NameCensus.

UK surname

Bradburn

From an English placename meaning "broad stream," or alternatively, a nickname for someone with a fiery personality.

In the 1881 census there were 1,194 people recorded with the Bradburn surname, ranking it #3,377 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,580, ranked #3,925, down from #3,377 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Eccles and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Telford and Wrekin, North Hertfordshire and North West Leicestershire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bradburn is 1,661 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.3%.

1881 census count

1,194

Ranked #3,377

Modern count

1,580

2016, ranked #3,925

Peak year

2000

1,661 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bradburn had 1,194 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,377 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,580 in 2016, ranked #3,925.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,577 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Bradburn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bradburn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bradburn 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 716 #3,652
1861 historical 655 #4,093
1881 historical 1,194 #3,377
1891 historical 1,329 #3,275
1901 historical 1,478 #3,463
1911 historical 1,577 #3,078
1997 modern 1,566 #3,767
1998 modern 1,641 #3,746
1999 modern 1,646 #3,772
2000 modern 1,661 #3,715
2001 modern 1,629 #3,710
2002 modern 1,619 #3,805
2003 modern 1,631 #3,702
2004 modern 1,632 #3,706
2005 modern 1,622 #3,689
2006 modern 1,602 #3,730
2007 modern 1,594 #3,781
2008 modern 1,589 #3,817
2009 modern 1,630 #3,823
2010 modern 1,634 #3,884
2011 modern 1,589 #3,930
2012 modern 1,574 #3,908
2013 modern 1,589 #3,945
2014 modern 1,590 #3,959
2015 modern 1,579 #3,943
2016 modern 1,580 #3,925

Geography

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Where Bradburns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Eccles and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Telford and Wrekin, North Hertfordshire, North West Leicestershire, Shropshire and Wolverhampton. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Eccles Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Telford and Wrekin 022 Telford and Wrekin
2 North Hertfordshire 010 North Hertfordshire
3 North West Leicestershire 001 North West Leicestershire
4 Shropshire 029 Shropshire
5 Wolverhampton 005 Wolverhampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bradburn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bradburn

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Bradburn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Bradburn 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Bradburn 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

Bradburn 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

Bradburn falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bradburn is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Bradburn

The surname Bradburn is of English origin, derived from a locational name referring to a place in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is composed of two elements: the Old English words "brad" meaning broad, and "burna" meaning a stream or a small river. The name likely originated during the Anglo-Saxon period, referring to someone who lived near a broad stream or river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bradeburne." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century and possibly even earlier.

In the 13th century, the name appears as "Bradburn" in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, which encompassed parts of Yorkshire. This spelling variation indicates the name's evolution over time.

Notably, the Bradburn surname has been associated with several historical figures throughout the centuries. One such individual was Sir John Bradburn (c. 1500-1570), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Yorkshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another notable bearer of the name was William Bradburn (1776-1842), a Methodist minister and writer who served as the President of the Wesleyan Conference in 1833. His works, including "Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Thomas Bradbury," shed light on the religious landscape of the time.

In the 19th century, George Bradburn (1805-1886) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Bromley, Kent.

The name Bradburn has also been associated with literary figures, such as Samuel Bradburn (1751-1818), an English Methodist preacher and author who wrote several influential works on religious subjects.

Furthermore, the Bradburn surname can be found in various place names across England, such as Bradburn Village in Derbyshire and Bradburn Farm in Cumbria, reflecting the name's geographical origins and dispersal over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bradburn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bradburn 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. Lancashire leads with 589 Bradburns recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.27x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 589 4.27x
Cheshire 211 8.21x
Staffordshire 97 2.47x
Shropshire 60 5.97x
Worcestershire 55 3.62x
Yorkshire 42 0.36x
Warwickshire 23 0.78x
Durham 17 0.49x
Middlesex 17 0.15x
Hampshire 13 0.55x
Lanarkshire 12 0.32x
Northumberland 10 0.58x
Herefordshire 9 1.89x
Lincolnshire 8 0.43x
Derbyshire 6 0.33x
Leicestershire 5 0.39x
Berkshire 4 0.46x
Cumberland 4 0.40x
Dunbartonshire 3 0.96x
Argyllshire 1 0.31x
Denbighshire 1 0.23x
Kent 1 0.03x
Northamptonshire 1 0.09x
Renfrewshire 1 0.11x
Royal Navy 1 0.72x
Surrey 1 0.02x
Westmorland 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Salford in Lancashire leads with 68 Bradburns recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.74x.

