NameCensus.

UK surname

Bonthron

In the 1881 census there were 113 people recorded with the Bonthron surname, ranking it #18,412 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 89, ranked #32,297, down from #18,412 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Anstruther Easter and Wester, Edinburgh and Scoonie. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include IZ02, IZ03 and IZ01.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bonthron is 162 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 21.2%.

1881 census count

113

Ranked #18,412

Modern count

89

2016, ranked #32,297

Peak year

1851

162 bearers

Map years

4

1851 to 1891

Key insights

  • Bonthron had 113 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,412 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 89 in 2016, ranked #32,297.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 162 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Bonthron surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bonthron surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bonthron 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 162 #12,215
1861 historical 159 #14,553
1881 historical 113 #18,412
1891 historical 115 #21,878
1901 historical 93 #23,689
1911 historical 17 #31,675
1997 modern 88 #28,611
1998 modern 86 #29,343
1999 modern 87 #29,398
2000 modern 89 #29,173
2001 modern 90 #28,793
2002 modern 102 #27,596
2003 modern 97 #28,217
2004 modern 97 #28,455
2005 modern 99 #28,177
2006 modern 93 #29,411
2007 modern 91 #30,061
2008 modern 91 #30,431
2009 modern 89 #31,235
2010 modern 102 #29,930
2011 modern 93 #31,169
2012 modern 89 #31,934
2013 modern 86 #32,557
2014 modern 88 #32,495
2015 modern 92 #32,075
2016 modern 89 #32,297

Geography

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Where Bonthrons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Anstruther Easter and Wester, Edinburgh, Scoonie, Crail and St. Andrews and St Leonards. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to IZ02, IZ03, IZ01, Caerphilly and IZ09. 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 Anstruther Easter and Wester Fife
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Scoonie Fife
4 Crail Fife
5 St. Andrews and St Leonards Fife

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 IZ02 East Lothian
2 IZ03 East Lothian
3 IZ01 East Lothian
4 Caerphilly 015 Caerphilly
5 IZ09 East Lothian

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bonthron

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bonthron

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Bonthron surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Bonthron household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Bonthron is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bonthron is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bonthron falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Bonthron families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bonthron 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. Fife leads with 74 Bonthrons recorded in 1881 and an index of 117.59x.

County Total Index
Fife 74 117.59x
Midlothian 15 10.53x
Lanarkshire 4 1.16x
East Lothian 3 21.31x
Angus 2 2.03x
Buteshire 2 31.06x
Kinross-shire 2 74.35x
Peeblesshire 2 40.00x
Ross-shire 2 6.85x
Dunbartonshire 1 3.50x
Durham 1 0.32x
Perthshire 1 2.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Anstruther Easter in Fife leads with 14 Bonthrons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3111.11x.

Place Total Index
Anstruther Easter 14 3111.11x
Abbotshall 10 425.53x
St Andrews 10 349.65x
Auchtermuchty 8 941.18x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 7 12.22x
Monimail 7 2258.06x
Crail 5 781.25x
Edinburgh St Stephens 4 142.86x
Scoonie 4 294.12x
Berwick North 3 303.03x
Dysart 3 70.75x
Kirkcaldy 3 96.15x
South Leith 3 18.71x
Carstairs 2 281.69x
Cumbrae 2 294.12x
Govan 2 2.35x
Kennoway 2 350.88x
Markinch 2 93.46x
Tain 2 180.18x
Wemyss 2 75.19x
West Linton 2 487.80x
Anstruther Wester 1 416.67x
Burntisland 1 56.82x
Cameron 1 270.27x
Edinburgh St Andrews 1 84.75x
Kingsbarns 1 344.83x
Kinross 1 108.70x
Kirriemuir 1 41.15x
Liff Benvie 1 6.69x
Longforgan 1 149.25x
Portmoak 1 263.16x
Row 1 27.03x
Stranton 1 9.39x

Top male names

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

Name Count
Robt. 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 Bonthron households.

Occupation Count
Civil Engineer 1

FAQ

Bonthron surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bonthron surname in 1881?

In 1881, 113 people were recorded with the Bonthron surname. That placed it at #18,412 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bonthron surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 89 in 2016. That gives Bonthron a modern rank of #32,297.

What does the Bonthron map show?

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