NameCensus.

UK surname

Birkin

In the 1881 census there were 589 people recorded with the Birkin surname, ranking it #5,928 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,185, ranked #5,017, up from #5,928 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Basford, St Peter and Burton-on-Trent. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Broxtowe, Newark and Sherwood and Stoke-on-Trent.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Birkin is 1,214 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 101.2%.

1881 census count

589

Ranked #5,928

Modern count

1,185

2016, ranked #5,017

Peak year

2010

1,214 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Birkin had 589 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,928 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,185 in 2016, ranked #5,017.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 913 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Birkin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Birkin surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Birkin 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 409 #5,929
1861 historical 325 #7,835
1881 historical 589 #5,928
1891 historical 562 #6,758
1901 historical 641 #6,716
1911 historical 913 #4,888
1997 modern 1,049 #5,274
1998 modern 1,160 #5,019
1999 modern 1,179 #5,006
2000 modern 1,181 #4,977
2001 modern 1,145 #5,010
2002 modern 1,163 #5,046
2003 modern 1,148 #5,001
2004 modern 1,155 #4,982
2005 modern 1,129 #5,021
2006 modern 1,142 #4,967
2007 modern 1,138 #5,030
2008 modern 1,162 #4,958
2009 modern 1,187 #4,977
2010 modern 1,214 #4,991
2011 modern 1,204 #4,954
2012 modern 1,174 #4,996
2013 modern 1,205 #4,963
2014 modern 1,213 #4,967
2015 modern 1,190 #5,008
2016 modern 1,185 #5,017

Geography

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Where Birkins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Basford, St Peter, Burton-on-Trent, Aston-on-Trent and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Broxtowe, Newark and Sherwood, Stoke-on-Trent and North West Leicestershire. 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 Basford Nottinghamshire
2 St Peter Derbyshire
3 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
4 Aston-on-Trent Derbyshire
5 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Broxtowe 001 Broxtowe
2 Broxtowe 003 Broxtowe
3 Newark and Sherwood 011 Newark and Sherwood
4 Stoke-on-Trent 032 Stoke-on-Trent
5 North West Leicestershire 001 North West Leicestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Birkin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Birkin

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Birkin is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Birkin is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Birkin falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Birkin is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Birkin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Birkin 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 142 Birkins recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.37x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 142 18.37x
Staffordshire 130 6.71x
Derbyshire 124 13.81x
Yorkshire 49 0.86x
Leicestershire 40 6.29x
Essex 22 1.94x
Shropshire 16 3.23x
Middlesex 13 0.23x
Surrey 12 0.43x
Gloucestershire 10 0.89x
Warwickshire 5 0.35x
Kent 4 0.20x
Pembrokeshire 4 2.19x
Cheshire 3 0.24x
Lincolnshire 3 0.33x
Bedfordshire 2 0.67x
Durham 2 0.12x
Glamorgan 2 0.20x
Lancashire 2 0.03x
Hampshire 1 0.09x
Radnorshire 1 2.16x
Worcestershire 1 0.13x

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 35 Birkins recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.05x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 35 17.05x
Greasley 33 189.22x
Nottingham St Mary 33 16.50x
Burton Upon Trent 15 33.11x
Litchurch 14 38.74x
Basford 12 33.68x
Eastwood 12 173.66x
Ripley 12 108.11x
Ruddington 12 231.66x
Shardlow 12 705.88x
Hucknall Torkard 11 56.12x
Loughborough 11 38.12x
Audley 10 52.19x
Bulwell 10 59.49x
Halstead 10 75.70x
Beeston 9 156.52x
Derby St Peter 9 31.47x
Elvaston 9 818.18x
Rushall 9 79.02x
Inworth 8 640.00x
Tettenhall 8 67.57x
Wolstanton Chesterton 8 80.81x
Alfreton 7 25.66x
Aston 7 534.35x
Neen Savage 7 1076.92x
Stottesdon 7 311.11x
Wednesbury 7 14.47x
Claylane 6 48.08x
Coln St Dennis 6 1578.95x
Leicester St Margaret 6 3.87x
Mapperley 6 705.88x
Radford 6 15.27x
Templenewsam 6 145.63x
Templenewsam Thorpe 6 508.47x
Burton Extra 5 45.05x
Cole Orton 5 427.35x
Darlaston 5 18.68x
Eccleshall Croxton 5 877.19x
Hugglescote 5 53.42x
Islington London 5 0.90x
Leicester Newarke 5 150.60x
Lofthouse Cum Carlton 5 72.15x
Shottle Postern 5 980.39x
Snenton 5 16.46x
South Normanton 5 79.24x
Castle Donnington 4 75.90x
Codnor Loscoe 4 56.26x
Great Coggeshall 4 67.91x
Horton In Bradford 4 4.51x
Mile End New Town London 4 35.30x
Mirfield 4 12.82x
Newcastle Under Lyme 4 11.68x
Ockbrook 4 104.99x
Tenby St Mary In 4 43.10x
Walton On Trent 4 459.77x
Winshill 4 69.81x
Barton St Mary 3 65.22x
Birmingham 3 0.62x
Breadsall 3 288.46x
Camberwell 3 0.82x
Chedworth 3 185.19x
Deptford St Paul 3 1.99x
Duffield 3 42.37x
Hunslet 3 3.38x
Lambeth 3 0.60x
Nottingham St Nicholas 3 28.49x
Radford Lenton 3 156.25x
Rowley Regis 3 5.56x
Stone 3 12.12x
Streatham 3 7.05x
Betley 2 124.22x
Bilston 2 5.33x
Droylsden 2 9.01x
Hipperholme Cum 2 8.01x
Leeds 2 0.62x
St Pancras London 2 0.43x
Trentham 2 12.14x
Tudhoe 2 13.40x
Walsall Foreign 2 2.00x
Wolstanton 2 3.40x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 37
John 35
Thomas 22
James 20
Joseph 18
George 17
Alfred 10
Henry 10
Arthur 9
Frederick 9
Samuel 9
Charles 8
Edward 6
Walter 6
Harry 5
Albert 4
Frank 4
Luke 4
Richard 4
Fred 3
Robert 3
Alexander 2
Augustus 2
Benjamin 2
Edwin 2
Fredrick 2
Isaac 2
Levi 2
Lewis 2
Moses 2
Willie 2
Wm. 2
Ann 1
Bryan 1
Chamberlain 1
Craven 1
Daniel 1
Elijah 1
Enock 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fred. 1
Fredk. 1
Geo.Hey. 1
Hubert 1
Joe 1
Josph. 1
Ken 1
Mark 1
Mashee 1

FAQ

Birkin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Birkin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 589 people were recorded with the Birkin surname. That placed it at #5,928 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Birkin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,185 in 2016. That gives Birkin a modern rank of #5,017.

What does the Birkin map show?

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