NameCensus.

UK surname

Branscombe

From a place in Devonshire referring to a combe (valley) where broom grew.

In the 1881 census there were 157 people recorded with the Branscombe surname, ranking it #15,046 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 344, ranked #13,347, up from #15,046 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Windsor, Old, London parishes and St John Hackney. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wirral, Calderdale and Ibrox.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Branscombe is 381 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 119.1%.

1881 census count

157

Ranked #15,046

Modern count

344

2016, ranked #13,347

Peak year

1999

381 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Branscombe had 157 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,046 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 344 in 2016, ranked #13,347.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 240 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Branscombe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Branscombe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Branscombe 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 117 #15,456
1861 historical 139 #16,263
1881 historical 157 #15,046
1891 historical 201 #14,866
1901 historical 220 #14,245
1911 historical 240 #13,281
1997 modern 374 #11,574
1998 modern 377 #11,894
1999 modern 381 #11,873
2000 modern 375 #11,949
2001 modern 361 #12,102
2002 modern 361 #12,337
2003 modern 352 #12,365
2004 modern 347 #12,516
2005 modern 343 #12,546
2006 modern 349 #12,473
2007 modern 349 #12,622
2008 modern 342 #12,933
2009 modern 348 #13,020
2010 modern 351 #13,220
2011 modern 354 #12,982
2012 modern 339 #13,271
2013 modern 342 #13,399
2014 modern 342 #13,498
2015 modern 339 #13,493
2016 modern 344 #13,347

Geography

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Where Branscombes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Windsor, Old, London parishes, St John Hackney and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wirral, Calderdale, Ibrox and Tower Hamlets. 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 Windsor, Old Berkshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wirral 011 Wirral
2 Wirral 024 Wirral
3 Calderdale 025 Calderdale
4 Ibrox Glasgow City
5 Tower Hamlets 004 Tower Hamlets

Forenames

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First names often paired with Branscombe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Branscombe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Branscombe, 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 Branscombe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Branscombe 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Branscombe is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Branscombe 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

Branscombe falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Branscombe

The surname Branscombe is of English origin, deriving from the place name Branscombe, a village and parish in Devon, England. The name is thought to have originated in the Old English language, with "bran" meaning a brown or burnt color, and "cumb" meaning a valley or hollow.

Branscombe can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Branecombe". This suggests that the name and the village itself have existed since at least the 11th century, if not earlier.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname was Walter de Branscombe, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Devon in 1197. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer.

In the 13th century, a Robert de Branscombe was listed in the Feet of Fines for Devon in 1243. The Feet of Fines were records of land transactions and legal agreements.

The name Branscombe has also been associated with a number of notable individuals throughout history. Sir John Branscombe (c. 1575-1637) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Plymouth in 1624.

Another notable bearer of the name was John Branscombe (1692-1776), an English clergyman and scholar who was involved in the publication of several works on theology and church history.

In the 19th century, James Branscombe (1835-1904) was an English architect who designed several notable buildings in Devon, including the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

Henry Branscombe (1816-1881) was an English clergyman and writer who authored several works on religious topics and local history.

The surname Branscombe has also been found in various spellings throughout history, such as Branscoumb, Branscomb, and Branscum, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Branscombe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Branscombe 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. Middlesex leads with 60 Branscombes recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.94x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 60 3.94x
Devon 31 9.79x
Surrey 16 2.16x
Gloucestershire 12 4.02x
Warwickshire 8 2.08x
Lanarkshire 7 1.42x
Northumberland 4 1.77x
Cheshire 3 0.89x
Essex 3 1.00x
Hertfordshire 3 2.86x
Lancashire 3 0.17x
Suffolk 2 1.08x
Northamptonshire 1 0.70x
Oxfordshire 1 1.06x
Pembrokeshire 1 2.07x
Somerset 1 0.41x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hackney London in Middlesex leads with 15 Branscombes recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.58x.

Place Total Index
Hackney London 15 17.58x
Kensington London 14 16.55x
Islington London 12 8.14x
Stoke Gabriel 11 3333.33x
Newington 9 16.01x
Aston 7 6.62x
Clifton 7 46.39x
Plymouth St Andrew 7 28.69x
St Marylebone London 6 7.38x
Glasgow 5 5.72x
Paddington London 5 8.94x
St Pancras London 5 4.08x
Lambeth 4 3.01x
Bristol St James St Paul 3 30.15x
Exeter Heavitree 3 127.12x
Newcastle On Tyne St 3 25.55x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 9.80x
Berkhampstead 2 84.75x
Birkenhead 2 7.47x
Govan 2 1.64x
Herringfleet 2 1666.67x
Littleham 2 86.21x
Toxteth Park 2 3.27x
West Ham 2 3.02x
Westbury On Trym 2 19.78x
Withycombe Rawleigh 2 121.21x
Bampton 1 103.09x
Compton Gifford 1 101.01x
Dartmouth St Savior 1 263.16x
Elswick 1 5.53x
Everton 1 1.74x
Exeter St David 1 36.90x
Hemel Hempstead 1 21.14x
Higham Ferrers 1 128.21x
Higher Bebington 1 46.51x
Milverton 1 88.50x
Newton Abbot St Mary 1 37.59x
Oxford St Giles 1 22.32x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.73x
St George In East London 1 6.99x
St Gilesin Fields London 1 77.52x
Steynton 1 64.10x
Walcot 1 7.66x
Wolborough 1 25.00x
Woodford 1 29.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 6
Mary 5
Elizabeth 4
Ellen 4
Ada 3
Agnes 3
Alice 3
Annie 3
Amy 2
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Elizth. 2
Emily 2
Emma 2
Florence 2
Harriett 2
Henrietta 2
Jane 2
L. 2
Louisa 2
Adelaide 1
Amelia 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Bessie 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Eleanor 1
Eleoner 1
Elijah 1
Eliza 1
Elizth.Ann 1
Elsela 1
Esther 1
Harriet 1
Hellen 1
Isabella 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
M. 1
Marianne 1
Marrian 1
Martha 1
Minnie 1
Susan 1
Thursa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 10
Charles 4
George 4
Richard 4
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Robert 3
Arthur 2
Henry 2
Samuel 2
Thomas 2
Chas. 1
Chas.Hy. 1
Clement 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Harold 1
Horatio 1
James 1
L.E. 1
Noah 1
Percy 1
Philip 1
Robt. 1
Sidney 1
Stanley 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Branscombe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Branscombe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 157 people were recorded with the Branscombe surname. That placed it at #15,046 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Branscombe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 344 in 2016. That gives Branscombe a modern rank of #13,347.

What does the Branscombe surname mean?

From a place in Devonshire referring to a combe (valley) where broom grew.

What does the Branscombe map show?

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