NameCensus.

UK surname

Suffield

An English habitational surname derived from the town of Suffield in Suffolk.

In the 1881 census there were 265 people recorded with the Suffield surname, ranking it #10,612 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 332, ranked #13,706, down from #10,612 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Yardley, St Leonard Shoreditch and Kings Norton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stratford-on-Avon, Leeds and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Suffield is 339 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.3%.

1881 census count

265

Ranked #10,612

Modern count

332

2016, ranked #13,706

Peak year

2014

339 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Suffield had 265 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,612 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 332 in 2016, ranked #13,706.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 324 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Suffield surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Suffield surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Suffield 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 182 #11,209
1861 historical 218 #11,175
1881 historical 265 #10,612
1891 historical 300 #11,119
1901 historical 318 #11,187
1911 historical 324 #10,814
1997 modern 316 #13,080
1998 modern 326 #13,146
1999 modern 323 #13,315
2000 modern 324 #13,243
2001 modern 319 #13,168
2002 modern 316 #13,532
2003 modern 313 #13,443
2004 modern 311 #13,549
2005 modern 295 #13,972
2006 modern 297 #14,004
2007 modern 297 #14,135
2008 modern 300 #14,135
2009 modern 299 #14,445
2010 modern 316 #14,198
2011 modern 315 #14,131
2012 modern 321 #13,836
2013 modern 329 #13,810
2014 modern 339 #13,581
2015 modern 332 #13,705
2016 modern 332 #13,706

Geography

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Where Suffields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Yardley, St Leonard Shoreditch, Kings Norton, London parishes and St Anne Limehouse. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stratford-on-Avon, Leeds, Northumberland and County Durham. 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 Yardley Warwickshire
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 Kings Norton Worcestershire
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Anne Limehouse London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stratford-on-Avon 007 Stratford-on-Avon
2 Leeds 104 Leeds
3 Northumberland 004 Northumberland
4 Leeds 102 Leeds
5 County Durham 047 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Suffield

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Suffield

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Suffield is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Suffield is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Suffield

The surname Suffield originates from England and dates back to the early 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Suffield, which is located in Norfolk, England. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "suf" meaning south and "feld" meaning field, indicating that the town was situated in a southerly field or meadow.

One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, a census-like document from 1273, where it appears as "de Suffeld." This spelling variation highlights the common practice of adding the prefix "de" to denote a person's place of origin.

In the late 13th century, the name was documented in the Placita de Quo Warranto, a legal record of inquiries into land ownership rights. The reference mentions a "William de Suffeld" who held lands in Norfolk during that period.

The Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the name Suffield. However, it does mention the village of Suffield, suggesting that the surname may have emerged from this location in later centuries.

One notable figure in history with the surname Suffield was Sir John Suffield (1566-1631), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Norfolk in the early 17th century. He was known for his involvement in local affairs and served as a justice of the peace.

Another individual of significance was Robert Suffield (1696-1757), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, from 1741 until his death.

In the 19th century, Theophilus Suffield (1803-1881) was a prominent English architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Additionally, the name appears in the historical records of the United States, with John Suffield (1782-1867) being an early settler in Ohio, where he established a successful farming operation.

Lastly, William Suffield (1856-1928) was a British artist and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and etchings of rural scenes in England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Suffield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Suffield 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. Yorkshire leads with 104 Suffields recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.08x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 104 4.08x
Worcestershire 44 13.08x
Middlesex 28 1.09x
Warwickshire 18 2.77x
Essex 17 3.34x
Surrey 14 1.12x
Kent 13 1.48x
Sussex 7 1.61x
Lancashire 6 0.20x
Norfolk 5 1.26x
Durham 4 0.52x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.42x
Cheshire 1 0.18x
Northumberland 1 0.26x
Staffordshire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kings Norton in Worcestershire leads with 27 Suffields recorded in 1881 and an index of 89.52x.

Place Total Index
Kings Norton 27 89.52x
West Ham 17 15.15x
Yardley 16 186.05x
Birmingham 14 6.47x
Ratcliffe London 11 77.36x
Leeds 10 6.94x
Whitby 10 116.28x
Easingwold 9 500.00x
Greenwich 9 21.95x
Whorlton 9 1500.00x
Gate Fulford 8 134.23x
Morley 7 52.75x
Bolney 6 845.07x
Hovingham 6 1132.08x
Terrington With 6 1200.00x
Catton 5 4166.67x
Aston 4 2.24x
Balk 4 6666.67x
Batley 4 16.49x
Deptford St Paul 4 5.90x
Hackney London 4 2.77x
Lambeth 4 1.78x
Stockton On Tees 4 10.83x
Bethnal Green London 3 2.68x
Hilderthorpe 3 232.56x
Kildale 3 1200.00x
Limehouse London 3 10.61x
Newington 3 3.15x
Northallerton 3 92.02x
Norwich St Martin At 3 447.76x
Southwark Christchurch 3 24.86x
Winton 3 3750.00x
York St Mary Castlegate 3 400.00x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 2 22.91x
Camberwell 2 1.22x
Chorlton On Medlock 2 4.12x
Islington London 2 0.80x
New Malton 2 65.57x
Norwich St Stephen 2 55.10x
Thirsk 2 68.03x
Aberdeen Old Machar 1 2.01x
Brighton 1 1.14x
Cannock 1 6.59x
Castleton 1 3.28x
Clapham 1 3.11x
Claughton With Grange 1 38.61x
Elswick 1 3.27x
Evesham All Sts 1 63.69x
Falsgrave 1 26.60x
Henderskelf 1 833.33x
Kingston On Thames 1 3.32x
Liverpool 1 0.54x
Manningham 1 3.18x
North Meols 1 3.34x
St Andrew Holborn 1 11.45x
St Andrew Hubbard 1 2500.00x
St George Hanover 1 2.98x
St Marylebone London 1 0.73x
Staines 1 24.51x
Withington 1 10.16x
York St Crux 1 138.89x
York St Mary 1 9.46x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 21
William 16
Thomas 11
George 10
Henry 7
Joseph 7
Samuel 5
Charles 4
Albert 2
Alfred 2
Clarence 2
Frederic 2
Frederick 2
James 2
Mark 2
Robert 2
Thos. 2
Arthur 1
Christopher 1
Daniel 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Hedley 1
Herbert 1
Norman 1
Percy 1
Ralph 1
Reginald 1
Roland 1
Thos.G. 1
Tom 1
Wallace 1
Walter 1
Waltr.H. 1
Wiliam 1

FAQ

Suffield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Suffield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 265 people were recorded with the Suffield surname. That placed it at #10,612 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Suffield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 332 in 2016. That gives Suffield a modern rank of #13,706.

What does the Suffield surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from the town of Suffield in Suffolk.

What does the Suffield map show?

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