NameCensus.

UK surname

Bermingham

Surname originating from the town of Birmingham, England.

In the 1881 census there were 117 people recorded with the Bermingham surname, ranking it #18,026 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 615, ranked #8,539, up from #18,026 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Mary, London parishes and Leek. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheltenham, Isle of Anglesey and Stroud.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bermingham is 617 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 425.6%.

1881 census count

117

Ranked #18,026

Modern count

615

2016, ranked #8,539

Peak year

2013

617 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bermingham had 117 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,026 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 615 in 2016, ranked #8,539.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 251 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Bermingham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bermingham surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bermingham 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 127 #14,547
1861 historical 137 #16,465
1881 historical 117 #18,026
1891 historical 228 #13,582
1901 historical 200 #15,120
1911 historical 251 #12,870
1997 modern 547 #8,694
1998 modern 573 #8,643
1999 modern 578 #8,652
2000 modern 565 #8,761
2001 modern 571 #8,575
2002 modern 596 #8,501
2003 modern 586 #8,472
2004 modern 588 #8,471
2005 modern 583 #8,442
2006 modern 575 #8,550
2007 modern 573 #8,644
2008 modern 576 #8,675
2009 modern 605 #8,544
2010 modern 610 #8,677
2011 modern 612 #8,546
2012 modern 605 #8,550
2013 modern 617 #8,548
2014 modern 607 #8,721
2015 modern 606 #8,667
2016 modern 615 #8,539

Geography

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Where Berminghams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Mary, London parishes, Leek, Manchester and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheltenham, Isle of Anglesey and Stroud. 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 St Mary Pembrokeshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Leek Staffordshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheltenham 006 Cheltenham
2 Cheltenham 007 Cheltenham
3 Isle of Anglesey 004 Isle of Anglesey
4 Stroud 009 Stroud
5 Cheltenham 005 Cheltenham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bermingham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bermingham

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Bermingham surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bermingham household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Bermingham 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

Bermingham is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bermingham falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bermingham 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Bermingham

The surname Bermingham is of English origin, and can be traced back to the early medieval period when it was first recorded in the county of Warwickshire, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "beorg" meaning hill or barrow, and "ham" meaning homestead or settlement. It likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or burial mound.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bermingaham." This entry suggests the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.

Throughout the Middle Ages, various spellings were used, including Burmingham, Bermyngham, and Bremyngham. These reflect the fluid nature of spelling conventions during that time. The name was also adopted as a place name, with several towns and villages in England bearing the name Bermingham.

A notable figure from history was Peter de Bermingham, a 13th-century Anglo-Norman knight and landowner in Ireland. He was granted extensive lands in County Offaly by King Henry III in the 1220s and played a significant role in the Norman conquest of Ireland.

Another prominent individual was John de Bermingham, a 14th-century English soldier and landowner. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1321 to 1324 and was involved in numerous military campaigns against the Scottish and Irish forces.

In the 15th century, Edward Bermingham (c. 1420 - c. 1490) was a prominent English merchant and politician who served as the Sheriff of London in 1461 and 1472.

During the 16th century, Henry Bermingham (c. 1540 - 1600) was an English Catholic missionary and martyr who was executed for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, William Bermingham (1630 - 1708) was an English poet and playwright who wrote several works, including the tragedy "The Unhappy Favourite, or The Earl of Essex" (1682).

As the name spread throughout England and Ireland over the centuries, it also took on various localized spellings and variants, such as Birmingham, which became a prominent surname in its own right.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bermingham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bermingham 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 55 Berminghams recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.03x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 55 4.03x
Middlesex 13 1.13x
Dumfriesshire 8 31.46x
Kent 8 2.04x
Warwickshire 8 2.76x
Staffordshire 7 1.80x
Somerset 6 3.24x
Yorkshire 3 0.26x
Devon 2 0.83x
Northamptonshire 2 1.85x
Suffolk 2 1.43x
Hampshire 1 0.42x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.64x
Royal Navy 1 7.29x
Surrey 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 12 Berminghams recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.47x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 12 14.47x
Aston 8 10.01x
Islington London 8 7.17x
Langholm 8 437.16x
Salford 8 19.92x
Ashton Under Lyne 7 23.45x
Leek Lowe 6 116.05x
Canterbury St Gregory 5 961.54x
Kirkdale 5 21.76x
Over Darwen 5 45.83x
Toxteth Park 5 10.81x
Walcot 5 50.66x
Mile End Old Town London 4 16.33x
Radcliffe 4 60.79x
Woolwich 3 20.68x
Cheetham 2 19.63x
Ipswich St Mathew 2 50.89x
Oldham 2 4.54x
Oundle 2 165.29x
Payhembury 2 1176.47x
Pilkington 2 38.54x
Tadcaster West 2 222.22x
Bathwick 1 48.78x
Cotton 1 384.62x
Great Crosby 1 26.88x
Hound 1 62.50x
Hulme 1 3.51x
Lambeth 1 1.00x
Newchurch 1 8.95x
Nottingham St Mary 1 2.49x
Ripon 1 37.74x
Royal Navy 1 8.53x
St Marylebone London 1 1.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Jane 5
Ellen 4
Sarah 4
Elizabeth 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Bridget 2
Eliza 2
Anne 1
Charlotte 1
Deli 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Ethel 1
Florence 1
Gerelidine 1
Harriet 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Nancy 1
Nellie 1
Raschel 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Bermingham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bermingham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 117 people were recorded with the Bermingham surname. That placed it at #18,026 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bermingham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 615 in 2016. That gives Bermingham a modern rank of #8,539.

What does the Bermingham surname mean?

Surname originating from the town of Birmingham, England.

What does the Bermingham map show?

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