Guildford (/ ˈ ɡ ɪ l f ər d / ⓘ) [2] is a town in west Surrey, England, around 27 mi (43 km) south-west of central London.As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 [1] and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around 145,673 inhabitants in 2022. [3] The name "Guildford" is thought to derive from a crossing of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...