NameCensus.

UK surname

Barrack

A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a barrack or military quarters.

In the 1881 census there were 174 people recorded with the Barrack surname, ranking it #14,042 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 235, ranked #17,530, down from #14,042 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Chapel of Garioch and Methlick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ythsie, West End North and New Pitsligo.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Barrack is 246 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.1%.

1881 census count

174

Ranked #14,042

Modern count

235

2016, ranked #17,530

Peak year

2009

246 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Barrack had 174 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,042 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 235 in 2016, ranked #17,530.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 202 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Barrack surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Barrack surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Barrack 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 129 #14,406
1861 historical 202 #11,906
1881 historical 174 #14,042
1891 historical 153 #18,078
1901 historical 158 #17,507
1911 historical 83 #24,531
1997 modern 236 #15,852
1998 modern 245 #15,903
1999 modern 235 #16,458
2000 modern 244 #16,004
2001 modern 234 #16,205
2002 modern 231 #16,677
2003 modern 234 #16,343
2004 modern 230 #16,643
2005 modern 236 #16,286
2006 modern 228 #16,789
2007 modern 230 #16,890
2008 modern 239 #16,583
2009 modern 246 #16,597
2010 modern 238 #17,323
2011 modern 235 #17,328
2012 modern 225 #17,733
2013 modern 229 #17,816
2014 modern 236 #17,577
2015 modern 236 #17,477
2016 modern 235 #17,530

Geography

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Where Barracks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Chapel of Garioch, Methlick, Fyvie and Stebbing. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ythsie, West End North, New Pitsligo, Durno-Chapel of Garioch and Barrahill. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Chapel of Garioch Aberdeen
3 Methlick Aberdeen
4 Fyvie Aberdeen
5 Stebbing Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ythsie Aberdeenshire
2 West End North Aberdeen City
3 New Pitsligo Aberdeenshire
4 Durno-Chapel of Garioch Aberdeenshire
5 Barrahill Aberdeenshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Barrack

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Barrack

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Barrack, 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 Barrack surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Barrack 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, Barrack 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

Barrack is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Barrack falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Barrack

The surname Barrack has its origins in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "bere-aecer," which means "barley field" or "barley farm." The name was initially used as a descriptive term for someone who lived near or worked on a barley farm.

In the Domesday Book, a historical record of landowners and tenants compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, there are several entries that include variations of the name, such as "Barach" and "Barach-us." These early spellings suggest that the name was present in different parts of England shortly after the Norman conquest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Barrack can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1176, where a person named "Willelmus de Berach" is mentioned. This indicates that the name had already become hereditary by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various records with spellings like "Barrac," "Barrach," and "Barrack." One notable figure was William Barrack, a landowner in Wiltshire who was involved in a legal dispute over property rights in 1259.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname continued to be recorded with various spellings, including "Barrak," "Barrak-e," and "Barrake." In 1379, a John Barrake is mentioned in the Poll Tax returns for Yorkshire. Another prominent individual from this period was Thomas Barrack, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the early 15th century.

The 16th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals bearing the surname Barrack. One of them was Sir Edward Barrack, a member of the English gentry who served as a justice of the peace in Oxfordshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603).

In the 17th century, the surname Barrack was well-established across various regions of England. One notable figure was Captain William Barrack, a naval officer who served in the English Civil War and later commanded a ship during the Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-1674).

During the 18th century, the Barrack surname remained prominent, with individuals such as Reverend John Barrack (1727-1805), a clergyman and author from Yorkshire, and James Barrack (1763-1845), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Barrack families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Barrack 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 71 Barracks recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.17x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 71 45.17x
Essex 59 17.61x
Middlesex 9 0.53x
Northamptonshire 6 3.76x
Westmorland 6 16.09x
Caernarfonshire 5 7.29x
Bedfordshire 4 4.55x
Fife 3 2.99x
Hampshire 3 0.86x
Lanarkshire 2 0.36x
Midlothian 2 0.88x
Sussex 2 0.70x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.93x
Surrey 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Dunmow in Essex leads with 22 Barracks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1257.14x.

Place Total Index
Great Dunmow 22 1257.14x
Fyvie 19 739.30x
Methlick 17 1349.21x
Chapel Of Garioch 11 982.14x
Stebbing 8 1230.77x
Harlow 6 416.67x
Kendal 6 87.85x
Epping 5 367.65x
Llanbeblig 5 71.74x
Slains 5 684.93x
Tough 5 1250.00x
Bethnal Green London 4 5.43x
Great Parndon 4 1379.31x
Hawnes 4 740.74x
Islip 4 1212.12x
Southminster 4 547.95x
Thaxted 4 360.36x
West Ham 4 5.41x
Alverstoke 3 23.83x
Falkland 3 189.87x
St George Hanover Square 3 10.03x
Bourtie 2 740.74x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 2.19x
Ellon 2 92.59x
Govan 2 1.47x
Monquhitter 2 122.70x
New Deer 2 70.18x
Peterculter 2 180.18x
Aberdeen Old Machar 1 3.05x
Brighton 1 1.73x
Chigwell 1 31.65x
Fraserburgh 1 22.62x
Great Houghton 1 526.32x
Hastings Holy Trinity 1 47.39x
Peterborough 1 8.65x
St Pancras London 1 0.73x
St Stephen Coleman Street 1 166.67x
Tarves 1 67.11x
Turriff 1 39.37x
Walton On Thames 1 26.32x
Whittlesey St Mary St 1 26.60x
Willingale Spain 1 833.33x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Barrack surname: questions and answers

How common was the Barrack surname in 1881?

In 1881, 174 people were recorded with the Barrack surname. That placed it at #14,042 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Barrack surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 235 in 2016. That gives Barrack a modern rank of #17,530.

What does the Barrack surname mean?

A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a barrack or military quarters.

What does the Barrack map show?

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