NameCensus.

UK surname

Bickerton

A locational surname denoting someone from Bickerton or a place with a similar name.

In the 1881 census there were 1,256 people recorded with the Bickerton surname, ranking it #3,237 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,602, ranked #3,881, down from #3,237 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolstanton, London parishes and Sandbach. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East and Hambleton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bickerton is 1,702 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.5%.

1881 census count

1,256

Ranked #3,237

Modern count

1,602

2016, ranked #3,881

Peak year

1999

1,702 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bickerton had 1,256 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,237 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,602 in 2016, ranked #3,881.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,557 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bickerton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bickerton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bickerton 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 793 #3,363
1861 historical 735 #3,715
1881 historical 1,256 #3,237
1891 historical 1,283 #3,371
1901 historical 1,530 #3,366
1911 historical 1,557 #3,112
1997 modern 1,504 #3,898
1998 modern 1,690 #3,648
1999 modern 1,702 #3,653
2000 modern 1,669 #3,695
2001 modern 1,650 #3,667
2002 modern 1,665 #3,704
2003 modern 1,636 #3,692
2004 modern 1,658 #3,656
2005 modern 1,621 #3,694
2006 modern 1,579 #3,771
2007 modern 1,570 #3,822
2008 modern 1,549 #3,903
2009 modern 1,575 #3,929
2010 modern 1,631 #3,891
2011 modern 1,637 #3,840
2012 modern 1,600 #3,846
2013 modern 1,645 #3,820
2014 modern 1,654 #3,821
2015 modern 1,619 #3,863
2016 modern 1,602 #3,881

Geography

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Where Bickertons are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East and Hambleton. 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 Wolstanton Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Sandbach Cheshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 037 Cheshire East
2 Hambleton 004 Hambleton
3 Cheshire East 043 Cheshire East
4 Cheshire East 050 Cheshire East
5 Cheshire East 036 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bickerton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bickerton

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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, Bickerton 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

Bickerton is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bickerton falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Bickerton

The surname Bickerton originated in the English counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire during the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "bic" meaning brook or stream, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, referring to a place near a stream. The earliest known spelling variations include Bickerton, Bikerton, and Bykerton.

One of the first recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1199, which mention a William de Bickerton. The Bickerton family held land and resided in the village of Bickerton, near Malpas in Cheshire, during the 13th century. The Domesday Book of 1086 does not contain any direct references to the surname, but it does mention the settlement of Bickerton.

In the 14th century, John de Bickerton, born around 1310, was a prominent landowner and knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War under King Edward III. His son, William Bickerton, born in 1345, inherited the family estates and served as a member of the English Parliament in 1376.

During the 16th century, Thomas Bickerton, born in 1520, was a noted scholar and theologian who attended Oxford University and later served as the Rector of Wolverhampton from 1562 until his death in 1588.

In the 17th century, Edward Bickerton, born in 1619, was a renowned English Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in 1636 and served as the first minister of the town of Weymouth, Massachusetts.

