NameCensus.

UK surname

Biffin

In the 1881 census there were 160 people recorded with the Biffin surname, ranking it #14,860 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 136, ranked #25,377, down from #14,860 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Southampton St Mary and East and West Lavington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stratford-on-Avon, Flintshire and Telford and Wrekin.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Biffin is 218 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 15.0%.

1881 census count

160

Ranked #14,860

Modern count

136

2016, ranked #25,377

Peak year

1911

218 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Biffin had 160 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,860 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016, ranked #25,377.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 218 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Mature Families.

Biffin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Biffin surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Biffin 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 128 #14,474
1861 historical 123 #17,914
1881 historical 160 #14,860
1891 historical 174 #16,520
1901 historical 177 #16,342
1911 historical 218 #14,177
1997 modern 155 #20,684
1998 modern 155 #21,227
1999 modern 147 #22,110
2000 modern 141 #22,648
2001 modern 138 #22,647
2002 modern 139 #22,991
2003 modern 134 #23,260
2004 modern 133 #23,528
2005 modern 136 #23,205
2006 modern 130 #24,053
2007 modern 134 #23,931
2008 modern 130 #24,695
2009 modern 133 #24,817
2010 modern 140 #24,569
2011 modern 134 #25,050
2012 modern 143 #24,019
2013 modern 139 #24,912
2014 modern 141 #24,855
2015 modern 140 #24,836
2016 modern 136 #25,377

Geography

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Where Biffins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Southampton St Mary, East and West Lavington, St George, Hanover Square, Buckingham Palace and Spaxton, Asholt, Over Stowey, Nether Stowey, Fiddington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stratford-on-Avon, Flintshire, Telford and Wrekin and Lossiemouth West. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Southampton St Mary Hampshire
3 East and West Lavington Wiltshire
4 St George, Hanover Square, Buckingham Palace London (West Districts)
5 Spaxton, Asholt, Over Stowey, Nether Stowey, Fiddington Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stratford-on-Avon 006 Stratford-on-Avon
2 Flintshire 012 Flintshire
3 Telford and Wrekin 006 Telford and Wrekin
4 Lossiemouth West Moray
5 Telford and Wrekin 022 Telford and Wrekin

Forenames

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First names often paired with Biffin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Biffin

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

Established Mature Families

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Married couples predominate, many with older dependent children. Detached housing is common. Homeownership rates are the highest within this Supergroup. The presence of some students suggests that households are towards the end of a child rearing phase. Many residents have degree level qualifications, and the occupational profile is heavily skewed towards managerial and professional occupations. Residential developments commonly occur on the periphery of major urban cities or conurbations.

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, Biffin 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

Biffin 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

Biffin falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Biffin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Biffin 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. Middlesex leads with 34 Biffins recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.15x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 34 2.15x
Somerset 27 10.61x
Hampshire 23 7.10x
Wiltshire 21 15.03x
Kent 8 1.48x
Sussex 8 3.00x
Warwickshire 7 1.76x
Leicestershire 5 2.85x
Worcestershire 5 2.42x
Gloucestershire 4 1.29x
Suffolk 4 2.08x
Lancashire 3 0.16x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.41x
Surrey 3 0.39x
Berkshire 2 1.69x
Royal Navy 2 10.62x
Cheshire 1 0.29x
Devon 1 0.30x
Shropshire 1 0.73x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Southampton St Mary in Hampshire leads with 15 Biffins recorded in 1881 and an index of 73.64x.

Place Total Index
Southampton St Mary 15 73.64x
Melksham 12 493.83x
Taunton St Mary 10 214.13x
St George Hanover Square 8 28.74x
St Marylebone London 8 9.48x
Aldingbourn 7 1750.00x
Taunton St James 7 188.68x
Warwick St Nicholas 7 239.73x
Kensington London 6 6.83x
Sherfield English 6 4000.00x
Kings Norton 5 27.03x
Leicester St Mary 5 35.34x
Over Stowey 5 1785.71x
Stoke Newington London 5 40.62x
Clare 4 434.78x
Canterbury St Mildred 3 234.38x
Devizes St James 3 161.29x
Tenterden 3 157.89x
Whiteparish 3 508.47x
Bridgewater 2 28.94x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 2 6.85x
Hammersmith London 2 5.14x
Little Bolton 2 8.30x
Paddington London 2 3.44x
Reading St Giles 2 17.18x
Royal Navy 2 12.42x
Trowbridge 2 32.36x
Britford 1 108.70x
Burnham 1 51.55x
Camberwell 1 0.99x
Carlton 1 41.15x
Cheltenham 1 4.18x
Chertsey 1 20.08x
Clifton 1 6.38x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.41x
Easton In Gordano 1 98.04x
Eling 1 30.49x
Ellesmere Trench 1 555.56x
Hackney London 1 1.13x
Hanwell 1 35.71x
Horton Kirby 1 120.48x
Lambeth 1 0.73x
Lenton 1 19.92x
Limehouse London 1 5.76x
Liverpool 1 0.88x
Mottram 1 63.29x
Nether Stowey 1 250.00x
Nottingham St Mary 1 1.82x
Portsea 1 1.58x
Subdeanary 1 138.89x
Tormoham 1 7.18x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 13
Charles 8
Thomas 7
Walter 6
Frederick 5
George 5
Edward 4
James 4
Arthur 3
Edwin 3
Frank 3
John 3
Henry 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Thos. 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Bithiah 1
Chas. 1
Christian 1
Dudley 1
Eli 1
Ernest 1
Fredk. 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Mary 1
Matthew 1
Phillip 1
Sidney 1
W.J. 1

FAQ

Biffin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Biffin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 160 people were recorded with the Biffin surname. That placed it at #14,860 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Biffin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016. That gives Biffin a modern rank of #25,377.

What does the Biffin map show?

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