NameCensus.

UK surname

Bayles

An English toponymic surname derived from various places named Bayles, likely referring to bailey fortifications.

In the 1881 census there were 593 people recorded with the Bayles surname, ranking it #5,894 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 431, ranked #11,170, down from #5,894 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stradbroke, Barton and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bayles is 922 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 27.3%.

1881 census count

593

Ranked #5,894

Modern count

431

2016, ranked #11,170

Peak year

1891

922 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bayles had 593 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,894 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 431 in 2016, ranked #11,170.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 922 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Bayles surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bayles surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bayles 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 527 #4,760
1861 historical 894 #3,094
1881 historical 593 #5,894
1891 historical 922 #4,481
1901 historical 663 #6,541
1911 historical 779 #5,578
1997 modern 468 #9,769
1998 modern 472 #10,032
1999 modern 471 #10,098
2000 modern 462 #10,212
2001 modern 454 #10,162
2002 modern 464 #10,181
2003 modern 462 #10,045
2004 modern 459 #10,137
2005 modern 450 #10,209
2006 modern 449 #10,255
2007 modern 456 #10,221
2008 modern 461 #10,235
2009 modern 457 #10,532
2010 modern 466 #10,595
2011 modern 464 #10,524
2012 modern 438 #10,896
2013 modern 449 #10,850
2014 modern 442 #11,057
2015 modern 444 #10,935
2016 modern 431 #11,170

Geography

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Where Bayles' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stradbroke, Barton, London parishes, Auckland St Andrew and St Giles Camberwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham. 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 Stradbroke Suffolk
2 Barton Durham
3 London parishes London 3
4 Auckland St Andrew Durham
5 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 065 County Durham
2 County Durham 064 County Durham
3 County Durham 066 County Durham
4 County Durham 057 County Durham
5 County Durham 056 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bayles

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bayles

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Bayles surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bayles household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Bayles 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

Bayles is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bayles falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Bayles

The surname Bayles is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "baille," meaning a palisade or barrier, and is thought to have been an occupational surname for someone who lived or worked near a palisade or gate.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "Baylly." The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, as well as the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1332, suggesting that the name was well-established in various parts of England by that time.

The Bayles surname has also been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Baylies Farm in Berkshire and Bayley's Hill in Gloucestershire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.

Notable individuals with the surname Bayles include Walter Bayles, an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire in the 16th century. Another prominent bearer of the name was John Bayles, a 17th-century English author and playwright known for his works on religious and moral themes.

In the 18th century, Joseph Bayles (1728-1804) was a renowned English engraver and illustrator, known for his intricate works depicting landscapes and architectural subjects. His contemporary, Richard Bayles (1742-1821), was a notable English painter and portraitist who worked in the neoclassical style.

Moving into the 19th century, William Bayles (1804-1872) was a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Jude in Hampstead.

While the Bayles surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration. However, the focus of this report remains on the historical origins and early bearers of this surname within England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bayles families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bayles 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. Yorkshire leads with 121 Bayles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.11x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 121 2.11x
Durham 79 4.60x
Suffolk 73 10.38x
Middlesex 56 0.97x
Surrey 44 1.56x
Northamptonshire 28 5.16x
Lancashire 21 0.31x
Warwickshire 21 1.44x
Oxfordshire 13 3.65x
Lincolnshire 12 1.30x
Derbyshire 11 1.22x
Kent 11 0.56x
Herefordshire 10 4.22x
Nottinghamshire 10 1.28x
Cheshire 9 0.71x
Cumberland 9 1.81x
Norfolk 9 1.01x
Westmorland 8 6.30x
Hertfordshire 7 1.76x
Worcestershire 7 0.93x
Northumberland 6 0.70x
Devon 5 0.42x
Gloucestershire 5 0.44x
Somerset 5 0.54x
Leicestershire 3 0.47x
Monmouthshire 3 0.72x
Denbighshire 2 0.92x
Lanarkshire 2 0.11x
Cornwall 1 0.15x
Dorset 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Camberwell in Surrey leads with 23 Bayles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.24x.

