NameCensus.

UK surname

Barton

Derived from a place name meaning "barley farm" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 16,190 people recorded with the Barton surname, ranking it #242 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 21,859, ranked #273, down from #242 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Newchurch and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan, Knowsley and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Barton is 22,574 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.0%.

1881 census count

16,190

Ranked #242

Modern count

21,859

2016, ranked #273

Peak year

1999

22,574 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Barton had 16,190 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #242 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 21,859 in 2016, ranked #273.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 20,962 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Barton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Barton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Barton 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 10,829 #233
1861 historical 12,452 #196
1881 historical 16,190 #242
1891 historical 17,715 #222
1901 historical 20,065 #242
1911 historical 20,962 #209
1997 modern 21,739 #262
1998 modern 22,253 #266
1999 modern 22,574 #266
2000 modern 22,443 #265
2001 modern 21,870 #266
2002 modern 22,270 #266
2003 modern 21,833 #266
2004 modern 21,680 #267
2005 modern 21,197 #273
2006 modern 21,146 #273
2007 modern 21,308 #273
2008 modern 21,411 #273
2009 modern 22,024 #271
2010 modern 22,471 #270
2011 modern 22,099 #272
2012 modern 21,673 #273
2013 modern 22,122 #273
2014 modern 22,218 #273
2015 modern 22,019 #271
2016 modern 21,859 #273

Geography

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Where Bartons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Newchurch, Manchester and Preston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan, Knowsley and Cheshire East. 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 Newchurch Hampshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Preston Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 018 Wigan
2 Knowsley 006 Knowsley
3 Knowsley 015 Knowsley
4 Wigan 011 Wigan
5 Cheshire East 013 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Barton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Barton

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Barton is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Barton 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

Barton 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 Barton 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 Barton, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Barton

The surname Barton is an English locational name derived from the Old English words "bere" meaning "barley" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "farm". It refers to someone who lived in a settlement where barley was grown or near a barley farm.

The name has its origins in the county of Staffordshire, England, where it was first recorded in the late 11th century. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Ralph de Bertone in Somerset.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Bertun, Berton, and Barton. It was also closely associated with several places in England, including Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire, Barton-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire, and Barton in Cambridgeshire.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Andrew Barton, a Scottish naval officer and privateer who lived in the late 15th century. He gained fame for his successful raids on English and Portuguese ships in the North Sea.

During the medieval period, the surname Barton was also found in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed William de Berton in Oxfordshire, and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, which included entries for John Barton and Thomas Barton.

In the 16th century, Benjamin Barton (1516-1598) was an English physician and writer who published works on natural history and medicine. Another notable figure was Elizabeth Barton (1506-1534), also known as the "Nun of Kent", who claimed to have prophetic visions and was eventually executed for treason against King Henry VIII.

Other notable bearers of the name include Sir Isaac Barton (1691-1765), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the King's Bench, and Bernard Barton (1784-1849), an English poet and writer from Suffolk.

