NameCensus.

UK surname

Relf

A surname derived from a nickname for a red-haired person.

In the 1881 census there were 836 people recorded with the Relf surname, ranking it #4,508 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,154, ranked #5,118, down from #4,508 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Ashburnham, Dallington, Brightling, Ninfield and Hawkhurst, Etchingham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rother, Thurrock and Ashford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Relf is 1,357 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.0%.

1881 census count

836

Ranked #4,508

Modern count

1,154

2016, ranked #5,118

Peak year

1911

1,357 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Relf had 836 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,508 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,154 in 2016, ranked #5,118.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,357 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Relf surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Relf surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Relf 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 553 #4,580
1861 historical 428 #6,002
1881 historical 836 #4,508
1891 historical 946 #4,377
1901 historical 1,196 #4,115
1911 historical 1,357 #3,540
1997 modern 1,275 #4,467
1998 modern 1,330 #4,457
1999 modern 1,339 #4,472
2000 modern 1,269 #4,678
2001 modern 1,226 #4,719
2002 modern 1,240 #4,756
2003 modern 1,190 #4,843
2004 modern 1,193 #4,832
2005 modern 1,127 #5,029
2006 modern 1,127 #5,032
2007 modern 1,130 #5,069
2008 modern 1,125 #5,126
2009 modern 1,165 #5,068
2010 modern 1,188 #5,091
2011 modern 1,169 #5,095
2012 modern 1,152 #5,081
2013 modern 1,193 #5,012
2014 modern 1,193 #5,046
2015 modern 1,174 #5,070
2016 modern 1,154 #5,118

Geography

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Where Relfs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Ashburnham, Dallington, Brightling, Ninfield, Hawkhurst, Etchingham and Maidstone, Linton, Loddington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rother, Thurrock, Ashford, Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge and Malling. 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 Ashburnham, Dallington, Brightling, Ninfield Sussex
3 Hawkhurst, Etchingham Kent
4 Maidstone, Linton, Loddington Kent
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rother 006 Rother
2 Thurrock 018 Thurrock
3 Ashford 012 Ashford
4 Tunbridge Wells 014 Tunbridge Wells
5 Tonbridge and Malling 001 Tonbridge and Malling

Forenames

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First names often paired with Relf

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Relf

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Relf 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

Relf is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Relf falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Relf

The surname Relf is of English origin, derived from a medieval nickname for someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion. It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century from the Old English words "read" and "elf," meaning "red elf."

In its early recorded forms, the name appeared as "Readelf," "Readdelf," and "Redhelf" before settling on the modern spelling of Relf. The first known documented reference to the name dates back to 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where a William Redelf is mentioned.

The Relf surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Hampshire in southern England during the Middle Ages. Several early bearers of the name can be found in various historical records, including the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310, which lists a John Redelf.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Relf was Richard Relf, a 14th-century landowner from Oxfordshire who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334. Another early figure was John Relf, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Southampton, who lived in the late 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Relf surname continued to be recorded in various parts of southern England, with individuals such as Thomas Relf, a yeoman from Berkshire mentioned in the Feet of Fines of 1583, and William Relf, a landowner from Hampshire whose estate is referenced in the Chancery Proceedings of 1639.

One of the most notable historical figures with the surname Relf was Benjamin Relf (1660-1736), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.

Other individuals of note include Sir Robert Relf (1773-1843), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and John Relf (1801-1875), an English engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to agricultural machinery.

In more recent times, the Relf surname has been carried by individuals such as Steve Relf (1940-1976), a British musician and co-founder of the rock band The Yardbirds, and Peter Relf (1966-2022), an English professional golfer who competed on the European Tour.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Relf families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Relf 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. Kent leads with 419 Relfs recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.06x.

County Total Index
Kent 419 15.06x
Sussex 195 14.18x
Middlesex 126 1.55x
Surrey 33 0.83x
Essex 18 1.12x
Lancashire 14 0.14x
Caernarfonshire 5 1.52x
Yorkshire 5 0.06x
Hampshire 4 0.24x
Anglesey 3 2.08x
Somerset 3 0.23x
Devon 2 0.12x
Gloucestershire 2 0.13x
Berkshire 1 0.16x
Dorset 1 0.19x
Durham 1 0.04x
Herefordshire 1 0.30x
Shropshire 1 0.14x
Suffolk 1 0.10x
Worcestershire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hawkhurst in Kent leads with 62 Relfs recorded in 1881 and an index of 716.76x.

