NameCensus.

UK surname

Bonser

A variant of Bonsor, an English habitational surname for someone from a place called Bonsor in Hertfordshire.

In the 1881 census there were 780 people recorded with the Bonser surname, ranking it #4,753 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,415, ranked #4,313, up from #4,753 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Barwell, Ibstock and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bassetlaw, Forest of Dean and Ashfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bonser is 1,508 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 81.4%.

1881 census count

780

Ranked #4,753

Modern count

1,415

2016, ranked #4,313

Peak year

2000

1,508 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bonser had 780 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,753 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,415 in 2016, ranked #4,313.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,452 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bonser surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bonser surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bonser 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 483 #5,157
1861 historical 449 #5,764
1881 historical 780 #4,753
1891 historical 902 #4,570
1901 historical 1,229 #4,029
1911 historical 1,452 #3,321
1997 modern 1,478 #3,957
1998 modern 1,496 #4,063
1999 modern 1,492 #4,109
2000 modern 1,508 #4,047
2001 modern 1,480 #4,027
2002 modern 1,496 #4,087
2003 modern 1,438 #4,133
2004 modern 1,452 #4,109
2005 modern 1,434 #4,113
2006 modern 1,416 #4,159
2007 modern 1,422 #4,179
2008 modern 1,433 #4,179
2009 modern 1,456 #4,210
2010 modern 1,459 #4,274
2011 modern 1,441 #4,271
2012 modern 1,433 #4,230
2013 modern 1,463 #4,224
2014 modern 1,468 #4,242
2015 modern 1,428 #4,287
2016 modern 1,415 #4,313

Geography

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Where Bonsers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Barwell, Ibstock, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bassetlaw, Forest of Dean, Ashfield and Hinckley and Bosworth. 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 Barwell Leicestershire
2 Ibstock Leicestershire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood Nottinghamshire
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bassetlaw 004 Bassetlaw
2 Forest of Dean 004 Forest of Dean
3 Ashfield 008 Ashfield
4 Hinckley and Bosworth 004 Hinckley and Bosworth
5 Ashfield 005 Ashfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bonser

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bonser

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

Bonser 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

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

Meaning and origin of Bonser

The surname Bonser has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to derive from the Old English words "bān" meaning "bone" and "sere" meaning "dry," potentially referring to a person involved in the trade or handling of dried bones.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1297, which mentions a certain William Bonsour. This variation in spelling suggests that the name likely evolved over time from its original form.

In the 14th century, the surname was found in various records across Yorkshire and Lancashire, such as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns from 1379, which lists a John Bonsour residing in the village of Bingley.

The Bonser surname has also been linked to certain place names, particularly in Yorkshire. For instance, some historians suggest a connection to the hamlet of Bonsers, which was once part of the township of Eccleshill near Bradford.

Notable individuals bearing the Bonser surname throughout history include John Bonser (c.1585-1650), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Ecclesfield in Yorkshire during the 17th century.

Later, in the 18th century, a certain William Bonser (1728-1803) gained recognition as a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

Moving into the 19th century, Henry Bonser (1817-1892) was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Yorkshire, including the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Mirfield.

Another notable figure was Walter Bonser (1866-1935), a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Barnsley constituency from 1922 to 1935.

