NameCensus.

UK surname

Bontoft

In the 1881 census there were 228 people recorded with the Bontoft surname, ranking it #11,826 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 308, ranked #14,479, down from #11,826 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Louth, Boston (incl. Boston allotments) and Skirbeck (incl. Skirbeck Allotments). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Boston, Waverley and South Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bontoft is 340 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.1%.

1881 census count

228

Ranked #11,826

Modern count

308

2016, ranked #14,479

Peak year

1998

340 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bontoft had 228 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,826 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 308 in 2016, ranked #14,479.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 317 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Bontoft surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bontoft surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bontoft 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 105 #16,618
1861 historical 113 #19,151
1881 historical 228 #11,826
1891 historical 239 #13,173
1901 historical 280 #12,193
1911 historical 317 #11,011
1997 modern 336 #12,549
1998 modern 340 #12,784
1999 modern 337 #12,942
2000 modern 335 #12,953
2001 modern 325 #13,030
2002 modern 324 #13,305
2003 modern 312 #13,467
2004 modern 319 #13,342
2005 modern 317 #13,323
2006 modern 309 #13,633
2007 modern 307 #13,822
2008 modern 309 #13,860
2009 modern 300 #14,420
2010 modern 311 #14,345
2011 modern 313 #14,200
2012 modern 312 #14,131
2013 modern 304 #14,614
2014 modern 313 #14,406
2015 modern 311 #14,369
2016 modern 308 #14,479

Geography

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Where Bontofts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Louth, Boston (incl. Boston allotments), Skirbeck (incl. Skirbeck Allotments), Horncastle (incl. Horncastle allotments) and Hessle. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Boston, Waverley and South Somerset. 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 Louth Lincolnshire
2 Boston (incl. Boston allotments) Lincolnshire
3 Skirbeck (incl. Skirbeck Allotments) Lincolnshire
4 Horncastle (incl. Horncastle allotments) Lincolnshire
5 Hessle Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Boston 002 Boston
2 Waverley 010 Waverley
3 Boston 004 Boston
4 South Somerset 002 South Somerset
5 Boston 008 Boston

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bontoft

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bontoft

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bontoft, 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 Bontoft surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bontoft 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Bontoft 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

Bontoft 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

Bontoft falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Bontoft families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bontoft 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. Lincolnshire leads with 166 Bontofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 46.68x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 166 46.68x
Yorkshire 37 1.68x
Nottinghamshire 12 4.00x
Derbyshire 8 2.30x
Durham 2 0.30x
Essex 1 0.23x
Kent 1 0.13x
Staffordshire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Boston in Lincolnshire leads with 31 Bontofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 287.30x.

Place Total Index
Boston 31 287.30x
Wrangle 17 1910.11x
Huttoft 10 2173.91x
Misterton 10 1075.27x
Brattleby 9 8181.82x
Whittington 8 165.98x
Mareham Le Fen 7 1250.00x
North South Anston 7 729.17x
Skirbeck Quarter 7 1076.92x
Stainton Le Vale 6 5000.00x
Weston 6 937.50x
Drypool 5 148.37x
Faldingworth 5 2380.95x
Great Carlton 5 2500.00x
Louth 5 61.35x
Austonley 4 320.00x
Ilkley 4 111.11x
Morton In Gainsborough 4 571.43x
St Botolph Lincoln 4 156.25x
St Swithin Lincoln 4 71.56x
Walcott 4 701.75x
Washingborough 4 727.27x
Eston 3 62.50x
Heckington 3 222.22x
Manningham 3 11.05x
Southcoates 3 24.53x
Amotherby 2 952.38x
Barlings 2 555.56x
Horncastle 2 54.50x
Kirton 2 140.85x
Leeds 2 1.61x
Stainton 2 2000.00x
Thornton Curtis 2 555.56x
Wainfleet St Mary 2 370.37x
Walesby 2 833.33x
Winthorpe 2 769.23x
Alford 1 45.45x
Bloxholm 1 1428.57x
Brauncewell 1 769.23x
Brightside Bierlow 1 2.31x
Clee With Weelsby 1 12.84x
Crowle 1 46.30x
Fleet 1 99.01x
Frieston 1 119.05x
Gainsborough 1 11.93x
Hartlepool 1 10.64x
Hessle In Sculcoates 1 51.28x
Market Rasen 1 50.25x
Moulton 1 58.48x
Nottingham St Mary 1 1.29x
Orpington 1 43.10x
Prittlewell 1 16.45x
Ruskington 1 109.89x
Sculcoates 1 2.86x
Scunthorpe 1 62.50x
Spalding 1 14.16x
St John Lincoln 1 263.16x
St Margaret Lincoln 1 312.50x
St Michael Lincoln 1 104.17x
Stockton On Tees 1 3.14x
Sturton 1 250.00x
Tetney 1 163.93x
Tumby 1 384.62x
Welton 1 192.31x
Wolverhampton 1 1.73x
Worlaby By Aldford 1 2000.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Elizabeth 9
Sarah 7
Ann 5
Charlotte 5
Harriet 5
Ada 4
Alice 4
Annie 3
Eliza 3
Jane 3
Lucy 3
Rose 3
Susanna 3
Betsy 2
Edith 2
Ellen 2
Fanny 2
Harriett 2
Kate 2
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Carlin 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Damaris 1
Dinah 1
Eleanor 1
Elizk.C. 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Fannie 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Jemima 1
Julia 1
Lottie 1
Martha 1
May 1
Millie 1
Minna 1
Nellie 1
Rachel 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 19
William 12
George 10
James 7
Alfred 4
Herbert 4
Richard 4
Charles 3
Edward 3
Fred 3
Henry 3
Jesse 3
Joseph 3
Robert 3
Thomas 3
Walter 3
Wright 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Joshua 2
Samuel 2
Alexander 1
Arther 1
Boight 1
Clemment 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Epton 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fredrick 1
Jessie 1
Matthew 1
Moses 1
Sam 1
Samuell 1
Seymour 1
Tom 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Bontoft surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bontoft surname in 1881?

In 1881, 228 people were recorded with the Bontoft surname. That placed it at #11,826 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bontoft surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 308 in 2016. That gives Bontoft a modern rank of #14,479.

What does the Bontoft map show?

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