NameCensus.

UK surname

Bowdidge

In the 1881 census there were 108 people recorded with the Bowdidge surname, ranking it #18,888 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 233, ranked #17,625, up from #18,888 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Wootton Fitzpaine, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Bettiscombe, Marshwood and St Marylebone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Milton Keynes, Suffolk Coastal and Hackney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bowdidge is 263 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 115.7%.

1881 census count

108

Ranked #18,888

Modern count

233

2016, ranked #17,625

Peak year

1998

263 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bowdidge had 108 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,888 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016, ranked #17,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 229 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Bowdidge surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bowdidge surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Bowdidge 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 49 #24,448
1861 historical 101 #20,955
1881 historical 108 #18,888
1891 historical 139 #19,311
1901 historical 146 #18,335
1911 historical 229 #13,712
1997 modern 252 #15,193
1998 modern 263 #15,161
1999 modern 257 #15,506
2000 modern 245 #15,955
2001 modern 251 #15,483
2002 modern 257 #15,523
2003 modern 240 #16,061
2004 modern 227 #16,778
2005 modern 221 #17,028
2006 modern 226 #16,891
2007 modern 226 #17,103
2008 modern 228 #17,146
2009 modern 243 #16,742
2010 modern 247 #16,931
2011 modern 232 #17,481
2012 modern 232 #17,401
2013 modern 239 #17,307
2014 modern 242 #17,285
2015 modern 239 #17,322
2016 modern 233 #17,625

Geography

Back to top

Where Bowdidges are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Wootton Fitzpaine, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Bettiscombe, Marshwood, St Marylebone, St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford and Melcombe Regis. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Milton Keynes, Suffolk Coastal, Hackney and Redbridge. 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 3
2 Wootton Fitzpaine, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Bettiscombe, Marshwood Dorset
3 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
4 St Paul Deptford, St Nicholas Deptford London (South Districts)
5 Melcombe Regis Dorset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Milton Keynes 002 Milton Keynes
2 Suffolk Coastal 014 Suffolk Coastal
3 Hackney 002 Hackney
4 Redbridge 018 Redbridge
5 Suffolk Coastal 012 Suffolk Coastal

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Bowdidge

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Bowdidge

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Bowdidge surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bowdidge household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Bowdidge 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

Bowdidge is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Bowdidge families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bowdidge 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. Devon leads with 19 Bowdidges recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.09x.

County Total Index
Devon 19 9.09x
Middlesex 16 1.59x
Dorset 14 21.23x
Sussex 14 8.27x
Kent 12 3.50x
Staffordshire 7 2.06x
Surrey 7 1.43x
Hampshire 5 2.43x
Warwickshire 5 1.97x
Channel Islands 1 3.36x
Leicestershire 1 0.90x
Monmouthshire 1 1.38x
Somerset 1 0.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Eastbourne in Sussex leads with 12 Bowdidges recorded in 1881 and an index of 154.04x.

Place Total Index
Eastbourne 12 154.04x
Whitchurch Canonicorum 10 2702.70x
Deptford St Paul 9 34.04x
Exeter St Mary Major 9 714.29x
Mile End Old Town London 9 42.10x
Axminster 7 714.29x
St Marylebone London 7 13.05x
Stoke Upon Trent 7 19.47x
Charmouth 4 1818.18x
Holdenhurst 4 74.07x
Aston 3 4.30x
Greenwich 3 18.76x
Musbury 3 1666.67x
Birmingham 2 2.37x
Camberwell 2 3.12x
Esher 2 289.86x
Abergavenny 1 36.76x
Clapham 1 7.96x
Funtington 1 263.16x
Kingston On Thames 1 8.50x
Midhurst 1 178.57x
New Alresford 1 188.68x
Richmond 1 14.58x
St Helier 1 10.32x
Swinford 1 714.29x
Wells St Cuthbert 1 90.91x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 6
Emma 5
Sarah 5
Louisa 4
Mary 4
Ellen 3
Harriet 3
Annie 2
Emily 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Ann 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Jane 1
Joanna 1
Kezia 1
Marion 1
Martha 1
Rebecca 1
Ruth 1
Sibilla 1
Susan 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 10
John 6
George 4
Thomas 4
Arthur 3
James 3
Robert 3
Alfred 2
Stephen 2
Abert 1
Abraham 1
Albert 1
Amos 1
Edward 1
Fred 1
Heber 1
Henry 1
Joseph 1
Richard 1
Robt. 1
Sidney 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Bowdidge surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bowdidge surname in 1881?

In 1881, 108 people were recorded with the Bowdidge surname. That placed it at #18,888 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bowdidge surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016. That gives Bowdidge a modern rank of #17,625.

What does the Bowdidge map show?

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