NameCensus.

UK surname

Brazier

An occupational surname referring to a person who made or worked with brass or metal.

In the 1881 census there were 2,799 people recorded with the Brazier surname, ranking it #1,594 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,358, ranked #1,563, up from #1,594 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, London parishes and Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mansfield, Bolsover and Dover.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brazier is 4,715 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 55.7%.

1881 census count

2,799

Ranked #1,594

Modern count

4,358

2016, ranked #1,563

Peak year

1998

4,715 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brazier had 2,799 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,594 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,358 in 2016, ranked #1,563.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,409 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Brazier surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brazier surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brazier 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 1,628 #1,764
1861 historical 1,465 #1,936
1881 historical 2,799 #1,594
1891 historical 2,920 #1,612
1901 historical 3,807 #1,475
1911 historical 4,409 #1,167
1997 modern 4,576 #1,430
1998 modern 4,715 #1,446
1999 modern 4,693 #1,460
2000 modern 4,682 #1,454
2001 modern 4,582 #1,456
2002 modern 4,658 #1,462
2003 modern 4,539 #1,462
2004 modern 4,512 #1,471
2005 modern 4,406 #1,485
2006 modern 4,346 #1,510
2007 modern 4,320 #1,532
2008 modern 4,329 #1,535
2009 modern 4,406 #1,542
2010 modern 4,485 #1,554
2011 modern 4,396 #1,555
2012 modern 4,336 #1,556
2013 modern 4,422 #1,550
2014 modern 4,434 #1,561
2015 modern 4,426 #1,542
2016 modern 4,358 #1,563

Geography

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Where Braziers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, London parishes, Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy 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 Mansfield, Bolsover, Dover, Sandwell and Wolverhampton. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy Essex
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mansfield 002 Mansfield
2 Bolsover 007 Bolsover
3 Dover 006 Dover
4 Sandwell 004 Sandwell
5 Wolverhampton 003 Wolverhampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brazier

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brazier

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Brazier surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Brazier 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Brazier is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Brazier is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Brazier

The surname Brazier has its origins in England, with records indicating its presence as early as the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "brasier," meaning a worker in brass or a maker of brass objects. The name is occupational in nature, referring to those who practiced the trade of brasiers or braziers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a Gilbert le Brasur. The surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John le Brasyere is listed. These early spellings, such as Brasur and Brasyere, reflect the evolution of the name from its French origins.

The Brazier surname is closely linked to the village of Brazier in Oxfordshire, which likely took its name from the occupations of its early inhabitants. This connection is evident in the records of the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where a William de Brasiere is mentioned.

Notable individuals bearing the Brazier surname include John Brazier (c. 1520-1556), an English Protestant reformer and martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions. Another significant figure is William Brazier (1691-1768), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.

In the 17th century, Nicholas Brazier (1633-1670) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer. He served as the Savilian Professor of Geometry at the University of Oxford and made contributions to the study of optics and astronomy.

Moving into the 19th century, John Brazier (1768-1830) was an English artist and engraver known for his landscape paintings and engravings of British scenery. His works were widely celebrated during his lifetime.

More recently, James Brazier (1908-1974) was a British naval officer who served in World War II and later became an author, publishing several historical novels and biographies.

