NameCensus.

UK surname

Bellamy

A Norman French surname derived from the phrase "belle ami," meaning "beautiful friend."

In the 1881 census there were 4,367 people recorded with the Bellamy surname, ranking it #1,027 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,827, ranked #1,152, down from #1,027 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes and Kettering. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Devon, Kettering and Taunton Deane.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bellamy is 6,148 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.4%.

1881 census count

4,367

Ranked #1,027

Modern count

5,827

2016, ranked #1,152

Peak year

1999

6,148 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bellamy had 4,367 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,027 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,827 in 2016, ranked #1,152.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,626 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bellamy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bellamy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bellamy 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 2,482 #1,197
1861 historical 1,911 #1,523
1881 historical 4,367 #1,027
1891 historical 4,102 #1,172
1901 historical 5,367 #1,049
1911 historical 5,626 #933
1997 modern 5,952 #1,103
1998 modern 6,126 #1,108
1999 modern 6,148 #1,115
2000 modern 6,097 #1,121
2001 modern 5,909 #1,126
2002 modern 6,009 #1,135
2003 modern 5,862 #1,132
2004 modern 5,816 #1,141
2005 modern 5,720 #1,140
2006 modern 5,690 #1,143
2007 modern 5,748 #1,142
2008 modern 5,794 #1,138
2009 modern 5,939 #1,137
2010 modern 5,993 #1,149
2011 modern 5,989 #1,136
2012 modern 5,829 #1,138
2013 modern 5,861 #1,156
2014 modern 5,879 #1,159
2015 modern 5,842 #1,152
2016 modern 5,827 #1,152

Geography

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Where Bellamys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes, Kettering, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Devon, Kettering, Taunton Deane, Sheffield and North Kesteven. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Kettering Northamptonshire
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Devon 006 West Devon
2 Kettering 005 Kettering
3 Taunton Deane 003 Taunton Deane
4 Sheffield 076 Sheffield
5 North Kesteven 005 North Kesteven

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bellamy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bellamy

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

Bellamy is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bellamy falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Bellamy

The surname Bellamy is of French origin, derived from the Old French words "beau" meaning "beautiful" and "ami" meaning "friend." It is believed to have originated in Normandy, France, in the 11th century.

The name first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Norman nobles and their retainers settled in the country. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions individuals with variations of the name, such as Belemis and Belami.

In the 12th century, the name Bellamy was recorded in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. The surname was often associated with place names, such as Bellamy's Manor in Leicestershire, which was named after a person with the surname Bellamy who held land there.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bellamy was Roger Bellamy, who lived in Nottinghamshire in the 13th century. Another notable figure was Sir Walter Bellamy, a member of Parliament for Norfolk in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the Bellamy family had established itself as a prominent landholding family in Somerset. Thomas Bellamy (1512-1581) was a wealthy merchant and landowner in Somerset, and his descendants continued to hold significant estates in the area for several generations.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Richard Bellamy (1592-1672), an English Puritan minister and theologian who served as the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge University.

In the 18th century, George Anne Bellamy (1733-1788) was a famous English actress and writer, known for her memoirs and her stage performances in London.

During the American Revolutionary War, Joseph Bellamy (1719-1790) was a prominent Congregational minister in Connecticut and a staunch supporter of the patriot cause.

