NameCensus.

UK surname

Bootes

A surname derived from the Greek word for plowman or herdsman.

In the 1881 census there were 88 people recorded with the Bootes surname, ranking it #21,211 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 159, ranked #22,798, down from #21,211 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Northiam and Linstead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Swale and Allerdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bootes is 183 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 80.7%.

1881 census count

88

Ranked #21,211

Modern count

159

2016, ranked #22,798

Peak year

1911

183 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bootes had 88 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,211 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 159 in 2016, ranked #22,798.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 183 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Bootes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bootes surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Bootes 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 34 #27,194
1861 historical 31 #30,058
1881 historical 88 #21,211
1891 historical 88 #25,677
1901 historical 152 #17,916
1911 historical 183 #15,811
1997 modern 151 #21,034
1998 modern 158 #20,992
1999 modern 154 #21,455
2000 modern 156 #21,235
2001 modern 152 #21,294
2002 modern 159 #21,086
2003 modern 151 #21,574
2004 modern 157 #21,168
2005 modern 149 #21,866
2006 modern 155 #21,477
2007 modern 157 #21,546
2008 modern 156 #21,862
2009 modern 161 #21,879
2010 modern 166 #21,941
2011 modern 159 #22,382
2012 modern 154 #22,870
2013 modern 159 #22,706
2014 modern 160 #22,824
2015 modern 152 #23,507
2016 modern 159 #22,798

Geography

Back to top

Where Bootes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Northiam, Linstead and St Lawrence in Thanet. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Swale and Allerdale. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Northiam Sussex
3 London parishes London 3
4 Linstead Kent
5 St Lawrence in Thanet Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Swale 002 Swale
2 Swale 001 Swale
3 Swale 005 Swale
4 Swale 004 Swale
5 Allerdale 002 Allerdale

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Bootes

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Bootes

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Bootes surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Bootes household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Bootes is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Bootes 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

Bootes falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Bootes

The surname BOOTES is believed to have originated in Ancient Greece, derived from the Greek word "Bootes," which means "plowman" or "ox-driver." This name was initially associated with the constellation Boötes, which depicts a plowman or herdsman in the night sky.

In Greek mythology, Boötes was the name given to a figure who was the inventor of the plow and the ox-drawn wagon. The earliest known reference to the name BOOTES can be traced back to ancient Greek texts and astronomical records, where it was used to refer to this constellation and its mythological figure.

As the name spread across Europe during the Middle Ages, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Bootes, Boote, and Boots. Some early records mention individuals with the surname BOOTES, including a merchant named Johannes Bootes, who lived in Venice in the 13th century.

In England, the earliest documented instance of the BOOTES surname dates back to the 16th century. One notable figure was Sir Henry Bootes (1524-1586), a prominent landowner and member of the English gentry from Warwickshire.

During the 17th century, the name BOOTES appeared in several historical records, including the marriage record of Robert Bootes and Elizabeth Woodward in 1632 in Oxfordshire. Another example is John Bootes (1601-1679), an English clergyman and writer who served as a vicar in Cambridgeshire.

In the 18th century, the BOOTES surname was found in various regions of Europe, including France and Germany. One notable figure was Friedrich Bootes (1738-1810), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

In the 19th century, the name BOOTES gained greater prominence, particularly in the United States. One notable individual was Samuel Bootes (1812-1889), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Bootes Textile Company in Massachusetts.

Throughout history, the BOOTES surname has been associated with various professions, including agriculture, astronomy, academia, and business. While not as common as some other surnames, it has left a lasting legacy in various regions of the world, reflecting its ancient Greek origins and connections to the celestial realm.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Bootes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bootes 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. Kent leads with 45 Bootes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.37x.

County Total Index
Kent 45 15.37x
Yorkshire 11 1.29x
Sussex 9 6.22x
Durham 7 2.74x
Lancashire 6 0.59x
Middlesex 4 0.47x
Bedfordshire 2 4.50x
Hertfordshire 2 3.38x
Devon 1 0.56x
Suffolk 1 0.96x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Maidstone in Kent leads with 14 Bootes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 160.55x.

Place Total Index
Maidstone 14 160.55x
Manningham 10 95.42x
St Lawrence 10 497.51x
Bishopwearmouth 7 31.93x
Greenwich 6 43.92x
Kingsdown In Milton 6 30000.00x
Toxteth Park 6 17.40x
Rochester St Margaret 5 161.81x
Chatham 4 49.63x
Lamberhurst 4 1111.11x
Lamberhurstsussex 3 1578.95x
St Pancras London 3 4.34x
Bengeo 2 289.86x
Luton 2 26.01x
Northiam 2 571.43x
Bradford 1 4.86x
East Stonehouse 1 28.41x
Islington London 1 1.20x
Lowestoft 1 20.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 4
Mary 3
Clara 2
Emily 2
Frances 2
Margaret 2
Rebecca 2
Alice 1
Anna 1
Annie 1
Bertha 1
C.F.J. 1
Caroline 1
E.B. 1
Edith 1
Eliz. 1
Ellen 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
J.B. 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Kathleen 1
Louisa 1
Marion 1
Martha 1
Matty 1
Sarah 1
Selenia 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Alfred 6
William 5
Arthur 3
Walter 3
Albert 2
Benjamin 2
Charles 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
George 2
Henry 2
Joshua 2
Amos 1
Charley 1
Edward 1
F.L. 1
F.S. 1
Frederic 1
John 1
Rich. 1
Stephen 1
Thomas 1
Willm.R. 1
Willm.S. 1

FAQ

Bootes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bootes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 88 people were recorded with the Bootes surname. That placed it at #21,211 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bootes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 159 in 2016. That gives Bootes a modern rank of #22,798.

What does the Bootes surname mean?

A surname derived from the Greek word for plowman or herdsman.

What does the Bootes map show?

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