Throughout its history, the Brazier surname has maintained a strong connection to its occupational roots, reflecting the skilled craftsmen and artisans who bore this name in earlier times.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Brazier families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brazier 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 460 Braziers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.68x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 460 1.68x
Essex 284 5.25x
Kent 242 2.59x
Surrey 215 1.61x
Staffordshire 183 1.98x
Worcestershire 173 4.84x
Sussex 160 3.47x
Hertfordshire 129 6.83x
Hampshire 119 2.12x
Yorkshire 103 0.38x
Bedfordshire 80 5.64x
Warwickshire 78 1.13x
Buckinghamshire 76 4.59x
Lancashire 73 0.22x
Shropshire 63 2.66x
Suffolk 56 1.68x
Northamptonshire 41 1.59x
Berkshire 37 1.80x
Cambridgeshire 36 2.08x
Wiltshire 25 1.03x
Derbyshire 20 0.47x
Herefordshire 17 1.51x
Durham 16 0.20x
Nottinghamshire 16 0.43x
Oxfordshire 14 0.83x
Somerset 10 0.23x
Cheshire 8 0.13x
Lanarkshire 8 0.09x
Lincolnshire 8 0.18x
Norfolk 7 0.17x
Perthshire 7 0.57x
Channel Islands 6 0.74x
Gloucestershire 6 0.11x
Dorset 5 0.28x
Glamorgan 5 0.10x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.16x
Leicestershire 4 0.13x
Northumberland 4 0.10x
Royal Navy 4 1.23x
Devon 2 0.04x
Cornwall 1 0.03x
Denbighshire 1 0.10x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 59 Braziers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.22x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 59 2.22x
Southwick 49 200.66x
Tottenham 46 10.55x
Hackney London 44 2.87x
Wolverhampton 43 6.05x
Great Baddow 38 197.71x
Aston 37 1.95x
Birmingham 37 1.61x
Helion Bumpstead 36 494.51x
Battersea 32 3.18x
Shoreditch London 32 2.70x
Great Wymondley 31 1225.30x
Lambeth 30 1.26x
Newington 30 2.97x
Wednesbury 28 12.12x
Kingsthorpe 26 90.81x
Romford 26 30.43x
St Pancras London 26 1.18x
Bishop Stortford 24 38.07x
Kensington London 24 1.58x
Fulham London 23 5.79x
Hammersmith London 23 3.41x
Camberwell 22 1.26x
Southampton St Mary 22 6.23x
Kings Norton 20 6.24x
St Marylebone London 20 1.37x
Bilston 19 10.61x
Chelmsford 19 20.49x
Easthorpe 19 2753.62x
Bromley London 18 2.99x
Hougham 18 32.40x
Bermondsey 17 2.09x
Brighton 17 1.83x
Bromley 17 11.94x
Hastings St Mary In The 17 17.26x
Kidderminster Borough 17 8.12x
Barrow In Furness 16 3.62x
Erith 16 17.38x
Lewisham 16 3.21x
St Albans St Peter 16 25.13x
West Bromwich 16 3.02x
Writtle 16 72.43x
Eversholt 15 208.33x
Prittlewell 15 20.02x
St George Hanover Square 15 3.11x
Beckenham 14 11.46x
Dunstable 14 32.13x
Bromsgrove 13 10.80x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 13 20.77x
Paddington London 13 1.29x
Wandsworth 13 4.93x
West Ham 13 1.09x
Wilton 13 75.93x
Bow London 12 3.44x
Dudley 12 2.76x
Houghton Regis 12 53.07x
St Faith Winchester 12 45.87x
Ware 12 22.18x
Warlingham 12 110.70x
Worth 12 35.80x
Castleford 11 11.13x
Deptford St Paul 11 1.53x
Harley 11 658.68x
High Roothing 11 262.53x
Ingatestone 11 126.73x
Kingston On Thames 11 3.43x
Leyton Low 11 10.01x
Mile End Old Town London 11 1.89x
Rotherham 11 7.19x
Toddington 11 54.11x
Barnsley 10 3.57x
Barrington 10 170.94x
Bierton With Broughton 10 131.41x
Chelsea London 10 1.21x
Clerkenwell London 10 1.55x
Hampstead London 10 2.34x
Lindridge 10 110.62x
Liverpool 10 0.51x
Nottingham St Mary 10 1.05x
Poplar London 10 1.94x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 173
Sarah 107
Elizabeth 92
Emma 59
Eliza 50
Emily 48
Alice 46
Jane 46
Annie 42
Ann 38
Ellen 32
Martha 26
Harriet 24
Clara 21
Edith 20
Caroline 18
Charlotte 18
Kate 18
Louisa 18
Florence 17
Fanny 16
Ada 15
Rose 15
Susan 15
Lucy 13
Rebecca 13
Margaret 12
Hannah 11
Amelia 10
Catherine 10
Frances 10
Rosa 9
Agnes 8
Esther 8
Jessie 8
Julia 8
Lizzie 8
Lydia 8
Maria 8
Susannah 8
Anne 7
Elizth. 7
Matilda 7
Gertrude 6
Minnie 6
Amy 5
Bertha 5
Ethel 5
Mabel 5
Maud 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 166
John 117
George 108
James 97
Thomas 84
Charles 78
Alfred 54
Henry 53
Joseph 48
Walter 38
Arthur 34
Edward 34
Frederick 30
Albert 29
Benjamin 28
Richard 28
Robert 28
Harry 22
Samuel 19
David 17
Ernest 14
Herbert 14
Edwin 13
Frank 9
Wm. 9
Fred 6
Fredrick 6
Daniel 4
Francis 4
Fredk. 4
Geo. 4
Isaac 4
Josiah 4
Reuben 4
Thos. 4
Andrew 3
Charley 3
Christopher 3
Enoch 3
J. 3
Jesse 3
Leonard 3
Nathaniel 3
J.H. 2
Jonathan 2
Joshua 2
Luke 2
Mark 2
Matthew 2
Noah 2

FAQ

Brazier surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brazier surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,799 people were recorded with the Brazier surname. That placed it at #1,594 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brazier surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,358 in 2016. That gives Brazier a modern rank of #1,563.

What does the Brazier surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a person who made or worked with brass or metal.

What does the Brazier map show?

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