NameCensus.

UK surname

Belshaw

An English locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Belshaw.

In the 1881 census there were 586 people recorded with the Belshaw surname, ranking it #5,952 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,217, ranked #4,889, up from #5,952 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Eccles and Wigan. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pendle, County Durham and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Belshaw is 1,289 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 107.7%.

1881 census count

586

Ranked #5,952

Modern count

1,217

2016, ranked #4,889

Peak year

2010

1,289 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Belshaw had 586 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,952 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,217 in 2016, ranked #4,889.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 929 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Belshaw surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Belshaw surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Belshaw 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 282 #8,013
1861 historical 356 #7,171
1881 historical 586 #5,952
1891 historical 661 #5,884
1901 historical 897 #5,159
1911 historical 929 #4,832
1997 modern 1,165 #4,842
1998 modern 1,198 #4,885
1999 modern 1,214 #4,879
2000 modern 1,230 #4,792
2001 modern 1,211 #4,766
2002 modern 1,227 #4,807
2003 modern 1,168 #4,916
2004 modern 1,189 #4,848
2005 modern 1,166 #4,880
2006 modern 1,180 #4,842
2007 modern 1,191 #4,839
2008 modern 1,214 #4,798
2009 modern 1,250 #4,775
2010 modern 1,289 #4,740
2011 modern 1,247 #4,827
2012 modern 1,219 #4,850
2013 modern 1,235 #4,875
2014 modern 1,232 #4,902
2015 modern 1,241 #4,830
2016 modern 1,217 #4,889

Geography

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Where Belshaws are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Eccles, Wigan, Nottingham St Mary and Leigh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pendle, County Durham and Wigan. 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 Eccles Lancashire
3 Wigan Lancashire
4 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
5 Leigh Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pendle 008 Pendle
2 County Durham 045 County Durham
3 Wigan 009 Wigan
4 Pendle 013 Pendle
5 Wigan 010 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Belshaw

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Belshaw

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Belshaw, 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 Belshaw surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Belshaw 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Belshaw 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

Belshaw is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Belshaw falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Belshaw is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Belshaw, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Belshaw

The surname BELSHAW is of English origin, hailing from the historic county of Lancashire in the north-west of England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "bel" meaning "bell" and "sceaga" meaning "small wood or copse", suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a bell-shaped copse or wooded area.

Records indicate that the earliest known spelling of the surname dates back to the 13th century, appearing as "de Belshag" in the Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire in 1246. This early form of the name suggests a connection to a specific place, possibly a hamlet or village named Belshaw.

The BELSHAW surname is not found in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and tenants in England at the time of the Norman Conquest. However, its absence from this historic record does not necessarily indicate a later origin, as many surnames were yet to be adopted or recorded during that period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the BELSHAW name was John Belshaw, who was mentioned in the Lancashire Wills records in 1554. Another early mention is that of Margarett Belshaw, whose marriage to John Blakey was recorded in the parish registers of Whalley, Lancashire in 1598.

Notably, the BELSHAW surname has been associated with the village of Belshaw, located in the Rossendale Valley of Lancashire. This place-name connection further reinforces the geographic origins of the surname.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the BELSHAW surname, including:

1. John Belshaw (1763-1844), a British architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Lancashire and Yorkshire. 2. Samuel Belshaw (1811-1891), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes in northern England. 3. James Belshaw (1819-1892), a British politician and industrialist who served as a Member of Parliament for Oldham from 1865 to 1880. 4. Cyril Belshaw (1909-1988), a renowned social anthropologist and academic who studied Pacific Island cultures and societies. 5. Dennis Belshaw (1939-2021), a British actor and playwright best known for his roles in television series such as "Coronation Street" and "Emmerdale Farm".

While the BELSHAW surname has its roots in the historic county of Lancashire, it has since spread to other parts of England and beyond, with families bearing this name found in various regions and countries around the world.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Belshaw families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Belshaw 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. Lancashire leads with 310 Belshaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.69x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 310 4.69x
Nottinghamshire 73 9.72x
Durham 38 2.29x
Yorkshire 34 0.62x
Lanarkshire 24 1.33x
Middlesex 18 0.32x
Northumberland 14 1.69x
Cheshire 13 1.06x
Leicestershire 8 1.30x
Hertfordshire 6 1.56x
Kent 6 0.32x
Surrey 6 0.22x
Angus 5 0.97x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.59x
Cumberland 2 0.42x
Huntingdonshire 2 1.81x
Northamptonshire 2 0.38x
Shropshire 2 0.42x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.28x
Derbyshire 1 0.11x
Oxfordshire 1 0.29x
Renfrewshire 1 0.23x
Staffordshire 1 0.05x
Worcestershire 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wigan in Lancashire leads with 56 Belshaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 60.63x.

