NameCensus.

UK surname

Longford

In the 1881 census there were 498 people recorded with the Longford surname, ranking it #6,796 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 406, ranked #11,754, down from #6,796 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ecclesfield, Tewkesbury and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wychavon, Gloucester and Vale of White Horse.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Longford is 811 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 18.5%.

1881 census count

498

Ranked #6,796

Modern count

406

2016, ranked #11,754

Peak year

1861

811 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Longford had 498 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,796 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 406 in 2016, ranked #11,754.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 811 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Longford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Longford surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Longford 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 337 #6,953
1861 historical 811 #3,398
1881 historical 498 #6,796
1891 historical 615 #6,260
1901 historical 429 #9,018
1911 historical 496 #7,867
1997 modern 395 #11,106
1998 modern 424 #10,880
1999 modern 418 #11,071
2000 modern 411 #11,185
2001 modern 406 #11,096
2002 modern 431 #10,820
2003 modern 434 #10,588
2004 modern 421 #10,866
2005 modern 415 #10,878
2006 modern 413 #10,959
2007 modern 419 #10,954
2008 modern 422 #10,992
2009 modern 435 #10,991
2010 modern 436 #11,189
2011 modern 435 #11,066
2012 modern 434 #10,977
2013 modern 419 #11,511
2014 modern 420 #11,567
2015 modern 409 #11,713
2016 modern 406 #11,754

Geography

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Where Longfords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ecclesfield, Tewkesbury, Sheffield, Stroud, Whaddon, Longney, Brookthorpe, Harescombe, Haresfield, Standish, Moreton Valence, Saul, Fret and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wychavon, Gloucester, Vale of White Horse 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 Ecclesfield Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Tewkesbury Gloucestershire
3 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Stroud, Whaddon, Longney, Brookthorpe, Harescombe, Haresfield, Standish, Moreton Valence, Saul, Fret Gloucestershire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wychavon 010 Wychavon
2 Gloucester 008 Gloucester
3 Vale of White Horse 002 Vale of White Horse
4 Sheffield 001 Sheffield
5 Wychavon 011 Wychavon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Longford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Longford

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Longford, 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 Longford surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Longford 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Longford is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Longford 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

Longford 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 Longford is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Longford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Longford 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 57 Longfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.92x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 57 5.92x
Durham 52 3.56x
Lancashire 50 0.86x
Yorkshire 41 0.84x
Warwickshire 39 3.15x
Staffordshire 31 1.87x
Middlesex 30 0.61x
Surrey 26 1.09x
Shropshire 21 4.95x
Kent 18 1.08x
Worcestershire 18 2.81x
Oxfordshire 16 5.28x
Hampshire 15 1.49x
Lincolnshire 14 1.78x
Wiltshire 11 2.54x
Glamorgan 8 0.94x
Herefordshire 7 3.48x
Northamptonshire 7 1.52x
Cumberland 6 1.42x
Derbyshire 6 0.78x
Devon 6 0.59x
Sussex 4 0.48x
Channel Islands 3 2.06x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.45x
Somerset 3 0.38x
Berkshire 2 0.54x
Cheshire 2 0.18x
Bedfordshire 1 0.39x
Cornwall 1 0.18x
Denbighshire 1 0.54x
Hertfordshire 1 0.30x
Huntingdonshire 1 1.03x
Monmouthshire 1 0.28x
Northumberland 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Much Wenlock in Shropshire leads with 20 Longfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 511.51x.

