NameCensus.

UK surname

Brownsword

A surname referring to someone with brown or dark-colored sword or blade.

In the 1881 census there were 211 people recorded with the Brownsword surname, ranking it #12,407 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 500, ranked #9,983, up from #12,407 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Peter, Norton-in-the-Moors and Burslem. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Staffordshire Moorlands, Doncaster and Derbyshire Dales.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brownsword is 528 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 137.0%.

1881 census count

211

Ranked #12,407

Modern count

500

2016, ranked #9,983

Peak year

2009

528 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brownsword had 211 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,407 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 500 in 2016, ranked #9,983.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 295 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Brownsword surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brownsword surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brownsword 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 169 #11,832
1861 historical 160 #14,468
1881 historical 211 #12,407
1891 historical 255 #12,552
1901 historical 279 #12,225
1911 historical 295 #11,597
1997 modern 361 #11,892
1998 modern 473 #10,018
1999 modern 478 #10,007
2000 modern 488 #9,800
2001 modern 486 #9,674
2002 modern 495 #9,709
2003 modern 499 #9,501
2004 modern 519 #9,257
2005 modern 488 #9,607
2006 modern 496 #9,535
2007 modern 508 #9,455
2008 modern 510 #9,499
2009 modern 528 #9,453
2010 modern 510 #9,899
2011 modern 521 #9,660
2012 modern 522 #9,575
2013 modern 516 #9,783
2014 modern 510 #9,945
2015 modern 507 #9,906
2016 modern 500 #9,983

Geography

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Where Brownswords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Peter, Norton-in-the-Moors, Burslem, St Werburgh and Normanton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Staffordshire Moorlands, Doncaster, Derbyshire Dales, Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. 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 St Peter Derbyshire
2 Norton-in-the-Moors Staffordshire
3 Burslem Staffordshire
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 Normanton Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Staffordshire Moorlands 008 Staffordshire Moorlands
2 Doncaster 006 Doncaster
3 Derbyshire Dales 010 Derbyshire Dales
4 Stoke-on-Trent 025 Stoke-on-Trent
5 Newcastle-under-Lyme 010 Newcastle-under-Lyme

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brownsword

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brownsword

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Brownsword is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Brownsword is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Brownsword

The surname Brownsword is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "brun" meaning brown and "sweord" meaning sword, likely referring to a person who carried or made brown-colored swords.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Brownsword can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where a Robert Brownsword is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use during the 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Brownsword is listed. This indicates that the name had spread to different regions of England by that time.

The Brownsword surname is also mentioned in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1672, which recorded households and their tax obligations. This provides evidence that the name was still in use during the 17th century.

Notable individuals with the surname Brownsword include Sir William Brownsword (1590-1658), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 17th century. Another prominent figure was John Brownsword (1741-1815), a British army officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

In the 19th century, Elizabeth Brownsword (1828-1901) was a renowned English educator and philanthropist who established several schools for underprivileged children in Birmingham.

The name Brownsword has also been found in various place names throughout England, such as Brownsword Farm in Somerset and Brownsword Lane in Gloucestershire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the Brownsword surname who resided in or owned those locations.

Over the centuries, variations in spelling have occurred, including Brownsword, Brownsorde, and Brownesworde, reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional dialects.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Brownsword families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brownsword 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. Staffordshire leads with 107 Brownswords recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.40x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 107 15.40x
Lancashire 34 1.39x
Derbyshire 29 9.00x
Cheshire 10 2.20x
Middlesex 9 0.44x
Yorkshire 7 0.34x
Warwickshire 6 1.16x
Nottinghamshire 4 1.44x
Worcestershire 3 1.12x
Northumberland 1 0.33x
Surrey 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 41 Brownswords recorded in 1881 and an index of 55.65x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 41 55.65x
Norton In Moors 13 353.26x
Newcastle Under Lyme 12 97.64x
Aldridge 10 746.27x
Heaton Norris 10 71.94x
Monks Coppenhall 9 52.51x
Audley Talk O Th Hill 8 640.00x
Broughton In Salford 8 35.83x
Burslem 8 40.20x
Derby St Peter 7 68.23x
Derby St Werburgh 7 37.61x
Betley 6 1034.48x
Birmingham 6 3.47x
Willesden 6 30.93x
Yeldersley 6 5000.00x
Ardwick 5 22.70x
Burton In Lonsdale 5 1136.36x
Liverpool 5 3.37x
Wolstanton 5 23.70x
Nottingham St Mary 4 5.57x
Fulham London 3 10.05x
Normanton 3 110.29x
Salford 3 4.18x
Wednesbury 3 17.28x
Wollescote 3 138.89x
Litchurch 2 15.42x
Little Hulton 2 49.51x
Chirton 1 14.43x
Church Gresley 1 19.49x
Crowle 1 50.00x
Everton 1 1.28x
Horsley 1 51.55x
Lambeth 1 0.56x
Lichfield St Mary 1 50.00x
Macclesfield 1 4.95x
Mark Eaton 1 208.33x
Twyford Stenson 1 666.67x
Wales 1 62.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 14
Mary 13
Ann 8
Jane 7
Ellen 5
Annie 4
Martha 4
Anne 3
Elizabeth 3
Fanny 3
Frances 3
Hannah 3
Harriet 3
Catherine 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Esther 2
Rebecca 2
Susannah 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Aletha 1
Alice 1
Amelia 1
Beatrice 1
Blanche 1
Charlotte 1
Clarissa 1
Drussilla 1
Elizeth 1
Emily 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Helena 1
Leah 1
Lidda 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
Rosa 1
Rosetta 1
Ruth 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
William 13
George 9
Joseph 6
Thomas 5
Arthur 4
Henry 4
Albert 3
Charles 3
Frederick 3
Peter 3
Anderson 2
David 2
Enock 2
Frank 2
Fredrick 2
Harry 2
Percy 2
Philip 2
Walter 2
Arther 1
Daniel 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Enoch 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Geo. 1
Hamlet 1
Joel 1
Levi 1
Lewis 1
Louis 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Brownsword surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brownsword surname in 1881?

In 1881, 211 people were recorded with the Brownsword surname. That placed it at #12,407 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brownsword surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 500 in 2016. That gives Brownsword a modern rank of #9,983.

What does the Brownsword surname mean?

A surname referring to someone with brown or dark-colored sword or blade.

What does the Brownsword map show?

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