NameCensus.

UK surname

Boffey

In the 1881 census there were 432 people recorded with the Boffey surname, ranking it #7,547 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 530, ranked #9,572, down from #7,547 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Winwick, Sandbach and Stapenhill. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Liverpool and Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Boffey is 583 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.7%.

1881 census count

432

Ranked #7,547

Modern count

530

2016, ranked #9,572

Peak year

2002

583 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Boffey had 432 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,547 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 530 in 2016, ranked #9,572.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 544 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Boffey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Boffey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Boffey 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 215 #9,860
1861 historical 216 #11,273
1881 historical 432 #7,547
1891 historical 468 #7,833
1901 historical 509 #7,954
1911 historical 544 #7,356
1997 modern 532 #8,887
1998 modern 565 #8,738
1999 modern 580 #8,632
2000 modern 573 #8,671
2001 modern 567 #8,610
2002 modern 583 #8,610
2003 modern 560 #8,717
2004 modern 548 #8,890
2005 modern 520 #9,187
2006 modern 514 #9,291
2007 modern 516 #9,343
2008 modern 521 #9,342
2009 modern 536 #9,356
2010 modern 536 #9,559
2011 modern 533 #9,500
2012 modern 528 #9,482
2013 modern 531 #9,597
2014 modern 527 #9,716
2015 modern 531 #9,584
2016 modern 530 #9,572

Geography

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Where Boffeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Winwick, Sandbach, Stapenhill, Church Gresley and Audlem (Dodcot-cum-Wilkesley), Acton (Acton). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Liverpool and Dudley. 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 Winwick Lancashire
2 Sandbach Cheshire
3 Stapenhill Staffordshire
4 Church Gresley Staffordshire
5 Audlem (Dodcot-cum-Wilkesley), Acton (Acton) Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 033 Cheshire East
2 Liverpool 005 Liverpool
3 Cheshire East 046 Cheshire East
4 Dudley 026 Dudley
5 Dudley 033 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Boffey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Boffey

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

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Boffey 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

Boffey is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Boffey falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Boffey is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Boffey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Boffey 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. Cheshire leads with 225 Boffeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.19x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 225 24.19x
Derbyshire 59 8.94x
Lancashire 49 0.98x
Staffordshire 31 2.18x
Worcestershire 15 2.73x
Warwickshire 8 0.75x
Devon 7 0.80x
Hampshire 7 0.81x
Sussex 6 0.84x
Kent 5 0.35x
Shropshire 5 1.37x
Middlesex 4 0.09x
Montgomeryshire 3 3.11x
Flintshire 2 1.77x
Yorkshire 2 0.05x
Anglesey 1 1.34x
Leicestershire 1 0.21x
Somerset 1 0.15x
Surrey 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dodcott Cum Wilkesley in Cheshire leads with 25 Boffeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2631.58x.

Place Total Index
Dodcott Cum Wilkesley 25 2631.58x
Stapenhill 25 254.58x
Acton In Nantwich 23 6216.22x
Stanton Newhall 21 995.26x
Ashton In Makerfield 17 119.38x
Monks Coppenhall 15 42.74x
Sandbach 14 176.54x
Oldbury 13 48.01x
Bradwall 11 1145.83x
Betchton 10 840.34x
Haslington 10 381.68x
Walsall Foreign 10 13.61x
Stoke In Nantwich 9 3214.29x
Brereton Cum Smethwick 8 909.09x
Bulkeley 8 3200.00x
Bushbury 8 313.73x
Nantwich 8 74.01x
Smallwood 8 963.86x
Abram 7 182.29x
Arclid 7 1489.36x
Cholmondeston 7 2592.59x
Darnhall 7 2916.67x
Swadlincote 7 958.90x
Warrington 7 11.81x
Wettenhall 7 2258.06x
Hurdsfield 6 104.90x
Moston 6 119.52x
Newton Abbot St Mary 6 81.52x
Portsea 6 3.54x
South Bersted 6 99.34x
Birkenhead 5 6.74x
Birmingham 5 1.41x
Church Coppenhall 5 120.19x
Hurleston 5 2777.78x
West Bromwich 5 6.14x
Woolwich 5 9.41x
Ardwick 4 8.87x
Berriew 3 112.78x
Calveley 3 750.00x
Church Gresley 3 28.57x
Crewe In Nantwich 3 491.80x
Long Eaton 3 34.44x
Newhall In Nantwich 3 291.26x
Over 3 31.75x
Stockport 3 6.27x
Wardle 3 1363.64x
Wolstanton Chatterly 3 205.48x
Aston 2 0.68x
Bronington 2 204.08x
Burland 2 210.53x
Burslem 2 4.91x
Liverpool 2 0.66x
Manchester 2 0.89x
Tottenham 2 2.98x
Wales 2 60.61x
Wolverley 2 41.41x
Adderley 1 158.73x
Austerson 1 1111.11x
Baschurch 1 40.16x
Beaulieu 1 74.63x
Bedminster 1 1.57x
Castleton 1 2.00x
Chorley In Nantwich 1 416.67x
Darlaston 1 5.09x
Everton 1 0.63x
Exeter St Sidwell 1 4.98x
Leicester St Margaret 1 0.88x
Moston In Congleton 1 384.62x
Newport 1 22.78x
Salford 1 0.68x
Sound 1 250.00x
St Pancras London 1 0.29x
Stapeley 1 114.94x
Sutton Coldfield 1 8.95x
Walsall Borough 1 9.06x
Walton On Hill 1 3.69x
Westminster St James 1 2.31x
Wimbledon 1 4.34x
Wolstanton 1 2.31x
Woore 1 104.17x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 32
William 22
Joseph 18
Thomas 16
Samuel 14
Robert 12
George 10
James 9
Philip 8
Edward 7
Richard 6
Arthur 5
Benjamin 5
Frank 4
Harry 4
Henry 4
Alfred 3
Charles 3
Thos. 3
Fred 2
Fredrick 2
Alf. 1
Clement 1
Earnest 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frederic 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Herbert 1
Hough 1
Hugh 1
Jas. 1
Michael 1
Peter 1
Phillip 1
Roland 1
Samual 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Boffey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Boffey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 432 people were recorded with the Boffey surname. That placed it at #7,547 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Boffey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 530 in 2016. That gives Boffey a modern rank of #9,572.

What does the Boffey map show?

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