NameCensus.

UK surname

Blainey

In the 1881 census there were 142 people recorded with the Blainey surname, ranking it #16,012 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 234, ranked #17,572, down from #16,012 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, St Bees and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Powys, Oban South and South Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Blainey is 240 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 64.8%.

1881 census count

142

Ranked #16,012

Modern count

234

2016, ranked #17,572

Peak year

2014

240 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Blainey had 142 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,012 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 234 in 2016, ranked #17,572.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 180 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Blainey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Blainey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Blainey 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 134 #14,033
1861 historical 125 #17,678
1881 historical 142 #16,012
1891 historical 117 #21,658
1901 historical 180 #16,171
1911 historical 170 #16,510
1997 modern 222 #16,508
1998 modern 227 #16,754
1999 modern 230 #16,685
2000 modern 220 #17,138
2001 modern 216 #17,103
2002 modern 227 #16,877
2003 modern 222 #16,942
2004 modern 224 #16,918
2005 modern 227 #16,730
2006 modern 227 #16,842
2007 modern 222 #17,288
2008 modern 214 #17,854
2009 modern 208 #18,551
2010 modern 217 #18,443
2011 modern 224 #17,891
2012 modern 225 #17,733
2013 modern 233 #17,606
2014 modern 240 #17,387
2015 modern 237 #17,413
2016 modern 234 #17,572

Geography

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Where Blaineys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, St Bees, London parishes, Stoke-on-Tern and Stoneykirk. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Powys, Oban South, South Norfolk, Brentwood and Basildon. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 St Bees Cumberland
3 London parishes London 3
4 Stoke-on-Tern Shropshire
5 Stoneykirk Wigtown

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Powys 004 Powys
2 Oban South Argyll and Bute
3 South Norfolk 010 South Norfolk
4 Brentwood 001 Brentwood
5 Basildon 021 Basildon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Blainey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Blainey

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Blainey is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Blainey is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Blainey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Blainey 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. Glamorgan leads with 19 Blaineys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.88x.

County Total Index
Glamorgan 19 7.88x
Lanarkshire 19 4.24x
Middlesex 16 1.16x
Ayrshire 9 8.68x
Lancashire 9 0.55x
Montgomeryshire 9 28.36x
Shropshire 8 6.69x
Wigtownshire 8 43.50x
Cumberland 6 5.03x
Herefordshire 5 8.80x
Worcestershire 5 2.76x
Hampshire 4 1.41x
Monmouthshire 4 3.99x
Renfrewshire 4 3.73x
Staffordshire 4 0.86x
Dorset 3 3.30x
Warwickshire 3 0.86x
Brecknockshire 1 3.61x
Cornwall 1 0.64x
Dumfriesshire 1 3.27x
Norfolk 1 0.47x
Oxfordshire 1 1.17x
Surrey 1 0.15x
Yorkshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ystradyfodwg in Glamorgan leads with 13 Blaineys recorded in 1881 and an index of 61.47x.

Place Total Index
Ystradyfodwg 13 61.47x
Dalmellington 9 295.08x
Stoneykirk 8 606.06x
Glasgow 7 8.80x
St Martin In Fields 7 84.44x
St Marylebone London 7 9.47x
Ashton Under Lyne 6 16.70x
Penarth 6 254.24x
Guilsfield 5 434.78x
Lesmahagow 5 105.49x
Stoke Upon Tern 5 1136.36x
Whitehaven 5 78.62x
Bedwellty 4 22.62x
Bedhampton 3 882.35x
Burghill 3 468.75x
Llanerfyl 3 810.81x
Maryhill 3 34.21x
Paisley Middle Church 3 48.00x
Portland 3 61.35x
Shettleston 3 74.81x
Aston 2 10000.00x
Churchill 2 1818.18x
Kidderminster Foreign 2 78.13x
Liverpool 2 2.00x
Moreton Say 2 645.16x
Tipton 2 13.97x
Walsall Foreign 2 8.28x
Aspull 1 25.84x
Bampton 1 151.52x
Barony 1 0.88x
Bermondsey 1 2.43x
Birmingham 1 0.86x
Brecknock St John 1 42.74x
Carisbrooke 1 25.38x
Chirbury 1 142.86x
Grimley 1 294.12x
Hoddam 1 135.14x
Kensington London 1 1.30x
Llanidloes 1 42.55x
Lochwinnoch 1 62.50x
Marlingford 1 909.09x
Marske In Guisbrough 1 40.98x
Paddington London 1 1.96x
Sowe 1 158.73x
Sutton Coldfield 1 27.25x
Wendron 1 45.87x
Workington 1 14.64x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 7
Mary 7
Anne 4
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Jane 3
Annie 2
Susan 2
Agnes 1
Bessie 1
Catherine 1
Eliz. 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Johanna 1
Julia 1
Lideys 1
Louisa 1
Margret 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 15
William 10
James 4
Thomas 4
Benjamin 3
Edward 3
Charles 2
Henry 2
Richard 2
Albert 1
David 1
Edwin 1
George 1
Horace 1
Joseph 1
Mathew 1
Matthew 1
Maurice 1
Owen 1
Robert 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Blainey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Blainey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 142 people were recorded with the Blainey surname. That placed it at #16,012 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Blainey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 234 in 2016. That gives Blainey a modern rank of #17,572.

What does the Blainey map show?

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