NameCensus.

UK surname

Bews

An English name of uncertain origin, possibly from beau or beau-fils (stepson).

In the 1881 census there were 461 people recorded with the Bews surname, ranking it #7,193 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 558, ranked #9,187, down from #7,193 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kirkwall and St.Ola, Edinburgh and Shapinsay. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Kirkwall, East Kirkwall and Isles.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bews is 568 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.0%.

1881 census count

461

Ranked #7,193

Modern count

558

2016, ranked #9,187

Peak year

2000

568 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bews had 461 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,193 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 558 in 2016, ranked #9,187.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 540 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Bews surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bews surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bews 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 344 #6,842
1861 historical 350 #7,295
1881 historical 461 #7,193
1891 historical 472 #7,778
1901 historical 540 #7,620
1911 historical 184 #15,742
1997 modern 550 #8,660
1998 modern 565 #8,738
1999 modern 562 #8,825
2000 modern 568 #8,717
2001 modern 531 #9,039
2002 modern 557 #8,894
2003 modern 513 #9,314
2004 modern 519 #9,257
2005 modern 529 #9,066
2006 modern 541 #8,930
2007 modern 544 #8,972
2008 modern 548 #8,993
2009 modern 566 #8,969
2010 modern 561 #9,214
2011 modern 538 #9,444
2012 modern 557 #9,082
2013 modern 557 #9,236
2014 modern 559 #9,268
2015 modern 551 #9,294
2016 modern 558 #9,187

Geography

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Where Bews' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kirkwall and St.Ola, Edinburgh, Shapinsay, Westray and Papa Westray and Stromness. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Kirkwall, East Kirkwall, Isles, East Mainland and West Mainland. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Kirkwall and St.Ola Orkney
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Shapinsay Orkney
4 Westray and Papa Westray Orkney
5 Stromness Orkney

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Kirkwall Orkney Islands
2 East Kirkwall Orkney Islands
3 Isles Orkney Islands
4 East Mainland Orkney Islands
5 West Mainland Orkney Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bews

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bews

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bews, 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 Bews surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bews 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Bews 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

Bews is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bews falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Bews

The surname Bews is believed to have originated in Scotland, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "bewis," which means "brushwood" or "thicket." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with brushwood or in a wooded area.

One of the earliest known references to the name Bews can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The name appears as "de Bewis," which is likely an early spelling variation.

The Bews surname is particularly associated with the Scottish Borders region, where it has deep roots. Some historical records indicate that the name may have originated in the area around Jedburgh, a town in the Scottish Borders known for its medieval abbey and strong wool trade.

In the 17th century, the Bews family had a presence in the parish of Crailing, located in the Scottish Borders. John Bews, born around 1620, was a notable figure in the region and served as the parish minister of Crailing from 1656 until his death in 1686.

Another prominent individual with the Bews surname was Sir John Bews, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a Scottish landowner and served as a member of the Parliament of Scotland, representing the county of Roxburghshire in the early 1600s.

In the 18th century, the Bews family had a strong presence in the town of Kelso, also located in the Scottish Borders. William Bews, born in 1732, was a prominent merchant and landowner in Kelso, and his descendants continued to play a significant role in the town's affairs for several generations.

As the Bews surname spread beyond Scotland, it also gained a foothold in other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond. One notable figure was John Bews, an English architect born in 1805, who was responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the North of England during the 19th century.

While the Bews surname may have originated in Scotland, it has since become more widely dispersed, with individuals bearing this name found in various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and other English-speaking countries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bews families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bews 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. Orkney leads with 246 Bews' recorded in 1881 and an index of 495.07x.

County Total Index
Orkney 246 495.07x
Durham 35 2.60x
Midlothian 28 4.63x
Northumberland 24 3.57x
Lanarkshire 21 1.44x
Devon 20 2.13x
Aberdeenshire 14 3.35x
Lancashire 11 0.21x
Surrey 11 0.50x
Cornwall 8 1.56x
Angus 6 1.43x
Shetland 6 13.01x
Perthshire 5 2.47x
Ayrshire 4 1.18x
Kincardineshire 4 7.27x
Yorkshire 4 0.09x
Banffshire 3 3.20x
Channel Islands 3 2.24x
Royal Navy 3 5.57x
Dunbartonshire 2 1.65x
Hampshire 1 0.11x
Hertfordshire 1 0.32x
Middlesex 1 0.02x
Renfrewshire 1 0.29x
Warwickshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kirkwall St Ola in Orkney leads with 52 Bews' recorded in 1881 and an index of 698.92x.

Place Total Index
Kirkwall St Ola 52 698.92x
Orphir 38 2405.06x
Shapinshay 35 2317.88x
St Andrews Deerness 34 1302.68x
Stromness 22 589.81x
Westray Papa Westray 20 507.61x
Barony 13 3.52x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 13 5.34x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 13 32.39x
Bishopwearmouth 11 9.54x
Toxteth Park 11 6.06x
Rousay Egilshay 10 578.03x
Stoke Damerel 10 15.20x
Camberwell 9 3.12x
Stranton 9 19.90x
Birsay Harray 8 221.61x
Hatherleigh 8 341.88x
Holm 8 479.04x
Edinburgh Greenside 7 87.61x
Firth Stenness 7 328.64x
Glasgow 7 2.70x
North Shields 7 52.20x
Fintray 6 375.00x
Sandwick 6 322.58x
Tingwall 6 259.74x
Cargill 5 236.97x
Liff Benvie 5 7.87x
Stronsay Eday 5 153.85x
Westoe 5 6.56x
Aberdeen Old Machar 4 4.58x
Banchory Ternan 4 84.03x
Bodmin 4 47.28x
Dundonald 4 32.10x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 4 6.87x
Market Weighton Arras 4 137.46x
Washington 4 71.05x
Aberlour 3 101.01x
Edinburgh Canongate 3 19.48x
Kincardine O Neil 3 100.33x
St Helier 3 6.89x
Dumbarton 2 11.84x
Earsdon 2 36.56x
Lanivet 2 125.79x
North Leith 2 7.14x
South Tawton 2 103.09x
Aldershot 1 3.22x
Belhelvie 1 34.97x
Bovingdon 1 61.35x
Croydon 1 0.82x
Dundee 1 0.64x
Edinburgh St Marys 1 8.50x
Evie Rendall 1 47.62x
Fillongley 1 61.73x
Govan 1 0.28x
Leith North 1 86.21x
Madron Penzance 1 5.38x
Mile End Old Town London 1 1.04x
Newcastle On Tyne 1 138.89x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 1 11.31x
South Leith 1 1.47x
South Shields 1 8.35x
Southwark Christchurch 1 4.73x
St Mewan 1 63.29x
Sunderland 1 4.21x
West Greenock 1 1.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Elizabeth 6
Jane 4
Isabella 3
Agnes 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Hannah 2
Jessie 2
Sarah 2
Alicia 1
Anna 1
Barbra 1
Cordelia 1
Eleanor 1
Elenaur 1
Elizth. 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Grace 1
Jenney 1
Polly 1
Rebecca 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
John 10
James 9
Thomas 7
George 4
Samuel 4
Robert 3
Charles 2
David 2
Edward 1
Fraser 1
Frederick 1
Geo. 1
Henry 1
Hugh 1
Jas. 1
Jno. 1
Peter 1
Robt. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Bews surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bews surname in 1881?

In 1881, 461 people were recorded with the Bews surname. That placed it at #7,193 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bews surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 558 in 2016. That gives Bews a modern rank of #9,187.

What does the Bews surname mean?

An English name of uncertain origin, possibly from beau or beau-fils (stepson).

What does the Bews map show?

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