Place Total Index
Camberwell 23 6.24x
Hunderthwaite 22 3928.57x
Stradbroke 21 882.35x
Barton 20 1960.78x
West Auckland 19 302.55x
Cotherston 18 1417.32x
Newbottle 18 1764.71x
Bowes 15 1127.82x
Islington London 10 1.79x
Shoreditch London 10 3.99x
Alston 9 98.25x
Brailes 9 401.79x
Croydon 9 5.76x
Esh 9 72.00x
Hoxne 9 452.26x
Litchurch 8 21.99x
Monks Coppenhall 8 16.63x
Paddington London 8 3.77x
Peterborough 8 20.35x
Stainmore 8 816.33x
Denham 7 795.45x
Doncaster 7 16.74x
Lambeth 7 1.39x
Laxfield 7 400.00x
Pudlestone 7 1228.07x
Seamer In Stokesley 7 1428.57x
Thornaby 7 32.74x
Abbots Langley 6 101.52x
Birmingham 6 1.24x
Forest Frith 6 400.00x
Gainford 6 338.98x
Greenwich 6 6.53x
Ipswich St Margaret 6 25.14x
Lunedale 6 789.47x
Monkwearmouth 6 36.50x
Newton In Makerfield 6 28.60x
Waterperry 6 1818.18x
Barnard Castle 5 58.89x
Grange De Lings 5 3846.15x
Great Bolton 5 5.51x
Hackney London 5 1.54x
Hawksworth 5 1612.90x
Helmington Row 5 62.50x
Willesden 5 9.19x
Bromley London 4 3.15x
Byker 4 9.42x
Darlington 4 6.03x
Diss 4 52.56x
Dudley 4 4.36x
Heigham 4 8.39x
Ipswich St Mathew 4 20.29x
Liverpool 4 0.96x
Radway 4 784.31x
Urpeth 4 119.40x
Weybread 4 298.51x
Crook Billy Row 3 13.64x
Evesham St Lawrence 3 74.81x
Halesworth 3 60.12x
Hunwick Helmington 3 72.64x
Ickford 3 405.41x
Ilkley 3 32.09x
Ipswich St Clement 3 16.78x
Leicester St Margaret 3 1.92x
Llanvair Discoed 3 789.47x
Lynesack Softley 3 64.66x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 3 23.09x
Stratton Audley 3 422.54x
Upton Bishop 3 215.83x
Babworth 2 138.89x
Burton By Lincoln 2 357.14x
Chirk 2 46.51x
Horham 2 298.51x
Leeds 2 0.62x
Newark Upon Trent 2 7.15x
Plumstead 2 3.05x
Rosliston 2 219.78x
St Marylebone London 2 0.65x
Stoke 2 41.07x
Timberscombe 2 259.74x
Westoe 2 2.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 38
Elizabeth 32
Sarah 28
Jane 20
Emma 12
Hannah 12
Margaret 12
Harriet 10
Martha 8
Louisa 6
Alice 5
Ann 5
Eliza 5
Emily 4
Harriett 4
Amelia 3
Annie 3
Catherine 3
Charlotte 3
Ruth 3
Sophia 3
Anne 2
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Dorothy 2
Edith 2
Florence 2
Kate 2
Laura 2
Lucy 2
Maria 2
Matilda 2
Rachel 2
Susan 2
Adelaide 1
Amy 1
Bessy 1
Betsy 1
E.J. 1
Eliz.Gibson 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.M. 1
Elleanor 1
Ellen 1
Grace 1
Helen 1
Helena 1
Helene 1
Isabella 1
Tryphina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 49
William 30
George 25
Thomas 25
James 20
Charles 18
Robert 17
Henry 15
Alfred 9
Arthur 8
Frederick 6
Edward 5
Isaac 5
Albert 3
Ernest 3
Herbert 3
Joseph 3
Matthew 3
Wm. 3
Frank 2
Harry 2
Richard 2
Walter 2
Anthony 1
Benzerville 1
Christopher 1
Cicely 1
Daniel 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Emily 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Heber 1
Hy. 1
Jane 1
Jeremiah 1
Jonathan 1
Keeling 1
Louisa 1
Michael 1
Mizzini 1
Nathan 1
Ralph 1
Robt.J. 1
Russell 1
Siah 1
Spencer 1
Thom. 1

FAQ

Bayles surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bayles surname in 1881?

In 1881, 593 people were recorded with the Bayles surname. That placed it at #5,894 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bayles surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 431 in 2016. That gives Bayles a modern rank of #11,170.

What does the Bayles surname mean?

An English toponymic surname derived from various places named Bayles, likely referring to bailey fortifications.

What does the Bayles map show?

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