Place Total Index
Much Wenlock 20 511.51x
Sunderland 16 62.06x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 15 23.73x
Birmingham 14 3.39x
Bradfield 14 74.71x
Eastleach Turville 12 1643.84x
Tipton 12 23.66x
Ecclesall Bierlow 10 10.11x
Stretton On Foss 10 1538.46x
Tewkesbury 10 116.41x
Dudley 9 11.55x
Stockton On Tees 9 12.79x
Barrow In Furness 8 10.10x
Battersea 8 4.43x
Eccleston In Prescot 8 27.37x
Edgbaston 8 20.86x
Harborne 8 15.07x
Islington London 8 1.68x
Lambeth 8 1.87x
Liverpool 8 2.26x
Sherston Magna 8 306.51x
Stroud 8 42.71x
Bromley 7 27.44x
Hadlow 7 168.67x
Oxford St Thomas 7 49.51x
Spalding 7 44.96x
Toxteth Park 7 3.55x
Cheltenham 6 8.08x
Hartlepool 6 28.92x
Hulme 6 4.94x
Kimberworth 6 22.24x
Mayfield 6 289.86x
Oxford St Ebbe 6 67.26x
Scunthorpe 6 169.97x
Thrapston 6 258.62x
Uffculme 6 197.37x
Cardiff St John 5 17.92x
Portsea 5 2.54x
Rodborough 5 107.53x
Snelston 5 925.93x
South Cliff 5 2500.00x
St Marylebone London 5 1.91x
St Thomas Winchester 5 70.42x
Weston Under Penyard 5 354.61x
Bristol St James In 4 28.27x
Caldewgate 4 17.28x
Leamington Priors 4 13.14x
Tottenham 4 5.12x
Balderton 3 165.75x
Kings Norton 3 5.22x
South Shields 3 23.08x
St Helier 3 6.34x
Thirsk 3 53.48x
Wolverhampton 3 2.36x
Worcester St Nicholas 3 99.01x
Almondsbury 2 54.50x
Aston 2 0.59x
Chelsea London 2 1.35x
Farleigh 2 1333.33x
Flaxley 2 92.59x
Horsley 2 46.95x
Kingswinford 2 3.33x
Oxford St Giles 2 13.83x
Pendleton In Salford 2 2.88x
Shoreditch London 2 0.94x
South Stoneham 2 9.17x
St Cuthbert W O 2 9.71x
St Mary Extra 2 24.72x
Uley 2 113.64x
Walton On Hill 2 6.34x
Wimbledon 2 7.45x
Yardley 2 12.20x
Clerkenwell London 1 0.86x
Great Somerford 1 108.70x
Hove 1 2.75x
Moss Side 1 3.26x
Poplar London 1 1.08x
South Witham 1 144.93x
Westminster St James 1 1.98x
Worcester St Andrew 1 46.08x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 41
Elizabeth 30
Sarah 19
Alice 14
Eliza 11
Jane 10
Ann 8
Annie 8
Clara 6
Ellen 6
Emma 6
Fanny 6
Isabella 6
Edith 5
Harriet 5
Harriett 5
Sophia 5
Caroline 4
Emily 4
Florence 4
Louisa 4
Maria 4
Martha 4
Lucy 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Amelia 2
Anne 2
Charlotte 2
Eva 2
Frances 2
Kate 2
Lydia 2
Margaret 2
Phobea 2
Ruth 2
Amenda 1
Amy 1
Bella 1
Blanche 1
Elenner 1
Eliz.Alice 1
Elizh. 1
Flora 1
Henry 1
Jennett 1
Lilly 1
M. 1
Sylvia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 27
John 24
Thomas 24
George 16
Henry 13
James 11
Joseph 9
Charles 7
Arthur 6
Harry 6
Edward 5
Richard 5
Walter 5
Albert 4
Alfred 4
Samuel 4
Edwin 3
Hector 3
Nathaniel 3
Wm. 3
David 2
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
Jesse 2
Job 2
Mark 2
Patrick 2
Percy 2
Robert 2
Aran 1
Benjamin 1
Enock 1
Ernest 1
Eustace 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Hugh 1
Jabez 1
Johny 1
Joshua 1
Levi 1
Louis 1
Michael 1
R. 1
Reuben 1
Richd. 1
Stephen 1
Tom 1
Weedon 1
Wilfred 1

FAQ

Longford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Longford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 498 people were recorded with the Longford surname. That placed it at #6,796 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Longford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 406 in 2016. That gives Longford a modern rank of #11,754.

What does the Longford map show?

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