NameCensus.

UK surname

Breakwell

In the 1881 census there were 434 people recorded with the Breakwell surname, ranking it #7,512 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,103, ranked #5,330, up from #7,512 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Stottesden, Kinlet and Dalton-in-Furness. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Malvern Hills and Wolverhampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Breakwell is 1,174 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 154.1%.

1881 census count

434

Ranked #7,512

Modern count

1,103

2016, ranked #5,330

Peak year

2011

1,174 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Breakwell had 434 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,512 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,103 in 2016, ranked #5,330.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 779 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Breakwell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Breakwell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Breakwell 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 211 #9,997
1861 historical 220 #11,076
1881 historical 434 #7,512
1891 historical 563 #6,744
1901 historical 645 #6,678
1911 historical 779 #5,578
1997 modern 1,095 #5,092
1998 modern 1,120 #5,180
1999 modern 1,160 #5,067
2000 modern 1,135 #5,135
2001 modern 1,104 #5,153
2002 modern 1,108 #5,238
2003 modern 1,105 #5,164
2004 modern 1,101 #5,179
2005 modern 1,095 #5,147
2006 modern 1,124 #5,048
2007 modern 1,148 #4,991
2008 modern 1,160 #4,971
2009 modern 1,153 #5,124
2010 modern 1,165 #5,173
2011 modern 1,174 #5,080
2012 modern 1,112 #5,249
2013 modern 1,095 #5,393
2014 modern 1,099 #5,399
2015 modern 1,087 #5,396
2016 modern 1,103 #5,330

Geography

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Where Breakwells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Stottesden, Kinlet, Dalton-in-Furness, Coreley 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 Shropshire, Malvern Hills 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 Stottesden, Kinlet Shropshire
3 Dalton-in-Furness Lancashire
4 Coreley Shropshire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 039 Shropshire
2 Shropshire 035 Shropshire
3 Malvern Hills 001 Malvern Hills
4 Malvern Hills 002 Malvern Hills
5 Wolverhampton 018 Wolverhampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Breakwell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Breakwell

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Breakwell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Breakwell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Breakwell 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

Breakwell 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

Breakwell falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Breakwell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Breakwell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Breakwell 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. Shropshire leads with 127 Breakwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.72x.

County Total Index
Shropshire 127 34.72x
Staffordshire 100 7.00x
Worcestershire 72 13.02x
Warwickshire 29 2.72x
Lancashire 24 0.48x
Yorkshire 19 0.45x
Derbyshire 18 2.72x
Surrey 14 0.68x
Monmouthshire 11 3.59x
Durham 6 0.48x
Middlesex 6 0.14x
Radnorshire 2 5.85x
Gloucestershire 1 0.12x
Herefordshire 1 0.58x
Leicestershire 1 0.21x
Montgomeryshire 1 1.03x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.18x
Sussex 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wolverhampton in Staffordshire leads with 32 Breakwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.12x.

Place Total Index
Wolverhampton 32 29.12x
Cleobury Mortimer 28 1212.12x
Coreley 23 2527.47x
Birmingham 20 5.62x
Stottesdon 19 1144.58x
Barrow In Furness 18 26.35x
West Bromwich 16 19.56x
Kings Norton 14 28.24x
Kingswinford 14 26.99x
Farlow 12 2400.00x
Dudley 11 16.37x
Sedgley 11 20.72x
Wednesfield 11 52.31x
Bitterley 10 689.66x
Chaddesley Corbett 10 483.09x
Chelmarsh 10 1449.28x
Long Eaton 9 102.86x
Rockfield 9 2727.27x
Tipton 9 20.57x
Wolverley 9 185.57x
Eastham 8 1632.65x
Staveley 8 67.97x
Altofts 7 151.19x
Woking 7 56.32x
Worfield 7 275.59x
Kidderminster Borough 6 18.54x
Normanton 6 47.58x
Stanton Lacy 6 189.87x
Aston 5 1.70x
Kidderminster Foreign 5 63.94x
Eardington 4 1052.63x
Lambeth 4 1.08x
Lindridge 4 285.71x
Nash 4 470.59x
Preston 4 2.98x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 4 20.52x
Upper Arley 4 377.36x
Hatton 3 212.77x
Rock 3 135.75x
Stoke Newington London 3 9.10x
Clapham 2 3.78x
Harborne 2 4.37x
Knighton 2 72.46x
Monmouth 2 24.66x
Redworth 2 250.00x
Rotherham 2 8.46x
Tudhoe 2 18.15x
Bermondsey 1 0.79x
Bulwell 1 8.06x
Chilton 1 25.45x
Drayton In Hales 1 13.26x
Edgbaston 1 3.02x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 1 6.58x
Hampstead London 1 1.52x
Higher Booths 1 11.04x
Highley 1 188.68x
Kensington London 1 0.42x
Knighton On Teme 1 270.27x
Leicester St Margaret 1 0.87x
Little Hereford 1 163.93x
Littlehampton 1 17.54x
Ludlow St Lawrence 1 13.74x
Machynlleth 1 28.57x
Milson 1 555.56x
Reddish 1 14.45x
Shildon 1 9.88x
Stafford St Mary 1 4.94x
Stapenhill 1 10.13x
Stourbridge 1 7.03x
Westminster St James 1 2.30x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 28
George 22
John 20
Thomas 18
James 17
Edward 14
Benjamin 8
Charles 8
Henry 7
Richard 7
Arthur 6
Joseph 6
Albert 4
Eli 4
Israel 4
Edmund 3
Edwin 3
Samuel 3
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Fredk. 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Isreal 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Alfried 1
Andrew 1
Baby 1
Earnest 1
Ely 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Geo. 1
Harold 1
Horace 1
Hubert 1
Jonah 1
Joshua 1
Lillian 1
Noah 1
Ronald 1
Saml. 1
Solomon 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Breakwell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Breakwell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 434 people were recorded with the Breakwell surname. That placed it at #7,512 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Breakwell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,103 in 2016. That gives Breakwell a modern rank of #5,330.

What does the Breakwell map show?

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