NameCensus.

UK surname

Binney

An English surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Binney, Normandy.

In the 1881 census there were 461 people recorded with the Binney surname, ranking it #7,193 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 537, ranked #9,475, down from #7,193 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Sheffield and Liskeard, St Cleer. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Tyneside, Cornwall and Rotherham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Binney is 602 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.5%.

1881 census count

461

Ranked #7,193

Modern count

537

2016, ranked #9,475

Peak year

1911

602 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Binney had 461 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,193 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 537 in 2016, ranked #9,475.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 602 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Binney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Binney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Binney 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 276 #8,128
1861 historical 324 #7,860
1881 historical 461 #7,193
1891 historical 452 #8,050
1901 historical 519 #7,831
1911 historical 602 #6,820
1997 modern 554 #8,610
1998 modern 569 #8,694
1999 modern 571 #8,726
2000 modern 573 #8,671
2001 modern 572 #8,561
2002 modern 580 #8,639
2003 modern 573 #8,592
2004 modern 550 #8,865
2005 modern 546 #8,827
2006 modern 566 #8,646
2007 modern 586 #8,515
2008 modern 582 #8,612
2009 modern 587 #8,733
2010 modern 588 #8,923
2011 modern 587 #8,837
2012 modern 575 #8,877
2013 modern 566 #9,109
2014 modern 562 #9,226
2015 modern 547 #9,353
2016 modern 537 #9,475

Geography

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Where Binneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Sheffield, Liskeard, St Cleer and Rotherham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Tyneside, Cornwall, Rotherham and Eden. 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 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Liskeard, St Cleer Cornwall
4 Rotherham Yorkshire, West Riding
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Tyneside 002 North Tyneside
2 Cornwall 003 Cornwall
3 Rotherham 011 Rotherham
4 Cornwall 048 Cornwall
5 Eden 006 Eden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Binney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Binney

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Binney is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Binney 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

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

Meaning and origin of Binney

The surname Binney is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "byne" or "binn," meaning a bin or a receptacle for storing crops. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked at a granary or a storehouse for grains.

The earliest recorded instances of the Binney surname can be traced back to the county of Northumberland in northern England. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners and tenants, there is a mention of a "William de Bynney" from the village of Prudhoe.

During the Middle Ages, the Binney family was prominent in the town of Alnwick, also in Northumberland. In the 15th century, a Robert Binney served as the mayor of Alnwick, and his family's coat of arms is still displayed in the town's ancient church.

One notable member of the Binney family was Howell Binney, a Welsh-born lawyer and politician who lived from 1793 to 1870. He served as the Attorney General of Pennsylvania and later as a United States Congressman.

In the 17th century, the Binney surname spread to other parts of England, including the counties of Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Benjamin Binney, born in 1663 in Derbyshire, was a prominent Quaker and a successful merchant and landowner.

The Binney family also has a long history in Scotland, particularly in the Lowlands. In the 16th century, John Binney was a prominent merchant and burgess (a member of the town's governing body) in the city of Glasgow.

Another notable figure with the Binney surname was Amos Binney, an American naturalist and conchologist (a specialist in the study of mollusks) who lived from 1803 to 1847. He made significant contributions to the field of malacology and had several species of mollusks named after him.

Throughout the centuries, the Binney name has been spelled in various ways, including Bynney, Bynny, and Binnie, reflecting the variations in regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Binney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Binney 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. Yorkshire leads with 170 Binneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.80x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 170 3.80x
Cornwall 40 7.82x
Devon 40 4.25x
Derbyshire 33 4.67x
Lancashire 24 0.45x
Northumberland 21 3.13x
Surrey 21 0.95x
Middlesex 18 0.40x
Durham 10 0.74x
Oxfordshire 10 3.59x
Warwickshire 10 0.88x
Lanarkshire 9 0.62x
Lincolnshire 8 1.11x
Hampshire 7 0.76x
Cumberland 6 1.54x
Midlothian 6 0.99x
Buckinghamshire 5 1.83x
Essex 5 0.56x
Kent 5 0.32x
Cheshire 4 0.40x
Angus 3 0.72x
Isle of Man 2 2.38x
Sussex 2 0.26x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.24x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.35x
Ross-shire 1 0.81x
Royal Navy 1 1.86x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ecclesall Bierlow in Yorkshire leads with 60 Binneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 65.91x.

