NameCensus.

UK surname

Birtwhistle

In the 1881 census there were 332 people recorded with the Birtwhistle surname, ranking it #9,058 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 212, ranked #18,843, down from #9,058 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, Bingley and Gargrave. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Lincolnshire, Leeds and Redcar and Cleveland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Birtwhistle is 332 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 36.1%.

1881 census count

332

Ranked #9,058

Modern count

212

2016, ranked #18,843

Peak year

1881

332 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Birtwhistle had 332 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,058 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016, ranked #18,843.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 332 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Birtwhistle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Birtwhistle surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Birtwhistle 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 193 #10,704
1861 historical 178 #13,202
1881 historical 332 #9,058
1891 historical 253 #12,645
1901 historical 289 #11,944
1911 historical 319 #10,967
1997 modern 213 #16,948
1998 modern 235 #16,358
1999 modern 248 #15,884
2000 modern 234 #16,470
2001 modern 229 #16,467
2002 modern 234 #16,543
2003 modern 225 #16,808
2004 modern 212 #17,540
2005 modern 212 #17,473
2006 modern 219 #17,254
2007 modern 228 #16,984
2008 modern 232 #16,931
2009 modern 221 #17,848
2010 modern 226 #17,942
2011 modern 227 #17,733
2012 modern 220 #18,034
2013 modern 226 #17,969
2014 modern 219 #18,523
2015 modern 214 #18,712
2016 modern 212 #18,843

Geography

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Where Birtwhistles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, Bingley, Gargrave, Keighley and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Lincolnshire, Leeds, Redcar and Cleveland, Telford and Wrekin and Stroud. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Gargrave Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Lincolnshire 001 North Lincolnshire
2 Leeds 094 Leeds
3 Redcar and Cleveland 013 Redcar and Cleveland
4 Telford and Wrekin 022 Telford and Wrekin
5 Stroud 006 Stroud

Forenames

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First names often paired with Birtwhistle

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Birtwhistle

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Birtwhistle 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

Birtwhistle 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

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

1881 census detail

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Birtwhistle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Birtwhistle 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 240 Birtwhistles recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.50x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 240 7.50x
Lancashire 74 1.93x
Middlesex 6 0.19x
Worcestershire 4 0.95x
Durham 2 0.21x
Somerset 2 0.38x
Cheshire 1 0.14x
Derbyshire 1 0.20x
Lincolnshire 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Halifax in Yorkshire leads with 67 Birtwhistles recorded in 1881 and an index of 142.64x.

Place Total Index
Halifax 67 142.64x
Gargrave 19 1328.67x
Warley 19 205.41x
Great Little Marsden 17 96.87x
Haslingden 16 100.88x
Leeds 13 7.20x
Bingley 12 58.88x
Keighley 11 32.26x
Habergham Eaves 10 28.56x
Poulton Barre 9 206.42x
Whalley 9 161.29x
Flasby Cum Winterburn 8 5714.29x
Skircoat 8 63.39x
Bradford 7 9.04x
Bradleys Both 7 1228.07x
Ovenden 7 49.16x
Preston Under Soar 7 1750.00x
Almondbury 6 38.78x
Haworth 6 78.95x
Oldham 6 4.85x
Skipton 6 59.58x
Midgley 5 146.63x
Pudsey 5 29.24x
Shelf 5 163.40x
Brightside Bierlow 4 6.37x
Earls Croome 4 1666.67x
Northowram 4 17.83x
Shoreditch London 4 2.86x
Henheads 3 1153.85x
Cononley 2 217.39x
Embsay Cum Eastby 2 155.04x
Hart Thorpe Bulmer 2 555.56x
Southowram 2 20.47x
St Marylebone London 2 1.16x
Toxteth Park 2 1.54x
Withycombe 2 645.16x
Barton St Peter 1 42.19x
Beard 1 60.98x
Beverley St Martin 1 18.73x
Farnhill 1 161.29x
Great Bolton 1 1.97x
Horton In Bradford 1 2.00x
Huddersfield 1 2.15x
Leyburn 1 92.59x
Manningham 1 2.54x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 1 12.20x
Salford 1 0.89x
Shipley 1 6.02x
Wadsworth 1 19.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 32
Sarah 15
Elizabeth 14
Ann 9
Hannah 9
Ellen 8
Margaret 6
Martha 6
Susannah 6
Emily 5
Emma 5
Alice 4
Annie 4
Jane 4
Ruth 4
Agnes 3
Elizth. 3
Harriet 3
Lucy 3
Rebecca 3
Ada 2
Anne 2
Clara 2
Edith 2
Fanny 2
Laura 2
Anna 1
Bertha 1
Betsy 1
Betty 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Ester 1
Ethel 1
Fanney 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Harriett 1
Isabella 1
Kate 1
Kathleen 1
Linda 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
M.E. 1
Mabeth 1
Minnie 1
Mry 1
Nancy 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 20
James 14
William 12
Thomas 8
George 7
Joseph 7
Robert 6
Charles 4
Henry 3
Walter 3
Alfred 2
Anthony 2
Arthur 2
Catlow 2
Edwin 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Harry 2
Isaac 2
Richard 2
Richd. 2
Wm. 2
Barker 1
Benjamen 1
Chas.Wm. 1
David 1
Dennis 1
Enoch 1
Farrar 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Fredric 1
G. 1
Herbert 1
Hezikiah 1
Holgate 1
Jabez 1
Joe 1
Leonard 1
Lewis 1
Nelson 1
Saml. 1
Saml.B. 1
Samuel 1
Seth 1
Sidney 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
W.H. 1
Young 1

FAQ

Birtwhistle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Birtwhistle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 332 people were recorded with the Birtwhistle surname. That placed it at #9,058 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Birtwhistle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016. That gives Birtwhistle a modern rank of #18,843.

What does the Birtwhistle map show?

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