NameCensus.

UK surname

Breeds

In the 1881 census there were 116 people recorded with the Breeds surname, ranking it #18,126 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 317, ranked #14,198, up from #18,126 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Newhaven, Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew and Rye, Peasmarsh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rother, Lewes and Hambleton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Breeds is 336 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 173.3%.

1881 census count

116

Ranked #18,126

Modern count

317

2016, ranked #14,198

Peak year

2000

336 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Breeds had 116 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,126 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 317 in 2016, ranked #14,198.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 241 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Breeds surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Breeds surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Breeds 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 56 #23,235
1861 historical 58 #26,585
1881 historical 116 #18,126
1891 historical 171 #16,733
1901 historical 188 #15,742
1911 historical 241 #13,229
1997 modern 322 #12,914
1998 modern 331 #13,018
1999 modern 327 #13,209
2000 modern 336 #12,921
2001 modern 328 #12,944
2002 modern 330 #13,140
2003 modern 309 #13,559
2004 modern 307 #13,685
2005 modern 291 #14,105
2006 modern 304 #13,797
2007 modern 282 #14,618
2008 modern 284 #14,687
2009 modern 292 #14,700
2010 modern 298 #14,812
2011 modern 294 #14,798
2012 modern 308 #14,259
2013 modern 325 #13,924
2014 modern 320 #14,181
2015 modern 316 #14,214
2016 modern 317 #14,198

Geography

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Where Breeds' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Newhaven, Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew, Rye, Peasmarsh, Ore and Hastings All Saints. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rother, Lewes and Hambleton. 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 Newhaven Sussex
2 Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew Sussex
3 Rye, Peasmarsh Sussex
4 Ore Sussex
5 Hastings All Saints Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rother 004 Rother
2 Lewes 004 Lewes
3 Lewes 011 Lewes
4 Lewes 003 Lewes
5 Hambleton 010 Hambleton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Breeds

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Breeds

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Breeds is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Breeds 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

Breeds falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Breeds families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Breeds 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. Sussex leads with 69 Breeds' recorded in 1881 and an index of 36.17x.

County Total Index
Sussex 69 36.17x
Kent 26 6.73x
Surrey 7 1.27x
Somerset 4 2.20x
Essex 3 1.34x
Devon 2 0.85x
Nottinghamshire 2 1.31x
Dorset 1 1.35x
Middlesex 1 0.09x
Wiltshire 1 1.00x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hastings All Sts in Sussex leads with 16 Breeds' recorded in 1881 and an index of 888.89x.

Place Total Index
Hastings All Sts 16 888.89x
Ashford 13 345.74x
Ore 12 845.07x
Lewes All Sts 10 1315.79x
Dartford 9 227.85x
Hastings St Mary 9 189.47x
Battersea 7 16.81x
Hastings St Clement 7 388.89x
Hastings St Leonards 5 178.57x
Wincanton 4 425.53x
Brighton 3 7.79x
Forest Gate 3 967.74x
Newark Upon Trent 2 36.50x
Newhaven 2 129.03x
Plymouth St Andrew 2 11.03x
Tonbridge 2 14.37x
Caundle Marsh 1 2500.00x
Cranbrook 1 60.98x
Denton 1 526.32x
Hillingdon 1 27.70x
Keymer 1 74.07x
Lewes St Ann 1 153.85x
Lewes St John Southover 1 78.13x
Lydd 1 120.48x
Rye 1 55.25x
Semington 1 625.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 6
Mary 6
Jane 4
Fanny 3
Alice 2
Brittania 2
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Hannah 2
Harriett 2
Martha 2
Sarah 2
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Elisabeth 1
Elizth. 1
Elvina 1
Ethel 1
Harriot 1
Isabel 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Madeline 1
Margaret 1
Marian 1
Rachael 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
George 5
William 5
Richard 4
Thomas 4
Edward 3
Frederick 3
James 3
Robert 3
Stephen 3
Alfred 2
Benjamin 2
Harry 2
Joseph 2
Thos. 2
Albert 1
Boykett 1
Frank 1
Geo. 1
Henriette 1
Henry 1
Mary 1
Morgan 1
Seaman 1
Tom 1
Trayton 1

FAQ

Breeds surname: questions and answers

How common was the Breeds surname in 1881?

In 1881, 116 people were recorded with the Breeds surname. That placed it at #18,126 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Breeds surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 317 in 2016. That gives Breeds a modern rank of #14,198.

What does the Breeds map show?

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