NameCensus.

UK surname

Barfoot

A surname derived from the Old English words "baer" meaning bare and "fot" referring to someone who walked barefoot.

In the 1881 census there were 924 people recorded with the Barfoot surname, ranking it #4,156 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,161, ranked #5,085, down from #4,156 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Ticehurst and South Stoneham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Swansea, Eastleigh and Southampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Barfoot is 1,282 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.6%.

1881 census count

924

Ranked #4,156

Modern count

1,161

2016, ranked #5,085

Peak year

2010

1,282 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Barfoot had 924 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,156 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,161 in 2016, ranked #5,085.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,173 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Barfoot surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Barfoot surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Barfoot 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 671 #3,869
1861 historical 579 #4,555
1881 historical 924 #4,156
1891 historical 980 #4,218
1901 historical 1,095 #4,407
1911 historical 1,173 #3,984
1997 modern 1,215 #4,663
1998 modern 1,267 #4,673
1999 modern 1,256 #4,738
2000 modern 1,224 #4,816
2001 modern 1,216 #4,748
2002 modern 1,239 #4,762
2003 modern 1,256 #4,624
2004 modern 1,262 #4,607
2005 modern 1,236 #4,641
2006 modern 1,248 #4,616
2007 modern 1,232 #4,717
2008 modern 1,233 #4,735
2009 modern 1,259 #4,752
2010 modern 1,282 #4,756
2011 modern 1,250 #4,822
2012 modern 1,218 #4,854
2013 modern 1,192 #5,016
2014 modern 1,193 #5,046
2015 modern 1,159 #5,119
2016 modern 1,161 #5,085

Geography

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Where Barfoots are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Ticehurst and South Stoneham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Swansea, Eastleigh and Southampton. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Ticehurst Sussex
3 South Stoneham Hampshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Swansea 002 Swansea
2 Eastleigh 012 Eastleigh
3 Eastleigh 011 Eastleigh
4 Southampton 025 Southampton
5 Eastleigh 009 Eastleigh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Barfoot

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Barfoot

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Barfoot, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Barfoot surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Barfoot household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Barfoot is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Barfoot is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Barfoot falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Barfoot

The surname Barfoot originates from England, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bær" and "fot," which together mean "bare foot." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who went about without shoes or had a particular foot condition.

The earliest known record of the Barfoot name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like document compiled in 1273. Here, the name is listed as "Barfot." Over the centuries, various spelling variations emerged, including Barefoot, Barefote, and Barfitt, before the modern spelling of Barfoot became standardized.

In the Domesday Book, a renowned survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are no direct mentions of the Barfoot surname. However, the book does record several place names that may have contributed to the formation of the name, such as "Baredis" and "Barefot."

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Barfoot surname was John Barfoot, who lived in Cambridgeshire in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was William Barfoot, a member of the guild of St. George in Norwich, who is mentioned in records dating back to 1389.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Barfoot name gained prominence in various parts of England, including Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. John Barfoot (1585-1663), a renowned English clergyman and theologian, was born in Salisbury and served as the Archdeacon of Berkshire.

In the 18th century, Thomas Barfoot (1720-1795) was a notable English architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in the county of Wiltshire. Another individual of note was Isaac Barfoot (1752-1815), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

As the British Empire expanded, the Barfoot name spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing the surname making their mark in different fields. For instance, Sir Edmund Barfoot (1858-1939) was a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of British Honduras (now Belize) from 1904 to 1910.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Barfoot families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Barfoot 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. Hampshire leads with 214 Barfoots recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.56x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 214 11.56x
Middlesex 119 1.32x
Dorset 65 10.96x
Sussex 65 4.27x
Surrey 55 1.25x
Derbyshire 43 3.04x
Kent 39 1.27x
Leicestershire 37 3.69x
Lancashire 33 0.31x
Northamptonshire 33 3.88x
Warwickshire 23 1.01x
Bedfordshire 19 4.06x
Oxfordshire 19 3.41x
Buckinghamshire 18 3.30x
Hertfordshire 18 2.89x
Cheshire 13 0.65x
Essex 13 0.73x
Staffordshire 12 0.39x
Yorkshire 12 0.13x
Rutland 11 16.59x
Somerset 11 0.76x
Suffolk 10 0.91x
Berkshire 5 0.74x
Devon 5 0.27x
Lincolnshire 5 0.35x
Gloucestershire 4 0.23x
Monmouthshire 4 0.61x
Huntingdonshire 3 1.67x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.35x
Cornwall 2 0.20x
Glamorgan 2 0.13x
Inverness-shire 2 0.74x
Norfolk 2 0.14x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.70x
Channel Islands 1 0.37x
Kincardineshire 1 0.91x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.08x
Royal Navy 1 0.93x
Shropshire 1 0.13x
Worcestershire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Botley in Hampshire leads with 32 Barfoots recorded in 1881 and an index of 960.96x.

