NameCensus.

UK surname

Brawley

A Scottish and Irish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "broomy clearing" or "broom-covered hillside."

In the 1881 census there were 132 people recorded with the Brawley surname, ranking it #16,744 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 380, ranked #12,346, up from #16,744 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Monkland, Rochdale and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Burnhill and Bankhead North, Bellshill South and Shawfield and Clincarthill.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brawley is 387 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 187.9%.

1881 census count

132

Ranked #16,744

Modern count

380

2016, ranked #12,346

Peak year

2000

387 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brawley had 132 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,744 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 380 in 2016, ranked #12,346.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 185 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Brawley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brawley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brawley 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 44 #25,328
1861 historical 164 #14,188
1881 historical 132 #16,744
1891 historical 185 #15,803
1901 historical 185 #15,892
1911 historical 57 #27,099
1997 modern 335 #12,575
1998 modern 354 #12,438
1999 modern 369 #12,147
2000 modern 387 #11,692
2001 modern 359 #12,153
2002 modern 347 #12,699
2003 modern 327 #13,046
2004 modern 344 #12,597
2005 modern 361 #12,090
2006 modern 341 #12,684
2007 modern 346 #12,689
2008 modern 352 #12,631
2009 modern 361 #12,663
2010 modern 372 #12,651
2011 modern 371 #12,546
2012 modern 362 #12,615
2013 modern 368 #12,676
2014 modern 374 #12,598
2015 modern 382 #12,322
2016 modern 380 #12,346

Geography

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Where Brawleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Monkland, Rochdale, Govan Combination, Glasgow and Cambusnethan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Burnhill and Bankhead North, Bellshill South, Shawfield and Clincarthill, Newlands and Barlanark. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 New Monkland Lanark
2 Rochdale Lancashire
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Cambusnethan Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Burnhill and Bankhead North South Lanarkshire
2 Bellshill South North Lanarkshire
3 Shawfield and Clincarthill South Lanarkshire
4 Newlands Glasgow City
5 Barlanark Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brawley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brawley

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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Brawley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Brawley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Brawley 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

Brawley is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Brawley 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 Brawley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Brawley

The surname Brawley is of English origin and is derived from a place name. It is believed to have originated in the parish of Brailsford in Derbyshire, England, which was recorded as "Braulingforde" in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The name Brawley is thought to derive from the Old English words "bræl" meaning "bracken" or "fern" and "ing" indicating a meadow or enclosure. Thus, the name likely referred to a meadow or enclosure where ferns grew abundantly.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Brawley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named William de Braulingebi was mentioned. This suggests that the name had already begun to evolve from its place name origins by the 12th century.

In the 13th century, a knight named Sir Robert de Brawley was mentioned in the Testa de Nevill, a record of land ownership in England. This indicates that the Brawley family held lands and had achieved a certain social status by that time.

Another notable early bearer of the name was John Brawley, who was born around 1450 in Chelmsford, Essex. He is recorded as having been a merchant and landowner in the region.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Brawley surname began to spread beyond its initial geographic origins. In 1567, a Robert Brawley was recorded in the parish records of St. Saviour's Church in Norwich, suggesting that the name had reached East Anglia by that time.

In the 17th century, a prominent Brawley family was based in Lancashire. Thomas Brawley (1620-1692) was a successful merchant and landowner in the town of Clitheroe. His son, also named Thomas (1652-1718), was a respected lawyer and served as the High Sheriff of Lancashire.

As the British Empire expanded, the Brawley surname traveled to various corners of the world. One notable example is Sir John Brawley (1797-1872), a British colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of the Cape Colony in South Africa from 1854 to 1858.

While the Brawley surname has its roots in England, it has since become widely distributed across many English-speaking countries, with bearers of the name found in places like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Brawley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brawley 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. Lanarkshire leads with 56 Brawleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.09x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 56 14.09x
Lancashire 20 1.37x
Ayrshire 12 13.05x
Cheshire 7 2.58x
Gloucestershire 6 2.49x
Renfrewshire 6 6.30x
Durham 4 1.09x
Middlesex 4 0.33x
Midlothian 4 2.43x
Somerset 4 2.02x
Kent 3 0.72x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 18 Brawleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.50x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 18 25.50x
Barony 11 10.94x
Castleton 8 54.95x
Old Monkland 8 50.73x
Birkenhead 7 32.36x
Maryhill 7 89.97x
New Monkland 7 59.57x
Widnes 7 66.54x
Bristol St George 6 53.81x
Govan 5 5.09x
Clerkenwell London 4 13.79x
Darlington 4 28.33x
Habergham Eaves 4 30.01x
Irvine 4 156.86x
Kilbirnie 4 181.00x
Wembdon 4 677.97x
Kilbarchan 3 103.81x
Kilwinning 3 101.01x
Chatham 2 17.33x
Edinburgh Canongate 2 47.73x
Edinburgh Greenside 2 91.74x
Abbey 1 6.88x
Chartham 1 95.24x
Eaglesham 1 172.41x
Inverkip 1 44.64x
Manchester 1 1.52x
West Kilbride 1 113.64x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 3
Ellen 3
Sarah 3
Ann 2
Alice 1
Bridget 1
Catherine 1
E. 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
F. 1
Frances 1
Georgina 1
Jane 1
Lucy 1
Mary 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 5
Henry 3
Edward 2
James 2
Thomas 2
Alice 1
Charles 1
Charlie 1
David 1
Francis 1
G. 1
Geo. 1
George 1
Joseph 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Brawley households.

FAQ

Brawley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brawley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 132 people were recorded with the Brawley surname. That placed it at #16,744 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brawley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 380 in 2016. That gives Brawley a modern rank of #12,346.

What does the Brawley surname mean?

A Scottish and Irish locational surname derived from a place name meaning "broomy clearing" or "broom-covered hillside."

What does the Brawley map show?

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