NameCensus.

UK surname

Brayford

In the 1881 census there were 286 people recorded with the Brayford surname, ranking it #10,036 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 506, ranked #9,905, up from #10,036 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolstanton, Burslem and Newcastle-under Lyne. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brayford is 549 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 76.9%.

1881 census count

286

Ranked #10,036

Modern count

506

2016, ranked #9,905

Peak year

1999

549 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brayford had 286 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,036 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 506 in 2016, ranked #9,905.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 418 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Brayford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brayford surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brayford 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 159 #12,400
1861 historical 176 #13,335
1881 historical 286 #10,036
1891 historical 317 #10,611
1901 historical 381 #9,799
1911 historical 418 #9,006
1997 modern 298 #13,593
1998 modern 530 #9,179
1999 modern 549 #8,996
2000 modern 549 #8,956
2001 modern 538 #8,950
2002 modern 548 #9,000
2003 modern 521 #9,217
2004 modern 529 #9,134
2005 modern 514 #9,262
2006 modern 505 #9,415
2007 modern 521 #9,271
2008 modern 510 #9,499
2009 modern 522 #9,544
2010 modern 525 #9,692
2011 modern 529 #9,555
2012 modern 521 #9,589
2013 modern 535 #9,549
2014 modern 528 #9,701
2015 modern 517 #9,777
2016 modern 506 #9,905

Geography

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Where Brayfords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolstanton, Burslem, Newcastle-under Lyne, Walsall and Audley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent. 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 Wolstanton Staffordshire
2 Burslem Staffordshire
3 Newcastle-under Lyne Staffordshire
4 Walsall Staffordshire
5 Audley Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newcastle-under-Lyme 007 Newcastle-under-Lyme
2 Newcastle-under-Lyme 011 Newcastle-under-Lyme
3 Newcastle-under-Lyme 005 Newcastle-under-Lyme
4 Newcastle-under-Lyme 010 Newcastle-under-Lyme
5 Stoke-on-Trent 023 Stoke-on-Trent

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brayford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brayford

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Brayford surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Brayford household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Brayford is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Brayford is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Brayford 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 Brayford 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 Brayford, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Brayford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brayford 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 229 Brayfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.23x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 229 24.23x
Cheshire 25 4.05x
Yorkshire 18 0.65x
Lancashire 6 0.18x
Middlesex 2 0.07x
Worcestershire 2 0.55x
Derbyshire 1 0.23x
Essex 1 0.18x
Kent 1 0.10x
Shropshire 1 0.41x
Surrey 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 61 Brayfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 60.87x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 61 60.87x
Wolstanton 40 139.37x
Wolstanton Knutton 27 467.94x
Audley 18 192.51x
Newcastle Under Lyme 17 101.67x
Betley 11 1392.41x
Wolstanton Thursfield 9 782.61x
Walsall Foreign 8 16.39x
Brightside Bierlow 7 12.87x
Burslem 6 22.16x
Nether Hallam 6 15.99x
Wolstanton Chesterton 6 124.22x
Sheffield 5 5.66x
Chebsey 4 833.33x
Chorlton 4 1111.11x
Congleton 4 37.45x
Everton 4 3.78x
Hyde 4 21.93x
Madeley 4 169.49x
Newbold Astbury 4 540.54x
Cannock 3 18.19x
Keele 3 300.00x
Shavington Cum Gresty 3 294.12x
Wolverhampton 3 4.13x
Eccleshall 2 55.87x
Kidderminster Borough 2 9.35x
Monks Coppenhall 2 8.58x
Nantwich 2 27.86x
St George Hanover Square 2 4.05x
Balterley 1 400.00x
Barthomley 1 277.78x
Berrington 1 105.26x
Birkdale 1 11.89x
Buglawton 1 67.11x
Camberwell 1 0.56x
High Offley 1 128.21x
Higher Bebington 1 25.25x
Idridgehay Alton 1 434.78x
Macclesfield 1 3.64x
Odd Rode 1 32.68x
Rainhill 1 46.95x
Rochester St Margaret 1 9.93x
Romford 1 11.44x
Stone 1 8.27x
Sutton In Macclesfield 1 15.60x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 13
Sarah 11
Annie 9
Jane 9
Eliza 8
Hannah 7
Ann 6
Emma 6
Ellen 4
Fanny 4
Harriett 4
Alice 3
Louisa 3
Margaret 3
Martha 3
Amy 2
Edith 2
Elizth. 2
Emily 2
Frances 2
Agnes 1
Annis 1
Catherine 1
Cecilise 1
Clara 1
Constance 1
Dinah 1
Elisabeth 1
Elizh. 1
Eunice 1
Eve 1
Florence 1
Harriet 1
Janet 1
Kate 1
Lavinia 1
Lois 1
Lorance 1
Louise 1
Maria 1
Minnie 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 20
William 14
James 12
John 12
Thomas 11
Charles 8
Joseph 6
Daniel 5
Albert 4
Edwin 4
Ralph 3
Abraham 2
Arthur 2
Elisha 2
Frederic 2
Frederick 2
Henry 2
Jesse 2
Samuel 2
Adam 1
Allen 1
Chas. 1
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Elijah 1
Eliza 1
Elizah 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
J.W. 1
Jabez 1
Jessie 1
Jos. 1
Noah 1
Philip 1
Phillip 1
Robert 1
Saml. 1
Sidney 1
Simeon 1
Stephen 1
Theodore 1
Timothy 1
Tom 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Brayford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brayford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 286 people were recorded with the Brayford surname. That placed it at #10,036 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brayford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 506 in 2016. That gives Brayford a modern rank of #9,905.

What does the Brayford map show?

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