NameCensus.

UK surname

Riddiford

In the 1881 census there were 170 people recorded with the Riddiford surname, ranking it #14,265 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 293, ranked #14,981, down from #14,265 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, and Alveston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Gloucestershire and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Riddiford is 328 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 72.4%.

1881 census count

170

Ranked #14,265

Modern count

293

2016, ranked #14,981

Peak year

1998

328 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Riddiford had 170 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,265 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 293 in 2016, ranked #14,981.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 269 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Riddiford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Riddiford surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Riddiford 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 152 #12,786
1861 historical 136 #16,556
1881 historical 170 #14,265
1891 historical 195 #15,211
1901 historical 212 #14,611
1911 historical 269 #12,300
1997 modern 318 #13,024
1998 modern 328 #13,100
1999 modern 322 #13,335
2000 modern 321 #13,337
2001 modern 322 #13,098
2002 modern 320 #13,414
2003 modern 297 #13,917
2004 modern 300 #13,871
2005 modern 295 #13,972
2006 modern 295 #14,053
2007 modern 295 #14,198
2008 modern 296 #14,275
2009 modern 301 #14,386
2010 modern 300 #14,730
2011 modern 294 #14,798
2012 modern 300 #14,505
2013 modern 301 #14,718
2014 modern 302 #14,772
2015 modern 295 #14,935
2016 modern 293 #14,981

Geography

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Where Riddifords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Alveston, London parishes and North Nibley, Wotton-under-Edge. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Gloucestershire and Rhondda Cynon Taf. 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 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
3 Alveston Gloucestershire
4 London parishes London 3
5 North Nibley, Wotton-under-Edge Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Gloucestershire 004 South Gloucestershire
2 Rhondda Cynon Taf 005 Rhondda Cynon Taf
3 Rhondda Cynon Taf 013 Rhondda Cynon Taf
4 South Gloucestershire 001 South Gloucestershire
5 Rhondda Cynon Taf 008 Rhondda Cynon Taf

Forenames

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First names often paired with Riddiford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Riddiford

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Riddiford, 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 Riddiford surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Riddiford 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Riddiford is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Riddiford 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

Riddiford falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Riddiford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Riddiford 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 86 Riddifords recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.29x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 86 26.29x
Surrey 15 1.85x
Buckinghamshire 12 11.90x
Kent 11 1.93x
Glamorgan 8 2.75x
Middlesex 8 0.48x
Hampshire 6 1.76x
Warwickshire 6 1.43x
Essex 3 0.91x
Lancashire 3 0.15x
Monmouthshire 3 2.49x
Bedfordshire 2 2.32x
Worcestershire 2 0.92x
Devon 1 0.29x
Durham 1 0.20x
Leicestershire 1 0.54x
Royal Navy 1 5.03x
Somerset 1 0.37x
Wiltshire 1 0.68x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Thornbury in Gloucestershire leads with 22 Riddifords recorded in 1881 and an index of 982.14x.

Place Total Index
Thornbury 22 982.14x
Camberwell 14 13.14x
Wotton Under Edge 12 621.76x
Olveston 11 1195.65x
Aberdare 8 40.12x
Cuddington 8 2962.96x
Bristol St James In 7 145.53x
Painswick 6 259.74x
Plumstead 6 31.63x
Birmingham 5 3.57x
Kingswood 5 943.40x
Aylesbury 4 89.49x
Folkestone 4 36.23x
Iron Acton 4 606.06x
Kensington London 4 4.31x
Southampton St Mary 4 18.60x
Frampton Cotterell 3 260.87x
Oldham 3 4.70x
St Marylebone London 3 3.37x
Wotton St Mary 3 176.47x
Alderley 2 4000.00x
Barnwood 2 454.55x
Rodborough 2 126.58x
South Stoneham 2 26.95x
Sutton 2 1176.47x
Trevethin 2 17.56x
Uley 2 333.33x
Walthamstow 2 16.88x
Aston 1 0.86x
Berkeley 1 54.95x
Bristol 1 322.58x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 9.17x
Caldicot 1 125.00x
Claines 1 16.72x
Devonport 1 25.06x
East Ham 1 16.37x
Keynsham 1 51.81x
Leicester Black Friars 1 83.33x
Newington 1 1.62x
Royal Navy 1 5.89x
Shipston On Stour 1 101.01x
Southwick 1 21.28x
Swindon 1 8.74x
Tytherington 1 400.00x
Wick Abson 1 200.00x
Willesden 1 6.36x
Woolwich 1 4.76x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Emma 6
Fanny 5
Eliza 4
Elizabeth 4
Louisa 4
Sarah 4
Ellen 3
Amelia 2
Ann 2
Anne 2
Florence 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Minnie 2
Rose 2
Alice 1
Amy 1
Annie 1
Arabella 1
Charlotte 1
E.M. 1
Edith 1
Ella 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Frances 1
Georgina 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Harriott 1
Helen 1
Jane 1
Jessie 1
Lilly 1
Lucy 1
M.J.A. 1
Margaret 1
Matilda 1
Milicent 1
Millicent 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Rosina 1
Sabina 1
Sophia 1
Susanna 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 8
Alfred 6
George 6
William 6
Henry 5
Herbert 4
James 4
Charles 3
Edward 3
Frank 3
Walter 3
Alexander 2
Arthur 2
Edmund 2
Ernest 2
Horace 2
John 2
Lewis 2
Aaron 1
Austin 1
Daniel 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Geo.A. 1
Gilbert 1
H.G. 1
Harold 1
Jerald 1
Morgan 1
Percy 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Riddiford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Riddiford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 170 people were recorded with the Riddiford surname. That placed it at #14,265 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Riddiford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 293 in 2016. That gives Riddiford a modern rank of #14,981.

What does the Riddiford map show?

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