NameCensus.

UK surname

Boughen

In the 1881 census there were 234 people recorded with the Boughen surname, ranking it #11,607 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 521, ranked #9,701, up from #11,607 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Westacre, Hull Holy Trinity and Newton, West. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fenland, County Durham and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Boughen is 571 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 122.6%.

1881 census count

234

Ranked #11,607

Modern count

521

2016, ranked #9,701

Peak year

2011

571 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Boughen had 234 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,607 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 521 in 2016, ranked #9,701.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 390 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Boughen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Boughen surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Boughen 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 120 #15,144
1861 historical 167 #13,956
1881 historical 234 #11,607
1891 historical 261 #12,337
1901 historical 287 #12,001
1911 historical 390 #9,455
1997 modern 516 #9,095
1998 modern 551 #8,921
1999 modern 552 #8,959
2000 modern 554 #8,898
2001 modern 527 #9,097
2002 modern 554 #8,933
2003 modern 564 #8,679
2004 modern 544 #8,933
2005 modern 523 #9,145
2006 modern 518 #9,232
2007 modern 533 #9,113
2008 modern 537 #9,126
2009 modern 554 #9,117
2010 modern 565 #9,167
2011 modern 571 #9,002
2012 modern 529 #9,461
2013 modern 537 #9,526
2014 modern 549 #9,410
2015 modern 531 #9,584
2016 modern 521 #9,701

Geography

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Where Boughens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Westacre, Hull Holy Trinity, Newton, West, London parishes and Terrington St Clement, Terrington St John. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fenland, County Durham and Wakefield. 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 Westacre Norfolk
2 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
3 Newton, West Norfolk
4 London parishes London 3
5 Terrington St Clement, Terrington St John Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fenland 002 Fenland
2 Fenland 003 Fenland
3 County Durham 024 County Durham
4 Wakefield 045 Wakefield
5 Fenland 004 Fenland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Boughen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Boughen

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Boughen is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Boughen 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

Boughen 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 Boughen is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Boughen, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Boughen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Boughen 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. Norfolk leads with 103 Boughens recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.60x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 103 29.60x
Yorkshire 31 1.38x
Lincolnshire 22 6.08x
Middlesex 10 0.44x
Kent 8 1.04x
Warwickshire 8 1.40x
Derbyshire 7 1.98x
Cambridgeshire 6 4.19x
Essex 6 1.34x
Suffolk 6 2.18x
Surrey 6 0.54x
Glamorgan 5 1.27x
Staffordshire 5 0.65x
Nottinghamshire 4 1.31x
Durham 3 0.45x
Hampshire 1 0.22x
Sussex 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Newton in Norfolk leads with 10 Boughens recorded in 1881 and an index of 4000.00x.

Place Total Index
West Newton 10 4000.00x
Westacre 10 3125.00x
Skelton In Guisbrough 9 148.27x
Brandon 8 427.81x
Deeping St Nicholas 8 754.72x
Foleshill 8 133.33x
Boston 7 63.75x
Buxton 7 233.33x
Feltwell Feltwell Anchor 7 1111.11x
Fincham 7 1147.54x
Lewisham 7 17.00x
Mile End Old Town London 7 14.53x
Tottington 7 3181.82x
Ashill 6 1176.47x
Dersingham 6 759.49x
Holy Trinity 6 11.12x
North Bierley 6 49.55x
Whaplode Drove 6 983.61x
Cheam 5 423.73x
Coyty Lower 5 195.31x
Downham Market 5 209.21x
Great Cressingham 5 1388.89x
Handsworth 5 26.55x
Hatfield In Thorne 5 357.14x
Tilney All Sts 5 1136.36x
West Ham 5 5.07x
Sandringham 4 6666.67x
Skinningrove 4 289.86x
Wisbech St Peter 4 55.63x
Cornforth 3 151.52x
Heigham 3 16.07x
Mildenhall 3 102.39x
Narborough 3 882.35x
Southwell 3 135.14x
Clare 2 151.52x
Foulden 2 555.56x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 2 19.14x
Norwich St Mary In Marsh 2 512.82x
St Pancras London 2 1.10x
Swaffham 2 70.67x
Barford 1 400.00x
Bildeston 1 163.93x
Boughton 1 555.56x
Caterham 1 20.53x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 2.19x
Hastings St Mary In The 1 12.29x
Hythe St Leonard 1 36.63x
Leverington 1 106.38x
Leziate 1 625.00x
Necton 1 163.93x
Northwold 1 107.53x
Nottingham St Nicholas 1 24.10x
Parson Drove 1 175.44x
Penton Grafton 1 277.78x
Reepham With Kerdiston 1 243.90x
Shipdham 1 84.75x
St Nicholas Lincoln 1 28.90x
Terrington St Clement 1 63.69x
Walthamstow 1 6.22x
Westminster St Margaret 1 9.16x
Wimbotsham 1 227.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 15
James 14
George 11
Robert 8
John 7
Edward 6
Frederick 6
Henry 4
Samuel 4
Thomas 4
Harry 3
Walter 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Job 2
Philip 2
Reginald 2
Alfred 1
Andrew 1
Claude 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Harold 1
Henery 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Isaac 1
Leonard 1
Percy 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Boughen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Boughen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 234 people were recorded with the Boughen surname. That placed it at #11,607 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Boughen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 521 in 2016. That gives Boughen a modern rank of #9,701.

What does the Boughen map show?

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