NameCensus.

UK surname

Bean

An occupational surname referring to a grower or seller of beans.

In the 1881 census there were 3,862 people recorded with the Bean surname, ranking it #1,185 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,841, ranked #1,398, down from #1,185 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Ormsby and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ryedale, Dover and Swale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bean is 5,302 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.3%.

1881 census count

3,862

Ranked #1,185

Modern count

4,841

2016, ranked #1,398

Peak year

1911

5,302 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bean had 3,862 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,185 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,841 in 2016, ranked #1,398.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,302 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bean surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bean surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bean 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 2,651 #1,116
1861 historical 2,834 #1,032
1881 historical 3,862 #1,185
1891 historical 4,269 #1,121
1901 historical 4,912 #1,151
1911 historical 5,302 #988
1997 modern 4,939 #1,327
1998 modern 5,065 #1,345
1999 modern 5,080 #1,355
2000 modern 4,995 #1,367
2001 modern 4,892 #1,362
2002 modern 4,885 #1,393
2003 modern 4,759 #1,393
2004 modern 4,754 #1,390
2005 modern 4,664 #1,400
2006 modern 4,696 #1,393
2007 modern 4,705 #1,400
2008 modern 4,731 #1,401
2009 modern 4,829 #1,406
2010 modern 4,955 #1,405
2011 modern 4,907 #1,397
2012 modern 4,813 #1,396
2013 modern 4,943 #1,384
2014 modern 4,964 #1,387
2015 modern 4,845 #1,403
2016 modern 4,841 #1,398

Geography

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Where Beans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Ormsby, Lambeth and St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ryedale, Dover, Swale and North Norfolk. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Ormsby Yorkshire, North Riding
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ryedale 004 Ryedale
2 Dover 002 Dover
3 Swale 016 Swale
4 Swale 010 Swale
5 North Norfolk 010 North Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bean

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bean

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Bean is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bean is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Bean

The surname Bean is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "bean" or "bene," which referred to the legume or edible seed. The name likely originated as a nickname or occupational name for someone who cultivated, sold, or enjoyed beans.

The earliest known record of the Bean surname dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1182 as "Willelmus Bene." The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273 as "Thomas le Bene."

In the 13th century, the name was found in various forms, such as "le Bene," "Bene," and "Beane," reflecting regional dialects and spelling variations common during that time. The surname may also be connected to places like Bean in Hampshire or Beane in Hertfordshire, which could have influenced the name's development.

Notable individuals with the surname Bean include Robert Bean (c. 1608–1680), an English Puritan minister and co-founder of the town of Exeter, New Hampshire. Another was Obadiah Bean (1750-1834), a soldier in the American Revolutionary War from Massachusetts.

In the 19th century, John Wesley Bean (1825-1887) was a prominent Methodist minister and educator in Missouri, while Thomas Ellwood Bean (1869-1947) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the Premier of British Columbia from 1937 to 1941.

One of the most famous bearers of the name was Roy Bean (1825-1903), known as the "Law West of the Pecos" for his unconventional approach to justice as a judge in Texas during the Wild West era.

