NameCensus.

UK surname

Bragger

A surname referring to someone with a boastful or arrogant personality.

In the 1881 census there were 151 people recorded with the Bragger surname, ranking it #15,419 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 281, ranked #15,449, down from #15,419 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kingswinford, London parishes and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, Neath Port Talbot and East Hampshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bragger is 302 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 86.1%.

1881 census count

151

Ranked #15,419

Modern count

281

2016, ranked #15,449

Peak year

2000

302 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bragger had 151 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,419 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016, ranked #15,449.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 223 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Bragger surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bragger surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bragger 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 80 #19,558
1861 historical 103 #20,650
1881 historical 151 #15,419
1891 historical 199 #14,977
1901 historical 198 #15,213
1911 historical 223 #13,951
1997 modern 288 #13,886
1998 modern 289 #14,208
1999 modern 296 #14,081
2000 modern 302 #13,848
2001 modern 296 #13,842
2002 modern 297 #14,081
2003 modern 287 #14,219
2004 modern 293 #14,082
2005 modern 274 #14,663
2006 modern 269 #14,952
2007 modern 275 #14,888
2008 modern 270 #15,219
2009 modern 273 #15,436
2010 modern 280 #15,485
2011 modern 276 #15,471
2012 modern 283 #15,115
2013 modern 283 #15,401
2014 modern 289 #15,251
2015 modern 285 #15,307
2016 modern 281 #15,449

Geography

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Where Braggers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kingswinford, London parishes, Toxteth Park and Market Drayton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Liverpool, Neath Port Talbot, East Hampshire and West Lancashire. 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 Kingswinford Worcestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Toxteth Park Lancashire
4 Market Drayton Shropshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Liverpool 050 Liverpool
2 Neath Port Talbot 016 Neath Port Talbot
3 Liverpool 044 Liverpool
4 East Hampshire 008 East Hampshire
5 West Lancashire 014 West Lancashire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bragger

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bragger

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Bragger surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Bragger household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Bragger is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bragger is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bragger 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 Bragger is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Bragger

The surname Bragger originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "braggen," which means "to boast" or "to brag." This word likely came from the Old High German "bragōn," meaning "to make a noise" or "to talk loudly."

The earliest known record of the name Bragger dates back to the 13th century. In 1283, a man named Heinrich Bragger was mentioned in the records of the city of Cologne. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the Rhineland region of Germany by that time.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Bragger name appears in various historical documents across different parts of Germany. In 1412, a certain Johannes Bragger was recorded as a resident of the town of Nuremberg. In 1459, a man named Konrad Bragger was listed as a citizen of the city of Frankfurt am Main.

The name Bragger is also found in some old place names and toponyms. For instance, there is a small village called Braggershausen in the state of Lower Saxony, which likely took its name from an early settler or landowner with the surname Bragger.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Bragger surname was Hans Bragger, a German painter and engraver who lived from around 1480 to 1545. He is known for his religious paintings and woodcuts, some of which can still be found in museums and churches across Germany.

Another notable Bragger was Johann Bragger, a German theologian and educator who lived from 1563 to 1642. He served as a professor of theology at the University of Tübingen and published several works on religious topics.

In the 18th century, there was a German philosopher and writer named Friedrich Bragger, who lived from 1720 to 1786. He is known for his work on ethics and moral philosophy, and his writings influenced several other thinkers of that era.

Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the Bragger surname was Carl Bragger, a German composer and music teacher who lived from 1819 to 1892. He composed numerous works for choir and orchestra, and his compositions were widely performed during his lifetime.

Finally, in the 20th century, there was a German politician named Otto Bragger, who lived from 1892 to 1968. He served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) during the Weimar Republic and was a vocal opponent of the Nazi regime.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bragger families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bragger 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 23 Braggers recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.63x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 23 4.63x
Warwickshire 23 6.19x
Middlesex 22 1.49x
Surrey 14 1.95x
Yorkshire 12 0.82x
Gloucestershire 11 3.81x
Cheshire 8 2.46x
Kent 8 1.59x
Lancashire 8 0.46x
Worcestershire 7 3.64x
Essex 5 1.72x
Durham 3 0.68x
Hampshire 3 0.99x
Shropshire 3 2.36x
Leicestershire 1 0.61x

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 21 Braggers recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.96x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 21 16.96x
Bristol St James St Paul 11 114.23x
Kingswinford 11 60.94x
Rotherhithe 11 60.44x
Tyrley 11 2820.51x
Ryhill 7 1750.00x
Dudley 6 25.66x
Normanton 5 113.90x
Poplar London 5 17.99x
St Marylebone London 5 6.36x
Tranmere 5 41.84x
Deptford St Paul 4 10.32x
Mile End Old Town London 4 12.76x
Plumstead 4 23.88x
Westminster St James 4 26.42x
Bishop Auckland 3 51.02x
Everton 3 5.39x
Leyton Low 3 50.76x
Toxteth Park 3 5.07x
Camberwell 2 2.13x
Oxton 2 108.70x
Portsea 2 3.38x
West Ham 2 3.12x
Aston 1 0.98x
Belgrave 1 27.10x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 7.20x
Drayton In Hales 1 38.17x
Edgbaston 1 8.68x
Hackney London 1 1.21x
Kings Norton 1 5.80x
Lambeth 1 0.78x
Liverpool 1 0.94x
Lymm 1 42.37x
Ryton 1 909.09x
Southampton 1 416.67x
St Andrew Holborn London 1 15.67x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.85x
Stoke Upon Tern 1 212.77x
Stone 1 15.72x
Westminster St John 1 5.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Sarah 7
Elizabeth 6
Ellen 5
Caroline 4
Jane 4
Alice 3
Ann 3
Eliza 3
Louisa 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Annie 2
Edith 2
Emma 2
Matilda 2
Phoebe 2
Sophia 2
Amy 1
Betsey 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Florance 1
Florence 1
G.G. 1
Hannah 1
Isabella 1
Lilian 1
Lousia 1
Maria 1
Marian 1
Norah 1
Rebecca 1
Susan 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 13
James 6
John 6
Thomas 6
Charles 4
Joseph 4
George 3
Richard 3
Alexander 2
Edward 2
Samuel 2
Amithia 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Edgar 1
Edwin 1
F.B. 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Fredk.J. 1
Fredrick 1
G.Y. 1
Henry 1
Robert 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Bragger surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bragger surname in 1881?

In 1881, 151 people were recorded with the Bragger surname. That placed it at #15,419 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bragger surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016. That gives Bragger a modern rank of #15,449.

What does the Bragger surname mean?

A surname referring to someone with a boastful or arrogant personality.

What does the Bragger map show?

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