Place Total Index
Ecclesall Bierlow 60 65.91x
Sheffield 19 13.33x
Kimberworth 17 68.44x
Plymouth St Andrew 16 22.09x
Norton 14 240.14x
Beighton 11 343.75x
Plymouth Charles The 11 26.56x
St Cleer 11 248.31x
Liskeard 10 116.82x
Paddington London 10 6.02x
Freckleton 9 511.36x
Southwark Christchurch 9 42.53x
Tweedmouth 9 107.40x
Aston 8 2.55x
Culham 8 963.86x
Gainsborough 8 47.00x
Rotherham 8 31.71x
Sculcoates 8 11.27x
Glasgow 6 2.31x
Leeds 6 2.37x
Nether Hallam 6 9.91x
York St Crux 6 472.44x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 5 11.99x
Barking 5 19.16x
Eckington 5 29.10x
Greasbrough 5 84.60x
Lee 5 22.35x
Low Holme 5 228.31x
North Crawley 5 462.96x
St Austell 5 28.60x
St Ives 5 49.95x
Stoke Damerel 5 7.60x
Aston Cum Aughton 4 109.29x
Brightside Bierlow 4 4.56x
Edinburgh St Marys 4 34.01x
Elswick 4 7.46x
Handsworth 4 33.81x
Hedley Woodside 4 579.71x
Portsea 4 2.20x
Sutton 4 22.26x
Sydenham Damerel 4 547.95x
Acton 3 11.33x
Byker 3 9.03x
Camberwell 3 1.04x
Heeley 3 22.06x
Liff Benvie 3 4.72x
Newington 3 1.80x
Urmston 3 86.21x
Waldridge 3 133.33x
York St Mary 3 16.18x
Barony 2 0.54x
Bideford 2 19.86x
Blackburn 2 1.40x
Braddan 2 43.67x
Brighton 2 1.30x
Chorlton On Medlock 2 2.35x
Crumpsall 2 15.84x
Darlington 2 3.86x
Edinburgh St Georges 2 15.92x
Hartshill 2 235.29x
Hunslet 2 2.87x
Litchurch 2 7.03x
Madron Penzance 2 10.76x
Morval 2 190.48x
Oxford St Giles 2 15.03x
Oxton 2 35.46x
Putney 2 9.72x
St Germans 2 56.02x
St Michael Winchester 2 105.82x
Tanfield 2 12.52x
Bowdon 1 25.25x
Clifton In York 1 10.68x
Compton Gifford 1 33.90x
Govan 1 0.28x
Holy Trinity 1 0.93x
Hornsey 1 1.75x
Rickergate 1 12.15x
St Andrew Holborn London 1 5.12x
Stoke Climsland 1 30.58x
Walton On Hill 1 3.44x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Elizabeth 16
Sarah 15
Ann 12
Eliza 9
Margaret 8
Emma 7
Jane 7
Maria 7
Alice 6
Annie 6
Harriet 6
Martha 5
Emily 4
Florence 4
Katherine 4
Ada 3
Ellen 3
Frances 3
Hannah 3
Jessie 3
Agnes 2
Amy 2
Bertha 2
Catherine 2
Edith 2
Elizth. 2
Fanny 2
Helena 2
Isabella 2
Jemima 2
Lucy 2
Lydia 2
Matilda 2
Rose 2
Agatha 1
Amelia 1
Beatrice 1
Beta 1
Bridget 1
Cordelia 1
Eda 1
Eleanor 1
Fanney 1
Helen 1
Helenor 1
Ida 1
Kate 1
Katharine 1
Webbeluine 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 35
William 23
Joseph 19
James 17
Henry 12
Thomas 12
George 9
Arthur 8
Charles 8
Edward 6
Alfred 5
Frederick 5
Walter 4
Ernest 3
Harry 3
Richard 3
Abram 2
Amos 2
Frank 2
Owen 2
Samuel 2
Allen 1
Austin 1
Bertie 1
David 1
Dennis 1
Douglas 1
Geo. 1
Godfrey 1
Herbert 1
Hibbert 1
Horace 1
Hudson 1
Hugh 1
Jean 1
Joshua 1
Kennington 1
Leon 1
Mark 1
Mary 1
Michel 1
Morris 1
N. 1
Neal 1
Nicholas 1
Percy 1
Reuben 1
Robert 1
Robt. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Binney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Binney surname in 1881?

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

How common is the Binney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 537 in 2016. That gives Binney a modern rank of #9,475.

What does the Binney surname mean?

An English surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Binney, Normandy.

What does the Binney map show?

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