NameCensus.

UK surname

Brimley

A surname from a place name derived from Old English words meaning "brim" and "clearing in the woods".

In the 1881 census there were 265 people recorded with the Brimley surname, ranking it #10,612 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 162, ranked #22,512, down from #10,612 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burton-on-Trent, Crawley, North and Bedford St Paul. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Milton Keynes, Blaby and Kettering.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brimley is 307 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 38.9%.

1881 census count

265

Ranked #10,612

Modern count

162

2016, ranked #22,512

Peak year

1901

307 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brimley had 265 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,612 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 162 in 2016, ranked #22,512.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 307 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Brimley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brimley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brimley 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 206 #11,725
1881 historical 265 #10,612
1891 historical 252 #12,685
1901 historical 307 #11,472
1911 historical 298 #11,505
1997 modern 176 #19,091
1998 modern 186 #18,918
1999 modern 193 #18,642
2000 modern 195 #18,494
2001 modern 192 #18,388
2002 modern 190 #18,889
2003 modern 190 #18,683
2004 modern 184 #19,183
2005 modern 177 #19,598
2006 modern 173 #19,995
2007 modern 167 #20,719
2008 modern 162 #21,350
2009 modern 171 #21,024
2010 modern 176 #21,101
2011 modern 163 #21,983
2012 modern 161 #22,157
2013 modern 167 #21,984
2014 modern 164 #22,445
2015 modern 160 #22,701
2016 modern 162 #22,512

Geography

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Where Brimleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Burton-on-Trent, Crawley, North, Bedford St Paul, Kettering and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Milton Keynes, Blaby, Kettering, Torbay and Bedford. 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 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
2 Crawley, North Buckinghamshire
3 Bedford St Paul Bedfordshire
4 Kettering Northamptonshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Milton Keynes 001 Milton Keynes
2 Blaby 006 Blaby
3 Kettering 011 Kettering
4 Torbay 013 Torbay
5 Bedford 018 Bedford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brimley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brimley

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Brimley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Brimley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Brimley is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Brimley 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

Brimley falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Brimley

The surname Brimley originated in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "brimm" and "leah," meaning "vigorous" and "woodland clearing" respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person living in a lively or prosperous woodland area.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the name Brimley. These include "Brimelegh" and "Brimelai," which could refer to early spellings or variations of the surname.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Brimley was John Brimley, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, around 1230. Records from the 14th century also mention a William Brimley, a landowner in Somerset, and a Thomas Brimley, a merchant in London.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Brimley family seemed to have a strong presence in the county of Gloucestershire. Notable individuals from this period include Richard Brimley (1547-1623), a member of the local gentry, and his son, John Brimley (1585-1661), who served as a magistrate in the county.

The name Brimley has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Brimley Hill in Herefordshire and Brimley Farm in Gloucestershire. These locations may have derived their names from the surname or vice versa, reflecting the historical connection between the family and certain areas.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Brimley. One example is Wilfred Brimley (1934-2020), an American actor known for his roles in films such as "Cocoon" and "The Firm." Another is John Brimley Bigge (1792-1865), an English lawyer and colonial administrator who served as the Commissioner of Inquiry into the state of the colonies in Australia in the 1820s.

Other notable individuals with the surname Brimley include John Brimley (1631-1691), an English poet and clergyman; Thomas Brimley (1789-1879), a British journalist and essayist; and George Brimley (1819-1857), an English author and literary critic.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Brimley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brimley 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. Lancashire leads with 69 Brimleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.25x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 69 2.25x
Middlesex 49 1.90x
Bedfordshire 35 26.15x
Northamptonshire 26 10.69x
Surrey 17 1.35x
Devon 10 1.86x
Essex 9 1.76x
Staffordshire 9 1.03x
Buckinghamshire 8 5.12x
Yorkshire 7 0.27x
Hertfordshire 6 3.37x
Huntingdonshire 5 9.74x
Kent 3 0.34x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.86x
Berkshire 2 1.03x
Cheshire 2 0.35x
Warwickshire 2 0.31x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.61x
Derbyshire 1 0.25x
Glamorgan 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chorley in Lancashire leads with 42 Brimleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 244.04x.

