah 2
Margaret 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 4
Conelious 1
Cornelias 1
Henry 1
James 1
Joseph 1
Michl. 1
Patrick 1
Robert 1
Thomas 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Kilgariff households.

FAQ

Kilgariff surname: questions and answers

How common was the Kilgariff surname in 1881?

In 1881, 22 people were recorded with the Kilgariff surname. That placed it at #30,464 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Kilgariff surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 187 in 2016. That gives Kilgariff a modern rank of #20,488.

What does the Kilgariff surname mean?

A surname derived from an Irish Gaelic place name meaning "church of the rock".

What does the Kilgariff map show?

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