NameCensus.

UK surname

Beak

A surname derived from the Middle English word "bek," referring to someone with a prominent nose or beak-like facial feature.

In the 1881 census there were 384 people recorded with the Beak surname, ranking it #8,195 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 245, ranked #17,049, down from #8,195 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Malmesbury St Paul and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newcastle upon Tyne, Isle of Wight and North Lincolnshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Beak is 420 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 36.2%.

1881 census count

384

Ranked #8,195

Modern count

245

2016, ranked #17,049

Peak year

1861

420 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Beak had 384 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,195 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 245 in 2016, ranked #17,049.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 420 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Beak surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Beak surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Beak 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 298 #7,691
1861 historical 420 #6,114
1881 historical 384 #8,195
1891 historical 363 #9,556
1901 historical 384 #9,745
1911 historical 404 #9,221
1997 modern 260 #14,880
1998 modern 279 #14,592
1999 modern 275 #14,789
2000 modern 254 #15,578
2001 modern 251 #15,483
2002 modern 254 #15,641
2003 modern 239 #16,093
2004 modern 242 #16,050
2005 modern 233 #16,434
2006 modern 232 #16,600
2007 modern 231 #16,835
2008 modern 228 #17,146
2009 modern 234 #17,194
2010 modern 241 #17,186
2011 modern 233 #17,426
2012 modern 235 #17,242
2013 modern 237 #17,423
2014 modern 242 #17,285
2015 modern 244 #17,090
2016 modern 245 #17,049

Geography

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Where Beaks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Malmesbury St Paul, London parishes and St John Hampstead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newcastle upon Tyne, Isle of Wight, North Lincolnshire, Oldham and Cherwell. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Malmesbury St Paul Wiltshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 St John Hampstead London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newcastle upon Tyne 020 Newcastle upon Tyne
2 Isle of Wight 006 Isle of Wight
3 North Lincolnshire 008 North Lincolnshire
4 Oldham 002 Oldham
5 Cherwell 004 Cherwell

Forenames

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First names often paired with Beak

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Beak

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Beak surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Beak household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Beak is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Beak is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Beak

The surname Beak originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "beak" or "bec," which referred to a bird's beak or a promontory of land jutting out like a beak. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a prominent or beaked nose, or for someone who lived near a geographical feature resembling a beak.

One of the earliest known recordings of the surname Beak dates back to the 13th century, when a Robert Bek was mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273. The surname was also found in various forms in medieval records, such as Beke, Becke, and Beake.

In the 14th century, the Beak surname appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, where a John Bek was listed. Around the same time, a Walter Bek was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

The Beak name has also been associated with place names, such as Beak in Cumbria, England, which was recorded as "Bec" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This suggests that some individuals may have adopted the surname from the place where they lived or originated.

Notable individuals with the surname Beak throughout history include:

1. Thomas Bek (c. 1285-1347), an English prelate who served as Bishop of Lincoln and later as Bishop of St. David's. 2. Walter Bek (c. 1280-1350), an English nobleman and soldier who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence. 3. John Beke (fl. 1400), an English chronicler and author of the work "De Rebus Gestis Edmundi Comitis Cantabrigiensis." 4. William Beke (c. 1470-1545), an English merchant and benefactor who funded scholarships at Cambridge University. 5. Anthony Bek (c. 1550-1620), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Master of St. John's College, Cambridge.

While the surname Beak is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period and has been associated with various notable figures throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Beak families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Beak 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. Gloucestershire leads with 74 Beaks recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.07x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 74 10.07x
Wiltshire 61 18.41x
Middlesex 58 1.55x
Kent 53 4.15x
Somerset 34 5.64x
Lancashire 21 0.47x
Berkshire 12 4.27x
Essex 9 1.22x
Hampshire 9 1.17x
Leicestershire 7 1.69x
Devon 6 0.77x
Hertfordshire 6 2.32x
Oxfordshire 5 2.16x
Surrey 5 0.27x
Sussex 4 0.63x
Caernarfonshire 3 1.98x
Glamorgan 3 0.46x
Staffordshire 3 0.24x
Yorkshire 3 0.08x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.29x
Cheshire 1 0.12x
Cumberland 1 0.31x
Derbyshire 1 0.17x
Dorset 1 0.41x
Midlothian 1 0.20x
Westmorland 1 1.21x
Worcestershire 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bristol St George in Gloucestershire leads with 22 Beaks recorded in 1881 and an index of 64.74x.

