NameCensus.

UK surname

Broom

An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brooms, or a sweeper or cleaner.

In the 1881 census there were 3,699 people recorded with the Broom surname, ranking it #1,235 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,751, ranked #1,810, down from #1,235 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and Cullompton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mid Devon, South Somerset and East Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Broom is 4,273 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.4%.

1881 census count

3,699

Ranked #1,235

Modern count

3,751

2016, ranked #1,810

Peak year

1911

4,273 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Broom had 3,699 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,235 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,751 in 2016, ranked #1,810.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,273 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Broom surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Broom surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Broom 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 2,986 #969
1861 historical 3,054 #945
1881 historical 3,699 #1,235
1891 historical 4,231 #1,132
1901 historical 4,134 #1,361
1911 historical 4,273 #1,213
1997 modern 3,923 #1,661
1998 modern 4,058 #1,662
1999 modern 4,028 #1,689
2000 modern 4,001 #1,690
2001 modern 3,904 #1,695
2002 modern 3,960 #1,708
2003 modern 3,886 #1,706
2004 modern 3,896 #1,703
2005 modern 3,792 #1,720
2006 modern 3,776 #1,735
2007 modern 3,788 #1,743
2008 modern 3,822 #1,736
2009 modern 3,842 #1,765
2010 modern 3,872 #1,794
2011 modern 3,839 #1,789
2012 modern 3,720 #1,807
2013 modern 3,796 #1,807
2014 modern 3,815 #1,805
2015 modern 3,760 #1,812
2016 modern 3,751 #1,810

Geography

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Where Brooms are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Cullompton 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 Mid Devon, South Somerset and East Devon. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 Cullompton Devon
4 London parishes London 1
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mid Devon 007 Mid Devon
2 Mid Devon 008 Mid Devon
3 South Somerset 024 South Somerset
4 East Devon 002 East Devon
5 East Devon 001 East Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Broom

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Broom

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Broom 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

Broom 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

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

Meaning and origin of Broom

The surname BROOM has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the late medieval period. It is believed to be an occupational name, derived from the Old English word "brom," meaning "broom plant" or "shrub." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked with brooms or lived near an area where broom plants grew in abundance.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BROOM can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from the late 13th century, where a person named William Brom is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Brom," was common in earlier times and is likely the root of the modern surname BROOM.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "le Brom" and "atte Brom," indicating its association with a particular location or dwelling. For instance, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 list a Richard atte Brom, suggesting that he lived near an area known for its broom plants.

The BROOM surname can also be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as a place name in various counties, including Derbyshire and Warwickshire. This indicates that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who hailed from a place called Broom or a similar variation.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname BROOM. One such person was John Broom (c. 1450-1510), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII.

Another notable bearer of the name was George Broom (1766-1856), an English legal writer and author of several influential works on law, including "A Selection of Legal Maxims" and "Constitutional Law Viewed in Relation to Common Law."

In the 19th century, William Broom (1808-1874) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Holloway College in Egham, Surrey.

Additionally, Charles Broom (1854-1939) was a British artist and illustrator known for his works depicting rural life and landscapes in England and Wales.

Finally, John Broom (1936-2014) was a British actor who appeared in numerous television shows and films, including "The Newcomers" and "The Onedin Line."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Broom families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Broom 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. Devon leads with 470 Brooms recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.27x.