Place Total Index
Botley 32 960.96x
Ticehurst 31 332.62x
South Stoneham 24 59.76x
Lambeth 18 2.29x
Bishops Waltham 17 220.49x
Otterbourne 17 641.51x
St Mary Extra 16 107.38x
Tring 15 90.25x
Islington London 14 1.60x
Portsea 14 3.86x
Southwick 14 679.61x
St Marylebone London 13 2.70x
Brighton 12 3.91x
Everton 12 3.51x
Hastings St Mary In The 12 36.93x
Hound 12 95.47x
St George Hanover Square 12 7.54x
Tonbridge 12 10.80x
Chelsea London 11 4.04x
Great Horwood 11 500.00x
Leicester St Margaret 11 4.50x
Kingsthorpe 10 105.93x
Market Overton 10 833.33x
Oxford St Thomas 10 38.42x
Shoreditch London 10 2.55x
Theddingworth 10 1315.79x
Bishopstoke 9 189.47x
Camberwell 9 1.56x
Deptford St Paul 9 3.79x
Dronfield 9 49.67x
Hartshorn 9 168.54x
Lytchett Minster 9 342.21x
Oxford St Clement 9 63.92x
Portsmouth 9 21.11x
Bedford St Paul 8 24.94x
Duston 8 103.76x
Hackney London 8 1.58x
Harbury 8 216.22x
Hastings St Mary 8 21.11x
Kensington London 8 1.59x
Killamarsh 8 90.91x
Millbrook 8 17.16x
Northampton Priory St 8 15.69x
Tipton 8 8.57x
Tranmere 8 10.92x
Woodlands 8 571.43x
Alverstoke 7 10.44x
Battersea 7 2.11x
Croydon 7 2.87x
Eccleston In Prescot 7 13.01x
Hopwood 7 49.96x
Longfleet 7 101.89x
Mowsley 7 1076.92x
Spetisbury 7 426.83x
Spitalfields London 7 10.30x
Woodford 7 34.69x
Dunstable 6 41.75x
Maidstone 6 6.54x
Ryde 6 15.09x
Shirland 6 56.71x
Wimborne 6 83.68x
Castle Cary 5 78.86x
Charlton Marshall 5 247.52x
Hampreston 5 116.01x
Kimberworth 5 10.06x
Leyton 5 16.28x
Newington 5 1.50x
St Pancras London 5 0.69x
Sulhamstead Abbots 5 537.63x
Wangford 5 241.55x
Aldershot 4 6.45x
Andover 4 22.87x
Ashton Under Lyne 4 1.71x
Clerkenwell London 4 1.88x
Cliffe 4 57.55x
Leicester St Mary 4 4.94x
Paddington London 4 1.20x
Radstock 4 41.84x
Southampton All Sts 4 12.59x
Wellingborough 4 9.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 50
George 44
John 41
Henry 29
Charles 24
James 23
Thomas 19
Joseph 17
Frederick 16
Robert 13
Edward 12
Alfred 11
Walter 10
Harry 9
Samuel 9
Arthur 7
Ernest 7
Frank 6
Wm. 5
Peter 4
Daniel 3
Eli 3
Fred 3
Fredrick 3
Levi 3
Oliver 3
Richard 3
Robt. 3
Albert 2
Amos 2
Clement 2
David 2
Ebenezer 2
Edwin 2
Geo. 2
Herbert 2
Jas. 2
Thos. 2
Authur 1
Chas. 1
Cornelius 1
Enos 1
Esau 1
F.D. 1
F.G. 1
F.H. 1
Jas.Geo. 1
Jermiah 1
Jesse 1
Johnathan 1

FAQ

Barfoot surname: questions and answers

How common was the Barfoot surname in 1881?

In 1881, 924 people were recorded with the Barfoot surname. That placed it at #4,156 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Barfoot surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,161 in 2016. That gives Barfoot a modern rank of #5,085.

What does the Barfoot surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English words "baer" meaning bare and "fot" referring to someone who walked barefoot.

What does the Barfoot map show?

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