NameCensus.

UK surname

Beacom

From a waterside dwelling or stream.

In the 1881 census there were 14 people recorded with the Beacom surname, ranking it #31,604 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 148, ranked #23,958, up from #31,604 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Merton, Kensington and Chelsea and Paisley Central.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Beacom is 158 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 957.1%.

1881 census count

14

Ranked #31,604

Modern count

148

2016, ranked #23,958

Peak year

2011

158 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Beacom had 14 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,604 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 148 in 2016, ranked #23,958.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 39 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Beacom surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Beacom surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Beacom 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 16 #30,441
1861 historical 28 #30,405
1881 historical 14 #31,604
1891 historical 28 #32,046
1901 historical 39 #29,799
1911 historical 10 #32,609
1997 modern 131 #22,927
1998 modern 141 #22,517
1999 modern 141 #22,702
2000 modern 135 #23,250
2001 modern 130 #23,457
2002 modern 136 #23,296
2003 modern 139 #22,734
2004 modern 133 #23,528
2005 modern 133 #23,502
2006 modern 129 #24,165
2007 modern 133 #24,059
2008 modern 137 #23,883
2009 modern 151 #22,816
2010 modern 152 #23,282
2011 modern 158 #22,473
2012 modern 156 #22,645
2013 modern 151 #23,529
2014 modern 149 #23,969
2015 modern 150 #23,718
2016 modern 148 #23,958

Geography

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Where Beacoms are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Merton, Kensington and Chelsea, Paisley Central, Paisley Gallowhill and Hillington and South Hams. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Merton 004 Merton
2 Kensington and Chelsea 010 Kensington and Chelsea
3 Paisley Central Renfrewshire
4 Paisley Gallowhill and Hillington Renfrewshire
5 South Hams 004 South Hams

Forenames

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First names often paired with Beacom

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Beacom

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

European Enclaves

Within London, Beacom is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Beacom 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

Beacom 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 Beacom 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 - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Beacom, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Beacom

The surname Beacom is of English origin, deriving from an old English place name meaning "the beechen valley" or "the valley of beeches." It is thought to have first emerged in the 12th century in the county of Gloucestershire, where the earliest records of the name can be found.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1198, where a William de Beaucumb is mentioned as a landholder. This suggests that the surname may have originally been a locative name, given to someone who lived near or owned land in a place called Beaucumb or similar.

By the 13th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, with variations in spelling such as Beacham, Beecham, and Beachamp appearing in historical documents. One notable figure from this time was Sir John de Beauchamp (1252-1336), a prominent English knight and landowner who served under King Edward I.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name began to solidify into its modern form of Beacom. Records from this period show individuals with the surname living in various counties across England, including Wiltshire, Dorset, and Devon.

One notable bearer of the name was John Beacom (1592-1667), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Nicholas Church in Bristol. Another was Thomas Beacom (1624-1698), a merchant and landowner from Somerset who played a role in the Monmouth Rebellion against King James II.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Beacom surname continued to be found throughout England, with some individuals emigrating to other parts of the British Empire, including North America and Australia. One notable figure from this period was Sir William Beacom (1789-1868), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

Over the centuries, the Beacom surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, tradesmen, clergymen, and military personnel. While not a particularly common name, it has left a lasting mark on the historical record, with its origins deeply rooted in the English countryside and the linguistic traditions of the Anglo-Saxon people.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Beacom families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Beacom 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. Lanarkshire leads with 6 Beacoms recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.60x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 6 13.60x
Renfrewshire 5 47.30x
Somerset 2 9.11x
Surrey 1 1.50x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 6 Beacoms recorded in 1881 and an index of 55.00x.

Place Total Index
Govan 6 55.00x
Abbey 5 310.56x
Portishead 2 1250.00x
Walton On Thames 1 322.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Jane 1
Lizzie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Theodore 1

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 Beacom households.

Occupation Count
Building Contractor 1
Cook 1

FAQ

Beacom surname: questions and answers

How common was the Beacom surname in 1881?

In 1881, 14 people were recorded with the Beacom surname. That placed it at #31,604 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Beacom surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 148 in 2016. That gives Beacom a modern rank of #23,958.

What does the Beacom surname mean?

From a waterside dwelling or stream.

What does the Beacom map show?

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