NameCensus.

UK surname

Brittain

A locational surname referring to someone from Brittany, France or Great Britain.

In the 1881 census there were 2,315 people recorded with the Brittain surname, ranking it #1,924 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,111, ranked #2,170, down from #1,924 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Eccles and Calne, Bowood, Blackland, Calstone Withington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Kesteven and Boston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brittain is 3,315 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.4%.

1881 census count

2,315

Ranked #1,924

Modern count

3,111

2016, ranked #2,170

Peak year

1999

3,315 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brittain had 2,315 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,924 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,111 in 2016, ranked #2,170.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,199 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Brittain surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brittain surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brittain 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 1,493 #1,927
1861 historical 1,417 #2,009
1881 historical 2,315 #1,924
1891 historical 2,477 #1,913
1901 historical 2,992 #1,871
1911 historical 3,199 #1,627
1997 modern 3,173 #2,027
1998 modern 3,292 #2,033
1999 modern 3,315 #2,043
2000 modern 3,312 #2,032
2001 modern 3,209 #2,052
2002 modern 3,272 #2,057
2003 modern 3,167 #2,076
2004 modern 3,141 #2,087
2005 modern 3,033 #2,134
2006 modern 2,989 #2,169
2007 modern 3,017 #2,168
2008 modern 3,039 #2,159
2009 modern 3,127 #2,162
2010 modern 3,199 #2,162
2011 modern 3,147 #2,164
2012 modern 3,096 #2,160
2013 modern 3,124 #2,179
2014 modern 3,156 #2,174
2015 modern 3,103 #2,179
2016 modern 3,111 #2,170

Geography

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Where Brittains are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Eccles, Calne, Bowood, Blackland, Calstone Withington and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Kesteven, Boston, Burnley and Wyre Forest. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Eccles Lancashire
3 Calne, Bowood, Blackland, Calstone Withington Wiltshire
4 Walsall Staffordshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rhondda Cynon Taf 008 Rhondda Cynon Taf
2 South Kesteven 008 South Kesteven
3 Boston 009 Boston
4 Burnley 006 Burnley
5 Wyre Forest 001 Wyre Forest

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brittain

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brittain

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Brittain 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

Brittain 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

Brittain 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 Brittain is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Brittain

The surname Brittain has its origins in England and is a locational name derived from the place name Brittain, which comes from the Old English words 'Briten' and 'inn,' meaning "the dweller at the Briton settlement." The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as 'Britteyn.'

The name is believed to have originated in the county of Devon, where there are several villages and parishes bearing the name Brittain or variations of it, such as Brittain Tracy and Brittain Clovelly. These place names likely refer to settlements established by Britons, the Celtic inhabitants of Britain before the Anglo-Saxon invasion.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Richard de Brittain, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1212. Another early record is that of William de Brittain, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.

The surname Brittain has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous was Richard Brittain (c. 1490-1558), an English Protestant reformer and martyr who was burned at the stake during the reign of Queen Mary I for his religious beliefs.

Another prominent bearer of the name was John Brittain (1653-1714), an English mathematician and astronomer who is best known for his work on the calculation of comets' orbits and his contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

In the literary world, John Brittain (1918-1993) was a British playwright and screenwriter whose works included the play "Delicate Balance" and the screenplay for the film "The Day of the Triffids."

Sir Harry Brittain (1873-1974) was a British naval officer and politician who served as a member of parliament and held the position of First Lord of the Admiralty during World War I.

More recently, Vera Brittain (1893-1970) was a British writer and pacifist who is best known for her memoir "Testament of Youth," which chronicled her experiences during World War I and the loss of her fiancé and several close friends in the conflict.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Brittain families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brittain 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. Yorkshire leads with 339 Brittains recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.52x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 339 1.52x
Warwickshire 271 4.76x
Lancashire 214 0.80x
Middlesex 203 0.90x
Staffordshire 170 2.23x
Essex 111 2.49x
Lincolnshire 83 2.30x
Bedfordshire 72 6.16x
Worcestershire 66 2.24x
Wiltshire 59 2.96x
Cambridgeshire 56 3.92x
Surrey 56 0.51x
Derbyshire 52 1.47x
Norfolk 49 1.41x
Kent 47 0.61x
Cheshire 43 0.86x
Lanarkshire 42 0.58x
Northamptonshire 35 1.65x
Durham 34 0.51x
Buckinghamshire 33 2.42x
Hertfordshire 29 1.86x
Nottinghamshire 29 0.95x
Gloucestershire 25 0.56x
Northumberland 24 0.71x
Shropshire 24 1.23x
Somerset 23 0.63x
Berkshire 21 1.24x
Huntingdonshire 17 3.79x
Midlothian 12 0.40x
Hampshire 11 0.24x
Monmouthshire 11 0.67x
Suffolk 10 0.36x
Caernarfonshire 8 0.88x
Glamorgan 8 0.20x
Perthshire 6 0.59x
Anglesey 4 1.00x
Oxfordshire 4 0.29x
Devon 3 0.06x
Flintshire 3 0.49x
Leicestershire 3 0.12x
Sussex 3 0.08x
Cornwall 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 115 Brittains recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.34x.

