NameCensus.

UK surname

Bamford

From an English place name meaning "ford by a tree" or "crossing by a tree."

In the 1881 census there were 4,516 people recorded with the Bamford surname, ranking it #993 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,594, ranked #1,197, down from #993 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Amber Valley and Rochdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bamford is 5,776 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 23.9%.

1881 census count

4,516

Ranked #993

Modern count

5,594

2016, ranked #1,197

Peak year

2002

5,776 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bamford had 4,516 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #993 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,594 in 2016, ranked #1,197.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,702 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bamford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bamford surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Bamford 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 2,988 #967
1861 historical 2,949 #979
1881 historical 4,516 #993
1891 historical 4,648 #1,003
1901 historical 5,414 #1,030
1911 historical 5,702 #919
1997 modern 5,369 #1,214
1998 modern 5,611 #1,209
1999 modern 5,739 #1,191
2000 modern 5,747 #1,178
2001 modern 5,651 #1,174
2002 modern 5,776 #1,173
2003 modern 5,604 #1,174
2004 modern 5,615 #1,167
2005 modern 5,507 #1,171
2006 modern 5,518 #1,174
2007 modern 5,547 #1,176
2008 modern 5,516 #1,191
2009 modern 5,671 #1,192
2010 modern 5,775 #1,191
2011 modern 5,727 #1,183
2012 modern 5,572 #1,194
2013 modern 5,647 #1,203
2014 modern 5,694 #1,200
2015 modern 5,605 #1,203
2016 modern 5,594 #1,197

Geography

Back to top

Where Bamfords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes, Manchester and Prestwich. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Amber Valley and Rochdale. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Prestwich Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Amber Valley 008 Amber Valley
2 Rochdale 001 Rochdale
3 Rochdale 002 Rochdale
4 Amber Valley 012 Amber Valley
5 Rochdale 024 Rochdale

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Bamford

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Bamford

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Bamford is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bamford 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

Bamford falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bamford is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bamford, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bamford

The surname Bamford is of English origin, derived from the place name Bamford, which is found in various locations across England, including Derbyshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire. The name is believed to have originated in the 11th or 12th century, and it is thought to be derived from the Old English words "bean" meaning bean or broad bean, and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bamford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bamforde" in reference to a settlement in Derbyshire. This suggests that the name was already established in the region during the Norman conquest of England.

In the 13th century, the surname Bamford appeared in various records, including the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1214, where a William de Bamford was mentioned. The "de" prefix indicates that the name was originally a locational surname, referring to someone from the place called Bamford.

One notable individual with the surname Bamford was Samuel Bamford (1788-1872), an English radical and writer who was involved in the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. He wrote several works, including "Passages in the Life of a Radical" and "Homely Rhymes," which provide insights into the lives of the working class during the Industrial Revolution.

Another figure of historical significance was Joseph Bamford (1788-1869), an English industrialist and philanthropist who established the Bamford Spinning Mills in Middleton, Lancashire. He played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in the region.

In the realm of sports, James Bamford (1883-1923) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End, and Burnley, during the early 20th century.

Moving to the academic sphere, Francis Bamford (1853-1929) was a British mathematician and educator who served as the Headmaster of Marlborough College from 1892 to 1911. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and was a respected figure in the world of education.

The name Bamford has also been associated with various place names, such as Bamford in Derbyshire, Bamford in Greater Manchester, and Bamford in Rochdale, Lancashire. These place names likely originated from the Old English words that formed the surname, reflecting the connection between the name and the geographical locations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Bamford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bamford 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. Lancashire leads with 2,155 Bamfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.13x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 2,155 4.13x
Derbyshire 399 5.80x
Yorkshire 322 0.74x
Staffordshire 232 1.56x
Cheshire 215 2.21x
Northamptonshire 186 4.50x
Middlesex 129 0.29x
Nottinghamshire 121 2.04x
Warwickshire 96 0.87x
Surrey 95 0.44x
Gloucestershire 66 0.77x
Leicestershire 63 1.29x
Kent 47 0.31x
Glamorgan 43 0.56x
Hertfordshire 29 0.96x
Lincolnshire 25 0.36x
Essex 24 0.28x
Shropshire 22 0.58x
Northumberland 17 0.26x
Worcestershire 17 0.30x
Devon 15 0.16x
Durham 15 0.11x
Lanarkshire 15 0.11x
Hampshire 14 0.16x
Herefordshire 14 0.78x
Bedfordshire 13 0.57x
Westmorland 13 1.35x
Monmouthshire 11 0.35x
Rutland 11 3.41x
Dorset 10 0.35x
Buckinghamshire 8 0.30x
Cornwall 8 0.16x
Montgomeryshire 7 0.69x
Renfrewshire 6 0.18x
Sussex 6 0.08x
Somerset 5 0.07x
Channel Islands 4 0.31x
Suffolk 4 0.07x
Argyllshire 3 0.25x
Brecknockshire 3 0.34x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.11x
Cumberland 3 0.08x
Oxfordshire 3 0.11x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.05x
Berkshire 2 0.06x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.23x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.05x
Denbighshire 1 0.06x
Flintshire 1 0.08x
Roxburghshire 1 0.13x
Royal Navy 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wuerdle Wardle in Lancashire leads with 296 Bamfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 186.87x.

