NameCensus.

UK surname

Bestall

In the 1881 census there were 105 people recorded with the Bestall surname, ranking it #19,183 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 181, ranked #20,955, down from #19,183 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burton-on-Trent, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood and Edwinstow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sheffield and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bestall is 189 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 72.4%.

1881 census count

105

Ranked #19,183

Modern count

181

2016, ranked #20,955

Peak year

1911

189 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bestall had 105 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,183 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 181 in 2016, ranked #20,955.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 189 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Bestall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bestall surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bestall 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 53 #23,739
1861 historical 76 #24,114
1881 historical 105 #19,183
1891 historical 116 #21,766
1901 historical 143 #18,570
1911 historical 189 #15,488
1997 modern 168 #19,642
1998 modern 162 #20,673
1999 modern 168 #20,312
2000 modern 162 #20,735
2001 modern 160 #20,616
2002 modern 166 #20,532
2003 modern 167 #20,245
2004 modern 165 #20,530
2005 modern 165 #20,468
2006 modern 166 #20,534
2007 modern 161 #21,201
2008 modern 165 #21,056
2009 modern 172 #20,950
2010 modern 167 #21,835
2011 modern 168 #21,563
2012 modern 171 #21,303
2013 modern 182 #20,795
2014 modern 180 #21,115
2015 modern 181 #20,934
2016 modern 181 #20,955

Geography

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Where Bestalls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Burton-on-Trent, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood, Edwinstow, Chesterfield and Burton Joyce. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sheffield and Wakefield. 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 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
2 Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood Nottinghamshire
3 Edwinstow Nottinghamshire
4 Chesterfield Derbyshire
5 Burton Joyce Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sheffield 070 Sheffield
2 Wakefield 041 Wakefield
3 Sheffield 023 Sheffield
4 Sheffield 069 Sheffield
5 Sheffield 019 Sheffield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bestall

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bestall

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Bestall is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bestall 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

Bestall 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 Bestall 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 Bestall, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Bestall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bestall 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. Yorkshire leads with 25 Bestalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.46x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 25 2.46x
Nottinghamshire 19 13.76x
Staffordshire 13 3.76x
Derbyshire 10 6.24x
Lincolnshire 10 6.11x
Warwickshire 9 3.48x
Middlesex 4 0.39x
Somerset 4 2.43x
Surrey 4 0.80x
Gloucestershire 3 1.49x
Lancashire 2 0.16x
Berkshire 1 1.30x
Worcestershire 1 0.75x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ecclesall Bierlow in Yorkshire leads with 14 Bestalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 67.83x.

Place Total Index
Ecclesall Bierlow 14 67.83x
Burton Upon Trent 10 123.61x
Bayards Leap 9 5294.12x
Clipstone 9 9000.00x
Aston 8 11.25x
Wombwell 7 236.49x
Chesterfield 5 83.19x
Bridgewater 4 89.29x
Heanor 4 166.67x
Kirkby In Ashfield 4 270.27x
Batley 3 31.09x
Bisley 3 164.84x
Islington London 3 3.02x
Wolverhampton 3 11.29x
Worksop 2 48.90x
Battersea 1 2.65x
Clapham 1 7.81x
Clerkenwell London 1 4.14x
Helpringham 1 303.03x
Kings Norton 1 8.34x
Lambeth 1 1.12x
Leamington Priors 1 15.72x
Manchester 1 1.83x
Mansfield 1 20.92x
Middle Hulton 1 138.89x
Nottingham St Nicholas 1 53.19x
Sheffield 1 3.10x
Streatham 1 13.16x
Sutton In Ashfield 1 33.33x
Thatcham 1 84.75x
Wingerworth 1 714.29x
Winthorpe 1 1111.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 6
Alice 4
Emma 4
Sarah 4
Ann 2
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Eliza 2
Harriet 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Amelia 1
E. 1
Ellen 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
G. 1
Hannah 1
Kate 1
L. 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Susan 1
Sussana 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Bestall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bestall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 105 people were recorded with the Bestall surname. That placed it at #19,183 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bestall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 181 in 2016. That gives Bestall a modern rank of #20,955.

What does the Bestall map show?

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