NameCensus.

UK surname

Bodily

A surname derived from the Middle English word "bodily," meaning material or physical.

In the 1881 census there were 69 people recorded with the Bodily surname, ranking it #23,816 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 168, ranked #21,984, up from #23,816 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Greens Norton, Everdon and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Northamptonshire, Daventry and Rutland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bodily is 182 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 143.5%.

1881 census count

69

Ranked #23,816

Modern count

168

2016, ranked #21,984

Peak year

2010

182 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bodily had 69 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,816 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 168 in 2016, ranked #21,984.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 103 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bodily surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bodily surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bodily 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 41 #25,926
1861 historical 52 #27,369
1881 historical 69 #23,816
1891 historical 71 #27,934
1901 historical 102 #22,596
1911 historical 103 #22,328
1997 modern 144 #21,660
1998 modern 153 #21,387
1999 modern 150 #21,826
2000 modern 153 #21,520
2001 modern 150 #21,482
2002 modern 147 #22,197
2003 modern 145 #22,172
2004 modern 152 #21,628
2005 modern 162 #20,716
2006 modern 163 #20,789
2007 modern 170 #20,471
2008 modern 169 #20,745
2009 modern 171 #21,024
2010 modern 182 #20,662
2011 modern 177 #20,874
2012 modern 171 #21,303
2013 modern 169 #21,826
2014 modern 173 #21,639
2015 modern 169 #21,888
2016 modern 168 #21,984

Geography

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Where Bodilys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Greens Norton, Everdon, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, Blakesley, Pattishall and St George, Hanover Square, Buckingham Palace. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Northamptonshire, Daventry and Rutland. 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 Greens Norton Northamptonshire
2 Everdon Northamptonshire
3 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
4 Blakesley, Pattishall Northamptonshire
5 St George, Hanover Square, Buckingham Palace London (West Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Northamptonshire 004 South Northamptonshire
2 Daventry 010 Daventry
3 South Northamptonshire 007 South Northamptonshire
4 South Northamptonshire 010 South Northamptonshire
5 Rutland 005 Rutland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bodily

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bodily

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Bodily is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Bodily is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bodily falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bodily 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 Bodily, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bodily

The surname Bodily is believed to have originated in England during the late 12th or early 13th century. It is thought to be an occupational name derived from the Old English word "bodian," meaning "to announce" or "to proclaim." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been town criers or messengers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bodily name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which list a William Bodily residing in Oxfordshire. Another early reference is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, mentioning a John Bodili.

The name Bodily appears to have been particularly prevalent in the southern counties of England, such as Sussex, Hampshire, and Dorset. Some variations in spelling can be found in historical records, including Bodili, Bodely, and Bodyly.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the Bodily surname was John Bodily, a merchant from Bristol who lived from around 1510 to 1580. He was involved in the thriving wool trade and served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1557.

During the 17th century, the Bodily name appears in various parish records across England. One such example is William Bodily, who was baptized in Stratfield Turgis, Hampshire, in 1632.

Another noteworthy individual with the Bodily surname was Sir Nicholas Bodily, a Member of Parliament for Gloucester in the late 17th century. He was born in 1642 and played a role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw the overthrow of King James II.

In the 18th century, the Bodily name can be found in various military records. For instance, John Bodily served in the British Army during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) and fought in the Battle of Plassey in 1757.

As the Bodily surname spread across England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to various colonies and settlements around the world. However, its roots can be traced back to the occupational origins in medieval England, where the name first emerged.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bodily families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bodily 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. Northamptonshire leads with 39 Bodilys recorded in 1881 and an index of 61.60x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 39 61.60x
Essex 9 6.77x
Middlesex 9 1.34x
Staffordshire 7 3.08x
Lancashire 2 0.25x
Somerset 1 0.92x
Surrey 1 0.30x
Sussex 1 0.88x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Everdon in Northamptonshire leads with 13 Bodilys recorded in 1881 and an index of 10000.00x.

Place Total Index
Everdon 13 10000.00x
Blakesley 12 12000.00x
West Ham 9 30.69x
Daventry 8 888.89x
St George Hanover Square 8 67.45x
Wolverhampton 7 40.07x
Dallington 6 1621.62x
Liverpool 2 4.12x
Brighton 1 4.37x
Nynehead 1 1428.57x
Willesden 1 15.77x
Woking 1 50.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Joseph 3
Phineas 3
Robert 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Edward 2
Henry 2
John 2
Thomas 2
William 2
Alfred 1
Dan 1
Daniel 1
Felix 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
George 1
Herbert 1
Herbt.W. 1
James 1
Louis 1
Percy 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Bodily surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bodily surname in 1881?

In 1881, 69 people were recorded with the Bodily surname. That placed it at #23,816 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bodily surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 168 in 2016. That gives Bodily a modern rank of #21,984.

What does the Bodily surname mean?

A surname derived from the Middle English word "bodily," meaning material or physical.

What does the Bodily map show?

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