Place Total Index
Wuerdle Wardle 296 186.87x
Blatchinworth 161 135.51x
Castleton 141 27.06x
Wardleworth 128 42.92x
Oldham 107 6.35x
Spotland 101 17.41x
Preston 81 5.80x
Manchester 76 3.24x
Macclesfield 60 13.91x
Middleton In Oldham 51 32.60x
Tonge 51 46.58x
Nottingham St Mary 45 2.94x
Ripley 45 52.87x
Dukinfield 42 9.36x
Great Bolton 41 5.93x
Bretherton 40 375.94x
Repton 40 153.67x
Aston 37 1.21x
Birmingham 36 0.97x
West Derby 36 2.36x
Heap 31 11.20x
Blackburn 30 2.16x
Butterworth 30 23.60x
Islington London 30 0.70x
Salford 30 1.95x
Ilkeston 28 14.51x
Old 28 513.76x
Stoke Upon Trent 28 1.78x
Gorton 27 5.50x
Hulme 27 2.48x
Pilkington 27 13.62x
Leicester St Margaret 26 2.19x
Wolverhampton 25 2.19x
Burnley 24 5.46x
Glossop Dale 24 7.44x
Wolstanton 23 5.10x
Bradford 22 2.09x
Ashton Under Lyne 21 1.84x
Uttoxeter 21 27.64x
Brightside Bierlow 20 2.34x
Radcliffe 20 7.95x
Bury 19 3.19x
Eyam 19 98.86x
West Ham 19 0.99x
Heanor 18 17.48x
Longwood 18 25.63x
Nether Hallam 18 3.05x
Newton 18 4.48x
Royton 18 11.28x
Barrow In Furness 17 2.40x
Blackwell 17 50.24x
Habergham Eaves 17 3.56x
Sheffield 17 1.23x
Birkenhead 16 2.07x
Cheetham 16 4.11x
Lambeth 16 0.42x
Liverpool 16 0.50x
Rushton 16 214.77x
West Bromwich 16 1.88x
Derby St Werburgh 15 3.77x
Ecclesall Bierlow 15 1.69x
Everton 15 0.90x
Stretford 15 5.22x
Windle 15 5.11x
Barony 14 0.39x
Desborough 14 45.06x
Hopwood 14 20.52x
Hurdsfield 14 23.44x
Penwortham 14 56.63x
Wigan 14 1.92x
Kirkdale 13 1.48x
Longton 13 59.28x
Manningham 13 2.42x
Margate St John Baptist 13 4.73x
Radford 13 4.32x
Kettering 12 7.17x
Mitcham 12 8.86x
Norton In Moors 12 15.27x
St Pancras London 12 0.34x
Staveley 12 9.82x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 349
Elizabeth 202
Sarah 185
Ann 101
Jane 76
Martha 72
Alice 68
Ellen 68
Emma 65
Hannah 65
Annie 60
Eliza 58
Margaret 42
Emily 35
Harriet 31
Louisa 27
Betty 25
Fanny 24
Florence 22
Frances 22
Clara 20
Edith 20
Ruth 19
Betsy 17
Maria 16
Ada 15
Caroline 15
Catherine 15
Esther 15
Anne 14
Charlotte 13
Rachel 13
Rebecca 13
Sophia 13
Amelia 12
Amy 12
Elizth. 12
Harriett 12
Susan 12
Gertrude 11
Nancy 11
Bertha 10
Lucy 10
Susannah 10
Isabella 9
Kate 9
Agnes 8
Julia 8
Laura 8
Matilda 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 298
William 215
James 198
Thomas 177
George 131
Charles 110
Joseph 85
Henry 82
Robert 61
Samuel 56
Edward 47
Alfred 40
Richard 33
Arthur 31
Frederick 26
Harry 25
Walter 23
Wm. 23
Francis 22
Edmund 21
Albert 20
Herbert 19
Benjamin 18
Frank 18
David 15
Ernest 15
Fred 15
Edwin 13
Isaac 13
Thos. 12
Daniel 11
Willie 11
Chas. 9
Matthew 9
Ralph 9
Abraham 8
Tom 8
Fredrick 6
Hugh 6
Jesse 6
Joshua 6
Earnest 5
Fredk. 5
Josiah 5
Saml. 5
Jacob 4
Jas. 4
Moses 4
Stephen 4
Jno. 3

FAQ

Bamford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bamford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,516 people were recorded with the Bamford surname. That placed it at #993 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bamford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,594 in 2016. That gives Bamford a modern rank of #1,197.

What does the Bamford surname mean?

From an English place name meaning "ford by a tree" or "crossing by a tree."

What does the Bamford map show?

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