NameCensus.

UK surname

Beal

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Béal," meaning "mouth," likely referring to a river mouth or ford.

In the 1881 census there were 2,809 people recorded with the Beal surname, ranking it #1,589 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,274, ranked #2,077, down from #1,589 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Minster, London parishes and Brighton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Maidstone and Ryedale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Beal is 3,464 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.6%.

1881 census count

2,809

Ranked #1,589

Modern count

3,274

2016, ranked #2,077

Peak year

1999

3,464 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Beal had 2,809 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,589 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,274 in 2016, ranked #2,077.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,448 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Beal surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Beal surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Beal 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 2,079 #1,398
1861 historical 2,125 #1,369
1881 historical 2,809 #1,589
1891 historical 2,738 #1,723
1901 historical 3,150 #1,783
1911 historical 3,448 #1,520
1997 modern 3,345 #1,932
1998 modern 3,419 #1,954
1999 modern 3,464 #1,959
2000 modern 3,432 #1,968
2001 modern 3,301 #1,994
2002 modern 3,404 #1,993
2003 modern 3,289 #2,010
2004 modern 3,256 #2,024
2005 modern 3,194 #2,036
2006 modern 3,187 #2,046
2007 modern 3,212 #2,051
2008 modern 3,247 #2,051
2009 modern 3,295 #2,065
2010 modern 3,380 #2,062
2011 modern 3,333 #2,059
2012 modern 3,303 #2,041
2013 modern 3,336 #2,054
2014 modern 3,341 #2,065
2015 modern 3,290 #2,075
2016 modern 3,274 #2,077

Geography

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Where Beals are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Minster, London parishes, Brighton and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Maidstone, Ryedale, Doncaster and Swale. 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 Minster Kent
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Brighton Sussex
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 055 County Durham
2 Maidstone 013 Maidstone
3 Ryedale 008 Ryedale
4 Doncaster 030 Doncaster
5 Swale 017 Swale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Beal

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Beal

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

Beal 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

Beal falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Beal

The surname BEAL is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old English word "beal," meaning "belt" or "pass," potentially referring to someone who lived near a mountain pass or belt of land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BEAL can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical record mentions a landowner named Bealus, suggesting the surname's existence in the 11th century.

The BEAL surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Northumberland, Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire during the Middle Ages. It is believed that the name may have originated from place names such as Beall in Northumberland or Beale in Yorkshire, further cementing its English roots.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the BEAL surname was Sir Henry de Beal, a knight who fought in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Records from this period also mention a John Beal, who was a landowner in Lincolnshire in the late 1200s.

During the Tudor period, the surname BEAL gained prominence with the birth of William Beal (1504-1562), a wealthy merchant and benefactor who contributed to the construction of several churches in London. Another notable individual was Robert Beal (1601-1671), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the chaplain to King Charles I.

In the 18th century, the BEAL surname continued to be well-represented, with individuals such as Thomas Beal (1737-1801), a renowned mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the calculation of planetary orbits. Additionally, John Beal (1725-1804) was a successful businessman and philanthropist who supported various educational institutions in England.

Throughout history, the BEAL surname has also been associated with notable literary figures, including the poet and playwright Aphra Behn (1640-1689), who was born with the surname BEAL but later adopted her husband's surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Beal families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Beal 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 693 Beals recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.55x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 693 2.55x
Middlesex 356 1.30x
Kent 269 2.87x
Sussex 208 4.49x
Surrey 143 1.07x
Buckinghamshire 92 5.54x
Northumberland 89 2.18x
Warwickshire 74 1.07x
Northamptonshire 69 2.67x
Hampshire 68 1.21x
Devon 67 1.17x
Oxfordshire 64 3.78x
Durham 57 0.70x
Leicestershire 50 1.64x
Gloucestershire 49 0.91x
Berkshire 45 2.18x
Lancashire 43 0.13x
Dorset 39 2.16x
Derbyshire 34 0.79x
Bedfordshire 33 2.32x
Essex 33 0.61x
Lincolnshire 30 0.68x
Cornwall 28 0.90x
Somerset 27 0.61x
Worcestershire 21 0.59x
Wiltshire 18 0.74x
Nottinghamshire 17 0.46x
Staffordshire 16 0.17x
Cambridgeshire 10 0.58x
Monmouthshire 10 0.50x
Cheshire 8 0.13x
Cumberland 8 0.34x
Huntingdonshire 8 1.47x
Norfolk 7 0.17x
Royal Navy 7 2.14x
Hertfordshire 6 0.32x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.16x
Glamorgan 2 0.04x
Shropshire 2 0.08x
Suffolk 2 0.06x
Angus 1 0.04x
Fife 1 0.06x
Isle of Man 1 0.20x
Lanarkshire 1 0.01x
Midlothian 1 0.03x
Peeblesshire 1 0.77x
Rutland 1 0.50x
Wigtownshire 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brighton in Sussex leads with 71 Beals recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.60x.

