NameCensus.

UK surname

Bevin

A surname derived from the old French name Bevyn, meaning 'little drink'.

In the 1881 census there were 209 people recorded with the Bevin surname, ranking it #12,475 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 322, ranked #14,033, down from #12,475 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Malpas and Broughton Astley, Croft. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Daventry, Sandwell and Harborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bevin is 357 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.1%.

1881 census count

209

Ranked #12,475

Modern count

322

2016, ranked #14,033

Peak year

2000

357 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bevin had 209 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,475 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 322 in 2016, ranked #14,033.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 209 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Bevin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bevin surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bevin 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 166 #11,986
1861 historical 138 #16,365
1881 historical 209 #12,475
1891 historical 142 #18,995
1901 historical 183 #15,996
1911 historical 208 #14,594
1997 modern 323 #12,888
1998 modern 343 #12,707
1999 modern 356 #12,456
2000 modern 357 #12,380
2001 modern 344 #12,526
2002 modern 339 #12,911
2003 modern 325 #13,104
2004 modern 332 #12,951
2005 modern 327 #13,011
2006 modern 337 #12,810
2007 modern 329 #13,168
2008 modern 334 #13,142
2009 modern 331 #13,483
2010 modern 330 #13,786
2011 modern 331 #13,641
2012 modern 325 #13,720
2013 modern 323 #14,003
2014 modern 328 #13,951
2015 modern 324 #13,965
2016 modern 322 #14,033

Geography

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Where Bevins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Malpas, Broughton Astley, Croft, Toxteth Park and Dunton Bassett. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Daventry, Sandwell, Harborough and Rugby. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Malpas Denbighshire
3 Broughton Astley, Croft Leicestershire
4 Toxteth Park Lancashire
5 Dunton Bassett Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Daventry 001 Daventry
2 Sandwell 018 Sandwell
3 Harborough 006 Harborough
4 Sandwell 017 Sandwell
5 Rugby 001 Rugby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bevin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bevin

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Bevin surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bevin household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Bevin 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

Bevin 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

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

Meaning and origin of Bevin

The surname Bevin is of English origin and is derived from the medieval given name Bevin or Bevyn, itself a diminutive form of the Old English name Beava or Befa. These names were initially derived from the Old English word "befa," meaning "a man" or "a person."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Bevin can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a John Bevin in Oxfordshire. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where a Robert Bevyn is mentioned.

In the 14th century, a prominent figure bearing this surname was John Bevin, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset, who was born around 1320 and died in 1388. He was involved in the wool trade and held significant estates in the county.

Another notable individual with this surname was William Bevin, a 16th-century English mathematician and astronomer born in Worcestershire around 1519. He made contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was involved in the construction of several astronomical instruments.

During the 17th century, the surname Bevin appeared in various records, including the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, which lists several individuals with this name across different counties in England.

A famous bearer of the Bevin surname was Ernest Bevin (1881-1951), a British statesman and trade union leader who served as the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951. He played a crucial role in shaping post-World War II foreign policy and was instrumental in the formation of NATO.

Other historical figures with the surname Bevin include Robert Bevin (c. 1563-1637), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Headmaster of Reading School, and Thomas Bevin (1768-1838), a renowned English watchmaker and inventor known for his contributions to the development of chronometers and marine timekeepers.

While the surname Bevin is not among the most common surnames in England, it has a long and notable history, with several individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bevin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bevin 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 40 Bevins recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.65x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 40 1.65x
Cheshire 32 7.11x
Middlesex 30 1.47x
Leicestershire 17 7.52x
Somerset 14 4.27x
Staffordshire 11 1.60x
Surrey 10 1.01x
Yorkshire 8 0.40x
Dorset 7 5.23x
Durham 6 0.99x
Buckinghamshire 5 4.06x
Northumberland 5 1.65x
Warwickshire 5 0.97x
Kent 4 0.58x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.09x
Devon 2 0.47x
Flintshire 2 3.65x
Gloucestershire 2 0.50x
Shropshire 2 1.14x
Berkshire 1 0.65x
Brecknockshire 1 2.45x
Essex 1 0.25x
Wiltshire 1 0.55x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Winsford in Somerset leads with 14 Bevins recorded in 1881 and an index of 4117.65x.

Place Total Index
Winsford 14 4117.65x
Worsley 11 73.78x
Broughton Astley 10 2040.82x
Broughton In Salford 10 45.21x
Little Budworth 9 2368.42x
Leeds 8 7.01x
Chardstock 7 752.69x
Shoreditch London 7 7.92x
Westminster St Margaret 7 71.21x
Moston 6 246.91x
Staines 6 185.76x
Tanfield 6 83.22x
Lambeth 5 2.81x
Malpas 5 757.58x
Toxteth Park 5 6.10x
Uttoxeter 5 142.05x
Willaston In Wirral 5 1562.50x
Birmingham 4 2.33x
Cramlington 4 99.75x
Larktn Duckngtn Ovrtn 4 1142.86x
Marton In Whitegate 4 833.33x
Stoney Stanton 4 579.71x
Lenton 3 46.37x
Whittington 3 212.77x
Wolverton 3 117.65x
Bitton 2 57.47x
Hawarden 2 46.51x
Lee 2 19.80x
Low Oulton 2 6666.67x
Paddington London 2 2.67x
Penge 2 15.36x
Shrewsbury St Julian 2 45.87x
St George Hanover Square 2 5.57x
St Marylebone London 2 1.84x
Tingewick 2 363.64x
Wandsworth 2 10.19x
West Bromwich 2 5.08x
Atherton 1 11.36x
Barkby 1 227.27x
Barton Upon Irwell 1 5.49x
Bickleigh 1 238.10x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 5.21x
Chelsea London 1 1.63x
Chiswick 1 8.98x
Coventry St Michael 1 6.06x
Hackney London 1 0.88x
Leftwich 1 50.00x
Leicester St Margaret 1 1.81x
Leicester St Mary 1 5.48x
Lewisham 1 2.70x
Little Dunmow 1 416.67x
Llanspyddid 1 256.41x
Manchester 1 0.92x
Milton In Gravesend 1 9.59x
North Shields 1 16.53x
Oldham 1 1.28x
Over 1 21.88x
Plymouth Charles The 1 5.35x
Radcliffe 1 8.58x
Rainhill 1 64.52x
Ramsbury 1 61.35x
Rotherhithe 1 3.97x
Rushall 1 24.69x
Stockport 1 4.32x
Sunbury 1 40.82x
Wavertree 1 12.92x
West Ilsley 1 384.62x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 22
John 13
George 10
Thomas 10
James 9
Henry 7
Joseph 5
Albert 3
Edward 3
Edwin 2
Michael 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Thos. 2
Walter 2
Abraham 1
Aron 1
Arthur 1
Charles 1
David 1
Erasmus 1
Ernest 1
Federick 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Harry 1
J. 1
M. 1
Samuel 1
Stephen 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Bevin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bevin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 209 people were recorded with the Bevin surname. That placed it at #12,475 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bevin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 322 in 2016. That gives Bevin a modern rank of #14,033.

What does the Bevin surname mean?

A surname derived from the old French name Bevyn, meaning 'little drink'.

What does the Bevin map show?

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