NameCensus.

UK surname

Broe

A variant spelling of the English surname 'Brow', likely of topographic origin denoting someone living by a hill.

In the 1881 census there were 13 people recorded with the Broe surname, ranking it #31,761 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 139, ranked #25,001, up from #31,761 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wrexham, Gallowgate North and Bellgrove and Bankton and Murieston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Broe is 154 in 2003. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 969.2%.

1881 census count

13

Ranked #31,761

Modern count

139

2016, ranked #25,001

Peak year

2003

154 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Broe had 13 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,761 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 139 in 2016, ranked #25,001.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 40 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Broe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Broe surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Broe 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 #33,412
1861 historical 12 #32,329
1881 historical 13 #31,761
1891 historical 30 #31,889
1901 historical 40 #29,678
1911 historical 39 #29,025
1997 modern 138 #22,227
1998 modern 150 #21,665
1999 modern 152 #21,636
2000 modern 147 #22,081
2001 modern 132 #23,230
2002 modern 143 #22,595
2003 modern 154 #21,308
2004 modern 149 #21,905
2005 modern 143 #22,473
2006 modern 137 #23,270
2007 modern 145 #22,693
2008 modern 146 #22,822
2009 modern 149 #23,031
2010 modern 152 #23,282
2011 modern 144 #23,962
2012 modern 139 #24,485
2013 modern 142 #24,547
2014 modern 142 #24,734
2015 modern 132 #25,859
2016 modern 139 #25,001

Geography

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Where Broes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wrexham, Gallowgate North and Bellgrove, Bankton and Murieston and Sefton. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wrexham 017 Wrexham
2 Wrexham 019 Wrexham
3 Gallowgate North and Bellgrove Glasgow City
4 Bankton and Murieston West Lothian
5 Sefton 021 Sefton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Broe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Broe

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Broe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Broe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Broe 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

Broe is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Broe falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Broe 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Broe

The surname Broe is of Dutch and Flemish origin, derived from the Old Dutch word 'broec' or 'brooc,' meaning a marsh or swampy area. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, as a locational surname given to individuals residing near or in a marshy region.

The name Broe can be traced back to various regions of the Low Countries, including parts of modern-day Netherlands and Belgium. It was particularly prevalent in areas with a significant presence of marshlands, such as the provinces of Zeeland, Noord-Brabant, and Limburg.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Broe can be found in the Goudse Keurboeken, a collection of municipal records from the city of Gouda in the Netherlands, dating back to the 14th century. In these records, the name appears as 'Broec' and 'Broeck,' indicating variations in spelling.

In the late 16th century, the name Broe is mentioned in the Brugse Naamlijsten, a census-like record of inhabitants in the city of Bruges, Belgium. Notable individuals with the surname Broe include Pieter van den Broe (1567-1631), a Dutch Golden Age painter from Antwerp, and Jan Broe (1628-1677), a Flemish landscape painter from Brussels.

Another prominent figure bearing the name Broe was Theodoor van der Broe (1655-1719), a Dutch Golden Age painter from Haarlem, known for his portraits and genre scenes. In the 18th century, Gerrit de Broe (1732-1795) was a respected Dutch textile merchant and inventor from Haarlem.

The name Broe also has historical connections to various place names in the Low Countries. For instance, the village of Broechem in the Belgian province of Antwerp was once known as 'Broe' or 'Broec' in older records. Similarly, the Dutch town of Broekhuizen, meaning 'houses in the marsh,' may have influenced the surname's origin.

Throughout history, the surname Broe has undergone variations in spelling, including Broeck, Broec, Broek, and Brouck, reflecting regional linguistic influences and scribal conventions of the time. Despite these variations, the name's core meaning and association with marshlands have remained consistent.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Broe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Broe 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. Cheshire leads with 4 Broes recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.28x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 4 13.28x
Middlesex 3 2.20x
Lanarkshire 2 4.53x
Lancashire 2 1.24x
Caernarfonshire 1 18.12x
Isle of Man 1 39.53x
Surrey 1 1.50x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chester St Michael in Cheshire leads with 4 Broes recorded in 1881 and an index of 10000.00x.

Place Total Index
Chester St Michael 4 10000.00x
St Pancras London 3 27.32x
Broughton In Salford 1 67.57x
German 1 714.29x
Glasgow 1 12.77x
Lambeth 1 8.40x
Lanark 1 277.78x
Llandudno 1 500.00x
Newton In Makerfield 1 200.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Alice 1
Elizabeth 1
Florestine 1
Georgina 1
Julia 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 2
Albert 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Broe households.

FAQ

Broe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Broe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 13 people were recorded with the Broe surname. That placed it at #31,761 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Broe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 139 in 2016. That gives Broe a modern rank of #25,001.

What does the Broe surname mean?

A variant spelling of the English surname 'Brow', likely of topographic origin denoting someone living by a hill.

What does the Broe map show?

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