Place Total Index
Hawkhurst 62 716.76x
Maidstone 56 67.57x
Burwash 51 799.37x
Cranbrook 36 305.34x
Brightling 29 1542.55x
Tonbridge 19 18.93x
Mile End Old Town 18 13.98x
Chatham 14 18.29x
Pluckley 14 542.64x
Hornsey 13 12.61x
Sandhurst 13 397.55x
Eastbourne 12 18.97x
West Ham 12 3.38x
Charlton 10 54.11x
Hackney London 10 2.19x
Heathfield 10 179.53x
Sutton At Hone 10 173.31x
West Farleigh 10 934.58x
Lambeth 9 1.27x
Willesden 9 11.71x
Bethnal Green London 8 2.26x
Brighton 8 2.88x
Buxted 8 148.70x
Chalk 8 833.33x
Chelsfield 8 300.75x
Frittenden 8 307.69x
Gillingham 8 13.94x
Lewisham 8 5.39x
Sevenoaks 8 35.46x
Toxteth Park 8 2.44x
Ashford 7 25.83x
Ditton 7 744.68x
Hougham 7 42.30x
Islington London 7 0.89x
Margate St John Baptist 7 13.74x
Northfleet 7 28.56x
Ticehurst 7 83.23x
Tottenham 7 5.39x
Yalding 7 99.57x
Ashburnham 6 277.78x
Beckenham 6 16.50x
Bow London 6 5.78x
Brenenden 6 167.60x
Deptford St Nicholas 6 27.17x
Hammersmith London 6 2.99x
Reigate Foreign 6 13.94x
Rotherfield 6 49.55x
Teynham 6 119.52x
Dartford 5 17.57x
Dover St Mary Virgin 5 18.57x
Fletching 5 81.30x
Halling 5 136.99x
Hollington 5 102.25x
Little Horsted 5 595.24x
Shadwell London 5 21.91x
South Weald 5 36.26x
Battle 4 43.10x
Boxley 4 93.68x
Bromley London 4 2.23x
Ealing 4 5.49x
Frindsbury 4 38.17x
Llandudno 4 34.01x
Maresfield 4 68.97x
Mayfield 4 49.20x
Newton In Makerfield 4 13.50x
Paddington London 4 1.33x
St George Hanover 4 3.76x
St Marylebone London 4 0.92x
Warehorne 4 268.46x
Wartling 4 239.52x
Winchelsea St Thomas 4 233.92x
Worth 4 40.08x
Biddenden 3 78.74x
Chart Sutton 3 156.25x
Edmonton 3 4.57x
Holyhead 3 11.13x
Otford 3 77.32x
Rotherhithe 3 2.98x
Waldron 3 80.00x
Weston 3 29.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 43
Elizabeth 31
Ellen 26
Sarah 20
Alice 14
Ann 13
Emily 13
Jane 13
Kate 13
Eliza 12
Annie 10
Fanny 10
Caroline 9
Frances 8
Clara 7
Harriett 7
Ada 6
Edith 6
Emma 6
Minnie 6
Anne 5
Florence 5
Lydia 5
Martha 5
Catherine 4
Charlotte 4
Esther 4
Lucy 4
Amelia 3
Bertha 3
Harriet 3
Julia 3
Rosa 3
Rose 3
Susan 3
Alma 2
Amy 2
Elizth. 2
Flora 2
Francis 2
Gertrude 2
Grace 2
Helen 2
Hester 2
Margaret 2
Matilda 2
Maud 2
Rosina 2
Ruth 2
Sophia 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 50
John 37
George 30
Charles 27
Thomas 23
Henry 21
Albert 19
Frederick 19
James 18
Richard 18
Edward 15
Alfred 14
Joseph 13
Walter 12
Samuel 9
Arthur 8
Ernest 8
Robert 8
Frank 7
Harry 7
David 5
Edwin 4
Andrew 3
Herbert 3
Sidney 3
Stephen 3
Benjamin 2
Daniel 2
Febuler 2
Frederic 2
Fredk. 2
Horace 2
Jesse 2
Louis 2
Matthew 2
Obadiah 2
Reuben 2
Thos. 2
Asher 1
Edgar 1
Job 1
Joel 1
Moses 1
Nicolas 1
Owen 1
Percey 1
Peter 1
Richd. 1
Robt. 1
Willm.S. 1

FAQ

Relf surname: questions and answers

How common was the Relf surname in 1881?

In 1881, 836 people were recorded with the Relf surname. That placed it at #4,508 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Relf surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,154 in 2016. That gives Relf a modern rank of #5,118.

What does the Relf surname mean?

A surname derived from a nickname for a red-haired person.

What does the Relf map show?

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