NameCensus.

UK surname

Stroud

A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Stroud, derived from Old English for "marshy land."

In the 1881 census there were 3,087 people recorded with the Stroud surname, ranking it #1,457 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,270, ranked #1,590, down from #1,457 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lambeth and Cheltenham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Basingstoke and Deane, Canterbury and West Berkshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stroud is 4,655 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.3%.

1881 census count

3,087

Ranked #1,457

Modern count

4,270

2016, ranked #1,590

Peak year

1999

4,655 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stroud had 3,087 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,457 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,270 in 2016, ranked #1,590.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,427 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Stroud surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stroud surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stroud 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 1,953 #1,485
1861 historical 1,788 #1,620
1881 historical 3,087 #1,457
1891 historical 3,358 #1,423
1901 historical 4,091 #1,379
1911 historical 4,427 #1,162
1997 modern 4,456 #1,475
1998 modern 4,649 #1,463
1999 modern 4,655 #1,472
2000 modern 4,590 #1,482
2001 modern 4,517 #1,475
2002 modern 4,622 #1,476
2003 modern 4,448 #1,493
2004 modern 4,456 #1,491
2005 modern 4,290 #1,523
2006 modern 4,315 #1,518
2007 modern 4,316 #1,533
2008 modern 4,296 #1,543
2009 modern 4,392 #1,549
2010 modern 4,473 #1,557
2011 modern 4,429 #1,546
2012 modern 4,299 #1,563
2013 modern 4,383 #1,565
2014 modern 4,387 #1,579
2015 modern 4,314 #1,582
2016 modern 4,270 #1,590

Geography

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Where Strouds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lambeth and Cheltenham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Basingstoke and Deane, Canterbury, West Berkshire and Dover. 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 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Cheltenham Gloucestershire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Basingstoke and Deane 002 Basingstoke and Deane
2 Canterbury 008 Canterbury
3 West Berkshire 010 West Berkshire
4 Dover 010 Dover
5 Dover 011 Dover

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stroud

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stroud

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Stroud surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Stroud household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Stroud 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

Stroud is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Stroud falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Stroud

The surname STROUD has its origins in the West Country of England, specifically in the county of Gloucestershire. It is a locational surname derived from the town of Stroud, which takes its name from the Old English words "strod" or "stroud," meaning a marshy or swampy area.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Strodwolde." This entry refers to a person who lived in or near the town of Stroud.

In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "Stroude" and "Strode." These variations highlight the fluidity of spelling conventions in those times.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir John Stroud, a member of the English parliament in the late 14th century. He was born in Stroud around 1350 and was a prominent landowner in the region.

Another notable figure was William Stroud, a clothier and entrepreneur who lived in Stroud in the 16th century. He was instrumental in establishing the town's thriving wool trade and helped to build its prosperity.

In the 17th century, Thomas Stroud, born in 1620, was a prominent Puritan minister who served as the vicar of Eastington, a village near Stroud.

The STROUD surname also has connections to the United States. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Stroud, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 from England.

A famous bearer of the name was George Stroud, an English-born landscape painter who lived from 1701 to 1778. He was known for his depictions of the English countryside and helped to establish the picturesque tradition in British art.