Place Total Index
Chorley 42 244.04x
Tottenham 10 24.29x
Kensington London 9 6.26x
Paddington London 8 8.42x
Roxton 8 1632.65x
Bedford St Paul 7 76.25x
Braunton 7 384.62x
Castleton 7 22.85x
North Crawley 7 1129.03x
Ringstead 7 833.33x
Cople 6 1463.41x
Enfield 6 35.38x
Euxton 6 588.24x
Hemel Hempstead 6 74.72x
Kettering 6 61.04x
Bedford St Mary 5 144.93x
Broughton 5 641.03x
Eynesbury 5 420.17x
Farnham 5 51.07x
South Weald 5 114.42x
Southwark St George Martyr 5 9.61x
St Giles In Fields London 5 39.43x
St Marylebone London 5 3.62x
Toxteth Park 5 4.81x
Battersea 4 4.21x
Daventry 4 116.28x
Horninglow 4 97.32x
Burton Extra 3 60.00x
Ollerton 3 416.67x
Ramsgate 3 20.83x
Soyland 3 97.72x
St Katherine Creechurch 3 666.67x
Bedford St Peter 2 57.47x
Bideford 2 34.72x
Broughton In Salford 2 7.13x
Cardington 2 183.49x
Chorley In Macclesfield 2 114.94x
Crumpsall 2 27.66x
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 3.84x
Elton 2 18.87x
Hardingstone 2 86.21x
Harrold 2 219.78x
Keysoe 2 317.46x
Mortimer 2 215.05x
Reigate Foreign 2 14.66x
Stanstead 2 476.19x
Westminster St John 2 6.35x
Wolverhampton 2 2.98x
Accrington 1 3.59x
Barrow In Furness 1 2.40x
Bedford St Cuthbert 1 84.03x
Brompton In Scarborough 1 163.93x
Coyty Lower 1 34.25x
Dallington 1 69.93x
Eckington 1 10.17x
Frensham 1 54.05x
Halifax 1 2.66x
Lillington 1 119.05x
Little Warley 1 140.85x
Littleham 1 25.45x
Northampton Priory St 1 6.85x
Preston 1 1.22x
Southam 1 63.29x
St Andrew Holborn London 1 8.94x
Stansted Mountfitchet 1 77.52x
Upton Cum Chalvey 1 16.05x
Whittlesey St Mary St 1 17.48x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 17
Elizabeth 15
Sarah 11
Alice 8
Ann 6
Jane 6
Caroline 5
Annie 4
Eliza 4
Hannah 4
Margaret 4
Catherine 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Kate 3
Louisa 3
Anne 2
Charlotte 2
Emma 2
Esther 2
Frances 2
Lucy 2
Percy 2
Rosetta 2
Susannah 2
Agnes 1
Bertha 1
Betsy 1
Celia 1
Edith 1
Eliz.Ann 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.S. 1
Ethel 1
Etty 1
Eva 1
Eve 1
Fanny 1
Henrietta 1
Hephzibah 1
Isabella 1
Jessie 1
Katherine 1
Maggie 1
Maryann 1
Rebecca 1
Susan 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 18
William 12
James 10
Joseph 9
Richard 9
Thomas 7
Charles 6
George 6
Frank 4
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
Robert 3
Edward 2
Eli 2
Fredrick 2
Harry 2
Henry 2
Herbert 2
Samuel 2
Aaron 1
Amos 1
Benjamin 1
Charlie 1
Elern 1
Eric 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Geo. 1
Jabez 1
Joel 1
Mark 1
Mary 1
Nathan 1
Owen 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Sam 1
Saml. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Brimley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brimley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 265 people were recorded with the Brimley surname. That placed it at #10,612 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brimley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 162 in 2016. That gives Brimley a modern rank of #22,512.

What does the Brimley surname mean?

A surname from a place name derived from Old English words meaning "brim" and "clearing in the woods".

What does the Brimley map show?

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