NameCensus.

UK surname

Boucher

An occupational surname referring to a butcher or someone who slaughters animals for meat.

In the 1881 census there were 1,568 people recorded with the Boucher surname, ranking it #2,701 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,243, ranked #2,894, down from #2,701 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Coker, East. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Swale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Boucher is 2,330 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.0%.

1881 census count

1,568

Ranked #2,701

Modern count

2,243

2016, ranked #2,894

Peak year

2010

2,330 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Boucher had 1,568 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,701 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,243 in 2016, ranked #2,894.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,043 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Boucher surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Boucher surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Boucher 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 1,003 #2,785
1861 historical 916 #3,026
1881 historical 1,568 #2,701
1891 historical 1,496 #2,944
1901 historical 2,003 #2,661
1911 historical 2,043 #2,445
1997 modern 2,243 #2,765
1998 modern 2,311 #2,794
1999 modern 2,294 #2,834
2000 modern 2,300 #2,805
2001 modern 2,264 #2,791
2002 modern 2,275 #2,834
2003 modern 2,226 #2,833
2004 modern 2,207 #2,859
2005 modern 2,186 #2,855
2006 modern 2,195 #2,848
2007 modern 2,233 #2,815
2008 modern 2,245 #2,830
2009 modern 2,285 #2,853
2010 modern 2,330 #2,863
2011 modern 2,306 #2,853
2012 modern 2,275 #2,834
2013 modern 2,305 #2,847
2014 modern 2,293 #2,877
2015 modern 2,248 #2,899
2016 modern 2,243 #2,894

Geography

Back to top

Where Bouchers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Coker, East and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Swale, Gloucester and Bolsover. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Coker, East Somerset
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Caerphilly 005 Caerphilly
2 Blaenau Gwent 001 Blaenau Gwent
3 Swale 016 Swale
4 Gloucester 010 Gloucester
5 Bolsover 006 Bolsover

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Boucher

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Boucher

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Boucher is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Boucher is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Boucher

The surname Boucher originates from the French language and traces its roots back to medieval France. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old French word "bouchier," which means "butcher" or "slaughterer." This name was given to individuals whose profession involved working with meat, either as butchers or those engaged in slaughtering animals for their meat.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Boucher can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions several individuals with the surname Boucher, indicating the presence of French-speaking people in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.

During the Middle Ages, the Boucher family spread across various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and Ile-de-France. The name also gained prominence in other parts of Europe, particularly in England, where French-speaking Normans settled after the conquest.

One notable bearer of the surname Boucher was Lancelot Boucher, a French theologian and philosopher who lived from around 1516 to 1593. He was a prominent figure in the Catholic Reformation and played a significant role in the Council of Trent.

Another influential individual with the Boucher surname was François Boucher, a French painter who lived from 1703 to 1770. He was a renowned Rococo artist known for his idyllic and decorative paintings, particularly those depicting pastoral scenes and mythological subjects.

In the realm of literature, Pierre Boucher, a French-Canadian explorer and author, left a lasting legacy. Born in 1622, he is remembered for his writings about the early settlement of New France, including the book "Histoire véritable et naturelle des moeurs et productions du pays de la Nouvelle-France vulgairement dite le Canada."

Moving to the 19th century, Jonathan Boucher, an English-American clergyman and writer, made significant contributions to the field of education. Born in 1738, he established several schools in Maryland and Virginia and wrote extensively on educational topics.