Place Total Index
Bristol St George 22 64.74x
Deptford St Paul 14 14.20x
Westbury 14 181.11x
Chatham 13 36.97x
Hullavington 12 1500.00x
Kensington London 12 5.76x
Great Somerford 11 1549.30x
Southrop 11 2444.44x
Shoreditch London 10 6.16x
Hammersmith London 9 9.75x
Lyncombe Widcombe 9 57.00x
Siston 9 687.02x
Thornbury 9 179.28x
West Ham 9 5.51x
Bedminster 8 14.12x
Hampstead London 8 13.71x
Iron Acton 8 540.54x
Liverpool 8 2.96x
Leicester St Margaret 7 6.91x
Walcot 7 21.80x
Beedon 6 1463.41x
Broxbourne 6 117.19x
Chevening 6 431.65x
Toxteth Park 6 3.99x
Bromley London 5 6.07x
Malmesbury St Paul 5 175.44x
Manchester 5 2.50x
Plymouth Charles The 5 14.56x
Ashton Keynes 4 325.20x
Bath St James 4 63.59x
Bristol St James St Paul 4 16.33x
Holdenhurst 4 19.86x
Sholden 4 800.00x
St Peters 4 67.68x
Bampton 3 167.60x
Bangor 3 20.53x
Handsworth 3 9.63x
Mile End Old Town London 3 3.76x
Portsmouth 3 16.97x
Rawcliffe In Goole 3 142.18x
St Giles In Fields London 3 16.32x
Staple 3 447.76x
Swindon 3 11.67x
Banwell 2 90.91x
Beckenham 2 11.97x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.23x
Castle Cary 2 76.05x
Eastbourne 2 6.88x
Lee 2 10.78x
Leigh Delamere 2 1538.46x
Lewisham 2 2.93x
Littleton Drew 2 769.23x
Poplar London 2 2.83x
Portsea 2 1.33x
Purton 2 67.80x
Reading St Lawrence 2 33.28x
Salford 2 1.53x
Sherston Magna 2 100.00x
Shrivenham 2 143.88x
St Marylebone London 2 1.00x
Swainswick 2 246.91x
Swansea Town 2 3.74x
Appleby St Lawrence 1 53.48x
Ash Next Sandwich 1 35.34x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 1.45x
Clifton 1 2.69x
Cranleigh 1 37.45x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.50x
Glossop Dale 1 3.64x
Henbury 1 27.86x
Hill 1 384.62x
Holton 1 333.33x
Leigh 1 16.84x
Llandaff 1 4.61x
Longfleet 1 35.09x
Reading St Giles 1 3.62x
Reading St Mary 1 4.44x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 1.33x
Westbury On Trym 1 4.02x
Wotton Under Edge 1 23.09x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 23
Mary 23
Ann 12
Annie 11
Sarah 11
Ellen 9
Eliza 7
Emma 7
Jane 7
Louisa 7
Ada 6
Alice 5
Florence 5
Catherine 4
Frances 4
Hannah 4
Edith 3
Eleanor 3
Emily 3
Fanny 3
Isabella 3
Lizzie 3
Amelia 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Gertrude 2
Kate 2
Margaret 2
Maria 2
Rosa 2
Adelaide 1
Amy 1
Caroline 1
Cecilia 1
Celia 1
Dorothy 1
Elizth.Mary 1
Ester 1
Fanlett 1
Flora 1
Jeane 1
Jeanette 1
Jemima 1
Judith 1
Katharina 1
Keate 1
Letitia 1
Lily 1
Louie 1
Theodosia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 28
John 18
Charles 17
George 14
Frederick 7
James 7
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Frank 4
Henry 4
Herbert 4
Thomas 4
Edward 3
Ernest 3
Isaac 3
Joseph 3
Robert 3
Walter 3
Albert 2
Daniel 2
Harry 2
A.Walter 1
Alexander 1
Benjamin 1
Christopher 1
Dinis 1
Edmond 1
Edwin 1
F.H.Loden 1
Fred.Josh. 1
Frederic 1
Gerald 1
Horace 1
J. 1
Lawrence 1
Lindsay 1
Montague 1
Octavius 1
Percy 1
Richard 1
Rupert 1
Samuel 1
Willie 1
Worthey 1

FAQ

Beak surname: questions and answers

How common was the Beak surname in 1881?

In 1881, 384 people were recorded with the Beak surname. That placed it at #8,195 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Beak surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 245 in 2016. That gives Beak a modern rank of #17,049.

What does the Beak surname mean?

A surname derived from the Middle English word "bek," referring to someone with a prominent nose or beak-like facial feature.

What does the Beak map show?

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