NameCensus.

UK surname

Bourne

A locational surname referring to someone from a stream, spring, or boundary.

In the 1881 census there were 5,806 people recorded with the Bourne surname, ranking it #758 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,541, ranked #673, up from #758 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolstanton, London parishes and Burslem. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wychavon, Stoke-on-Trent and Ashford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bourne is 9,944 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 64.3%.

1881 census count

5,806

Ranked #758

Modern count

9,541

2016, ranked #673

Peak year

1999

9,944 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bourne had 5,806 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #758 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,541 in 2016, ranked #673.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,008 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bourne surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bourne surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bourne 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 3,340 #865
1861 historical 3,360 #850
1881 historical 5,806 #758
1891 historical 6,399 #718
1901 historical 8,025 #663
1911 historical 9,008 #546
1997 modern 8,900 #710
1998 modern 9,882 #657
1999 modern 9,944 #658
2000 modern 9,869 #658
2001 modern 9,640 #660
2002 modern 9,869 #659
2003 modern 9,621 #661
2004 modern 9,503 #670
2005 modern 9,323 #672
2006 modern 9,324 #668
2007 modern 9,403 #667
2008 modern 9,476 #668
2009 modern 9,638 #670
2010 modern 9,757 #680
2011 modern 9,650 #676
2012 modern 9,446 #679
2013 modern 9,724 #670
2014 modern 9,706 #674
2015 modern 9,569 #675
2016 modern 9,541 #673

Geography

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Where Bournes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolstanton, London parishes, Burslem and Droitwich St Andrew and St Mary, Droitwich St Nicholas, Dodderhill (Dodderhill in Liberties), Malbor. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wychavon, Stoke-on-Trent and Ashford. 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 Wolstanton Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Burslem Staffordshire
4 Droitwich St Andrew and St Mary, Droitwich St Nicholas, Dodderhill (Dodderhill in Liberties), Malbor Worcestershire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wychavon 004 Wychavon
2 Wychavon 003 Wychavon
3 Stoke-on-Trent 006 Stoke-on-Trent
4 Ashford 008 Ashford
5 Wychavon 005 Wychavon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bourne

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bourne

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

Bourne is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bourne falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Bourne

The surname Bourne is an English toponymic name originating from various places in England, such as Bourne in Lincolnshire, Bourne End in Buckinghamshire, and other locations with names derived from the Old English word "burna," meaning a stream or small river.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers was Walter de Burne, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1260. Another early record is that of Reginald atte Bourne, found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.

The Bourne surname is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, as it is a relatively modern name derived from place names that emerged later in the medieval period. However, the name is closely associated with the town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, which was known as "Burna" in the Domesday survey.

Notable historical figures with the surname Bourne include Sir John Bourne (1584-1659), an English royalist and politician who served as Secretary of State during the reign of King Charles I. Another prominent individual was Benjamin Bourne (1755-1808), an English Methodist minister and writer who published several influential works on theology and education.

In the United States, Sheba Bourne (1840-1870) was a prominent African American educator and activist who worked tirelessly for the advancement of education for Black children in the post-Civil War era. William Oland Bourne (1819-1901) was an American inventor and engineer known for his contributions to the development of the modern typewriter and the first successful typographic line-casting machine.

Additionally, Hugh Bourne (1772-1852) was a prominent English Methodist minister and co-founder of the Primitive Methodist Church, a significant religious movement in the early 19th century.

