NameCensus.

UK surname

Bayley

An English surname derived from the place-name Bayley, meaning "berry meadow" or "berry clearing."

In the 1881 census there were 4,847 people recorded with the Bayley surname, ranking it #921 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,218, ranked #1,607, down from #921 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, Darlaston and Astbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East and Arun.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bayley is 5,290 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 13.0%.

1881 census count

4,847

Ranked #921

Modern count

4,218

2016, ranked #1,607

Peak year

1911

5,290 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bayley had 4,847 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #921 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,218 in 2016, ranked #1,607.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,290 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bayley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bayley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bayley 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 4,581 #615
1861 historical 4,093 #681
1881 historical 4,847 #921
1891 historical 4,647 #1,004
1901 historical 4,991 #1,129
1911 historical 5,290 #992
1997 modern 4,066 #1,591
1998 modern 4,463 #1,514
1999 modern 4,462 #1,528
2000 modern 4,464 #1,520
2001 modern 4,339 #1,527
2002 modern 4,385 #1,539
2003 modern 4,282 #1,541
2004 modern 4,267 #1,553
2005 modern 4,176 #1,557
2006 modern 4,176 #1,565
2007 modern 4,212 #1,564
2008 modern 4,191 #1,582
2009 modern 4,271 #1,593
2010 modern 4,386 #1,588
2011 modern 4,324 #1,584
2012 modern 4,171 #1,611
2013 modern 4,246 #1,612
2014 modern 4,249 #1,621
2015 modern 4,243 #1,608
2016 modern 4,218 #1,607

Geography

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Where Bayleys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East and Arun. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 Darlaston Staffordshire
3 Astbury Cheshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 026 Cheshire East
2 Cheshire East 020 Cheshire East
3 Cheshire East 027 Cheshire East
4 Cheshire East 015 Cheshire East
5 Arun 011 Arun

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bayley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bayley

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

Bayley is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Bayley

The surname Bayley originated in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "bæg" and "leah," meaning "berry" and "clearing" or "meadow," respectively. This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a berry patch or meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Baigelei" and "Bagelie." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Baylly" and "Bayly" in various historical documents. These spellings reflect the evolution of the name over time, as well as regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

During the 14th century, the name appeared in the form of "Bayley" in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327. This spelling has since become the most common form of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Bayley throughout history include:

1. Thomas Bayley (1557-1632), an English clergyman and author, known for his work "The Summe of Practical Divinity."

2. John Bayley (1763-1841), an English painter and engraver, famous for his portraits and landscapes.

3. Anne Bayley (1789-1825), later known as Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, was the first American-born saint of the Catholic Church.

4. Thomas Haynes Bayley (1797-1839), an English poet and songwriter, best known for composing the lyrics to the popular song "Long, Long Ago."

5. Walter Bayley (1817-1901), an English civil engineer and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of street lighting and sewage systems in London.

The surname Bayley has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Bayley Park in Sussex and Bayley Street in London, further reflecting its deep roots in the country's history and geography.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bayley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bayley 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. Staffordshire leads with 908 Bayleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.71x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 908 5.71x
Cheshire 760 7.31x
Middlesex 551 1.17x
Lancashire 490 0.88x
Surrey 318 1.39x
Kent 274 1.71x
Warwickshire 207 1.74x
Sussex 143 1.80x
Yorkshire 143 0.31x
Shropshire 125 3.07x
Essex 99 1.06x
Devon 94 0.96x
Gloucestershire 85 0.92x
Hampshire 84 0.87x
Worcestershire 50 0.81x
Suffolk 41 0.71x
Lincolnshire 36 0.48x
Northamptonshire 33 0.75x
Derbyshire 32 0.43x
Dorset 31 1.00x
Leicestershire 29 0.56x
Nottinghamshire 29 0.46x
Berkshire 25 0.71x
Hertfordshire 24 0.74x
Somerset 24 0.32x
Glamorgan 22 0.27x
Herefordshire 21 1.09x
Denbighshire 19 1.07x
Norfolk 15 0.21x
Buckinghamshire 13 0.46x
Cornwall 13 0.24x
Wiltshire 13 0.31x
Durham 12 0.09x
Midlothian 11 0.17x
Royal Navy 7 1.25x
Angus 6 0.14x
Lanarkshire 5 0.03x
Montgomeryshire 5 0.46x
Bedfordshire 4 0.16x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.13x
Northumberland 4 0.06x
Oxfordshire 4 0.14x
Isle of Man 3 0.34x
Channel Islands 2 0.14x
Perthshire 2 0.09x
Banffshire 1 0.10x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.05x
Caithness 1 0.16x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.10x
Flintshire 1 0.08x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.11x
Monmouthshire 1 0.03x
Rutland 1 0.29x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Darlaston in Staffordshire leads with 191 Bayleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 86.94x.