Throughout its history, the surname Barton has been associated with various professions, including farming, military service, medicine, law, and literature, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Barton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Barton 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 3,587 Bartons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.92x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 3,587 1.92x
Middlesex 1,593 1.01x
Kent 1,189 2.21x
Yorkshire 1,035 0.66x
Surrey 848 1.10x
Hampshire 676 2.09x
Warwickshire 611 1.54x
Cheshire 573 1.64x
Essex 501 1.61x
Derbyshire 487 1.97x
Lincolnshire 465 1.84x
Staffordshire 386 0.72x
Gloucestershire 353 1.14x
Nottinghamshire 343 1.61x
Sussex 336 1.26x
Cambridgeshire 285 2.85x
Lanarkshire 249 0.49x
Suffolk 243 1.26x
Durham 185 0.39x
Cumberland 141 1.04x
Worcestershire 140 0.68x
Norfolk 136 0.56x
Northamptonshire 132 0.89x
Buckinghamshire 118 1.24x
Bedfordshire 116 1.42x
Leicestershire 113 0.65x
Hertfordshire 103 0.95x
Wiltshire 99 0.71x
Northumberland 95 0.40x
Monmouthshire 92 0.81x
Oxfordshire 85 0.87x
Devon 84 0.26x
Somerset 75 0.30x
Dumfriesshire 74 2.12x
Berkshire 72 0.61x
Glamorgan 70 0.25x
Midlothian 48 0.23x
Ayrshire 41 0.35x
Renfrewshire 35 0.29x
Huntingdonshire 30 0.96x
Channel Islands 29 0.62x
Westmorland 28 0.81x
Cornwall 27 0.15x
Denbighshire 27 0.45x
Roxburghshire 23 0.80x
Shropshire 22 0.16x
Herefordshire 20 0.31x
Dunbartonshire 19 0.45x
Dorset 18 0.17x
Angus 17 0.12x
Argyllshire 16 0.36x
Peeblesshire 10 1.35x
Royal Navy 10 0.53x
Anglesey 9 0.32x
Caernarfonshire 9 0.14x
Kirkcudbrightshire 9 0.39x
Isle of Man 8 0.27x
Carmarthenshire 7 0.11x
Montgomeryshire 7 0.19x
Perthshire 5 0.07x
Buteshire 4 0.42x
Stirlingshire 4 0.07x
Fife 2 0.02x
Rutland 2 0.17x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.01x
Flintshire 1 0.02x
Ross-shire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 209 Bartons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.58x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 209 1.58x
Aston 204 1.86x
Islington London 182 1.19x
Preston 182 3.63x
Blackburn 179 3.59x
Lambeth 150 1.09x
Camberwell 145 1.44x
Wigan 138 5.27x
St Pancras London 131 1.03x
Warrington 126 5.68x
Paddington London 121 2.09x
Liverpool 118 1.04x
Nottingham St Mary 117 2.13x
Pemberton 113 15.13x
North Meols 110 6.00x
West Derby 108 1.97x
Battersea 105 1.81x
Orrell 104 44.67x
St Marylebone London 103 1.22x
West Ham 103 1.50x
West Bromwich 97 3.18x
Portsea 96 1.51x
Salford 90 1.63x
Manchester 86 1.02x
Luton 80 5.66x
Bethnal Green London 78 1.14x
Everton 74 1.24x
Govan 73 0.58x
Newington 72 1.24x
Brighton 70 1.30x
Shoreditch London 67 0.98x
Tonbridge 65 3.35x
Ecclesall Bierlow 64 2.01x
Southampton St Mary 64 3.15x
Fulham London 63 2.75x
Kensington London 61 0.70x
St Andrewthe Less 61 5.34x
Croydon 58 1.36x
Bermondsey 57 1.21x
Coventry Holy Trinity 56 4.71x
Ince In Makerfield 56 6.43x
Arreton 55 53.02x
Congleton 55 9.14x
Ryde 55 7.91x
Mile End Old Town London 54 1.61x
Tendring 52 113.51x
Hadlow 51 38.19x
Hammersmith London 51 1.31x
Little Bolton 51 2.12x
Hackney London 50 0.57x
Windle 50 4.75x
Leicester St Margaret 49 1.15x
Chelsea London 47 0.99x
Sutton 47 7.48x
Barony 46 0.36x
Great Bolton 46 1.85x
Melbourne 46 27.24x
Sheffield 44 0.88x
Toxteth Park 42 0.66x
Ashford 41 7.82x
Bethersden 41 74.78x
Derby St Werburgh 41 2.87x
Harborne 41 2.40x
Bootle Cum Linacre 40 2.69x
Hulme 40 1.02x
Ashton In Makerfield 39 7.31x
Maidstone 39 2.43x
Ashton Under Lyne 38 0.93x
Folkestone 38 3.64x
Great Harwood 38 11.23x
Upholland 38 15.83x
Coventry St Michael 37 2.89x
Old Monkland 37 1.83x
Skelmersdale 37 11.86x
Chatham 36 2.43x
Macclesfield 35 2.26x
Wycombe 35 4.92x
Billinge Higher End 34 44.83x
Kirkdale 34 1.08x
Walthamstow 34 3.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,005
Elizabeth 677
Sarah 537
Ann 307
Jane 290
Alice 280
Ellen 276
Eliza 262
Emma 240
Annie 238
Margaret 170
Emily 164
Martha 139
Hannah 137
Harriet 112
Maria 105
Kate 99
Florence 95
Charlotte 94
Louisa 94
Edith 86
Catherine 81
Ada 79
Anne 68
Clara 68
Frances 68
Caroline 67
Fanny 65
Lucy 60
Agnes 56
Susan 56
Amelia 53
Esther 50
Rose 47
Harriett 42
Rebecca 40
Isabella 39
Matilda 37
Jessie 36
Julia 34
Sophia 33
Amy 31
Gertrude 28
Helen 28
Lydia 28
Selina 28
Grace 27
Susannah 27
Betsy 25
Elizth. 25

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 901
William 891
George 560
Thomas 553
James 522
Henry 395
Charles 302
Joseph 261
Robert 208
Richard 196
Edward 190
Alfred 172
Frederick 134
Arthur 128
Samuel 125
Walter 109
Harry 107
Albert 85
Frank 83
Herbert 57
Ernest 52
Benjamin 51
Edwin 50
David 48
Peter 46
Wm. 40
Daniel 38
Thos. 36
Francis 34
Fred 28
Stephen 26
Isaac 25
Fredk. 22
Andrew 21
Chas. 20
Edmund 20
Hugh 20
Tom 18
Geo. 17
Matthew 17
Percy 17
Lewis 15
Sidney 15
Willm. 14
Jesse 13
Alexander 12
Fredrick 12
Ralph 12
Frederic 11
Christopher 10

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Barton households.

FAQ

Barton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Barton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 16,190 people were recorded with the Barton surname. That placed it at #242 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Barton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 21,859 in 2016. That gives Barton a modern rank of #273.

What does the Barton surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "barley farm" in Old English.

What does the Barton map show?

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