These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname STROUD throughout history, demonstrating its deep roots in the English West Country and its subsequent spread to other parts of the world.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stroud families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stroud 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. Middlesex leads with 482 Strouds recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.60x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 482 1.60x
Kent 339 3.29x
Surrey 323 2.19x
Berkshire 315 13.89x
Hampshire 279 4.51x
Wiltshire 184 6.89x
Dorset 151 7.62x
Gloucestershire 120 2.03x
Somerset 99 2.04x
Oxfordshire 92 4.93x
Buckinghamshire 76 4.16x
Devon 75 1.19x
Sussex 67 1.32x
Glamorgan 59 1.12x
Lancashire 55 0.15x
Yorkshire 53 0.18x
Monmouthshire 43 1.97x
Warwickshire 42 0.55x
Essex 33 0.55x
Worcestershire 27 0.68x
Staffordshire 20 0.20x
Lincolnshire 17 0.35x
Nottinghamshire 17 0.42x
Hertfordshire 16 0.77x
Northamptonshire 16 0.56x
Derbyshire 12 0.25x
Durham 12 0.13x
Northumberland 12 0.27x
Cheshire 9 0.14x
Leicestershire 7 0.21x
Norfolk 7 0.15x
Cambridgeshire 6 0.31x
Cumberland 6 0.23x
Channel Islands 5 0.56x
Royal Navy 5 1.39x
Herefordshire 4 0.32x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.24x
Cornwall 2 0.06x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.33x
Suffolk 2 0.05x
Flintshire 1 0.12x
Shropshire 1 0.04x
Westmorland 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 88 Strouds recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.34x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 88 3.34x
Great Marlow 57 115.62x
Portsea 53 4.37x
Ramsgate 51 30.31x
Cheltenham 50 10.94x
Whitstable 36 71.20x
Islington London 34 1.16x
St Marylebone London 33 2.05x
Bethnal Green London 31 2.36x
St Pancras London 27 1.11x
Aston 26 1.24x
Crewkerne 26 50.35x
Rodbourne Cheney 26 126.03x
Woolwich 26 6.83x
Swansea Town 25 5.80x
Wootton 25 223.61x
Hackney London 24 1.42x
Paddington London 24 2.16x
Battersea 23 2.07x
Croydon 23 2.81x
Newington 23 2.06x
Reading St Giles 23 10.34x
Thatcham 23 65.83x
Aldermaston 22 395.68x
Kensington London 22 1.31x
Sunbury 22 60.62x
Chelsea London 21 2.31x
Holdenhurst 21 12.93x
Southwark St George Martyr 21 3.45x
Stoke Newington London 20 8.50x
Margate St John Baptist 19 10.07x
Hammersmith London 18 2.42x
Tottenham 18 3.74x
Wantage 18 49.79x
Westminster St John 18 4.89x
West Ham 17 1.29x
Wroughton 17 73.47x
Bermondsey 16 1.78x
Folkestone 16 8.00x
Southampton All Sts 16 15.06x
St Clement Danes 16 32.72x
Richmond 15 7.27x
Speen 15 40.43x
Aberystruth 14 7.27x
Camberwell 14 0.73x
Hackington St Stephen 14 211.80x
Weymouth 14 37.27x
Winterborne Kingston 14 261.19x
Bedminster 13 2.84x
Compton 13 199.08x
Kings Norton 13 3.67x
Lambourn 13 57.85x
Sonning 13 51.92x
Stratton St Margaret 13 31.72x
Yeovil 13 13.16x
Aldbourn 12 77.17x
Holy Trinity 12 1.67x
Leigh 12 287.08x
Melcombe Regis 12 14.60x
Newark Upon Trent 12 8.20x
Oxford St Thomas 12 13.78x
Plymouth Charles The 12 4.33x
Shoreditch London 12 0.92x
Snodland 12 41.07x
Swindon 12 5.79x
Wootton St Lawrence 12 116.50x
Corsham 11 28.21x
Eastbourne 11 4.69x
Northleach 11 125.71x
Plumstead 11 3.20x
Plymouth St Andrew 11 2.27x
Shinfield 11 82.46x
Stoke Damerel 11 2.50x
Weston Patrick Weston 11 635.84x
Brighton 10 0.97x
East West Challow 10 170.07x
Marlborough St Mary Virgin 10 53.11x
Pamber 10 139.28x
Reigate Foreign 10 6.27x
Tilehurst 10 21.83x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 181
Sarah 109
Elizabeth 108
Jane 64
Ellen 53
Emily 50
Emma 49
Eliza 48
Ann 44
Annie 41
Alice 38
Louisa 36
Martha 32
Fanny 31
Florence 29
Edith 28
Caroline 27
Maria 25
Harriet 23
Charlotte 22
Hannah 22
Margaret 21
Kate 19
Anne 16
Amelia 15
Lucy 14
Rose 14
Susan 14
Agnes 13
Ada 12
Clara 12
Frances 12
Harriett 12
Catherine 11
Esther 11
Susannah 9
Henrietta 8
Matilda 8
Ruth 8
Anna 7
Minnie 7
Amy 6
Isabella 6
Jessie 6
Maud 6
Rebecca 6
Rhoda 6
Francis 5
Julia 5
Sophia 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 170
John 137
George 135
Thomas 105
James 98
Charles 88
Henry 80
Alfred 48
Edward 45
Arthur 41
Frederick 40
Robert 33
Walter 30
Albert 29
Joseph 28
Richard 25
Harry 23
Ernest 19
Samuel 12
Frank 11
Herbert 11
Stephen 11
David 10
Edwin 9
Benjamin 8
Daniel 8
Wm. 8
Tom 7
Jacob 6
Percy 6
Thos. 6
Francis 5
Fred 5
Fredrick 5
Geo. 5
Jesse 5
Philip 5
Amos 4
Austin 3
Chas. 3
Christopher 3
Edgar 3
Eli 3
Fredk. 3
Isaac 3
Jno. 3
Owen 3
Sidney 3
Temple 3
Arnold 2

FAQ

Stroud surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stroud surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,087 people were recorded with the Stroud surname. That placed it at #1,457 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stroud surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,270 in 2016. That gives Stroud a modern rank of #1,590.

What does the Stroud surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Stroud, derived from Old English for "marshy land."

What does the Stroud map show?

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