NameCensus.

UK surname

Borer

A surname potentially derived from the German word for a well-digger or borer.

In the 1881 census there were 228 people recorded with the Borer surname, ranking it #11,826 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 200, ranked #19,591, down from #11,826 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Keston, London parishes and Ealing, Chiswick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Devon, Waveney and King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Borer is 322 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 12.3%.

1881 census count

228

Ranked #11,826

Modern count

200

2016, ranked #19,591

Peak year

1901

322 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Borer had 228 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,826 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 200 in 2016, ranked #19,591.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 322 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Borer surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Borer surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Borer 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 158 #12,461
1861 historical 159 #14,553
1881 historical 228 #11,826
1891 historical 276 #11,810
1901 historical 322 #11,090
1911 historical 292 #11,674
1997 modern 224 #16,392
1998 modern 251 #15,631
1999 modern 246 #15,974
2000 modern 244 #16,004
2001 modern 232 #16,314
2002 modern 233 #16,590
2003 modern 231 #16,504
2004 modern 214 #17,435
2005 modern 210 #17,572
2006 modern 208 #17,835
2007 modern 213 #17,744
2008 modern 204 #18,403
2009 modern 203 #18,840
2010 modern 204 #19,200
2011 modern 196 #19,538
2012 modern 200 #19,207
2013 modern 204 #19,276
2014 modern 201 #19,641
2015 modern 194 #19,994
2016 modern 200 #19,591

Geography

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Where Borers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Keston, London parishes, Ealing, Chiswick, Beckenham and Cudham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Devon, Waveney, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Croydon and Wealden. 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 Keston Kent
2 London parishes London 3
3 Ealing, Chiswick Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
4 Beckenham Kent
5 Cudham Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Devon 012 North Devon
2 Waveney 013 Waveney
3 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 011 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
4 Croydon 044 Croydon
5 Wealden 010 Wealden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Borer

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Borer

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Borer is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Borer is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Borer falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Borer

The surname BORER has its origins in German-speaking regions, particularly in Switzerland and southern Germany. It is derived from the Old High German word "bor," meaning a drill or borer tool, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to an occupation or trade.

In the 13th century, records from the Swiss cantons of Bern and Lucerne mention individuals with the surname BORER, indicating its early presence in that region. One of the earliest documented instances is a reference to a Heinricus Borer in a land registry from the town of Zurich, dated 1276.

During the late medieval period, the name BORER appeared in various Swiss chronicles and municipal records, such as the Berner Chronik from the 15th century, which mentioned a Hans Borer, a citizen of Bern.

The surname BORER can also be traced back to the German state of Baden-Württemberg, where it was associated with the town of Böhringen. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Johannes Borer (1484-1561) was a Lutheran reformer and theologian who served as a pastor in Böhringen.

Another prominent individual bearing the BORER name was Johann Georg Borer (1694-1765), a Swiss mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial mechanics. He was born in Zurich and served as a professor at the University of Basel.

In the 19th century, the BORER surname gained recognition through the work of François-Joseph Borer (1817-1866), a French botanist and taxonomist who specialized in the study of mosses and bryophytes. He published several influential works, including the "Muscinées des environs de Genève" in 1854.

Another noteworthy individual with the BORER surname was Frédéric Borer (1897-1977), a Swiss architect and urban planner who played a crucial role in the reconstruction and development of Geneva in the mid-20th century. His most notable works include the Palais des Nations and several residential and commercial buildings in Geneva.

While the BORER surname originated in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Borer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Borer 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. Surrey leads with 115 Borers recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.61x.

County Total Index
Surrey 115 10.61x
Kent 57 7.51x
Middlesex 39 1.75x
Sussex 7 1.87x
Hampshire 3 0.66x
Devon 2 0.43x
Lanarkshire 2 0.28x
Bedfordshire 1 0.87x
Norfolk 1 0.29x
Warwickshire 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newington in Surrey leads with 16 Borers recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.47x.

Place Total Index
Newington 16 19.47x
Caterham 14 292.28x
Bletchingley 13 921.99x
Croydon 13 21.61x
Lambeth 12 6.19x
Keston 11 1964.29x
Bromley 10 86.43x
Guildford St Nicholas 10 523.56x
Camberwell 8 5.63x
Coulsdon 8 406.09x
St Luke London 8 22.43x
Dorking 7 96.15x
Islington London 7 3.25x
Ealing 6 30.18x
Cudham 5 641.03x
Dartford 5 64.43x
Guildford Holy Trinity 5 241.55x
West Wickham 5 684.93x
Chiswick 4 32.92x
Milton In Gravesend 4 35.15x
Shoreditch London 4 4.15x
Shoreham 4 370.37x
Tottenham 4 11.29x
Brighton 3 3.97x
Charlton Next Woolwich 2 25.28x
Clerkenwell London 2 3.81x
Deptford St Paul 2 3.42x
Edmonton 2 11.16x
Ewell 2 87.34x
Farnham 2 23.72x
Govan 2 1.12x
Horsemonden 2 180.18x
Lewes St John Southover 2 79.37x
Plumstead 2 7.91x
Portsea 2 2.24x
Aston 1 0.65x
Battersea 1 1.22x
Beckenham 1 10.08x
Bermondsey 1 1.51x
Carshalton 1 24.10x
Chatham 1 4.79x
East Wickham 1 111.11x
Kensington London 1 0.81x
Kirdford 1 76.92x
Lewes St Ann 1 78.13x
Mickleham 1 163.93x
Mile End Old Town London 1 2.11x
Orpington 1 43.10x
Rainham 1 47.85x
Sharnbrook 1 156.25x
South Lynn 1 25.91x
Southampton All Sts 1 12.79x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 2.23x
Stoke Damerel 1 3.09x
Tormoham 1 5.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 18
George 10
John 9
James 8
Thomas 6
Charles 5
Henry 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Walter 3
Alfred 2
Amos 2
Cyrus 2
Ernest 2
Levi 2
Wm. 2
Archibald 1
Cecil 1
Clement 1
Ebenezer 1
Fred 1
Geo. 1
Geo.Jas. 1
Harry 1
Hy. 1
J.H. 1
Jabez 1
Jon. 1
N.J. 1
R. 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Sidney 1
Simeon 1
Stephen 1
W. 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Borer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Borer surname in 1881?

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

How common is the Borer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 200 in 2016. That gives Borer a modern rank of #19,591.

What does the Borer surname mean?

A surname potentially derived from the German word for a well-digger or borer.

What does the Borer map show?

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