NameCensus.

UK surname

Bircham

In the 1881 census there were 288 people recorded with the Bircham surname, ranking it #9,988 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 442, ranked #10,943, down from #9,988 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Brampton, Oxnead and St Marylebone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Great Yarmouth, South Norfolk and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bircham is 502 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 53.5%.

1881 census count

288

Ranked #9,988

Modern count

442

2016, ranked #10,943

Peak year

2000

502 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bircham had 288 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,988 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 442 in 2016, ranked #10,943.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 350 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bircham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bircham surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bircham 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 96 #17,594
1861 historical 165 #14,112
1881 historical 288 #9,988
1891 historical 304 #11,005
1901 historical 324 #11,042
1911 historical 350 #10,262
1997 modern 465 #9,817
1998 modern 478 #9,940
1999 modern 491 #9,797
2000 modern 502 #9,605
2001 modern 485 #9,688
2002 modern 485 #9,846
2003 modern 458 #10,136
2004 modern 465 #10,046
2005 modern 478 #9,754
2006 modern 451 #10,221
2007 modern 450 #10,335
2008 modern 456 #10,306
2009 modern 464 #10,407
2010 modern 465 #10,618
2011 modern 453 #10,732
2012 modern 449 #10,675
2013 modern 453 #10,774
2014 modern 463 #10,659
2015 modern 440 #11,017
2016 modern 442 #10,943

Geography

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Where Birchams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Brampton, Oxnead, St Marylebone, Walsham, North and Aylsham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Great Yarmouth, South Norfolk, Waveney and Flintshire. 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 Brampton Norfolk
2 Oxnead Norfolk
3 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
4 Walsham, North Norfolk
5 Aylsham Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Great Yarmouth 009 Great Yarmouth
2 Great Yarmouth 010 Great Yarmouth
3 South Norfolk 008 South Norfolk
4 Waveney 013 Waveney
5 Flintshire 007 Flintshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bircham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bircham

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bircham, 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 Bircham surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bircham 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Bircham is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bircham 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

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

1881 census detail

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Bircham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bircham 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. Norfolk leads with 161 Birchams recorded in 1881 and an index of 37.27x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 161 37.27x
Middlesex 41 1.46x
Suffolk 23 6.72x
Durham 15 1.79x
Devon 13 2.22x
Hertfordshire 7 3.62x
Staffordshire 6 0.63x
Surrey 6 0.44x
Brecknockshire 5 8.90x
Kent 4 0.42x
Yorkshire 4 0.14x
Lancashire 2 0.06x
Somerset 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hevingham in Norfolk leads with 23 Birchams recorded in 1881 and an index of 3150.68x.

Place Total Index
Hevingham 23 3150.68x
Aylsham 17 661.48x
Brampton 16 8888.89x
Cley Next Sea 15 2173.91x
Plymouth St Andrew 13 28.86x
St Marylebone London 11 7.33x
Great Yarmouth 9 25.15x
Hackney London 9 5.71x
Oulton 9 775.86x
Hackford In Aylsham 7 897.44x
Reepham With Kerdiston 7 1372.55x
Watford 7 46.64x
Coltishall 6 652.17x
Kingston On Thames 6 18.25x
North Creake 6 1016.95x
Brecknock St John 5 105.49x
Burgh 5 2380.95x
Hart 5 245.10x
St Pancras London 5 2.21x
Wolverhampton 5 6.86x
Chelsea London 4 4.73x
Ilketshall St Andrew 4 888.89x
Kyo 4 101.78x
Marsham 4 754.72x
Newton St Faith 4 1212.12x
North Walsham 4 128.62x
Poplar London 4 7.54x
St George Hanover Square 4 8.08x
Stratton Strawless 4 2222.22x
Bungay Holy Trinity 3 170.45x
Deptford St Nicholas 3 39.42x
Newbottle 3 65.79x
Norwich St Peter 3 106.01x
Shipmeadow 3 1428.57x
Carleton Rode 2 266.67x
Choseley 2 20000.00x
Debenham 2 175.44x
Downham Market 2 67.34x
Heigham 2 8.63x
Hunstanton 2 136.99x
Islington London 2 0.73x
Kensington London 2 1.28x
Norwich Liberty Of Town 2 689.66x
Norwich St Etheldred 2 327.87x
Norwich St John Timberhill 2 172.41x
Norwich St Peter Mancroft 2 92.17x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 2 20.12x
Westoe 2 4.22x
Blo Norton 1 434.78x
Burnett 1 1428.57x
Burslem 1 3.68x
Dewsbury 1 3.50x
Heacham 1 104.17x
Hethersett 1 91.74x
Holt 1 67.57x
Ince In Makerfield 1 6.45x
Itteringham 1 322.58x
Lakenham 1 16.29x
Lewisham 1 1.96x
Lowestoft 1 6.19x
Newchurch 1 3.67x
Norwich St Clement 1 19.96x
Palling 1 227.27x
Sheringham 1 90.09x
South Lynn 1 20.53x
Southwold 1 49.26x
Stalham 1 120.48x
Stranton 1 3.55x
Trowse Cum Newton 1 93.46x
Wakefield 1 4.68x
West Bradenham 1 344.83x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 20
Alice 8
Elizabeth 8
Martha 8
Sarah 7
Eliza 5
Ellen 5
Emma 5
Edith 4
Louisa 4
Emily 3
Esther 3
Hannah 3
Harriet 3
Jane 3
Maria 3
Susan 3
Amelia 2
Beatrice 2
Clara 2
Eleanor 2
Elizbeth 2
Frances 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Kathleen 2
Lydia 2
Rebecca 2
Susannah 2
Althea 1
Annie 1
Catharine 1
Catherine 1
Claudine 1
Deborah 1
Dorothea 1
Elizt. 1
Elizth. 1
Fanny 1
Gertrude 1
Katherine 1
Lillian 1
Lucy 1
Magdalene 1
Margaret 1
Margret 1
Matilda 1
Milicent 1
Miriam 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Bircham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bircham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 288 people were recorded with the Bircham surname. That placed it at #9,988 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bircham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 442 in 2016. That gives Bircham a modern rank of #10,943.

What does the Bircham map show?

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