NameCensus.

UK surname

Breakspear

In the 1881 census there were 241 people recorded with the Breakspear surname, ranking it #11,374 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 564, ranked #9,103, up from #11,374 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stanton Harcourt, South Leigh, Northmoor, Wantage and Leigh, North. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Vale of White Horse, West Berkshire and Swindon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Breakspear is 576 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 134.0%.

1881 census count

241

Ranked #11,374

Modern count

564

2016, ranked #9,103

Peak year

2010

576 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Breakspear had 241 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,374 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 564 in 2016, ranked #9,103.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 421 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Breakspear surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Breakspear surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Breakspear 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 158 #12,461
1861 historical 139 #16,263
1881 historical 241 #11,374
1891 historical 296 #11,215
1901 historical 349 #10,457
1911 historical 421 #8,950
1997 modern 497 #9,340
1998 modern 538 #9,073
1999 modern 537 #9,146
2000 modern 527 #9,264
2001 modern 520 #9,192
2002 modern 528 #9,266
2003 modern 527 #9,137
2004 modern 524 #9,198
2005 modern 500 #9,443
2006 modern 510 #9,342
2007 modern 517 #9,331
2008 modern 540 #9,091
2009 modern 560 #9,042
2010 modern 576 #9,036
2011 modern 552 #9,243
2012 modern 539 #9,328
2013 modern 554 #9,279
2014 modern 568 #9,147
2015 modern 564 #9,119
2016 modern 564 #9,103

Geography

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Where Breakspears are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stanton Harcourt, South Leigh, Northmoor, Wantage, Leigh, North, Birmingham Town: Aston and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Vale of White Horse, West Berkshire and Swindon. 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 Stanton Harcourt, South Leigh, Northmoor Oxfordshire
2 Wantage Berkshire
3 Leigh, North Oxfordshire
4 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Vale of White Horse 015 Vale of White Horse
2 Vale of White Horse 014 Vale of White Horse
3 West Berkshire 011 West Berkshire
4 Vale of White Horse 011 Vale of White Horse
5 Swindon 001 Swindon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Breakspear

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Breakspear

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

Professional Periphery

Within London, Breakspear is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Breakspear is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Breakspear families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Breakspear 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. Oxfordshire leads with 73 Breakspears recorded in 1881 and an index of 50.28x.

County Total Index
Oxfordshire 73 50.28x
Berkshire 58 32.87x
Warwickshire 32 5.40x
Middlesex 29 1.23x
Northamptonshire 17 7.69x
Surrey 8 0.70x
Staffordshire 7 0.88x
Gloucestershire 5 1.08x
Essex 4 0.86x
Kent 3 0.37x
Sussex 2 0.50x
Leicestershire 1 0.38x
Pembrokeshire 1 1.34x
Wiltshire 1 0.48x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Handborough in Oxfordshire leads with 23 Breakspears recorded in 1881 and an index of 2948.72x.

Place Total Index
Handborough 23 2948.72x
Stanton Harcourt 17 3863.64x
Nettlebed 12 2264.15x
Woolstone 12 7500.00x
East West Hanney 11 1594.20x
Hanwell 10 239.81x
Finchampstead 9 1666.67x
Rothwell 9 405.41x
Ash Normandy 8 512.82x
Aston 8 4.90x
Uffington 8 1739.13x
St Marylebone London 7 5.58x
Ealing 6 28.56x
Grove 6 1333.33x
Haselor 6 2142.86x
Birmingham 5 2.53x
Clerkenwell London 5 9.01x
Edgbaston 5 27.20x
Marston Trussell 5 2941.18x
Oxford St Giles 5 72.15x
Eynsham 4 434.78x
Hardwick 4 2857.14x
Rugby 4 49.88x
Upper Penn 4 201.01x
West Ham 4 3.90x
Clanfield 3 750.00x
Dunchurch 3 370.37x
East Hendred 3 454.55x
Hurst 3 129.87x
Kettering 3 33.56x
Moreton In Marsh 3 260.87x
Brighton 2 2.50x
Henley On Thames 2 67.34x
Mickleton 2 327.87x
Oxford St Aldate 2 130.72x
Speen 2 69.20x
Abingdon St Helen 1 19.38x
Checkley 1 48.54x
Deptford St Nicholas 1 15.70x
Dover St Mary Virgin 1 12.89x
Greenwich 1 2.67x
Handsworth 1 5.11x
Lapworth 1 178.57x
Leicester St Martin 1 57.14x
Oxford St Michael 1 166.67x
Sparsholt 1 285.71x
Tenby St Mary In 1 26.32x
Wallingford St Mary Le 1 100.00x
Wanborough 1 140.85x
Wargrave 1 65.79x
Westminster St James 1 4.14x
Wombourn 1 68.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 19
Eliza 7
Emily 7
Sarah 7
Alice 6
Elizabeth 5
Ellen 5
Emma 5
Jane 5
Kate 4
Ann 3
Annie 3
Caroline 3
Lydia 3
Ada 2
Clara 2
Elizth. 2
Fanny 2
Harriet 2
Louisa 2
Minnie 2
Rebecca 2
Selina 2
Agnas 1
Agnes 1
Albert 1
Amy 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Belinda 1
Bertha 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Elizb. 1
Florence 1
Georgina 1
Helen 1
Jessie 1
Keziah 1
Laura 1
Leanora 1
Lexey 1
Lizzie 1
Lucy 1
Martha 1
Milicent 1
Rose 1
Rosina 1
Sophia 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 16
Thomas 11
William 11
George 10
James 7
Alfred 5
Joseph 5
Henry 4
Adam 3
Charles 3
Edwin 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Daniel 2
Edward 2
Jesse 2
Richard 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Archibald 1
Arthur 1
Augustine 1
Aurthur 1
Beachan 1
Fred 1
Geo. 1
Henery 1
Mark 1
Percy 1
Prince 1
Ralf 1
Robert 1
Sarah 1
Timothy 1
Tom 1
Willm 1
Willy 1
Wilm. 1

FAQ

Breakspear surname: questions and answers

How common was the Breakspear surname in 1881?

In 1881, 241 people were recorded with the Breakspear surname. That placed it at #11,374 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Breakspear surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 564 in 2016. That gives Breakspear a modern rank of #9,103.

What does the Breakspear map show?

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