NameCensus.

UK surname

Brighty

In the 1881 census there were 272 people recorded with the Brighty surname, ranking it #10,409 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 333, ranked #13,670, down from #10,409 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Hockering and Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rossendale, East Northamptonshire and Fenland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brighty is 392 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.4%.

1881 census count

272

Ranked #10,409

Modern count

333

2016, ranked #13,670

Peak year

1997

392 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brighty had 272 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,409 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 333 in 2016, ranked #13,670.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 322 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Brighty surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brighty surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brighty 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 205 #10,223
1861 historical 212 #11,466
1881 historical 272 #10,409
1891 historical 275 #11,847
1901 historical 322 #11,090
1911 historical 307 #11,257
1997 modern 392 #11,178
1998 modern 383 #11,748
1999 modern 382 #11,843
2000 modern 375 #11,949
2001 modern 366 #11,998
2002 modern 365 #12,246
2003 modern 345 #12,549
2004 modern 345 #12,571
2005 modern 342 #12,579
2006 modern 337 #12,810
2007 modern 345 #12,714
2008 modern 341 #12,958
2009 modern 364 #12,584
2010 modern 355 #13,099
2011 modern 341 #13,341
2012 modern 332 #13,501
2013 modern 343 #13,372
2014 modern 338 #13,624
2015 modern 341 #13,425
2016 modern 333 #13,670

Geography

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Where Brightys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Hockering, Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire), Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rossendale, East Northamptonshire, Fenland and Basingstoke and Deane. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Hockering Norfolk
3 Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire) Cambridgeshire
4 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk
5 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rossendale 003 Rossendale
2 East Northamptonshire 002 East Northamptonshire
3 Fenland 002 Fenland
4 Fenland 004 Fenland
5 Basingstoke and Deane 020 Basingstoke and Deane

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brighty

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brighty

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Brighty, 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 Brighty surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Brighty 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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Brighty is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Brighty is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Brighty families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brighty 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. Norfolk leads with 117 Brightys recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.68x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 117 28.68x
Huntingdonshire 45 85.42x
Middlesex 21 0.79x
Lancashire 15 0.48x
Surrey 13 1.01x
Cambridgeshire 12 7.14x
Yorkshire 9 0.34x
Northamptonshire 7 2.81x
Pembrokeshire 7 8.30x
Buckinghamshire 6 3.74x
Sussex 6 1.34x
Berkshire 4 2.01x
Lincolnshire 3 0.71x
Hertfordshire 2 1.09x
Suffolk 2 0.62x
Bedfordshire 1 0.73x
Essex 1 0.19x
Kent 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hockering in Norfolk leads with 43 Brightys recorded in 1881 and an index of 12647.06x.

Place Total Index
Hockering 43 12647.06x
Ramsey 25 592.42x
Godmanchester 10 502.51x
Honingham 9 2903.23x
Lakenham 9 155.17x
Whittlesey St Mary St 9 153.32x
Clerkenwell London 7 11.18x
Hethersett 7 679.61x
Newington 7 7.14x
Normanby In 7 99.57x
Oundle 7 250.90x
Pembroke St Mary 7 64.46x
Shoreditch London 7 6.09x
Upwell 7 368.42x
Astwood 6 3000.00x
Frant 6 189.27x
Heigham 6 27.40x
Newchurch 6 23.29x
Norwich St Stephen 6 160.43x
Lambeth 5 2.16x
Over Darwen 5 19.88x
Burghfield 4 338.98x
Norwich St Martin At Oak 4 161.29x
Salford 4 4.32x
Saxlingham Nethergate 4 833.33x
Trowse Cum Newton 4 396.04x
Upwood 4 1290.32x
Wymondham 4 95.92x
Great Raveley 3 1666.67x
St Pancras London 3 1.40x
Eastoft 2 363.64x
Fletton 2 119.05x
Ipswich St Margaret 2 18.23x
Islington London 2 0.78x
Lyng 2 434.78x
March 2 35.52x
Runhall 2 1111.11x
Attleborough 1 48.54x
Aylmerton 1 357.14x
Baumber 1 322.58x
Blofield 1 96.15x
Chatteris 1 23.31x
Cheshunt 1 15.65x
East Dereham 1 19.42x
Gillingham 1 5.36x
Great Gidding 1 227.27x
Hemel Hempstead 1 12.14x
Holy Trinity 1 1.58x
Keighley 1 3.57x
North Tuddenham 1 322.58x
Norwich St George Colegate 1 67.57x
Norwich St Giles 1 76.34x
Norwich St James 1 31.25x
Norwich St John Timberhill 1 90.91x
Prittlewell 1 13.77x
St Marylebone London 1 0.71x
Sutton 1 10.70x
Wicklewood 1 151.52x
Willesden 1 4.00x
Wootton 1 84.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 17
Elizabeth 11
Sarah 11
Ann 7
Eliza 7
Emily 7
Annie 5
Emma 5
Hannah 5
Edith 4
Jane 4
Alice 3
Anna 3
Charlotte 3
Lizzie 3
Maria 3
Ada 2
Caroline 2
Catherine 2
Cecila 2
Ellen 2
Esther 2
Rebecca 2
Bessie 1
Betsey 1
Delilah 1
Dorcas 1
Fanny 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Kezia 1
L. 1
Laura 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Mabel 1
Mahala 1
Margeret 1
Marth 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
Maud 1
Priscilla 1
Racheal 1
Rachel 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Rosenia 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 19
William 17
George 13
James 11
Frederick 6
Arthur 5
Thomas 5
Joseph 4
Edward 3
Fred 3
Herbert 3
Robert 3
Alfred 2
Richard 2
Samuel 2
Stephen 2
Abraham 1
Albert 1
Allen 1
Barnabas 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Charley 1
David 1
Elijah 1
Ernest 1
Harry 1
Henery 1
Henry 1
Horatio 1
Howard 1
Isaac 1
J.Wiltshire 1
Jacob 1
Johnie 1
L. 1
Louis 1
Miles 1
R.J. 1
Robt. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Brighty surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brighty surname in 1881?

In 1881, 272 people were recorded with the Brighty surname. That placed it at #10,409 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brighty surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 333 in 2016. That gives Brighty a modern rank of #13,670.

What does the Brighty map show?

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