Place Total Index
Salford 68 16.74x
Barton Upon Irwell 67 64.45x
Pendleton In Salford 50 30.39x
Hulme 38 13.18x
Wolverhampton 31 10.26x
Lymm 30 160.60x
Lilleshall 25 162.65x
Ashton In Makerfield 24 61.04x
Dawley 22 60.13x
Chorlton On Medlock 21 9.57x
Widnes 21 21.08x
West Derby 20 4.95x
Birmingham 18 1.84x
Manchester 17 2.74x
Worsley 17 19.97x
Pemberton 16 29.06x
Stockport 16 12.10x
Golborne 15 83.33x
Wednesfield 15 25.95x
Liverpool 14 1.67x
Macclesfield 14 12.26x
Chester St Oswald 13 27.95x
Walsall Foreign 13 6.41x
Brightside Bierlow 12 5.31x
Kings Norton 12 8.81x
Stockton On Tees 12 7.19x
Almondbury 11 19.73x
Beswick 11 31.15x
Blackburn 11 2.99x
Bury 11 6.97x
Everton 11 2.50x
Lower Whitley 11 1279.07x
Levenshulme 10 70.37x
Middlewich 10 189.04x
Sutton In Macclesfield 10 37.51x
Didsbury 9 49.07x
Little Sutton 9 260.87x
Sedgley 9 6.17x
Castleford 8 19.05x
Little Hulton 8 34.98x
Martin Hussingtree 8 1194.03x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 8 7.74x
Over 8 30.64x
Pendlebury 8 27.43x
Portsea 8 1.71x
St Botolph Aldgate London 8 33.38x
Whitbourne 8 269.36x
Willenhall 8 10.87x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 8 34.98x
Ashton Under Lyne 7 2.32x
Failsworth 7 22.16x
Halton 7 122.16x
Heaton Norris 7 8.91x
Newton 7 6.58x
Stretford 7 9.21x
Abram 6 56.60x
Ashton On Mersey 6 45.18x
Barony 6 0.63x
Brinnington 6 25.00x
Gorton 6 4.62x
Hyde 6 7.92x
Kingswinford 6 4.21x
Madeley 6 16.28x
Oldham 6 1.35x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 6 20.30x
South Kyme 6 284.36x
Wichenford 6 394.74x
Worcester St Martin 6 29.27x
Yardley 6 15.43x
Broughton In Salford 5 3.96x
Clifton Upon Teme 5 279.33x
Doddenham 5 500.00x
Kensington London 5 0.77x
Leicester St Mary 5 4.80x
Moulton 5 210.97x
Newton In Ashton Under 5 19.72x
Willington 5 24.99x
Basingstoke 4 14.58x
Kinderton Cum Hulme 4 185.19x
Workington 4 6.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 77
William 60
James 46
Thomas 44
Joseph 37
George 28
Richard 26
Henry 18
Samuel 17
Charles 14
Isaac 14
Alfred 13
Peter 13
Robert 12
Albert 10
Arthur 9
David 7
Edward 7
Benjamin 6
Frederick 6
Walter 5
Edwin 4
Frank 4
Wm. 4
Fredrick 3
Geo. 3
Robt. 3
Thos. 3
Willm. 3
Abraham 2
Daniel 2
Elijah 2
Enoch 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Harold 2
Hugh 2
Jacob 2
Jas. 2
Jessie 2
Josiah 2
Rendal 2
Antoney 1
Chas. 1
Clifford 1
Enock 1
Ernest 1
Issac 1
J.A. 1
Wm.A. 1

FAQ

Bradburn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bradburn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,194 people were recorded with the Bradburn surname. That placed it at #3,377 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bradburn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,580 in 2016. That gives Bradburn a modern rank of #3,925.

What does the Bradburn surname mean?

From an English placename meaning "broad stream," or alternatively, a nickname for someone with a fiery personality.

What does the Bradburn map show?

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