NameCensus.

UK surname

Brownless

In the 1881 census there were 280 people recorded with the Brownless surname, ranking it #10,202 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 471, ranked #10,456, down from #10,202 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Darlington, St Leonard Shoreditch and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hartlepool, East Hertfordshire and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brownless is 505 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 68.2%.

1881 census count

280

Ranked #10,202

Modern count

471

2016, ranked #10,456

Peak year

2011

505 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brownless had 280 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,202 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 471 in 2016, ranked #10,456.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 386 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Brownless surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brownless surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brownless 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 182 #11,209
1861 historical 216 #11,273
1881 historical 280 #10,202
1891 historical 317 #10,611
1901 historical 366 #10,099
1911 historical 386 #9,535
1997 modern 461 #9,886
1998 modern 495 #9,678
1999 modern 483 #9,932
2000 modern 483 #9,891
2001 modern 469 #9,927
2002 modern 485 #9,846
2003 modern 470 #9,924
2004 modern 466 #10,030
2005 modern 459 #10,053
2006 modern 469 #9,937
2007 modern 467 #10,053
2008 modern 477 #9,997
2009 modern 493 #9,968
2010 modern 504 #10,002
2011 modern 505 #9,884
2012 modern 488 #10,049
2013 modern 497 #10,063
2014 modern 495 #10,145
2015 modern 482 #10,281
2016 modern 471 #10,456

Geography

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Where Brownless' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Darlington, St Leonard Shoreditch, Gateshead, Stranton and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hartlepool, East Hertfordshire and County Durham. 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 Darlington Durham
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Stranton Durham
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hartlepool 002 Hartlepool
2 Hartlepool 001 Hartlepool
3 East Hertfordshire 001 East Hertfordshire
4 County Durham 066 County Durham
5 County Durham 057 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brownless

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brownless

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Brownless surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Brownless household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Brownless is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Brownless 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

Brownless falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Brownless is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Brownless families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brownless 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. Durham leads with 178 Brownless' recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.83x.

County Total Index
Durham 178 21.83x
Yorkshire 33 1.21x
Lancashire 29 0.89x
Middlesex 23 0.84x
Cheshire 5 0.83x
Northumberland 5 1.23x
Surrey 3 0.22x
Gloucestershire 2 0.37x
Derbyshire 1 0.23x
Northamptonshire 1 0.39x
Warwickshire 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Darlington in Durham leads with 23 Brownless' recorded in 1881 and an index of 73.04x.

Place Total Index
Darlington 23 73.04x
Shoreditch London 19 15.99x
Everton 12 11.58x
Whitton 12 1875.00x
Heighington 11 1833.33x
Stranton 10 36.43x
Barnard Castle 9 223.33x
Gainford 9 1071.43x
St Giles 9 176.82x
Westoe 9 19.47x
Hartlepool 8 69.03x
West Derby 8 8.41x
Wingate 8 143.11x
Esh 7 118.04x
Gateshead 7 11.46x
Hedleyhope 7 496.45x
Binchester 6 12000.00x
Evenwood Barony 6 216.61x
Gorton 6 19.62x
Ingleton 6 2608.70x
Shildon 6 91.60x
Stanghow 6 545.45x
Wolsingham 5 67.29x
Chester Le Street 4 63.90x
Hackney London 4 2.60x
Kirby In Cleveland 4 1739.13x
Newcastle On Tyne St 4 18.92x
Ormesby 4 54.79x
Oxton 4 116.96x
Thornaby 4 39.41x
Thornley 4 135.59x
Brandon Byshottles 3 29.35x
Liverpool 3 1.52x
Marske In Guisbrough 3 62.24x
Sheffield 3 3.47x
Battersea 2 1.98x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 2 3.95x
Croft 2 400.00x
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 3.62x
Forcett With Carkin 2 377.36x
Hetton Le Hole 2 19.36x
Leeds 2 1.30x
Shotton 2 99.01x
Witton Le Wear 2 86.58x
Aston 1 0.53x
Birkenhead 1 2.07x
Hutton Henry 1 58.14x
Litchurch 1 5.79x
Middlesbrough 1 2.83x
Northampton St Sepulchre 1 7.62x
Stanhope 1 11.88x
Stannington 1 103.09x
Stockton On Tees 1 2.54x
Woking 1 12.42x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 19
Jane 13
Margaret 10
Hannah 8
Elizabeth 5
Ann 4
Catherine 4
Ellen 4
Isabella 4
Sarah 4
Alice 3
Amelia 3
Eliza 3
Margret 3
Ada 2
Annie 2
Dorothy 2
Edith 2
Eleanor 2
Emily 2
Kate 2
Rachel 2
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Caroline 1
Celestine 1
Cristiana 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliz. 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth.A. 1
Ella 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Isobel 1
Jean 1
Lilian 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Miran 1
Phillis 1
Rosa 1
Ruth 1
Silian 1
Susan 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 26
George 16
William 15
Thomas 13
Joseph 11
Henry 9
Robert 6
James 5
Frederick 4
Alfred 3
Charles 3
Edward 3
Mathew 3
Newby 3
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Matthew 2
Ralph 2
Wm. 2
Alexander 1
Arthur 1
Christopher 1
Chs. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Jos. 1
R. 1
Rbt. 1
Richard 1
Robt. 1
Samuel 1
Thos. 1
Thos.E. 1
Walter 1
Wilson 1

FAQ

Brownless surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brownless surname in 1881?

In 1881, 280 people were recorded with the Brownless surname. That placed it at #10,202 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brownless surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 471 in 2016. That gives Brownless a modern rank of #10,456.

What does the Brownless map show?

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