NameCensus.

UK surname

Bellward

In the 1881 census there were 44 people recorded with the Bellward surname, ranking it #27,447 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 85, ranked #32,637, down from #27,447 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Barking, Beccles and Geldestone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bellward is 104 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 93.2%.

1881 census count

44

Ranked #27,447

Modern count

85

2016, ranked #32,637

Peak year

2002

104 bearers

Map years

1

1901 to 1901

Key insights

  • Bellward had 44 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,447 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 85 in 2016, ranked #32,637.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 103 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Bellward surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bellward surname density by area, 1901 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bellward 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 23 #29,205
1861 historical 27 #30,543
1881 historical 44 #27,447
1891 historical 67 #28,424
1901 historical 103 #22,444
1911 historical 88 #24,041
1997 modern 81 #29,436
1998 modern 86 #29,343
1999 modern 87 #29,398
2000 modern 89 #29,173
2001 modern 102 #27,093
2002 modern 104 #27,303
2003 modern 98 #28,046
2004 modern 86 #30,019
2005 modern 81 #30,740
2006 modern 76 #31,633
2007 modern 81 #31,408
2008 modern 80 #31,833
2009 modern 88 #31,352
2010 modern 92 #31,366
2011 modern 89 #31,659
2012 modern 87 #32,180
2013 modern 92 #31,909
2014 modern 87 #32,585
2015 modern 87 #32,514
2016 modern 85 #32,637

Geography

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Where Bellwards are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Barking, Beccles, Geldestone, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Aylsham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Waveney. 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 Barking Essex
2 Beccles Suffolk
3 Geldestone Norfolk
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Aylsham Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Waveney 004 Waveney
2 Waveney 005 Waveney
3 Waveney 003 Waveney
4 Waveney 002 Waveney
5 Waveney 008 Waveney

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bellward

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bellward

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Bellward surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Bellward household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Bellward is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bellward is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bellward falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Bellward families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bellward 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. Norfolk leads with 16 Bellwards recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.25x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 16 24.25x
Suffolk 12 22.96x
Leicestershire 6 12.61x
Middlesex 6 1.40x
Hertfordshire 3 10.14x
Derbyshire 1 1.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Beccles in Suffolk leads with 12 Bellwards recorded in 1881 and an index of 1428.57x.

Place Total Index
Beccles 12 1428.57x
Aylsham 8 2051.28x
Heigham 5 141.24x
Harrow 4 606.06x
Leicester St Margaret 4 34.48x
Hitchin 2 149.25x
Leicester All Sts 2 215.05x
Redenhall 2 769.23x
Clerkenwell London 1 9.87x
Fairfield 1 222.22x
Kensington London 1 4.19x
Sculthorpe 1 1111.11x
Wheathampstead 1 294.12x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Alice 2
Elizabeth 2
Emily 2
Florence 2
Jane 2
Mary 2
Agnes 1
Anna 1
Bertha 1
Blanche 1
Carrie 1
Charlotte 1
Harriet 1
Hephybar 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Lydia 1
Maud 1
Nancy 1

Top male names

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

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Bellward households.

FAQ

Bellward surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bellward surname in 1881?

In 1881, 44 people were recorded with the Bellward surname. That placed it at #27,447 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bellward surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 85 in 2016. That gives Bellward a modern rank of #32,637.

What does the Bellward map show?

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