Place Total Index
Darlaston 191 86.94x
Congleton 129 71.82x
Macclesfield 118 25.54x
Newcastle Under Lyme 105 37.33x
West Bromwich 91 10.00x
Aston 81 2.48x
Birmingham 79 2.00x
Dukinfield 79 16.44x
Camberwell 75 2.49x
Wolverhampton 75 6.14x
Islington London 62 1.36x
Lambeth 61 1.49x
Bethnal Green London 57 2.79x
Ashton Under Lyne 54 4.42x
Barton Upon Irwell 52 12.36x
Shoreditch London 49 2.40x
Walsall Foreign 46 5.60x
West Ham 46 2.24x
Wednesbury 41 10.32x
West Derby 41 2.51x
Stoke Upon Trent 39 2.31x
Haslington 38 129.96x
Salford 38 2.31x
Kensington London 32 1.22x
Tipton 32 6.57x
Lewisham 30 3.50x
Margate St John Baptist 28 9.52x
Portsea 28 1.48x
Rye 27 35.78x
Pendleton In Salford 26 3.91x
Sutton In Macclesfield 26 24.10x
Paddington London 25 1.44x
Hammersmith London 24 2.07x
Rotherhithe 24 4.12x
Stockport 24 4.49x
Walsall Borough 24 19.45x
Stoke Damerel 23 3.35x
St Marylebone London 22 0.87x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 21 2.41x
Fulham London 21 3.07x
Pownall Fee 21 45.15x
Withington 21 11.66x
Croydon 20 1.57x
Erith 20 12.63x
Gawsworth 20 210.97x
Oldham 20 1.11x
Poole St James 20 17.22x
Sandbach 20 22.56x
Shawbury 20 128.04x
Bermondsey 19 1.36x
Brighton 19 1.19x
Burntwood Edial 19 18.71x
Cheltenham 19 2.67x
Manchester 19 0.76x
Newington 19 1.09x
Southwark St George Martyr 19 2.00x
Cannock 18 6.49x
Hornsey 18 3.02x
Ipswich St Clement 18 12.34x
Leek Lowe 18 8.51x
Monks Coppenhall 18 4.59x
St George Hanover Square 18 2.17x
Bilston 17 5.52x
Hackney London 17 0.64x
Heaton Norris 17 5.34x
Mile End Old Town London 17 1.70x
Newton In Ashton Under 17 16.57x
St Pancras London 17 0.45x
Woolwich 17 2.86x
Basingstoke 16 14.41x
Kingston On Thames 16 2.90x
Chelsea London 15 1.06x
Gate Fulford 15 13.76x
Kings Norton 15 2.72x
St Luke London 15 1.99x
Warrington 15 2.26x
Cheadle 14 7.05x
Ecton 14 140.56x
Handsworth 14 3.57x
Millbrook 14 5.76x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 332
Elizabeth 206
Sarah 184
Ann 89
Eliza 83
Emma 75
Alice 70
Jane 70
Annie 67
Hannah 63
Ellen 56
Emily 48
Harriet 47
Florence 44
Martha 42
Maria 36
Fanny 33
Margaret 33
Charlotte 31
Edith 31
Catherine 29
Ada 26
Frances 24
Anne 23
Louisa 23
Caroline 22
Clara 22
Harriett 22
Esther 19
Susan 19
Amelia 16
Lucy 16
Nancy 14
Amy 13
Sophia 12
Eleanor 11
Ethel 11
Kate 11
Lydia 11
Gertrude 10
Matilda 10
Maud 10
Selina 10
Agnes 8
Bertha 8
Elizth. 8
Helen 8
Susannah 8
Julia 7
Priscilla 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 282
John 253
George 185
Thomas 161
James 140
Henry 111
Joseph 96
Charles 92
Edward 75
Samuel 60
Alfred 56
Arthur 55
Frederick 44
Richard 43
Robert 38
Albert 23
Walter 21
Ernest 20
Wm. 18
Edwin 17
Harry 17
Herbert 17
David 16
Frank 16
Francis 14
Abraham 13
Daniel 11
Benjamin 10
Willm. 10
Chas. 9
Fredrick 8
Percy 8
Edgar 7
Isaac 7
Jas. 7
Matthew 7
Peter 7
Tom 7
Fred 6
Harold 6
Leonard 6
Moses 6
Fredk. 5
Geo. 5
Joshua 5
Josiah 5
Reuben 5
Stephen 5
Sydney 5
Thos. 5

FAQ

Bayley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bayley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,847 people were recorded with the Bayley surname. That placed it at #921 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bayley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,218 in 2016. That gives Bayley a modern rank of #1,607.

What does the Bayley surname mean?

An English surname derived from the place-name Bayley, meaning "berry meadow" or "berry clearing."

What does the Bayley map show?

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