NameCensus.

UK surname

Brakes

In the 1881 census there were 86 people recorded with the Brakes surname, ranking it #21,449 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 126, ranked #26,686, down from #21,449 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Peterborough St John the Baptist. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Blaby, Breckland and Sedgemoor.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brakes is 151 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.5%.

1881 census count

86

Ranked #21,449

Modern count

126

2016, ranked #26,686

Peak year

2000

151 bearers

Map years

6

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brakes had 86 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,449 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 126 in 2016, ranked #26,686.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 149 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Brakes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brakes surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brakes 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 64 #21,914
1861 historical 149 #15,373
1881 historical 86 #21,449
1891 historical 95 #24,694
1901 historical 124 #20,163
1911 historical 117 #20,757
1997 modern 139 #22,132
1998 modern 141 #22,517
1999 modern 148 #22,020
2000 modern 151 #21,684
2001 modern 146 #21,857
2002 modern 146 #22,302
2003 modern 148 #21,866
2004 modern 148 #22,000
2005 modern 141 #22,688
2006 modern 146 #22,320
2007 modern 145 #22,693
2008 modern 143 #23,160
2009 modern 147 #23,248
2010 modern 136 #25,009
2011 modern 142 #24,182
2012 modern 133 #25,187
2013 modern 142 #24,547
2014 modern 137 #25,345
2015 modern 130 #26,093
2016 modern 126 #26,686

Geography

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Where Brakes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Peterborough St John the Baptist, Ilkeston and Chesterfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Blaby, Breckland, Sedgemoor, Peterborough and Leicester. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 Peterborough St John the Baptist Northamptonshire
4 Ilkeston Nottinghamshire
5 Chesterfield Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Blaby 005 Blaby
2 Breckland 002 Breckland
3 Sedgemoor 006 Sedgemoor
4 Peterborough 005 Peterborough
5 Leicester 028 Leicester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brakes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brakes

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Brakes surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Brakes household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Brakes 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

Brakes 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

Brakes falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Brakes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brakes 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. Cambridgeshire leads with 26 Brakes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 48.95x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 26 48.95x
Derbyshire 15 11.42x
Lincolnshire 10 7.46x
Middlesex 9 1.07x
Yorkshire 8 0.96x
Northamptonshire 7 8.87x
Staffordshire 5 1.77x
Kent 2 0.70x
Lancashire 2 0.20x
Hampshire 1 0.58x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.88x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Whittlesey St Mary St in Cambridgeshire leads with 25 Brakes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1344.09x.

Place Total Index
Whittlesey St Mary St 25 1344.09x
Ilkeston 9 244.57x
Hammersmith London 8 38.72x
Peterborough 7 122.59x
Harborne 5 55.13x
Louth 5 162.87x
Claylane 4 218.58x
Deeping St Nicholas 4 1025.64x
Brightside Bierlow 3 18.40x
Bolton In Bradford 2 377.36x
Bramley In Bramley 2 62.89x
Brampton 2 108.70x
Charlton Next Woolwich 2 67.11x
Rumworth 2 140.85x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 5.91x
Frieston 1 312.50x
Hampstead London 1 7.66x
Nottingham St Peter 1 79.37x
Portsea 1 2.97x
Wisbech St Peter 1 37.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Alice 4
Ann 4
Annie 2
Emma 2
Jane 2
Jessie 2
Sarah 2
Beatrice 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Harriet 1
Hester 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Mabel 1
Susan 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Brakes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brakes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 86 people were recorded with the Brakes surname. That placed it at #21,449 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brakes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 126 in 2016. That gives Brakes a modern rank of #26,686.

What does the Brakes map show?

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