NameCensus.

UK surname

Barnicoat

A locational surname referring to someone from a place with barns or sheds.

In the 1881 census there were 203 people recorded with the Barnicoat surname, ranking it #12,717 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 317, ranked #14,198, down from #12,717 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Tregoney, Wendron and Gluvias. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Barnicoat is 349 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 56.2%.

1881 census count

203

Ranked #12,717

Modern count

317

2016, ranked #14,198

Peak year

2000

349 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Barnicoat had 203 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,717 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 317 in 2016, ranked #14,198.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 302 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Barnicoat surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Barnicoat surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Barnicoat 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 170 #11,780
1861 historical 165 #14,112
1881 historical 203 #12,717
1891 historical 235 #13,316
1901 historical 274 #12,370
1911 historical 302 #11,394
1997 modern 312 #13,182
1998 modern 324 #13,189
1999 modern 330 #13,125
2000 modern 349 #12,585
2001 modern 343 #12,545
2002 modern 343 #12,803
2003 modern 332 #12,914
2004 modern 317 #13,400
2005 modern 319 #13,275
2006 modern 307 #13,695
2007 modern 303 #13,965
2008 modern 293 #14,364
2009 modern 306 #14,218
2010 modern 309 #14,420
2011 modern 303 #14,506
2012 modern 310 #14,210
2013 modern 326 #13,893
2014 modern 327 #13,976
2015 modern 329 #13,800
2016 modern 317 #14,198

Geography

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Where Barnicoats are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Tregoney, Wendron, Gluvias, Falmouth and Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall. 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 Tregoney Cornwall
2 Wendron Cornwall
3 Gluvias Cornwall
4 Falmouth Cornwall
5 Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841) Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 064 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 056 Cornwall
3 Cornwall 048 Cornwall
4 Cornwall 060 Cornwall
5 Cornwall 066 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Barnicoat

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Barnicoat

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Barnicoat is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Barnicoat 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

Barnicoat falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Barnicoat

The surname Barnicoat originates from England, specifically in the county of Cornwall. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Cornish place name "Barnycott" or "Barnicott," which means "a barn on a coastal slope."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cornwall Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where a person named William Barnycott is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, which lists several individuals with the surname Barnicoat residing in various Cornish parishes.

The name Barnicoat has undergone several spelling variations over the centuries, including Barnicott, Barnicote, Barnicutt, and Barnicutte. These variations reflect the regional dialects and phonetic changes that occurred in different parts of Cornwall.

One notable individual with the surname Barnicoat was John Barnicoat (1791-1864), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a surveyor of the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. He was responsible for charting significant portions of the coastlines in these regions.

Another prominent figure was William Barnicoat (1829-1909), a Cornish-born civil engineer who worked on various railway projects in India. He played a significant role in the construction of the Nizam's State Railway and the East Indian Railway.

In the literary world, John Barnicoat (1905-1985) was a British novelist and playwright known for his works set in Cornwall, including the novel "The Red Lamp" and the play "The White Windmill."

Samuel Barnicoat (1844-1919) was a British businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the town of Redruth in Cornwall. He founded the Barnicoat Almshouses, which provided housing for the elderly.

The name Barnicoat has also been associated with various places in Cornwall, such as Barnicoat Farm near Camborne and the village of Barnicoat near St. Columb Major.

While the surname Barnicoat is not among the most common in England, it remains a distinct part of the region's cultural heritage, reflecting the rich history and traditions of Cornwall.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Barnicoat families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Barnicoat 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. Cornwall leads with 172 Barnicoats recorded in 1881 and an index of 73.82x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 172 73.82x
Lancashire 9 0.37x
Channel Islands 8 13.12x
Devon 8 1.87x
Middlesex 4 0.19x
Berkshire 3 1.94x
Hampshire 3 0.71x
Glamorgan 2 0.56x
Yorkshire 2 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Falmouth in Cornwall leads with 24 Barnicoats recorded in 1881 and an index of 290.91x.

Place Total Index
Falmouth 24 290.91x
Tregoney St James 22 5116.28x
St Just In Roseland 14 1372.55x
Kenwyn 11 180.62x
Veryan 10 1111.11x
Madron Penzance 8 94.45x
St Peter Port 8 70.92x
Budock 7 400.00x
Camborne 7 72.92x
Landrake 7 1346.15x
Madron 7 372.34x
St Austell 7 87.94x
Bootle Cum Linacre 6 30.94x
Helston 6 247.93x
Phillack 6 199.34x
St Gluvias Penryn 6 320.86x
Tywardreath 6 400.00x
Mylor 5 320.51x
Probus 5 520.83x
Buckfastleigh 4 202.02x
Gorton 3 13.07x
Plymouth Charles The 3 15.90x
Portsea 3 3.63x
Reading St Giles 3 19.79x
St Ewe 3 422.54x
St Gluvias 3 230.77x
Sithney 2 85.11x
St Levan 2 476.19x
Cardiff St Mary 1 5.07x
Christ Church Newgate 1 104.17x
Clase 1 7.51x
Hillingdon 1 15.24x
Holbeck 1 7.40x
Illogan 1 16.21x
Marazion 1 357.14x
Paddington London 1 1.32x
Richmond 1 31.35x
Saltash 1 55.25x
St Buryan 1 104.17x
Stoke Damerel 1 3.34x
Stoke Newington London 1 6.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Elizabeth 11
Sarah 8
Ann 6
Jane 6
Laura 5
Annie 4
Emma 4
Bessie 3
Caroline 3
Charlotte 3
Eliza 3
Louisa 3
Susan 3
Alice 2
Catherine 2
Clara 2
Emily 2
Lucy 2
Martha 2
Matilda 2
Adelaide 1
Agnes 1
Anna 1
Beatrice 1
Catharine 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.Sarah 1
Ellen 1
Fanny 1
Grace 1
Hourance 1
Isabella 1
Lilly 1
Lily 1
Mabel 1
Priscilla 1
Rhoda 1
Ruth 1
Sardeniah 1
Sophia 1
Thomasine 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
William 12
Thomas 11
Richard 7
Charles 5
Edwin 5
David 4
Frederick 4
Alfred 3
Henry 3
Arthur 2
Chas. 2
Edward 2
James 2
Aaron 1
Albert 1
Athanasias 1
Benjamin 1
Christopher 1
Earnest 1
Francis 1
Fredrick 1
Henery 1
Humphry 1
Joseph 1
Louis 1
Moses 1
Nicholas 1
Richd.J. 1
S.G. 1
Sampson 1

FAQ

Barnicoat surname: questions and answers

How common was the Barnicoat surname in 1881?

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

How common is the Barnicoat surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 317 in 2016. That gives Barnicoat a modern rank of #14,198.

What does the Barnicoat surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from a place with barns or sheds.

What does the Barnicoat map show?

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