NameCensus.

UK surname

Backler

In the 1881 census there were 203 people recorded with the Backler surname, ranking it #12,717 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 174, ranked #21,466, down from #12,717 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George in the East, Braintree and Haverhill, Little Wratting. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Edmundsbury, Eastbourne and Amber Valley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Backler is 281 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 14.3%.

1881 census count

203

Ranked #12,717

Modern count

174

2016, ranked #21,466

Peak year

1911

281 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Backler had 203 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,717 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 174 in 2016, ranked #21,466.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 281 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Backler surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Backler surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Backler 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 171 #11,730
1861 historical 171 #13,692
1881 historical 203 #12,717
1891 historical 237 #13,242
1901 historical 246 #13,269
1911 historical 281 #11,953
1997 modern 171 #19,438
1998 modern 175 #19,658
1999 modern 187 #18,999
2000 modern 189 #18,860
2001 modern 184 #18,907
2002 modern 177 #19,759
2003 modern 187 #18,856
2004 modern 180 #19,424
2005 modern 180 #19,395
2006 modern 176 #19,787
2007 modern 173 #20,243
2008 modern 181 #19,875
2009 modern 185 #20,010
2010 modern 187 #20,309
2011 modern 189 #19,997
2012 modern 175 #20,984
2013 modern 184 #20,643
2014 modern 187 #20,570
2015 modern 180 #20,997
2016 modern 174 #21,466

Geography

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Where Backlers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St George in the East, Braintree, Haverhill, Little Wratting, Watford and Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St Edmundsbury, Eastbourne and Amber Valley. 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 St George in the East London (East Districts)
2 Braintree Essex
3 Haverhill, Little Wratting Suffolk
4 Watford Hertfordshire
5 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury
2 St Edmundsbury 012 St Edmundsbury
3 Eastbourne 007 Eastbourne
4 St Edmundsbury 013 St Edmundsbury
5 Amber Valley 010 Amber Valley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Backler

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Backler

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Backler is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

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Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Backler is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Backler falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Backler families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Backler 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. Suffolk leads with 93 Backlers recorded in 1881 and an index of 38.56x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 93 38.56x
Essex 39 9.98x
Hampshire 26 6.41x
Middlesex 21 1.06x
Cambridgeshire 8 6.38x
Derbyshire 4 1.29x
Durham 4 0.68x
Kent 4 0.59x
Surrey 2 0.21x
Cornwall 1 0.45x
Staffordshire 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. Haverhill in Suffolk leads with 92 Backlers recorded in 1881 and an index of 4299.07x.

Place Total Index
Haverhill 92 4299.07x
Haverhill 24 6666.67x
Portsea 18 22.63x
Braintree 7 199.43x
Bromley London 7 16.07x
St Andrewthe Less 7 48.85x
Whitefriars Precinct 5 1562.50x
Alverstoke 4 27.23x
Framwellgate 4 114.61x
Melbourne 4 188.68x
Romford 4 64.72x
West Ham 4 4.64x
Christchurch 3 34.09x
St George In East London 3 16.11x
Minster In Sheppey 2 17.87x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 5.02x
St Anne Soho London 2 17.68x
Charterhouse London 1 107.53x
Greenwich 1 3.17x
Liskeard 1 26.67x
Poplar London 1 2.68x
Portsmouth 1 10.71x
St Pancras London 1 0.63x
Walsall Foreign 1 2.90x
West Wickham 1 322.58x
Westminster St James 1 4.91x
Woodbridge 1 32.47x
Woolwich 1 4.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Sarah 9
Emily 6
Eliza 5
Elizabeth 5
Emma 5
Alice 4
Harriet 4
Caroline 3
Catherine 3
Fanny 3
Hannah 3
Susan 3
Florance 2
Harriett 2
Harriette 2
Kate 2
Lilley 2
Phoebe 2
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Cathell 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Ellen 1
Elvia 1
Esther 1
F...eren 1
Florence 1
Gennett 1
Georgiannia 1
Jane 1
Kezia 1
Lily 1
Lydia 1
Mahala 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Maude 1
Minnie 1
Naomi 1
Olive 1
Pricilla 1
Sabina 1
Sophia 1
Susanna 1
Temperance 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 12
William 10
Henry 8
John 8
Albert 7
Harry 7
Charles 6
Frank 5
James 5
Leonard 4
Arthur 2
Ernest 2
Frederick 2
Robert 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Bary 1
Chas.L. 1
Christopher 1
Delhia 1
Edmund 1
Ellis 1
Fredk. 1
Hy 1
Jimsia 1
Joseph 1
Lewis 1
Odesia 1
Owen 1
Reginald 1
Stephen 1
Thomas 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Backler surname: questions and answers

How common was the Backler surname in 1881?

In 1881, 203 people were recorded with the Backler surname. That placed it at #12,717 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Backler surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 174 in 2016. That gives Backler a modern rank of #21,466.

What does the Backler map show?

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