In the 19th century, Edward Bellamy (1850-1898) was an American writer and socialist, best known for his utopian novel "Looking Backward" which popularized the concept of a centralized planned economy.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Bellamy throughout history, showcasing the rich heritage and diverse backgrounds of those who have borne this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bellamy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bellamy 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. Lincolnshire leads with 643 Bellamys recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.44x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 643 9.44x
Yorkshire 615 1.46x
Middlesex 358 0.84x
Warwickshire 264 2.46x
Nottinghamshire 201 3.50x
Northamptonshire 200 4.99x
Surrey 198 0.95x
Lancashire 184 0.36x
Devon 171 1.93x
Leicestershire 163 3.45x
Somerset 138 2.01x
Huntingdonshire 128 15.14x
Worcestershire 122 2.19x
Gloucestershire 116 1.39x
Staffordshire 104 0.72x
Derbyshire 87 1.30x
Cambridgeshire 64 2.37x
Kent 60 0.41x
Norfolk 54 0.82x
Durham 53 0.42x
Bedfordshire 51 2.31x
Essex 42 0.50x
Glamorgan 41 0.55x
Cornwall 32 0.66x
Herefordshire 29 1.66x
Dorset 26 0.93x
Suffolk 25 0.48x
Rutland 24 7.67x
Cheshire 23 0.24x
Hampshire 21 0.24x
Oxfordshire 20 0.76x
Sussex 17 0.24x
Buckinghamshire 15 0.58x
Hertfordshire 15 0.51x
Monmouthshire 15 0.49x
Shropshire 14 0.38x
Cumberland 7 0.19x
Isle of Man 7 0.89x
Lanarkshire 5 0.04x
Channel Islands 4 0.32x
Ayrshire 2 0.06x
East Lothian 2 0.35x
Angus 1 0.03x
Berkshire 1 0.03x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.06x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.16x
Midlothian 1 0.02x
Wiltshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 101 Bellamys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.82x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 101 2.82x
Aston 84 2.84x
Kettering 78 48.14x
Lambeth 64 1.72x
Leicester St Margaret 63 5.47x
Islington London 53 1.28x
Brightside Bierlow 52 6.28x
Great Grimsby 47 10.87x
Nottingham St Mary 45 3.03x
Bethnal Green London 38 2.05x
Camberwell 37 1.36x
Ecclesfield 37 11.96x
Sheffield 34 2.53x
Yaxley 34 171.89x
Cheltenham 33 5.12x
Plymouth Charles The 33 8.45x
Holy Trinity 28 2.76x
Kempston 28 55.93x
St Marylebone London 27 1.19x
Ecclesall Bierlow 26 3.03x
Wednesfield 26 12.29x
Leamington Priors 25 9.46x
Rotherham 25 10.51x
Ashton Under Lyne 23 2.08x
Hackney London 23 0.96x
Peterborough 23 7.93x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 22 5.60x
Belton 22 79.54x
Bromley London 21 2.24x
Handsworth 21 18.82x
Kettlethorpe 21 588.24x
Kings Norton 21 4.21x
Ramsey 21 31.02x
Shoreditch London 21 1.14x
Whittlesey St Mary St 21 22.29x
Brigstock 20 131.49x
Clifton 20 4.74x
Bedminster 19 2.95x
Eaton 19 371.09x
Hampstead London 19 2.86x
Plymouth St Andrew 19 2.78x
Radford 19 6.52x
Roath 19 5.64x
Sculcoates 19 2.84x
Clee With Weelsby 18 12.07x
Louth 18 11.53x
Rotherhithe 18 3.42x
Taunton St Mary 18 14.30x
West Ham 18 0.97x
Fownhope 17 111.40x
Wisbech St Peter 17 12.57x
Dudley 16 2.37x
Horncastle 16 22.77x
Newington 16 1.02x
Clerkenwell London 15 1.49x
Great Yarmouth 15 2.77x
Handsworth 15 4.23x
Huntingdon St John 15 61.20x
Nether Hallam 15 2.63x
Streatham 15 4.75x
Lye 14 15.13x
Manchester 14 0.62x
Newton Abbot St Mary 14 18.82x
Spittlegate 14 14.86x
St George Hanover Square 14 1.87x
St Mark Lincoln 14 96.35x
Wales 14 41.99x
Bow London 13 2.40x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 13 1.65x
Derby St Peter 13 6.12x
Doncaster 13 4.22x
Headingley Cum Burley 13 4.79x
Heeley 13 10.14x
St Decumans 13 197.87x
St Pancras London 13 0.38x
Bishopwearmouth 12 1.10x
Crowle 12 28.95x
Ruskington 12 69.12x
St Luke London 12 1.76x
Worsbrough 12 9.70x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 298
Sarah 177
Elizabeth 154
Ann 101
Emma 79
Annie 75
Eliza 75
Jane 75
Alice 64
Ellen 62
Emily 52
Hannah 41
Charlotte 38
Martha 37
Edith 36
Ada 32
Florence 31
Lucy 30
Caroline 27
Fanny 27
Louisa 26
Maria 24
Harriet 22
Kate 22
Anne 21
Clara 21
Margaret 20
Rose 20
Catherine 19
Frances 19
Rebecca 17
Betsy 15
Harriett 13
Agnes 11
Elizth. 11
Esther 11
Matilda 11
Minnie 9
Ruth 9
Susan 9
Susannah 9
Gertrude 8
Amy 7
Helen 7
Lizzie 7
Lydia 7
Amelia 6
Bessie 6
Grace 6
Jessie 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 295
John 232
George 169
Thomas 155
James 106
Henry 101
Charles 100
Joseph 81
Arthur 52
Frederick 51
Edward 50
Robert 43
Samuel 39
Alfred 34
Walter 34
Richard 31
Albert 30
Herbert 26
Frank 23
David 21
Harry 21
Ernest 18
Fred 17
Edwin 16
Isaac 11
Tom 9
Benjamin 8
Geo. 8
Thos. 8
Wm. 7
Chas. 6
Daniel 6
Jas. 6
Jno. 6
Hy. 5
Percy 5
Sidney 5
Stephen 5
Francis 4
Fredk. 4
Matthew 4
Maurice 4
Willie 4
Alexander 3
Andrew 3
Anthony 3
Harold 3
Jesse 3
Nathan 3
Sydney 3

FAQ

Bellamy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bellamy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,367 people were recorded with the Bellamy surname. That placed it at #1,027 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bellamy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,827 in 2016. That gives Bellamy a modern rank of #1,152.

What does the Bellamy surname mean?

A Norman French surname derived from the phrase "belle ami," meaning "beautiful friend."

What does the Bellamy map show?

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