These examples illustrate the long history and diverse backgrounds of individuals who have carried the Bean surname, originating from its humble roots as a descriptive name related to the humble legume.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bean families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bean 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 1,110 Beans recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.96x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,110 2.96x
Kent 525 4.07x
Middlesex 402 1.06x
Surrey 226 1.23x
Lincolnshire 189 3.13x
Norfolk 187 3.22x
Sussex 161 2.53x
Suffolk 113 2.45x
Lancashire 107 0.24x
Durham 72 0.64x
Aberdeenshire 65 1.86x
Nottinghamshire 65 1.28x
Hertfordshire 64 2.46x
Essex 61 0.82x
Northumberland 58 1.03x
Northamptonshire 44 1.24x
Somerset 38 0.62x
Bedfordshire 37 1.89x
Cheshire 33 0.40x
Devon 31 0.39x
Lanarkshire 28 0.23x
Staffordshire 28 0.22x
Gloucestershire 22 0.30x
Hampshire 22 0.28x
Derbyshire 20 0.34x
Perthshire 18 1.06x
Cambridgeshire 17 0.71x
Angus 13 0.37x
Clackmannanshire 13 4.16x
Channel Islands 12 1.07x
Warwickshire 12 0.13x
Cornwall 10 0.23x
Stirlingshire 9 0.65x
Fife 8 0.36x
Midlothian 8 0.16x
Buckinghamshire 7 0.31x
Isle of Man 4 0.57x
Leicestershire 4 0.10x
Oxfordshire 4 0.17x
Royal Navy 4 0.89x
Banffshire 3 0.38x
Berkshire 3 0.11x
Cumberland 3 0.09x
Glamorgan 3 0.05x
Renfrewshire 3 0.10x
Kincardineshire 2 0.43x
Shropshire 2 0.06x
Worcestershire 2 0.04x
Herefordshire 1 0.06x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.13x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.08x
Ross-shire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 61 Beans recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.88x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 61 2.88x
Bowling 49 13.20x
Lambeth 43 1.30x
Bermondsey 41 3.64x
Holy Trinity 40 4.44x
Great Yarmouth 36 7.48x
Camberwell 34 1.41x
Heathfield 33 127.76x
Islington London 31 0.85x
Kensington London 30 1.43x
Folkestone 28 11.19x
Normanby In 28 27.96x
St Pancras London 25 0.82x
West Ham 25 1.52x
Adisham 24 406.09x
Charlton 24 28.01x
Minster In Sheppey 24 11.23x
Coltishall 23 186.23x
York St George 23 77.91x
York St Michael Le 23 189.61x
Acton 22 292.94x
Deptford St Paul 22 2.21x
Govan 22 0.73x
St Marylebone London 22 1.09x
Sutton In Ashfield 22 19.89x
Ulleskelf 22 370.37x
Westminster St James 22 5.66x
York St Mary 22 14.18x
Croydon 20 1.96x
Hackney London 20 0.94x
Watford 20 9.90x
Bethnal Green London 19 1.16x
Chelsea London 19 1.67x
York St Maurice 19 26.93x
Brighton 18 1.40x
Ashford 17 13.53x
Church Fenton 17 252.60x
Clifton In York 17 21.69x
Doncaster 17 6.21x
Sculcoates 17 2.86x
York St Lawrence 17 43.51x
Bromley London 16 1.92x
Goole 16 25.49x
Skelton In Guisbrough 16 15.79x
St George In East London 16 4.50x
Stannington 16 119.76x
Stockton On Tees 16 2.95x
Stoke Damerel 16 2.90x
York St Giles In 16 45.30x
York St Sampson 16 199.50x
Hampstead London 15 2.55x
Harrow 15 25.96x
Hunslet 15 2.57x
Logie 15 24.64x
Garforth 14 48.81x
Kingston On Thames 14 3.16x
Liverpool 14 0.51x
Pudsey 14 6.99x
Sittingbourne 14 13.74x
Tilmanstone 14 296.61x
Eythorne 13 214.52x
Glemsford 13 40.20x
Hainford 13 159.71x
Hammersmith London 13 1.40x
Helpstone 13 141.30x
Isfield 13 222.60x
Mile End New Town London 13 17.40x
Sheffield 13 1.09x
St Albans St Peter 13 14.78x
St George Hanover Square 13 1.95x
Aberdeen Old Machar 12 1.64x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 12 1.83x
Bacton 12 199.67x
Buckland In Dover 12 28.07x
Great Grimsby 12 3.13x
Heworth 12 123.08x
Horton Kirby 12 60.18x
Inverurie 12 30.30x
Newington 12 0.86x
Southill 12 75.61x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 247
Sarah 139
Elizabeth 133
Emma 81
Jane 79
Ann 75
Annie 74
Eliza 56
Alice 51
Ellen 48
Emily 47
Hannah 40
Harriet 34
Charlotte 31
Edith 27
Fanny 25
Ada 24
Florence 21
Louisa 21
Susan 21
Kate 20
Margaret 19
Harriett 17
Catherine 16
Clara 16
Frances 16
Isabella 16
Anne 15
Caroline 15
Lucy 15
Maria 15
Martha 15
Susannah 13
Esther 12
Amelia 11
Amy 11
Laura 11
Minnie 11
Sophia 11
Rachel 10
Rebecca 10
Jessie 9
Ruth 9
Agnes 8
Anna 8
Betsy 8
Helen 8
Matilda 8
Rose 8
Selina 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 217
John 214
George 157
Thomas 109
Henry 93
Charles 92
James 92
Robert 76
Joseph 56
Frederick 42
Alfred 39
Arthur 38
Edward 35
Walter 32
Albert 27
Benjamin 25
Richard 25
Samuel 22
Stephen 16
Harry 15
Frank 13
Herbert 13
Fred 11
Francis 10
Edwin 8
Ernest 8
Matthew 8
Percy 8
Tom 8
Wm. 8
David 7
Alexander 6
Edmund 6
Fredk. 6
Isaac 6
Nicholas 6
Sydney 6
Thos. 6
Christopher 5
Leonard 5
Chas. 4
Fredrick 4
Geo. 4
Jas. 4
Jonathan 4
Louis 4
Mark 4
Robt. 4
Abraham 3
Joshua 3

FAQ

Bean surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bean surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,862 people were recorded with the Bean surname. That placed it at #1,185 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bean surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,841 in 2016. That gives Bean a modern rank of #1,398.

What does the Bean surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a grower or seller of beans.

What does the Bean map show?

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