Place Total Index
Wigan 56 60.63x
Nottingham St Mary 49 25.23x
Ince In Makerfield 36 117.07x
Oldham 20 9.38x
Barony 17 3.73x
Bedford 17 123.01x
Worsley 16 39.27x
Barton Upon Irwell 13 26.13x
Manchester 13 4.37x
Pemberton 13 49.34x
Snenton 13 44.07x
Warrington 13 16.59x
Longbenton 11 31.34x
Elvet 10 83.61x
Usworth 10 113.64x
Hetton Le Hole 9 42.86x
Pendlebury 9 64.52x
Pennington In Leigh 9 70.98x
Ardwick 8 13.42x
Heap 7 19.97x
Mansfield 7 26.94x
Mexborough 7 63.87x
Syston 7 121.11x
Widnes 7 14.68x
Altrincham 6 27.93x
Gorton 6 9.66x
Govan 6 1.35x
Mile End Old Town London 6 5.06x
Pendleton In Salford 6 7.62x
Preston 6 3.39x
Ryhope 6 52.17x
Dundee 5 2.60x
Lee 5 18.12x
Leeds 5 1.60x
Liverpool 5 1.25x
Manningham 5 7.35x
Redbourn 5 119.33x
Stretford 5 13.75x
Withington 5 23.49x
Aspull 4 25.72x
Bradford 4 2.99x
Hindley 4 14.19x
Sutton 4 63.59x
West Derby 4 2.07x
Westleigh 4 26.65x
Astley 3 58.82x
Hackney London 3 0.96x
Kirkdale 3 2.70x
Monks Coppenhall 3 6.47x
Radford 3 7.87x
St Olave Hart Street 3 612.24x
Battersea 2 0.98x
Bowdon 2 40.98x
Bowling 2 3.66x
Droylsden 2 9.28x
Harrington 2 34.54x
Hulme 2 1.45x
Lambeth 2 0.41x
Newport Pagnell 2 28.41x
Northampton Priory St 2 6.36x
Ramsey 2 22.60x
Rochdale 2 41.49x
Royton 2 9.89x
Scarborough 2 3.99x
St Anne Soho London 2 6.29x
Tottington Lower End 2 6.37x
Wellington 2 7.39x
Ealing 1 2.01x
Eccleston In Prescot 1 3.01x
Great Crosby 1 5.55x
Kensington London 1 0.32x
Kings Norton 1 1.53x
Moston 1 15.08x
New Malton 1 15.15x
Paisley Low Church 1 7.32x
Pontefract 1 8.41x
St Giles 1 9.67x
St Marylebone London 1 0.34x
Thorney 1 25.51x
Tonbridge 1 1.46x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 56
Sarah 26
Elizabeth 25
Jane 13
Alice 11
Ann 11
Margaret 11
Eliza 8
Catherine 7
Ellen 7
Clara 5
Esther 5
Agnes 4
Annie 4
Emma 4
Isabella 4
Martha 4
Rebecca 4
Amelia 3
Elizth. 3
Hannah 3
Maria 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Anne 2
Bertha 2
Eleanor 2
Frances 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Rachel 2
Bette 1
Caroline 1
E. 1
Eliza. 1
Ellenor 1
Emalin 1
Emmiline 1
Enid 1
Ethel 1
Janer 1
Jeannette 1
Josephine 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Lilian 1
Lois 1
Maggie 1
Margt. 1
Zilpah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 36
John 33
James 31
Robert 26
Thomas 25
Joseph 17
George 12
Frank 8
Richard 8
Charles 6
Edward 5
Henry 5
Samuel 3
Adam 2
Arthur 2
Daniel 2
David 2
Francis 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Nicholas 2
Peter 2
Wm. 2
Alice 1
Benjamin 1
Bentley 1
Christopher 1
Clarence 1
Ed. 1
Edwin 1
Eli 1
Everett 1
Fredk. 1
Harrison 1
Israel 1
J. 1
Jonathan 1
Joshua 1
Leby 1
Leonard 1
Levi 1
Matthew 1
R. 1
Reubon 1
Sentley 1
Squire 1
Thos.Edw. 1
Timothy 1
Tom 1
W.J. 1

FAQ

Belshaw surname: questions and answers

How common was the Belshaw surname in 1881?

In 1881, 586 people were recorded with the Belshaw surname. That placed it at #5,952 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Belshaw surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,217 in 2016. That gives Belshaw a modern rank of #4,889.

What does the Belshaw surname mean?

An English locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Belshaw.

What does the Belshaw map show?

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