NameCensus.

UK surname

Seaford

A locational surname originating from Seaford, a coastal town in East Sussex, England.

In the 1881 census there were 96 people recorded with the Seaford surname, ranking it #20,248 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 125, ranked #26,827, down from #20,248 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Culmstock, St Dunstan Stepney and Totnes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Dorset, Nottingham and South Gloucestershire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Seaford is 145 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.2%.

1881 census count

96

Ranked #20,248

Modern count

125

2016, ranked #26,827

Peak year

1911

145 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Seaford had 96 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,248 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016, ranked #26,827.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 145 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Seaford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Seaford surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Seaford 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 46 #24,985
1861 historical 90 #22,312
1881 historical 96 #20,248
1891 historical 97 #24,447
1901 historical 107 #21,955
1911 historical 145 #18,255
1997 modern 130 #23,021
1998 modern 137 #22,922
1999 modern 141 #22,702
2000 modern 135 #23,250
2001 modern 130 #23,457
2002 modern 128 #24,150
2003 modern 122 #24,628
2004 modern 112 #26,159
2005 modern 110 #26,430
2006 modern 113 #26,267
2007 modern 123 #25,208
2008 modern 127 #25,020
2009 modern 132 #24,929
2010 modern 127 #26,176
2011 modern 128 #25,793
2012 modern 124 #26,432
2013 modern 124 #26,842
2014 modern 128 #26,490
2015 modern 127 #26,494
2016 modern 125 #26,827

Geography

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Where Seafords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Culmstock, St Dunstan Stepney, Totnes, Portsmouth, Portsea 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 North Dorset, Nottingham, South Gloucestershire, Gravesham and Mendip. 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 Culmstock Somerset
2 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)
3 Totnes Devon
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Dorset 006 North Dorset
2 Nottingham 011 Nottingham
3 South Gloucestershire 021 South Gloucestershire
4 Gravesham 013 Gravesham
5 Mendip 001 Mendip

Forenames

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First names often paired with Seaford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Seaford

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Seaford is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Seaford is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Seaford 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 Seaford 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 Seaford, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Seaford

The surname Seaford has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of Seaford in East Sussex, which was originally recorded as "Sæford" in the Old English language.

The name Seaford is believed to be composed of the Old English elements "sæ" meaning sea and "ford" meaning a shallow crossing or ford, likely referring to a ford or crossing point over a stream or river near the sea.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Seaford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Sæforde." This suggests that the name and the settlement were well-established by the time of the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir William de Seaford, a knight who fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III in the 1260s.

During the 14th century, the name Seaford appeared in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, which listed a John de Seaford.

In the 15th century, a prominent figure bearing the name was Sir John Seaford, who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1471 and 1472.

The 16th century saw the birth of William Seaford (1551-1624), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.

In the 17th century, the name Seaford was also associated with the American colonies. Captain Thomas Seaford (1620-1685) was a colonist from England who settled in Virginia and became a prominent landowner and member of the House of Burgesses.

Another notable figure from this period was Sir Edward Seaford (1635-1701), an English politician and member of Parliament for the borough of Seaford in East Sussex.

During the 18th century, the name Seaford continued to appear in various records, including the marriage of John Seaford and Elizabeth Smith in 1723, recorded in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Seaford.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Seaford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Seaford 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. Hampshire leads with 30 Seafords recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.63x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 30 15.63x
Somerset 19 12.61x
Middlesex 14 1.50x
Devon 12 6.16x
Gloucestershire 11 5.99x
Cambridgeshire 7 11.80x
Cheshire 1 0.48x
Essex 1 0.54x
Lincolnshire 1 0.67x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Portsea in Hampshire leads with 28 Seafords recorded in 1881 and an index of 74.45x.

Place Total Index
Portsea 28 74.45x
Mile End Old Town 9 60.89x
Bishops Hull 8 1632.65x
Cheltenham 7 49.40x
Downham 7 1111.11x
Taunton St Mary 7 252.71x
Totnes 7 614.04x
Bampton 4 666.67x
Bromley London 4 19.42x
Gloucester St John Baptist 4 336.13x
Southampton St Mary 2 16.57x
Stoke St Gregory 2 434.78x
Devonport 1 44.64x
Nether Stowey 1 416.67x
Norton Fitzwarren 1 476.19x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 1 42.02x
Shoreditch London 1 2.46x
Stamford St George 1 149.25x
West Ham 1 2.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 7
Mary 6
Ellen 3
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Emily 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Harrett 1
Lottie 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Marian 1
Matilda 1
Maud 1
May 1
Selina 1
Sophia 1
Sylvia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 5
Joseph 4
George 3
Henry 3
John 3
Albert 2
Edward 2
Ernest 2
James 2
Richard 2
Thomas 2
Uriah 2
Archibald 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
David 1
Fred 1
Freddy 1
Frederick 1
Fredk.Geo. 1
Horace 1
Jno. 1
Mark 1
Percy 1
Sidney 1
Waddelow 1
Willis 1
Willm.Henry 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 Seaford households.

FAQ

Seaford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Seaford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 96 people were recorded with the Seaford surname. That placed it at #20,248 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Seaford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016. That gives Seaford a modern rank of #26,827.

What does the Seaford surname mean?

A locational surname originating from Seaford, a coastal town in East Sussex, England.

What does the Seaford map show?

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