NameCensus.

UK surname

Breaks

In the 1881 census there were 192 people recorded with the Breaks surname, ranking it #13,185 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 151, ranked #23,615, down from #13,185 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lancaster Borough, Birstall and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ribble Valley, Craven and West Oxfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Breaks is 241 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 21.4%.

1881 census count

192

Ranked #13,185

Modern count

151

2016, ranked #23,615

Peak year

1891

241 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Breaks had 192 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,185 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016, ranked #23,615.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 241 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Breaks surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Breaks surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Breaks 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 136 #13,892
1861 historical 226 #10,797
1881 historical 192 #13,185
1891 historical 241 #13,089
1901 historical 220 #14,245
1911 historical 224 #13,914
1997 modern 155 #20,684
1998 modern 161 #20,754
1999 modern 159 #21,030
2000 modern 166 #20,426
2001 modern 158 #20,788
2002 modern 160 #21,011
2003 modern 154 #21,308
2004 modern 151 #21,720
2005 modern 151 #21,667
2006 modern 143 #22,619
2007 modern 139 #23,377
2008 modern 147 #22,720
2009 modern 144 #23,577
2010 modern 155 #22,985
2011 modern 145 #23,837
2012 modern 150 #23,264
2013 modern 156 #23,004
2014 modern 151 #23,745
2015 modern 149 #23,817
2016 modern 151 #23,615

Geography

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Where Breaks' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lancaster Borough, Birstall, Bradford, Kendal and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ribble Valley, Craven, West Oxfordshire, South Lakeland and King's Lynn and West Norfolk. 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 Lancaster Borough Lancashire
2 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Kendal Westmorland
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ribble Valley 001 Ribble Valley
2 Craven 003 Craven
3 West Oxfordshire 012 West Oxfordshire
4 South Lakeland 011 South Lakeland
5 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 014 King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Breaks

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Breaks

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Breaks, 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 Breaks surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Breaks 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Breaks is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Breaks is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Breaks falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Breaks families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Breaks 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. Yorkshire leads with 121 Breaks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.55x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 121 6.55x
Lancashire 37 1.67x
Westmorland 18 43.97x
Cumberland 4 2.49x
Surrey 4 0.44x
Sussex 4 1.27x
Kent 2 0.31x
Channel Islands 1 1.81x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. North Bierley in Yorkshire leads with 29 Breaks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 290.87x.

Place Total Index
North Bierley 29 290.87x
Accrington 23 114.43x
Kendal 15 200.27x
Wyke In Bradford 14 424.24x
Bowling 13 71.12x
Newton In Clitheroe 13 6190.48x
Cleckheaton 12 176.47x
Bolton By Bowland 9 2000.00x
Horton In Bradford 9 31.22x
Manningham 7 30.78x
Northowram 5 38.64x
Skerton 5 276.24x
Brighton 4 6.31x
Lancaster 4 30.42x
Penrith 4 67.45x
Bedale 3 447.76x
Bradford 3 6.71x
Little Bolton 3 10.56x
Beetham 2 317.46x
Camberwell 2 1.68x
Rochester St Margaret 2 29.85x
Streatham 2 14.47x
Aighton Bailey 1 94.34x
Bingley 1 8.50x
Egton Cum Newland 1 156.25x
Gisburn Forrest 1 588.24x
Kimberworth 1 9.76x
Martons Both 1 666.67x
Shap 1 111.11x
St Martin 1 29.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Sarah 10
Ann 7
Ellen 7
Hannah 6
Elizabeth 5
Jane 5
Agnes 3
Isabella 3
Martha 3
Nancy 3
Betty 2
Clara 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Fanny 2
Margaret 2
Margt. 2
Ada 1
Adela 1
Alice 1
Annie 1
Bertha 1
Celia 1
Coretta 1
Dora 1
Eliz. 1
Elizebeth 1
Harriet 1
Jessie 1
Judith 1
Kate 1
Leah 1
Lizzie 1
Lucy 1
Margt.Isabella 1
Maria 1
Naomi 1
Polly 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
William 12
Thomas 11
Henry 6
James 5
Arthur 4
Joseph 3
Richard 3
Robert 3
Richd. 2
Abraham 1
Alfred 1
Charles 1
Christopher 1
Dennis 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
George 1
Graham 1
Harry 1
Isaac 1
Jaby 1
Jonathan 1
Kester 1
Margaret 1
Paul 1
Percy 1
Randolp 1
Reuben 1
Ruben 1
Rufus 1
Sam 1
Samson 1
Seth 1
Simon 1
Squire 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Breaks surname: questions and answers

How common was the Breaks surname in 1881?

In 1881, 192 people were recorded with the Breaks surname. That placed it at #13,185 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Breaks surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016. That gives Breaks a modern rank of #23,615.

What does the Breaks map show?

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