County Total Index
Devon 470 6.27x
Middlesex 336 0.93x
Somerset 248 4.28x
Lancashire 213 0.50x
Suffolk 204 4.65x
Staffordshire 186 1.53x
Yorkshire 156 0.44x
Norfolk 154 2.78x
Surrey 123 0.70x
Kent 113 0.92x
Worcestershire 104 2.21x
Shropshire 102 3.28x
Gloucestershire 93 1.32x
Cheshire 92 1.16x
Derbyshire 84 1.49x
Essex 82 1.15x
Hampshire 76 1.03x
Oxfordshire 73 3.28x
Glamorgan 63 1.00x
Dorset 61 2.58x
Wiltshire 56 1.76x
Cambridgeshire 53 2.32x
Durham 51 0.48x
Lanarkshire 45 0.39x
Warwickshire 39 0.43x
Rutland 38 14.37x
Monmouthshire 37 1.42x
Nottinghamshire 35 0.72x
Northamptonshire 34 1.00x
Hertfordshire 33 1.33x
Lincolnshire 32 0.56x
Leicestershire 24 0.60x
Ayrshire 23 0.85x
Herefordshire 23 1.56x
Stirlingshire 17 1.28x
Perthshire 15 0.93x
Buckinghamshire 14 0.64x
West Lothian 14 2.58x
Bedfordshire 11 0.59x
Berkshire 11 0.41x
Caernarfonshire 8 0.55x
Angus 6 0.18x
Sussex 6 0.10x
Argyllshire 5 0.50x
Cornwall 5 0.12x
Midlothian 5 0.10x
Royal Navy 5 1.17x
Northumberland 4 0.07x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.20x
Buteshire 2 0.92x
Kincardineshire 2 0.46x
Brecknockshire 1 0.14x
Fife 1 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 63 Brooms recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.80x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 63 1.80x
St Pancras London 38 1.31x
St Marylebone London 32 1.66x
Lyme Regis 31 109.50x
Cheltenham 30 5.51x
Kidderminster Borough 30 10.90x
Chard 28 39.87x
Bridgewater 26 16.52x
Clopton 26 552.02x
Hullavington 26 336.79x
Tormoham 25 7.88x
Kentisbeare 23 222.65x
Tackley 23 345.35x
Wolverhampton 23 2.46x
Salford 22 1.75x
Tiverton 22 17.04x
Bramhall 21 63.77x
Exeter Heavitree 21 37.57x
Lambeth 21 0.67x
Liverpool 21 0.81x
Neath 21 16.46x
Harwich St Nicholas 20 36.42x
Liversedge 20 12.59x
Stoke Upon Trent 20 1.55x
Barony 19 0.64x
Cullompton 19 58.05x
Lyncombe Widcombe 19 12.52x
Great Bealings 17 480.23x
Llanover 17 19.12x
Westminster St John 17 3.88x
Battersea 16 1.21x
Birmingham 16 0.53x
Bridgnorth St Leonard 16 45.35x
Hackney London 16 0.79x
Poplar London 16 2.35x
Tetbury 16 39.96x
Camberwell 15 0.65x
Cannock 15 7.07x
Dudley 15 2.62x
Great Yarmouth 15 3.27x
Horsham St Faith 15 162.16x
Kingswinford 15 3.40x
Shirland 15 35.57x
Sidmouth 15 34.96x
Taunton St Mary 15 14.10x
Boldre 14 52.95x
Derby St Werburgh 14 4.30x
Govan 14 0.49x
Mile End Old Town London 14 1.83x
Oakham Lordshold 14 50.58x
Stockland 14 129.15x
West Ham 14 0.89x
West Teignmouth 14 24.41x
Axminster 13 36.98x
Bridport 13 26.72x
Gorton 13 3.24x
Maxey 13 173.33x
Milton 13 70.81x
Roath 13 4.56x
Aston 12 0.48x
Christchurch 12 7.50x
Ipswich St Margaret 12 8.06x
March 12 15.71x
Ottery St Mary 12 24.40x
Pendleton In Salford 12 2.36x
Shoreditch London 12 0.77x
Sidbury 12 74.77x
Bathgate 11 9.34x
Bermondsey 11 1.03x
Bethnal Green London 11 0.70x
Donyatt 11 233.55x
Eakring 11 207.16x
Egham 11 10.21x
Hampstead London 11 1.96x
Huddersfield 11 2.12x
Pelsall 11 30.43x
St Andrewthe Less 11 4.22x
Stoke Damerel 11 2.10x
Youlgreave 11 67.44x
Ystradyfodwg 11 2.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 230
Elizabeth 165
Sarah 136
Alice 68
Ann 64
Emma 62
Ellen 56
Eliza 55
Jane 55
Annie 54
Martha 39
Emily 38
Hannah 33
Charlotte 31
Harriet 31
Maria 25
Margaret 23
Clara 22
Susan 22
Fanny 20
Kate 20
Lucy 20
Louisa 19
Caroline 18
Florence 18
Edith 17
Ada 15
Amy 13
Anne 13
Amelia 12
Harriett 12
Catherine 11
Rose 11
Eleanor 10
Agnes 9
Esther 9
Eva 9
Frances 9
Laura 9
Sophia 9
Anna 8
Bessie 8
Gertrude 8
Isabella 8
Jessie 8
Matilda 8
Rebecca 8
Beatrice 6
Lydia 6
Mabel 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 231
John 211
George 147
Thomas 111
James 104
Henry 99
Charles 62
Robert 53
Joseph 43
Alfred 42
Edward 42
Samuel 34
Richard 33
Arthur 32
Albert 23
Walter 23
Frederick 22
Edwin 20
Harry 18
Francis 17
Benjamin 14
David 13
Fred 13
Ernest 12
Herbert 11
Frank 9
Fredrick 7
Isaac 7
Peter 7
Edmund 6
Frederic 5
Job 5
Leonard 5
Wm. 5
Andrew 4
Chas. 4
Eli 4
Joe 4
Sidney 4
Thos. 4
Worthy 4
Amos 3
Anderson 3
Gilbert 3
Hugh 3
Joshua 3
Luke 3
Reginald 3
Saml. 3
Tom 3

FAQ

Broom surname: questions and answers

How common was the Broom surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,699 people were recorded with the Broom surname. That placed it at #1,235 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Broom surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,751 in 2016. That gives Broom a modern rank of #1,810.

What does the Broom surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of brooms, or a sweeper or cleaner.

What does the Broom map show?

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