NameCensus.

UK surname

Birtle

In the 1881 census there were 183 people recorded with the Birtle surname, ranking it #13,596 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 150, ranked #23,724, down from #13,596 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Skipton, Bingley and Auckland St Andrew (North Bedburn), Witton-le-Wear. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stockton-on-Tees, Eden and South Gloucestershire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Birtle is 252 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 18.0%.

1881 census count

183

Ranked #13,596

Modern count

150

2016, ranked #23,724

Peak year

1911

252 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Birtle had 183 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,596 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 150 in 2016, ranked #23,724.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 252 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Birtle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Birtle surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Birtle 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 101 #17,036
1861 historical 80 #23,566
1881 historical 183 #13,596
1891 historical 188 #15,609
1901 historical 248 #13,204
1911 historical 252 #12,834
1997 modern 189 #18,267
1998 modern 188 #18,796
1999 modern 195 #18,517
2000 modern 205 #17,940
2001 modern 214 #17,211
2002 modern 212 #17,651
2003 modern 201 #18,089
2004 modern 202 #18,110
2005 modern 201 #18,080
2006 modern 202 #18,160
2007 modern 202 #18,359
2008 modern 204 #18,403
2009 modern 200 #19,028
2010 modern 181 #20,738
2011 modern 177 #20,874
2012 modern 156 #22,645
2013 modern 166 #22,075
2014 modern 163 #22,547
2015 modern 155 #23,194
2016 modern 150 #23,724

Geography

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Where Birtles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Skipton, Bingley, Auckland St Andrew (North Bedburn), Witton-le-Wear, Keighley and Aysgarth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stockton-on-Tees, Eden and South Gloucestershire. 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 Skipton Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Auckland St Andrew (North Bedburn), Witton-le-Wear Durham
4 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Aysgarth Yorkshire, North Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stockton-on-Tees 003 Stockton-on-Tees
2 Stockton-on-Tees 024 Stockton-on-Tees
3 Eden 003 Eden
4 South Gloucestershire 004 South Gloucestershire
5 Eden 002 Eden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Birtle

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Birtle

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Birtle surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Birtle household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Birtle 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

Birtle 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

Birtle 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 Birtle is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Birtle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Birtle 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 62 Birtles recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.51x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 62 3.51x
Lancashire 44 2.08x
Westmorland 33 84.12x
Durham 19 3.58x
Cumberland 9 5.86x
Leicestershire 7 3.54x
Middlesex 6 0.34x
Cheshire 1 0.25x
Kent 1 0.16x
Northumberland 1 0.38x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bingley in Yorkshire leads with 20 Birtles recorded in 1881 and an index of 177.62x.

Place Total Index
Bingley 20 177.62x
North Bedburn 11 743.24x
Ravenstonedale 11 2000.00x
Arkengarthdale 9 1475.41x
Skipton 9 161.58x
Hawes 8 689.66x
Dillicar 6 8571.43x
Embsay Cum Eastby 6 845.07x
Kirkby Stephen 6 588.24x
Little Hulton 6 170.94x
Mile End Old Town London 6 15.79x
Wigston Magna 6 229.01x
Blackburn 5 8.87x
Middleton In Oldham 5 78.74x
Penrith 5 88.03x
Thornton Steward 5 3333.33x
Farnworth 4 31.52x
Helmington Row 4 161.94x
Hulme 4 9.05x
Lancaster 4 31.75x
Langwathby 4 1904.76x
Tonge 4 90.09x
Breightmet 3 322.58x
Everton 3 4.44x
Leeds 3 3.00x
Nateby 3 2727.27x
Wolsingham 3 61.98x
Hilbeck 2 6666.67x
Northallerton 2 88.50x
Asby 1 333.33x
Cheetham 1 6.33x
Crook Billy Row 1 14.71x
Dufton 1 400.00x
Habergham Eaves 1 5.17x
Heversham With Milnthorpe 1 106.38x
Horton 1 76.34x
Killington 1 666.67x
Kirby Muxloe 1 434.78x
Knowsley 1 131.58x
Lower Bebington 1 42.74x
Ribchester 1 125.00x
Smardale 1 3333.33x
Tonbridge 1 4.55x
Tonge With Haulgh 1 24.27x
Whittingham 1 107.53x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 17
William 17
James 11
Thomas 10
Joseph 7
Richard 6
Robert 4
George 3
Anthony 2
Michael 2
Albert 1
Christopher 1
Daniel 1
Earnest 1
Edw. 1
Edward 1
Harry 1
Peter 1
Roger 1
Septimus 1
Solmon 1
Stephen 1
Sttephen 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Birtle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Birtle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 183 people were recorded with the Birtle surname. That placed it at #13,596 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Birtle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 150 in 2016. That gives Birtle a modern rank of #23,724.

What does the Birtle map show?

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