Finally, in more recent history, Geoffrey Bonser (1923-2020) was a distinguished English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and later served as the president of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1993 to 1994.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bonser families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bonser 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 217 Bonsers recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.97x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 217 20.97x
Leicestershire 203 23.85x
Derbyshire 79 6.57x
Lancashire 64 0.70x
Yorkshire 43 0.57x
Warwickshire 40 2.07x
Worcestershire 25 2.49x
Middlesex 20 0.26x
Staffordshire 20 0.77x
Northamptonshire 16 2.22x
Surrey 12 0.32x
Kent 9 0.34x
Gloucestershire 7 0.46x
Lincolnshire 6 0.49x
Channel Islands 5 2.20x
Oxfordshire 5 1.05x
Bedfordshire 3 0.75x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.65x
Essex 3 0.20x
Flintshire 2 0.97x
Hampshire 2 0.13x
Sussex 2 0.15x
Anglesey 1 0.74x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leicester St Mary in Leicestershire leads with 47 Bonsers recorded in 1881 and an index of 68.34x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Mary 47 68.34x
Nottingham St Mary 37 13.82x
Barwell 32 711.11x
Radford 32 60.87x
Hugglescote 23 183.71x
Aston 20 3.75x
Measham 19 429.86x
Sutton In Ashfield 16 71.24x
Whitwick 14 129.39x
Ecclesall Bierlow 12 7.75x
Ilkeston 12 35.61x
Lenton 12 49.24x
Oldbury 12 24.33x
Smalley 12 560.75x
Dudley 11 9.03x
Beeston 10 84.10x
Colston Bassett 10 1234.57x
Kinoulton 10 1149.43x
Snarestone 10 1190.48x
Bedworth 9 63.69x
Castleton 9 9.89x
Heaton Norris 9 17.36x
Leicester St Margaret 9 4.34x
Spotland 9 8.89x
Hinckley 8 39.62x
Wolverhampton 8 4.01x
Yapham With Meltonby 8 1290.32x
Breedon 7 372.34x
Bunny 7 1014.49x
Derby St Alkmund 7 19.43x
East Leake 7 282.26x
Kirkby In Ashfield 7 63.23x
Paddington London 7 2.48x
Shirland 7 77.86x
Westbury On Severn East 7 20.56x
Woolwich 7 7.23x
Blackwell 6 101.52x
Bulwell 6 26.67x
Clowne 6 125.52x
Hulme 6 3.15x
Kirkby Mallory Earl 6 147.06x
Mansfield 6 16.76x
Pilton 6 1875.00x
Preston 6 2.46x
Quorndon 6 125.52x
Rawmarsh 6 22.32x
Birmingham 5 0.77x
Blackfordby 5 183.82x
Camberwell 5 1.02x
Dalton In Huddersfield 5 29.34x
Droylsden 5 16.82x
Fotheringhay 5 847.46x
Hucknall Under 5 93.63x
Nether Hallam 5 4.86x
Newton Harcourt 5 1020.41x
Oldham 5 1.70x
Pinxton 5 81.83x
St Helier 5 6.75x
Toxteth Park 5 1.62x
Upper Broughton 5 581.40x
Banbury 4 42.15x
Barkestone 4 506.33x
Basford 4 8.39x
Clawson 4 204.08x
Greasley 4 17.13x
Hackney London 4 0.93x
Hawksworth 4 952.38x
Ibstock 4 64.62x
Lambeth 4 0.60x
Seals 4 133.33x
Codnor Loscoe 3 31.51x
Ogley Hay 3 55.76x
Sheepshed 3 25.71x
Sheffield 3 1.24x
Shillington 3 51.28x
St Marylebone London 3 0.73x
Stony Stratford East 3 157.07x
Strelley 3 454.55x
Tipton 3 3.78x
Whittington 3 18.04x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 57
Sarah 36
Elizabeth 35
Ann 22
Eliza 20
Emma 16
Alice 15
Emily 13
Ellen 12
Fanny 9
Hannah 9
Jane 8
Annie 7
Catherine 7
Clara 7
Florence 7
Harriet 6
Lucy 6
Ada 5
Harriett 5
Louisa 5
Margaret 5
Gertrude 4
Martha 4
Agnes 3
Charlotte 3
Edith 3
Kate 3
Amy 2
Caroline 2
Dorothy 2
Elizth. 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Julia 2
Maria 2
Matilda 2
Nelly 2
Phoebe 2
Rachael 2
Rose 2
Sophia 2
Eliza.A. 1
Elizth.H. 1
Emilie 1
Eth. 1
John 1
Lily 1
Lissie 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 65
William 52
George 40
Thomas 35
James 25
Charles 13
Joseph 11
Edward 10
Samuel 10
Alfred 9
Harry 8
Henry 8
Arthur 7
Frederick 7
Robert 5
Edwin 4
David 3
Ernest 3
Herbert 3
Isaac 3
Tom 3
Walter 3
Albert 2
Archer 2
Benjamin 2
Francis 2
Fredk. 2
Fredrick 2
Richard 2
Seth 2
Thos. 2
Wm. 2
Augustus 1
Barratt 1
Daniel 1
Edgar 1
Edmund 1
Fergus 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Fredie 1
Geo. 1
Geo.Gresham 1
Jos. 1
Lazarius 1
Louis 1
Manton 1
Manuel 1
Mw.? 1
Peter 1

FAQ

Bonser surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bonser surname in 1881?

In 1881, 780 people were recorded with the Bonser surname. That placed it at #4,753 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bonser surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,415 in 2016. That gives Bonser a modern rank of #4,313.

What does the Bonser surname mean?

A variant of Bonsor, an English habitational surname for someone from a place called Bonsor in Hertfordshire.

What does the Bonser map show?

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