NameCensus.

UK surname

Brockway

An English locational surname derived from any of the various places named Brockway, meaning "brook path."

In the 1881 census there were 424 people recorded with the Brockway surname, ranking it #7,647 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 722, ranked #7,525, up from #7,647 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Shaftesbury Holy Trinity, Keymer, North & South and Swallowcliffe. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pembrokeshire, Cardiff and Wiltshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brockway is 736 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 70.3%.

1881 census count

424

Ranked #7,647

Modern count

722

2016, ranked #7,525

Peak year

2014

736 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brockway had 424 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,647 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 722 in 2016, ranked #7,525.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 607 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Brockway surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brockway surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brockway 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 281 #8,028
1861 historical 268 #9,274
1881 historical 424 #7,647
1891 historical 551 #6,868
1901 historical 559 #7,443
1911 historical 607 #6,786
1997 modern 683 #7,380
1998 modern 705 #7,437
1999 modern 714 #7,408
2000 modern 704 #7,456
2001 modern 681 #7,513
2002 modern 700 #7,511
2003 modern 694 #7,433
2004 modern 701 #7,391
2005 modern 690 #7,432
2006 modern 708 #7,287
2007 modern 724 #7,250
2008 modern 724 #7,295
2009 modern 714 #7,527
2010 modern 720 #7,612
2011 modern 712 #7,595
2012 modern 718 #7,469
2013 modern 732 #7,479
2014 modern 736 #7,498
2015 modern 733 #7,455
2016 modern 722 #7,525

Geography

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Where Brockways are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Shaftesbury Holy Trinity, Keymer, North & South, Swallowcliffe, Cardiff St John and St Mary and Portsmouth, Portsea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pembrokeshire, Cardiff, Wiltshire and North Dorset. 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 Shaftesbury Holy Trinity Dorset
2 Keymer, North & South Sussex
3 Swallowcliffe Wiltshire
4 Cardiff St John and St Mary Glamorganshire
5 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pembrokeshire 013 Pembrokeshire
2 Cardiff 039 Cardiff
3 Wiltshire 048 Wiltshire
4 North Dorset 003 North Dorset
5 Wiltshire 050 Wiltshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brockway

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brockway

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Brockway surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Brockway household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Brockway is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Brockway is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Brockway falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Brockway

The surname Brockway is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name, derived from the place name Brockway, a village in Somerset, England. The name itself is thought to come from the Old English words "broc" meaning brook or stream, and "weg" meaning way or path, referring to a path or road running alongside a brook.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a William de Brocwey is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279 also make mention of a Richard de Brocweye.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as Brokway, Brokewaye, and Brokewey. A notable example is John Brockway, born in 1550 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, who was a prominent merchant and landowner.

Another significant figure was Sir Thomas Brockway (1572-1638), a member of parliament for Westbury in Wiltshire during the reign of King James I. He was known for his support of the English colonization of North America and was a shareholder in the Massachusetts Bay Company.

During the English Civil War, a Captain Robert Brockway (1610-1677) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was commended for his bravery at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.

In the 18th century, the name was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire and Derbyshire. One notable individual was Samuel Brockway (1733-1815), a renowned clockmaker from Derby whose clocks are still highly prized by collectors today.

The Brockway surname also has a long history in the United States, with early immigrants arriving from England in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the first recorded instances was Rev. Thomas Brockway (1624-1688), who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1636 and became a prominent Puritan minister.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Brockway families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brockway 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. Wiltshire leads with 101 Brockways recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.16x.

County Total Index
Wiltshire 101 27.16x
Hampshire 87 10.10x
Dorset 79 28.63x
Somerset 34 5.02x
Middlesex 33 0.78x
Sussex 23 3.24x
Surrey 16 0.78x
Gloucestershire 12 1.46x
Kent 10 0.70x
Lancashire 10 0.20x
Royal Navy 6 11.98x
Glamorgan 5 0.68x
Shropshire 5 1.38x
Buckinghamshire 3 1.18x
Devon 2 0.23x
Berkshire 1 0.32x
Buteshire 1 3.93x
Oxfordshire 1 0.39x
Worcestershire 1 0.18x
Yorkshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Portsea in Hampshire leads with 43 Brockways recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.46x.