Place Total Index
Aston 115 7.34x
Birmingham 107 5.64x
Barton Upon Irwell 101 50.09x
Calne 36 87.59x
Biggleswade 28 73.15x
Sheffield 23 3.23x
Walsall Foreign 23 5.84x
Ecclesall Bierlow 22 4.84x
Bethnal Green London 20 2.04x
Headingley Cum Burley 20 13.89x
Kensington London 20 1.59x
St Pancras London 20 1.10x
Sutton Coldfield 20 33.42x
Halesowen 19 73.42x
Holy Trinity 19 3.53x
Willingale Doe 19 581.04x
Wolverhampton 19 3.24x
Rushall 18 40.14x
Sculcoates 18 5.08x
Wolstanton Chesterton 18 46.23x
Eston 17 34.89x
Scarborough 17 8.36x
West Ham 16 1.63x
Bedminster 15 4.39x
Eynesbury 15 144.51x
Mile End Old Town London 15 3.12x
Barony 14 0.76x
Burnham 14 80.51x
Fairfield 14 59.22x
Middlesbrough 14 4.81x
Wednesbury 14 7.35x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 13 3.12x
Easton 13 169.71x
Lambeth 13 0.66x
Leverington 13 138.15x
Somerby In Grantham 13 141.46x
Swindon 13 8.40x
Yardley 13 17.24x
Algarkirk 12 298.51x
Downham 12 79.00x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 12 0.99x
Glasgow 12 0.93x
Hackney London 12 0.95x
St Andrew Holborn London 12 12.28x
Stockton On Tees 12 3.71x
Barlaston 11 173.23x
Burton Upon Trent 11 6.17x
Croydon 11 1.80x
Edgmond 11 51.23x
Fulham London 11 3.36x
Jesmond 11 23.28x
Kings Norton 11 4.16x
Sedgley 11 3.89x
Upper Hallam 11 56.61x
Bitton 10 25.95x
Chester St John Baptist 10 11.17x
Chipping Barnet 10 36.75x
Manchester 10 0.83x
Mountnessing 10 147.93x
Rosliston 10 281.69x
Shellow Bowells 10 1176.47x
Chelsea London 9 1.32x
Deptford St Paul 9 1.52x
Derby St Werburgh 9 4.41x
Hampstead London 9 2.56x
Holbeck 9 6.07x
Islington London 9 0.41x
Liverpool 9 0.55x
Nether Hallam 9 2.97x
Norwich St Clement 9 22.37x
Over 9 106.01x
Peterborough 9 5.85x
Shillington 9 52.26x
St Marylebone London 9 0.75x
Garston 8 10.12x
Holdenhurst 8 6.59x
Lavendon 8 130.51x
Newton 8 3.88x
Pointon 8 236.69x
Toxteth Park 8 0.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 158
Sarah 94
Elizabeth 81
Alice 51
Ann 41
Emma 40
Ellen 38
Eliza 37
Jane 36
Annie 31
Emily 24
Martha 20
Florence 19
Caroline 17
Charlotte 16
Hannah 16
Margaret 16
Ada 15
Kate 15
Fanny 14
Edith 13
Maria 13
Clara 12
Anne 11
Harriet 11
Lucy 11
Betsy 9
Louisa 9
Agnes 8
Rose 8
Frances 7
Harriett 7
Isabella 7
Lizzie 7
Matilda 7
Amy 6
Catherine 6
Eleanor 6
Julia 6
Amelia 5
Lavinia 5
Maud 5
Minnie 5
Susan 5
Susannah 5
Anna 4
Esther 4
Mabel 4
Selina 4
Margt. 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 130
William 122
George 99
Thomas 71
James 61
Joseph 50
Charles 48
Henry 35
Alfred 32
Samuel 32
Frederick 30
Arthur 28
Edward 24
Richard 18
Walter 18
Albert 17
Benjamin 15
Frank 15
Harry 14
Robert 12
David 11
Ernest 10
Herbert 9
Edwin 6
Francis 6
Levi 6
Wm. 6
Isaac 5
Aaron 4
Andrew 4
Chas. 4
Fredk. 4
Geo. 4
Peter 4
Tom 4
Amos 3
Dean 3
Fred 3
Harold 3
Jonathan 3
Philip 3
Thos. 3
Wallace 3
Willm. 3
Christopher 2
Daniel 2
Fredrick 2
Joshua 2
Leonard 2
Sidney 2

FAQ

Brittain surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brittain surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,315 people were recorded with the Brittain surname. That placed it at #1,924 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brittain surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,111 in 2016. That gives Brittain a modern rank of #2,170.

What does the Brittain surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Brittany, France or Great Britain.

What does the Brittain map show?

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