NameCensus.

UK surname

Bogue

A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a bog, swamp, or muddy area.

In the 1881 census there were 167 people recorded with the Bogue surname, ranking it #14,443 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 257, ranked #16,485, down from #14,443 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Gateshead and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Hampshire, Alness and Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bogue is 267 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 53.9%.

1881 census count

167

Ranked #14,443

Modern count

257

2016, ranked #16,485

Peak year

1997

267 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bogue had 167 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,443 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 257 in 2016, ranked #16,485.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 190 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Bogue surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bogue surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bogue 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 141 #13,507
1861 historical 101 #20,955
1881 historical 167 #14,443
1891 historical 157 #17,778
1901 historical 190 #15,634
1911 historical 103 #22,328
1997 modern 267 #14,623
1998 modern 255 #15,470
1999 modern 263 #15,267
2000 modern 255 #15,538
2001 modern 251 #15,483
2002 modern 255 #15,599
2003 modern 243 #15,911
2004 modern 246 #15,854
2005 modern 258 #15,323
2006 modern 257 #15,448
2007 modern 263 #15,366
2008 modern 259 #15,688
2009 modern 259 #16,013
2010 modern 263 #16,205
2011 modern 261 #16,145
2012 modern 250 #16,523
2013 modern 261 #16,309
2014 modern 255 #16,682
2015 modern 263 #16,224
2016 modern 257 #16,485

Geography

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Where Bogues are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Gateshead, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Hampshire, Alness, Cheshire West and Chester and Bridgend. 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 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Hampshire 002 East Hampshire
2 Alness Highland
3 East Hampshire 003 East Hampshire
4 Cheshire West and Chester 038 Cheshire West and Chester
5 Bridgend 011 Bridgend

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bogue

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bogue

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Bogue surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bogue household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Bogue 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

Bogue is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bogue falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bogue 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Bogue

The surname "BOGUE" is believed to have originated in France, possibly as early as the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "bouge," meaning a leather bag or pouch. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a maker or seller of such items.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Radulfus Boge" in Lincolnshire, England. It is possible that this individual or his ancestors had immigrated from France, bringing the name with them.

In the 13th century, the name can be found in various spellings, such as "Bouge," "Boughe," and "Boge," in records from various regions of France, including Normandy and Picardy. This suggests that the name had become well-established in those areas by that time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name began to appear more frequently in English records, likely due to the influx of French Huguenot refugees fleeing religious persecution. Notable individuals with the surname "BOGUE" from this period include:

1. John Bogue (1575-1630), an English clergyman and author of several religious works. 2. David Bogue (1750-1825), a Scottish minister and prominent figure in the Baptist missionary movement.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the name continued to spread throughout the English-speaking world as families emigrated from Britain and France to North America and other parts of the British Empire. Some notable individuals with the surname "BOGUE" from this era include:

3. John Bogue (1784-1855), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada. 4. Virgil Anson Bogue (1846-1916), an American businessman and politician who served as the 17th Governor of Oklahoma. 5. Benjamin Bogue (1869-1954), an American architect known for his work in the Prairie School style, including several buildings in Chicago.

The surname "BOGUE" can also be found in various place names, such as Bogue Inlet and Bogue Sound in North Carolina, which were likely named after early settlers with that surname in the area.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bogue families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bogue 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. Angus leads with 41 Bogues recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.33x.

County Total Index
Angus 41 27.33x
Middlesex 23 1.42x
Yorkshire 16 1.00x
Lanarkshire 15 2.86x
Midlothian 14 6.45x
Lancashire 11 0.57x
Northumberland 8 3.32x
Westmorland 6 16.86x
Berwickshire 5 25.50x
Essex 5 1.56x
Durham 4 0.83x
Monmouthshire 3 2.56x
Cumberland 2 1.43x
Hampshire 2 0.60x
Hertfordshire 2 1.79x
Argyllshire 1 2.22x
Ayrshire 1 0.83x
Berkshire 1 0.82x
Cornwall 1 0.55x
Devon 1 0.30x
Flintshire 1 2.30x
Pembrokeshire 1 1.94x
Ross-shire 1 2.25x
Stirlingshire 1 1.67x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 16 Bogues recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.57x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 16 28.57x
Arbroath 11 221.33x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 11 12.60x
Liff Benvie 11 48.31x
Liverpool 9 7.71x
Eston 7 200.57x
Poplar London 7 22.91x
Barony 6 4.53x
Govan 6 4.63x
Kendal 6 92.17x
Gosfield 5 1470.59x
Hackney London 5 5.51x
Islington London 5 3.19x
Middlesbrough 5 23.92x
Stockton On Tees 4 17.23x
Tweedmouth 4 133.33x
West Haddlesey 4 5000.00x
Aberystruth 3 29.07x
Berwick Upon Tweed 3 58.71x
Glasgow 3 3.23x
Hammersmith London 3 7.52x
Lochee 3 223.88x
Mordington 3 1500.00x
Christchurch 2 27.78x
Edrom 2 238.10x
St Albans St Michael 2 160.00x
St Pancras London 2 1.53x
Bothkennar 1 56.18x
Burton 1 192.31x
Cleator 1 17.24x
Crumpsall 1 22.08x
Duddingston 1 22.99x
Dunoon Kilmun 1 28.41x
Edinburgh Canongate 1 18.12x
Edinburgh Old 1 75.76x
Elswick 1 5.20x
Falmouth 1 15.41x
Holywell 1 18.28x
Largs 1 34.97x
Millom 1 23.42x
Newton Abbot St Mary 1 35.34x
Reading St Giles 1 8.38x
Rosskeen 1 47.85x
Rusholme 1 19.49x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 8
John 8
William 4
James 3
Wm. 3
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Arthur 1
Bernard 1
Charles 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Frances 1
Hugh 1
Johnson 1
Saml. 1
Sydney 1
Walter 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 Bogue households.

FAQ

Bogue surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bogue surname in 1881?

In 1881, 167 people were recorded with the Bogue surname. That placed it at #14,443 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bogue surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 257 in 2016. That gives Bogue a modern rank of #16,485.

What does the Bogue surname mean?

A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a bog, swamp, or muddy area.

What does the Bogue map show?

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