Place Total Index
Portsea 43 25.46x
Shaftesbury Holy Trinity 15 1056.34x
Cann 14 1728.40x
Donhead St Mary 14 740.74x
Semley 12 1212.12x
Swallowcliffe 12 2857.14x
Yeovil 12 87.27x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 11 14.17x
East Knoyle 11 873.02x
Islington London 10 2.45x
Keymer 10 199.60x
Odiham 10 264.55x
Shaftesbury St James 10 694.44x
Alverstoke 9 28.86x
Alvesdiston 9 2571.43x
Battersea 9 5.82x
Ashwick 8 733.95x
Berwick St John 8 1454.55x
Fifield Bavant 8 8888.89x
Fontmell Magna 8 761.90x
Hackney London 8 3.39x
Marlborough St Mary Virgin 8 305.34x
Rumbolds Wyke 8 615.38x
Damerham 7 786.52x
Henstridge 7 374.33x
Livesey 7 79.91x
Royal Navy 6 14.01x
Sherborne 6 73.80x
Boraston 5 1515.15x
Kensington London 5 2.14x
Midsomer Norton 5 78.37x
Motcombe 5 246.31x
Roath 5 15.04x
Weeke 5 191.57x
Blandford Forum 4 73.53x
Goudhurst 4 100.76x
Hilton 4 421.05x
Iwerne Courtnay 4 215.05x
St Bartholomew Hyde 4 194.17x
Bramshaw 3 275.23x
Bury 3 5.26x
Itchingswell 3 468.75x
Owslebury 3 245.90x
Preston 3 24.23x
Shaftesbury St Peter 3 232.56x
Upton Cum Chalvey 3 29.62x
Woolwich 3 5.66x
Bermondsey 2 1.60x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.10x
Bradford On Avon 2 16.81x
Donhead St Andrew 2 175.44x
East Orchard 2 588.24x
Honiton 2 41.32x
Lambeth 2 0.55x
Lee 2 9.60x
Milton 2 93.46x
Purton 2 60.42x
Ringwood 2 36.30x
St George Hanover Square 2 2.70x
St Marylebone London 2 0.89x
Swindon 2 6.93x
Woodford 2 317.46x
Bryanstone 1 270.27x
Buriton 1 60.24x
Croydon 1 0.88x
Detling 1 208.33x
Fisherton Anger 1 14.53x
Gillingham 1 21.10x
Lythe 1 60.24x
Michelmersh 1 59.88x
Portsmouth 1 5.04x
Rothesay 1 8.10x
Salehurst 1 32.57x
Salisbury St Thomas 1 33.90x
Shepton Mallet 1 13.18x
Shoreditch London 1 0.55x
Tenbury 1 33.22x
Tilehurst 1 15.67x
Tolland 1 526.32x
Wimbledon 1 4.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 21
Mary 20
Emily 15
Sarah 13
Ellen 9
Ann 8
Annie 7
Louisa 7
Alice 6
Eliza 6
Kate 6
Martha 5
Caroline 4
Emma 4
Fanny 4
Lucy 4
Matilda 4
Ada 3
Edith 3
Florence 3
Hannah 3
Harriet 3
Jane 3
Rosa 3
Sophia 3
Anna 2
Anne 2
Bessie 2
Esther 2
Frances 2
Laura 2
Maria 2
Rhoda 2
Rose 2
Betsy 1
Birther 1
Blanche 1
C. 1
Daise 1
Dinah 1
Edna 1
Elenor 1
Elizebeth 1
Emiline 1
Georgeina 1
Georgenia 1
Gertrude 1
Hester 1
Julia 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 26
William 23
John 18
Charles 12
Henry 10
James 9
Thomas 9
Frederick 7
Alfred 6
Walter 6
Albert 5
Frank 5
Edward 4
Edwin 4
Harry 4
Herbert 4
Joseph 4
Robert 3
Samuel 3
Aaron 2
Arthur 2
Caleb 2
Josiah 2
Mark 2
Phillip 2
Sidney 2
Archibald 1
Austin 1
Benedict 1
C. 1
Chas.Ed. 1
David 1
Derias 1
Edmond 1
Egbert 1
Fred 1
Hubert 1
Jas.H. 1
Jasper 1
Jesse 1
Jonah 1
Martin 1
Nehemiah 1
Reginald 1
Saml.A. 1
Saml.G.N. 1
Sydney 1
Thos.F. 1
Tom 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Brockway surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brockway surname in 1881?

In 1881, 424 people were recorded with the Brockway surname. That placed it at #7,647 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brockway surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 722 in 2016. That gives Brockway a modern rank of #7,525.

What does the Brockway surname mean?

An English locational surname derived from any of the various places named Brockway, meaning "brook path."

What does the Brockway map show?

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