NameCensus.

UK surname

Beckenham

In the 1881 census there were 122 people recorded with the Beckenham surname, ranking it #17,602 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 126, ranked #26,686, down from #17,602 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Petersham, Beddington and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Devon, Reigate and Banstead and Bromley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Beckenham is 181 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.3%.

1881 census count

122

Ranked #17,602

Modern count

126

2016, ranked #26,686

Peak year

1891

181 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Beckenham had 122 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,602 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 126 in 2016, ranked #26,686.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 181 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Beckenham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Beckenham surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Beckenham 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 45 #25,168
1861 historical 88 #22,554
1881 historical 122 #17,602
1891 historical 181 #16,065
1901 historical 149 #18,146
1911 historical 155 #17,485
1997 modern 124 #23,669
1998 modern 127 #23,940
1999 modern 133 #23,487
2000 modern 123 #24,585
2001 modern 125 #24,011
2002 modern 125 #24,492
2003 modern 110 #26,220
2004 modern 113 #25,999
2005 modern 113 #25,974
2006 modern 117 #25,695
2007 modern 119 #25,747
2008 modern 122 #25,638
2009 modern 128 #25,427
2010 modern 132 #25,519
2011 modern 127 #25,926
2012 modern 123 #26,561
2013 modern 127 #26,452
2014 modern 128 #26,490
2015 modern 126 #26,654
2016 modern 126 #26,686

Geography

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Where Beckenhams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Petersham, Beddington, London parishes, Ealing, Chiswick and Hagborne. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Devon, Reigate and Banstead, Bromley and Lincoln. 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 Petersham Surrey
2 Beddington Surrey
3 London parishes London 3
4 Ealing, Chiswick Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
5 Hagborne Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Devon 009 East Devon
2 Reigate and Banstead 004 Reigate and Banstead
3 Reigate and Banstead 002 Reigate and Banstead
4 Bromley 024 Bromley
5 Lincoln 004 Lincoln

Forenames

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First names often paired with Beckenham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Beckenham

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

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s 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, Beckenham 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

Beckenham is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Beckenham falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Beckenham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Beckenham 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. Surrey leads with 30 Beckenhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.13x.

County Total Index
Surrey 30 5.13x
Middlesex 29 2.42x
Kent 22 5.37x
Hampshire 11 4.47x
Berkshire 10 11.10x
Oxfordshire 6 8.10x
Northamptonshire 5 4.43x
Buckinghamshire 2 2.76x
Dorset 2 2.54x
Suffolk 2 1.37x
Durham 1 0.28x
Hertfordshire 1 1.21x
Lancashire 1 0.07x
Sussex 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. East Meon in Hampshire leads with 9 Beckenhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 1406.25x.

Place Total Index
East Meon 9 1406.25x
Beddington 8 353.98x
Bexley 8 220.99x
Petersham 8 3478.26x
St Pancras London 7 7.25x
Goring 6 1428.57x
Coulsdon 5 471.70x
Ealing 5 46.64x
Shoreham 5 862.07x
East Wickham 4 816.33x
Greenwich 4 20.94x
Islington London 4 3.44x
Wootton 4 1176.47x
Clerkenwell London 3 10.59x
Newington 3 6.77x
Pangbourn 3 1000.00x
Poplar London 3 13.25x
Streatley 3 1111.11x
East West Hagbourn 2 666.67x
Glemsford 2 194.17x
Princes Risborough 2 206.19x
Shoreditch London 2 3.85x
Southwark St Saviour 2 32.41x
St Marylebone London 2 3.12x
Chipping Barnet 1 68.97x
Croydon 1 3.08x
Dawdon 1 22.78x
Godstone 1 95.24x
Hastings St Mary 1 19.88x
Lambeth 1 0.96x
Mortlake 1 38.31x
Northampton All Sts 1 26.11x
Norwood 1 36.50x
Otford 1 175.44x
Paddington London 1 2.27x
Portsmouth 1 17.67x
Reading St Mary 1 13.87x
Stretford 1 12.77x
Sutton Courtney 1 270.27x
Thruxton 1 769.23x
Westminster St John 1 6.84x
Winterborne Steepleton 1 1666.67x
Woodlands 1 526.32x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Alice 5
Ellen 5
Eliza 4
Elizabeth 4
Emma 4
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Emily 3
Annie 2
Harriet 2
Isabella 2
Margaret 2
Amargarent 1
Amelia 1
Clara 1
Clarada 1
Dinah 1
Eleanor 1
Elsie 1
Eugene 1
Eurydice 1
Fanny 1
Georgenia 1
Hannah 1
Helen 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Marie 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Phillis 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Henry 6
Charles 5
William 5
John 4
Edward 3
George 3
Thomas 3
Alfred 2
James 2
Walter 2
Chas. 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Ernest 1
Frances 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Harry 1
Jas. 1
Joseph 1
Moses 1
Richard 1
Wm. 1
Zebulon 1

FAQ

Beckenham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Beckenham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 122 people were recorded with the Beckenham surname. That placed it at #17,602 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Beckenham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 126 in 2016. That gives Beckenham a modern rank of #26,686.

What does the Beckenham map show?

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