One of the most famous individuals with the Bickerton surname was Sir Richard Bickerton, born in 1727, who served as a distinguished naval officer during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars. He was knighted for his military service in 1795 and later became a baronet.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bickerton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bickerton 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. Cheshire leads with 250 Bickertons recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.25x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 250 9.25x
Staffordshire 208 5.03x
Lancashire 157 1.08x
Middlesex 94 0.77x
Northumberland 75 4.12x
Shropshire 73 6.90x
Yorkshire 73 0.60x
Surrey 49 0.82x
Worcestershire 37 2.31x
Warwickshire 34 1.10x
Durham 27 0.74x
Oxfordshire 21 2.78x
Fife 18 2.48x
Gloucestershire 15 0.62x
Berwickshire 14 9.44x
Derbyshire 13 0.68x
Kent 13 0.31x
Flintshire 9 2.73x
Hampshire 8 0.32x
Lanarkshire 8 0.20x
Midlothian 8 0.49x
Montgomeryshire 8 2.85x
Glamorgan 7 0.33x
Denbighshire 6 1.30x
Herefordshire 6 1.20x
Monmouthshire 5 0.57x
Suffolk 4 0.27x
Devon 3 0.12x
Lincolnshire 2 0.10x
Roxburghshire 2 0.90x
Somerset 2 0.10x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.09x
Cumberland 1 0.09x
Kincardineshire 1 0.67x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.06x
Royal Navy 1 0.69x
Shetland 1 0.80x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 41 Bickertons recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.36x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 41 9.36x
Wolstanton 39 31.07x
St Pancras London 36 3.65x
Sandbach 34 147.51x
Manchester 28 4.29x
Islington London 26 2.19x
Monks Coppenhall 26 25.50x
West Derby 23 5.41x
Newcastle Under Lyme 21 28.72x
Siddington 20 1169.59x
Beath 15 65.50x
Burslem 15 12.67x
Dawley 15 38.97x
Wellington 15 25.24x
Aston 14 1.65x
Darlington 14 9.96x
Cheetham 13 12.00x
Everton 13 2.81x
Old Withington 13 532.79x
Ayton 12 139.53x
Pegswood 12 293.40x
Wolstanton Chesterton 12 56.82x
Ashton Under Lyne 11 3.46x
Oswestry Town 11 32.48x
Alnwick 10 31.93x
Congleton 10 21.42x
Kidderminster Borough 10 10.69x
Leeds 10 1.46x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 10 41.58x
Wolstanton Knutton 10 39.64x
Wolverhampton 10 3.15x
Birmingham 9 0.87x
Camberwell 9 1.15x
Croydon 9 2.72x
Audley 8 19.56x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 8 1.21x
Lambeth 8 0.75x
Lower Mitton 8 56.78x
Newington 8 1.77x
Newton In Makerfield 8 17.99x
North Rode 8 727.27x
Worcester St Peter 8 26.44x
Cowpen 7 16.69x
Eccleshall 7 44.67x
Hassall 7 542.64x
Kyloe 7 166.67x
Long Houghton 7 372.34x
Marple 7 37.74x
Oldham 7 1.49x
Over 7 25.48x
Prestbury 7 573.77x
Roath 7 7.23x
Ruyton Of Eleven Towns 7 149.89x
Streatham 7 7.71x
Worcester St Martin 7 32.45x
Acton In Nantwich 6 560.75x
Alsager 6 89.15x
Barnsley 6 4.80x
Burton Extra 6 25.33x
Church Coppenhall 6 49.67x
Coventry St Michael 6 6.05x
Deptford St Paul 6 1.86x
Ferry Fryston 6 126.85x
Finchley 6 12.79x
Hatherton 6 447.76x
Lowick 6 94.64x
Moss Side 6 7.85x
Nantwich 6 19.11x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 6 5.52x
Oxford St Giles 6 16.63x
Sheffield 6 1.55x
Sutton 6 12.32x
Swinefleet 6 114.72x
Whittington 6 22.62x
Ardwick 5 3.82x
Hackney London 5 0.73x
Headingley Cum Burley 5 6.40x
Norton In Malton 5 34.01x
Stone 5 9.46x
Trentham 5 14.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 69
John 66
Thomas 61
George 46
James 36
Charles 33
Joseph 32
Henry 20
Samuel 19
Edward 16
Richard 14
Arthur 12
Albert 9
Harry 9
Robert 9
Ralph 7
Alfred 6
Francis 6
Frederick 6
Herbert 6
Benjamin 5
Edwin 5
Chas. 4
Eli 3
Frank 3
Fredk. 3
Tom 3
Walter 3
Willie 3
Enoch 2
Fred 2
Fredrick 2
Geo. 2
Noah 2
Stephen 2
Thos. 2
Andrew 1
Archdale 1
Augustus 1
Auther 1
Bertie 1
Edgar 1
Edmond 1
Edmund 1
Edw. 1
Elizabeth 1
Harvey 1
Horace 1
Hugo 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Bickerton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bickerton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,256 people were recorded with the Bickerton surname. That placed it at #3,237 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bickerton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,602 in 2016. That gives Bickerton a modern rank of #3,881.

What does the Bickerton surname mean?

A locational surname denoting someone from Bickerton or a place with a similar name.

What does the Bickerton map show?

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