Lastly, the Boucher family name has been associated with various place names throughout history. For instance, the village of Boucher in Normandy, France, likely derived its name from the presence of individuals with the surname Boucher in the area.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Boucher families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Boucher 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. Middlesex leads with 184 Bouchers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.20x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 184 1.20x
Gloucestershire 121 4.01x
Worcestershire 120 5.97x
Warwickshire 112 2.89x
Kent 101 1.92x
Yorkshire 92 0.60x
Devon 81 2.53x
Surrey 80 1.07x
Somerset 75 3.03x
Staffordshire 67 1.29x
Lancashire 47 0.26x
Lincolnshire 43 1.75x
Monmouthshire 37 3.32x
Berkshire 36 3.12x
Shropshire 32 2.41x
Hampshire 31 0.98x
Herefordshire 29 4.59x
Sussex 29 1.12x
Wiltshire 26 1.91x
Cornwall 24 1.38x
Oxfordshire 23 2.42x
Durham 22 0.48x
Essex 22 0.72x
Glamorgan 19 0.71x
Dorset 18 1.78x
Fife 16 1.76x
Brecknockshire 11 3.57x
Caernarfonshire 10 1.61x
Renfrewshire 10 0.84x
Channel Islands 9 1.97x
Cheshire 8 0.24x
Norfolk 7 0.30x
Northamptonshire 7 0.48x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.34x
Northumberland 4 0.17x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.31x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.21x
Denbighshire 2 0.34x
Derbyshire 2 0.08x
Lanarkshire 2 0.04x
Leicestershire 2 0.12x
Midlothian 2 0.10x
Cumberland 1 0.08x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.24x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 41 Bouchers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.17x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 41 3.17x
Aston 26 2.43x
Bristol St James St Paul 26 25.83x
St Pancras London 23 1.86x
Brighton 20 3.82x
Hackney London 19 2.20x
Lambeth 19 1.42x
Lewisham 18 6.43x
Rushock 18 1855.67x
Kensington London 17 1.99x
Deptford St Paul 16 3.95x
East Coker 16 295.20x
High Toynton 16 2253.52x
St Woollos 16 12.88x
Great Faringdon 14 84.34x
Leeds 14 1.63x
Sheffield 14 2.88x
West Ham 14 2.09x
Wiveliscombe 13 94.13x
Clerkenwell London 12 3.30x
Collessie 12 114.39x
Leamington Priors 12 12.56x
Rochester St Nicholas 12 73.44x
Southampton St Mary 12 6.05x
Tipton 12 7.54x
Chorlton On Medlock 11 3.79x
Lamesley 11 44.62x
Shrewsbury St Mary 11 20.96x
Wandsworth 11 7.42x
Camberwell 10 1.02x
Chittlehampton 10 126.58x
Dudley 10 4.09x
Islington London 10 0.67x
Scarborough 10 7.22x
Southwark St George Martyr 10 3.23x
Suckley 10 303.95x
West Bromwich 10 3.36x
Cheltenham 9 3.86x
Coventry Holy Trinity 9 7.76x
Hasfield 9 692.31x
Plumstead 9 5.14x
Wolverley 9 50.99x
Beckenham 8 11.65x
Exeter St Sidwell 8 10.90x
Holdenhurst 8 9.67x
Liverpool 8 0.72x
Satterleigh 8 2580.65x
St Peter Port 8 9.48x
Trowbridge 8 13.30x
Barrow In Furness 7 2.82x
Bristol St James In 7 15.77x
Broseley 7 29.62x
Cheddleton 7 64.34x
Claines 7 12.69x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 7 3.53x
Kenilworth 7 31.99x
Kingswinford 7 3.71x
Llanhennock 7 593.22x
Lower Mitton 7 39.53x
Paddington London 7 1.24x
Poplar London 7 2.41x
Thornaby 7 12.28x
Wavertree 7 11.97x
Whitechapel London 7 4.61x
Blandford Forum 6 30.11x
Dewsbury 6 3.84x
Dunkerton 6 111.73x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 6 10.86x
Greenwich 6 2.45x
Horton 6 310.88x
Hunslet 6 2.52x
Illogan 6 13.00x
Kingston On Thames 6 3.33x
Newington 6 1.06x
Shoreditch London 6 0.90x
Stoke Prior 6 48.39x
Stratton Audley 6 315.79x
Sutton Coldfield 6 14.71x
Trysull 6 199.34x
Westminster St John 6 3.20x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 105
Elizabeth 73
Sarah 48
Ann 29
Eliza 29
Ellen 27
Emma 27
Annie 25
Emily 23
Jane 23
Alice 18
Louisa 15
Caroline 13
Hannah 13
Edith 11
Harriet 11
Clara 10
Ada 9
Amelia 9
Charlotte 9
Florence 9
Kate 9
Susan 8
Catherine 7
Fanny 7
Margaret 7
Martha 7
Esther 6
Frances 6
Harriett 6
Helen 6
Laura 6
Maria 6
Rose 6
Anne 5
Beatrice 5
E. 5
Jessie 5
Lucy 5
Sophia 5
Agnes 4
Elizth. 4
Henrietta 4
Julia 4
Matilda 4
S. 4
Minnie 3
Nellie 3
Phoebe 3
Rachel 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 92
John 77
George 62
Thomas 53
James 47
Charles 34
Henry 30
Joseph 24
Arthur 19
Alfred 18
Edward 18
Samuel 16
Robert 12
Walter 12
Frank 10
Frederick 10
Albert 9
Richard 9
Benjamin 8
Wm. 8
Francis 7
Herbert 6
Philip 6
Ernest 5
Geo. 4
Peter 4
Sidney 4
Sydney 4
Edgar 3
Edwin 3
Tom 3
A. 2
Alexander 2
Cecil 2
Daniel 2
Edmund 2
F. 2
Fredrick 2
Guy 2
H. 2
Harry 2
Horatio 2
Hy. 2
Hy.W. 2
Job 2
Loreden 2
Percy 2
Reuben 2
Stanley 2
Wm.James 1

FAQ

Boucher surname: questions and answers

How common was the Boucher surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,568 people were recorded with the Boucher surname. That placed it at #2,701 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Boucher surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,243 in 2016. That gives Boucher a modern rank of #2,894.

What does the Boucher surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a butcher or someone who slaughters animals for meat.

What does the Boucher map show?

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