NameCensus.

UK surname

Bodie

Derived from a place name meaning "dwelling" or "shelter" in Anglo-Saxon, likely referring to someone who lived there.

In the 1881 census there were 66 people recorded with the Bodie surname, ranking it #24,256 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 204, ranked #19,320, up from #24,256 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shawhead and Whifflet, Carnoustie East and Westminster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bodie is 211 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 209.1%.

1881 census count

66

Ranked #24,256

Modern count

204

2016, ranked #19,320

Peak year

2010

211 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bodie had 66 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,256 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 204 in 2016, ranked #19,320.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 80 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Bodie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bodie surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bodie 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 76 #20,127
1861 historical 64 #25,747
1881 historical 66 #24,256
1891 historical 79 #26,897
1901 historical 80 #25,251
1911 historical 60 #26,808
1997 modern 189 #18,267
1998 modern 182 #19,162
1999 modern 186 #19,073
2000 modern 198 #18,330
2001 modern 191 #18,453
2002 modern 196 #18,535
2003 modern 188 #18,810
2004 modern 187 #18,993
2005 modern 185 #19,051
2006 modern 183 #19,326
2007 modern 185 #19,402
2008 modern 189 #19,315
2009 modern 198 #19,145
2010 modern 211 #18,774
2011 modern 195 #19,610
2012 modern 191 #19,802
2013 modern 197 #19,725
2014 modern 195 #20,036
2015 modern 197 #19,774
2016 modern 204 #19,320

Geography

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Where Bodies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shawhead and Whifflet, Carnoustie East, Westminster, Mauchline and Aylesbury Vale. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shawhead and Whifflet North Lanarkshire
2 Carnoustie East Angus
3 Westminster 007 Westminster
4 Mauchline East Ayrshire
5 Aylesbury Vale 006 Aylesbury Vale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bodie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bodie

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

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Bodie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Bodie 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 includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Bodie is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Bodie is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Bodie

The surname Bodie is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "bodi," meaning a messenger or attendant. It first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Bodi" in Derbyshire and Yorkshire.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers was Richard Bodi, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1230. Another early bearer was Robert Bodi, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279.

The name was initially concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire. It later spread to other parts of the country, with variations in spelling emerging, such as Boddy, Boadie, and Bodey.

Bodie is also associated with several place names in England, including Bodie's Well in Yorkshire and Bodie's Field in Northamptonshire. These place names likely contributed to the development of the surname in those areas.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Bodie (1470-1541), a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another was William Bodie (1625-1685), a prominent English merchant and landowner in Barbados during the 17th century.

In the United States, the name Bodie gained recognition through the mining town of Bodie, California, established in 1859 during the gold rush era. The town was named after William S. Bodey (also spelled Bodie), one of the first settlers and prospectors in the area.

Other notable individuals with the surname Bodie include James Bodie (1789-1862), a Scottish-born Australian settler and landowner in New South Wales, and John Bodie (1820-1892), an Irish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament.

Throughout its history, the surname Bodie has maintained a relatively consistent spelling, with some minor variations. Its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "bodi," reflecting its early roots in the northern counties of England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bodie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bodie 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 34 Bodies recorded in 1881 and an index of 57.05x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 34 57.05x
Banffshire 9 67.42x
Cheshire 5 3.52x
Kent 5 2.28x
Lanarkshire 4 1.92x
Angus 3 5.03x
Sussex 2 1.84x
Middlesex 1 0.16x
Midlothian 1 1.16x
Perthshire 1 3.46x
Warwickshire 1 0.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aberdeen Old Machar in Aberdeenshire leads with 11 Bodies recorded in 1881 and an index of 88.42x.

Place Total Index
Aberdeen Old Machar 11 88.42x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 9 80.72x
Marnoch 8 1111.11x
Charlton Next Woolwich 5 218.34x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 5 306.75x
Tyrie 5 666.67x
Barony 4 7.59x
Dundee 3 13.48x
Meldrum 3 600.00x
Ringmer 2 645.16x
Alvah 1 333.33x
Bendochy 1 625.00x
Chapel Of Garioch 1 238.10x
Coventry Holy Trinity 1 20.62x
Cruden 1 129.87x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 2.88x
Inverurie 1 149.25x
Kennethmont 1 454.55x
Old Deer 1 88.50x
Tarves 1 178.57x
Westminster St Margaret 1 32.26x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2
Anne 1
Elizabeth 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 3
John 2
Patrick 2
Arthur 1
Edwin 1
Valentine 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Bodie households.

FAQ

Bodie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bodie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 66 people were recorded with the Bodie surname. That placed it at #24,256 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bodie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 204 in 2016. That gives Bodie a modern rank of #19,320.

What does the Bodie surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "dwelling" or "shelter" in Anglo-Saxon, likely referring to someone who lived there.

What does the Bodie map show?

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