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Guildford Family History

Guildford Surname Meaning

From Guildford (Surrey), which is recorded as Gyldeforda in about 880, Gildeford and Geldeford in 1086, and Guldeford in 1131, the place-name derives from Old English *gylde ‘golden’.

Perhaps used as a hill-name *Gylde ‘golden one’, the term is combined with ford ‘ford river crossing’.

The reference is to the colour of the sandy escarpment at Saint Catherine's.

Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016


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Where is the Guildford family from?

You can see how Guildford families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Guildford family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Guildford families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 65 Guildford families living in London. This was about 26% of all the recorded Guildford's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Guildford families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Guildford surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Guildford ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, House Painter and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Guildford. 24% of Guildford men worked as a House Painter and 75% of Guildford women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Guildford were Commercial Traveller (travelling) and General Shopkeeper.

View Census Data for Guildford | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • House Painter
    24%
  • General Labourer
    16%
  • General Labourer Heavy Worker
    16%
  • Commercial Traveller (travelling)
    16%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    75%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    8%
  • Housewife
    5%
  • General Shopkeeper
    3%

What Guildford family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Guildford. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Guildford census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Guildford

Passenger Lists

There are 605 immigration records available for the last name Guildford. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Guildford immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 687 military records available for the last name Guildford. For the veterans among your Guildford ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Guildford military records

You've only scratched the surface of Guildford family history

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What is the average Guildford lifespan?

Between 1963 and 2002, in the United States, Guildford life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1979, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for Guildford in 1963 was 78, and 75 in 2002.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Guildford

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Guildford ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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