Place Total Index
Brighton 71 7.60x
Nether Hallam 63 17.12x
Sheffield 63 7.27x
Minster In Sheppey 58 37.38x
Bradfield 34 32.42x
Paddington London 34 3.37x
Chelsea London 31 3.75x
Leicester St Margaret 29 3.91x
St Pancras London 27 1.22x
Lambeth 26 1.09x
Newington 25 2.47x
Hammersmith London 24 3.55x
Holy Trinity 24 3.67x
Penn 23 222.44x
Sculcoates 23 5.33x
Camberwell 22 1.25x
Hackney London 22 1.43x
Aston 21 1.10x
Birmingham 21 0.91x
Kensington London 21 1.38x
Ecclesall Bierlow 20 3.61x
Scarborough 20 8.09x
Seaford 20 127.06x
Hornsey 19 5.47x
Warbleton 19 137.78x
Wycombe 19 15.36x
Herne 18 43.40x
Shoreditch London 18 1.51x
Portsea 17 1.54x
Bishopwearmouth 16 2.28x
Deal 16 20.03x
Bromley London 15 2.48x
Flitwick 15 194.81x
St George Hanover Square 15 3.10x
St Marylebone London 15 1.02x
Tormoham 14 5.79x
Winkfield 14 40.95x
Leeds 13 0.85x
Newington 13 17.35x
North Seaton 13 75.89x
Antony 12 39.99x
Bermondsey 12 1.47x
Huby 12 256.96x
Limehouse London 12 3.98x
Norton In Malton 12 36.40x
Patrington 12 93.24x
Whitby 12 13.09x
Alnwick 11 15.67x
Bedlington 11 8.07x
Bishop Wilton Cum 11 210.33x
Brightside Bierlow 11 2.06x
Finmere 11 402.93x
Hook Norton 11 94.83x
Keyingham 11 185.19x
Lewisham 11 2.20x
Plumstead 11 3.52x
Battersea 10 0.99x
Brigstock 10 102.04x
Clerkenwell London 10 1.54x
Clifton In York 10 17.58x
Cranborne 10 45.91x
Fareham 10 14.79x
Gillingham 10 5.18x
Guyzance 10 588.24x
Islington London 10 0.38x
Morley 10 7.07x
Ninfield 10 176.37x
Plymouth St Andrew 10 2.27x
Stranton 10 3.64x
Sutton On Derwent 10 311.53x
Thornton Dale 10 138.50x
Witney 10 35.27x
Woolaston 10 122.85x
Woolwich 10 2.89x
Castleton 9 2.77x
Neithrop 9 15.80x
Pocklington 9 35.05x
Poplar London 9 1.74x
Upwell 9 70.64x
Whitwick 9 23.26x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 168
Elizabeth 111
Sarah 100
Annie 60
Jane 54
Emma 51
Ann 48
Eliza 47
Ellen 39
Alice 35
Emily 29
Hannah 29
Fanny 26
Ada 23
Florence 23
Harriet 22
Caroline 21
Louisa 21
Martha 20
Clara 17
Edith 17
Kate 16
Margaret 16
Lucy 15
Maria 14
Charlotte 13
Anne 12
Isabella 12
Amelia 11
Frances 10
Harriett 10
Eleanor 9
Matilda 9
Susan 9
Agnes 7
Amy 7
Jessie 7
Laura 7
Rosa 7
Rose 7
Catherine 6
Esther 6
Rebecca 6
Elizth. 5
Ruth 5
Susanna 5
Dorothy 4
Gertrude 4
Lydia 4
May 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 184
John 146
George 114
Thomas 100
James 88
Joseph 56
Henry 51
Charles 49
Alfred 46
Arthur 35
Richard 31
Robert 28
Frederick 27
Edward 26
Albert 24
Samuel 21
Harry 19
David 14
Walter 14
Edwin 12
Frank 12
Ernest 9
Stephen 9
Fred 8
Herbert 8
Geo. 6
Isaac 6
Tom 6
Wm. 6
Chas. 5
Edmund 5
Fredrick 5
Mark 5
Sidney 5
Benjamin 4
Christopher 4
Francis 4
Frederic 4
Horace 4
Thos. 4
Alexander 3
Daniel 3
Ebenezer 3
Fredk. 3
Jesse 3
Josiah 3
Peter 3
Ralph 3
Willie 3
Willm. 3

FAQ

Beal surname: questions and answers

How common was the Beal surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,809 people were recorded with the Beal surname. That placed it at #1,589 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Beal surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,274 in 2016. That gives Beal a modern rank of #2,077.

What does the Beal surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Béal," meaning "mouth," likely referring to a river mouth or ford.

What does the Beal map show?

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