NameCensus.

UK surname

Bickerstaffe

In the 1881 census there were 255 people recorded with the Bickerstaffe surname, ranking it #10,924 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 469, ranked #10,491, up from #10,924 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, Lytham and Preston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pendle, Chorley and South Ribble.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bickerstaffe is 557 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 83.9%.

1881 census count

255

Ranked #10,924

Modern count

469

2016, ranked #10,491

Peak year

1999

557 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bickerstaffe had 255 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,924 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 469 in 2016, ranked #10,491.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 472 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Bickerstaffe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bickerstaffe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bickerstaffe 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 124 #14,792
1861 historical 56 #26,864
1881 historical 255 #10,924
1891 historical 307 #10,914
1901 historical 460 #8,564
1911 historical 472 #8,192
1997 modern 511 #9,162
1998 modern 527 #9,222
1999 modern 557 #8,897
2000 modern 536 #9,133
2001 modern 529 #9,071
2002 modern 533 #9,203
2003 modern 520 #9,233
2004 modern 515 #9,312
2005 modern 504 #9,393
2006 modern 509 #9,355
2007 modern 505 #9,496
2008 modern 505 #9,565
2009 modern 508 #9,733
2010 modern 513 #9,853
2011 modern 494 #10,042
2012 modern 465 #10,422
2013 modern 471 #10,464
2014 modern 481 #10,387
2015 modern 472 #10,452
2016 modern 469 #10,491

Geography

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Where Bickerstaffes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, Lytham, Preston, Blackburn and Bolton-le-Moors. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pendle, Chorley, South Ribble, Copeland and St. Helens. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 Lytham Lancashire
3 Preston Lancashire
4 Blackburn Lancashire
5 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pendle 008 Pendle
2 Chorley 007 Chorley
3 South Ribble 002 South Ribble
4 Copeland 008 Copeland
5 St. Helens 019 St. Helens

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bickerstaffe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bickerstaffe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bickerstaffe, 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 Bickerstaffe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bickerstaffe 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Bickerstaffe is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bickerstaffe 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

Bickerstaffe 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 Bickerstaffe is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Bickerstaffe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bickerstaffe 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 242 Bickerstaffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.17x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 242 8.17x
Yorkshire 5 0.20x
Lincolnshire 3 0.75x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.66x
Cheshire 1 0.18x
Devon 1 0.19x
Leicestershire 1 0.36x
Middlesex 1 0.04x
Shropshire 1 0.46x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Windle in Lancashire leads with 50 Bickerstaffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 299.94x.

Place Total Index
Windle 50 299.94x
Lytham 30 663.72x
Preston 27 34.06x
Parr 17 160.38x
Layton With Warbreck 15 137.99x
Oswaldtwistle 12 114.61x
Ormskirk 10 176.37x
Kirkham 9 229.59x
Rainford 8 250.00x
Bury 7 20.68x
Aintree 6 2500.00x
Bootle Cum Linacre 6 25.50x
North Meols 6 20.68x
Simonstone 6 1666.67x
Over Darwen 5 21.12x
Skelmersdale 5 101.21x
Much Woolton 4 99.50x
Brightside Bierlow 3 6.18x
Manthorpe Cum Little 3 98.36x
Marton 3 152.28x
Warrington 3 8.54x
Ince In Makerfield 2 14.50x
Medlar With Wesham 2 224.72x
Ribby With Wray 2 588.24x
Stainland Cum Old 2 47.28x
Barrow In Furness 1 2.48x
Chelsea London 1 1.33x
Chorley 1 6.01x
Eccleston In Prescot 1 6.72x
Langley Marish 1 54.05x
Lathom 1 27.93x
Leicester St Margaret 1 1.48x
Liverpool 1 0.56x
Lydiate 1 108.70x
Over 1 17.86x
Prescot 1 18.66x
Shrewsbury Holy Cross 1 42.02x
Sidmouth 1 33.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 19
Elizabeth 18
Margaret 11
Alice 8
Ann 8
Jane 8
Sarah 6
Clara 5
Anne 4
Ellen 4
Esther 4
Hannah 4
Eliza 3
Margret 3
Martha 3
Annie 2
Catherine 2
Emily 2
Harriet 2
Margary 2
Nancy 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Allace 1
Anna 1
Betsy 1
Cecelia 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Elisabeth 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizh.A. 1
Emma 1
Ester 1
Eva 1
Harriett 1
Isabella 1
James 1
Julia 1
Minnie 1
Polly 1
Rachael 1
Rebecca 1
Sussannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 21
Thomas 12
William 10
James 9
Robert 9
Edward 6
Joseph 5
Peter 5
Richard 4
George 3
Henry 3
Samuel 3
J. 2
Robt. 2
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Edmund 1
Enock 1
Frederick 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Jacob 1
Jos. 1
Mark 1
Matthew 1
Rachard 1
Roger 1
Thompson 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Bickerstaffe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bickerstaffe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 255 people were recorded with the Bickerstaffe surname. That placed it at #10,924 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bickerstaffe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 469 in 2016. That gives Bickerstaffe a modern rank of #10,491.

What does the Bickerstaffe map show?

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