Throughout history, the Bourne surname has been associated with various place names and has undergone slight spelling variations, such as Borne, Bourn, and Burn, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bourne families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bourne 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. Staffordshire leads with 977 Bournes recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.11x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 977 5.11x
Kent 753 3.90x
Worcestershire 610 8.24x
Middlesex 504 0.89x
Sussex 383 4.01x
Surrey 347 1.26x
Warwickshire 306 2.14x
Cheshire 212 1.70x
Lancashire 210 0.31x
Hampshire 171 1.47x
Lincolnshire 161 1.78x
Yorkshire 157 0.28x
Shropshire 156 3.19x
Essex 108 0.97x
Gloucestershire 99 0.89x
Derbyshire 75 0.85x
Somerset 63 0.69x
Leicestershire 54 0.86x
Nottinghamshire 53 0.69x
Durham 52 0.31x
Devon 51 0.43x
Hertfordshire 47 1.20x
Wiltshire 44 0.88x
Herefordshire 28 1.21x
Berkshire 21 0.49x
Lanarkshire 21 0.11x
Suffolk 21 0.30x
Northumberland 20 0.24x
Northamptonshire 16 0.30x
Dorset 13 0.35x
Glamorgan 11 0.11x
Channel Islands 8 0.48x
Montgomeryshire 7 0.54x
Oxfordshire 7 0.20x
Rutland 7 1.68x
Bedfordshire 5 0.17x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.08x
Inverness-shire 4 0.24x
Norfolk 4 0.05x
Flintshire 3 0.20x
Isle of Man 3 0.29x
Midlothian 3 0.04x
Cornwall 2 0.03x
Royal Navy 2 0.30x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.04x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.03x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.09x
Monmouthshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 231 Bournes recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.39x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 231 11.39x
Burslem 167 30.48x
Birmingham 146 3.07x
Wolstanton 80 13.77x
Aston 63 1.60x
Brighton 60 3.11x
Droitwich St Peter 60 360.58x
Dodderhill In Liberties 55 539.22x
Islington London 55 1.00x
Kingswinford 52 7.49x
Dudley 46 5.11x
Rye 44 48.47x
Kensington London 43 1.37x
Lower Mitton 43 65.95x
Newington 43 2.05x
Appledore 42 333.07x
Croydon 41 2.68x
Edgbaston 40 9.03x
Faversham 40 21.70x
Woodchurch 38 157.87x
Lambeth 37 0.75x
Lilleshall 36 48.12x
Norton In Moors 36 35.56x
Droitwich St Andrew 35 187.57x
St Pancras London 33 0.72x
Ashford 32 17.00x
Bromsgrove 32 12.85x
Camberwell 32 0.88x
St Marylebone London 32 1.06x
Droitwich St Nicholas 31 113.06x
Worth 30 43.26x
Kidderminster Borough 29 6.70x
Louth 29 13.97x
Newcastle Under Lyme 28 8.27x
Walsall Foreign 28 2.83x
West Bromwich 28 2.56x
West Ham 28 1.13x
Claines 26 12.80x
Mile End Old Town London 25 2.07x
Saddleworth 24 5.54x
Ashby De La Zouch 23 15.80x
Paddington London 23 1.10x
Southwark St George Martyr 23 2.02x
Yateley 23 104.69x
Brenchley 22 31.80x
Clerkenwell London 22 1.65x
Dodderhill 22 69.73x
Maidstone 22 3.82x
Salehurst 22 53.18x
Hampstead London 21 2.38x
Minster In Sheppey 21 6.56x
Walsall Borough 21 14.15x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 20 1.91x
Deptford St Paul 20 1.34x
Monks Coppenhall 20 4.24x
Smallthorne 20 28.18x
Woore 20 154.32x
Belbroughton 19 49.51x
Boston 19 6.91x
Westminster St James 19 3.26x
Gateshead 18 1.43x
Hackney London 18 0.57x
Harborne 18 2.94x
Kings Norton 18 2.71x
Mucklestone 18 98.09x
St Albans St Peter 18 13.66x
Battersea 17 0.82x
Madeley 17 35.66x
Millbrook 17 5.81x
Staplehurst 17 53.54x
Stourbridge 17 8.93x
Audley 16 8.46x
Bethnal Green London 16 0.65x
Birkenhead 16 1.60x
Charlton 16 12.46x
Ramsgate 16 5.07x
Rotherhithe 16 2.29x
Stanton Newhall 16 56.28x
Upper Mitton 16 96.50x
West Derby 16 0.81x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 346
Sarah 215
Elizabeth 186
Emma 107
Ann 105
Annie 100
Eliza 99
Jane 96
Alice 83
Ellen 81
Emily 77
Edith 51
Harriet 49
Louisa 48
Hannah 47
Charlotte 42
Martha 42
Fanny 41
Florence 40
Caroline 33
Anne 32
Maria 32
Margaret 30
Susan 30
Ada 29
Frances 29
Harriett 29
Kate 27
Lucy 27
Clara 24
Catherine 22
Rose 20
Agnes 18
Matilda 18
Esther 17
Julia 17
Amy 15
Elizth. 14
Minnie 14
Rosa 14
Amelia 13
Jessie 13
Rebecca 12
Lizzie 11
Marian 10
Bertha 9
Gertrude 9
May 9
Phoebe 9
Selina 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 350
John 302
George 211
Thomas 194
James 190
Henry 147
Charles 118
Joseph 96
Alfred 88
Edward 76
Frederick 66
Samuel 60
Richard 54
Arthur 53
Robert 52
Albert 51
Walter 43
Harry 32
Ernest 29
Benjamin 28
Edwin 28
Frank 27
Herbert 22
Stephen 16
Daniel 15
Francis 15
Hugh 14
Wm. 14
David 13
Sidney 13
Thos. 12
Fredk. 11
Peter 9
Elijah 8
Enoch 8
Geo. 8
Tom 8
Lewis 7
Edgar 6
Fred 6
Fredrick 6
Harold 6
Horace 6
Felix 5
Isaac 5
Leonard 5
Percy 5
Willm. 5
Louis 4
Solomon 4

FAQ

Bourne surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bourne surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,806 people were recorded with the Bourne surname. That placed it at #758 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bourne surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,541 in 2016. That gives Bourne a modern rank of #673.

What does the Bourne surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from a stream, spring, or boundary.

What does the Bourne map show?

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