NameCensus.

UK surname

Browse

In the 1881 census there were 211 people recorded with the Browse surname, ranking it #12,407 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 268, ranked #16,003, down from #12,407 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Paignton, Tormoham with Torquay and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sheffield, Mid Devon and Broadland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Browse is 296 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.0%.

1881 census count

211

Ranked #12,407

Modern count

268

2016, ranked #16,003

Peak year

2010

296 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Browse had 211 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,407 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 268 in 2016, ranked #16,003.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 273 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Browse surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Browse surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Browse 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 187 #10,978
1861 historical 154 #14,963
1881 historical 211 #12,407
1891 historical 247 #12,880
1901 historical 260 #12,817
1911 historical 273 #12,177
1997 modern 245 #15,483
1998 modern 250 #15,675
1999 modern 257 #15,506
2000 modern 263 #15,228
2001 modern 255 #15,319
2002 modern 274 #14,849
2003 modern 273 #14,715
2004 modern 268 #14,995
2005 modern 266 #15,007
2006 modern 265 #15,126
2007 modern 270 #15,080
2008 modern 268 #15,311
2009 modern 283 #15,020
2010 modern 296 #14,877
2011 modern 290 #14,933
2012 modern 272 #15,586
2013 modern 270 #15,911
2014 modern 266 #16,213
2015 modern 268 #16,007
2016 modern 268 #16,003

Geography

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Where Browses are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Paignton, Tormoham with Torquay, London parishes and Stokenham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sheffield, Mid Devon, Broadland, Torbay and Cheshire West and Chester. 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 Paignton Devon
2 Tormoham with Torquay Devon
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Stokenham Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sheffield 044 Sheffield
2 Mid Devon 006 Mid Devon
3 Broadland 018 Broadland
4 Torbay 017 Torbay
5 Cheshire West and Chester 011 Cheshire West and Chester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Browse

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Browse

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Browse is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Browse is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Browse families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Browse 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 81 Browses recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.91x.

County Total Index
Devon 81 18.91x
Middlesex 24 1.17x
Kent 14 1.99x
Cheshire 13 2.86x
Hampshire 11 2.61x
Surrey 11 1.10x
Norfolk 10 3.16x
Clackmannanshire 8 47.06x
Glamorgan 7 1.95x
Yorkshire 7 0.34x
Gloucestershire 6 1.49x
Essex 5 1.23x
Northumberland 5 1.63x
Suffolk 4 1.60x
Lancashire 2 0.08x
Durham 1 0.16x
Lanarkshire 1 0.15x
Royal Navy 1 4.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Deptford St Paul in Kent leads with 12 Browses recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.16x.

Place Total Index
Deptford St Paul 12 22.16x
Alton 11 345.91x
Heigham 10 58.89x
Tormoham 10 55.16x
Paignton 9 276.07x
Stokenham 9 743.80x
Dollar 8 454.55x
Tranmere 8 47.90x
Cardiff St John 7 59.78x
Malborough 7 411.76x
Reigate Foreign 7 64.46x
Sheffield 7 10.78x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 6 81.19x
Kensington London 6 5.24x
Birkenhead 5 13.80x
East Teignmouth 5 285.71x
Islington London 5 2.51x
Plymouth Charles The 5 26.50x
Plymstock 5 223.21x
Tynemouth 5 30.49x
West Ham 5 5.57x
Compton Gifford 4 298.51x
Orford 4 493.83x
Shoreditch London 4 4.48x
St Sepulchre London 4 132.89x
Thurlestone 4 1538.46x
Brixham 3 60.48x
Chivelstone 3 1000.00x
Stoke Damerel 3 10.01x
Totnes 3 119.52x
Wimbledon 3 26.64x
Kingsbridge 2 185.19x
Liverpool 2 1.35x
St Marylebone London 2 1.82x
Torbrian 2 1428.57x
Ashburton 1 48.78x
Bishopwearmouth 1 1.90x
Dartmouth St Petrox 1 161.29x
Dartmouth St Savior 1 196.08x
East Stonehouse 1 11.85x
Greenwich 1 3.05x
Lewisham 1 2.67x
Newington 1 1.32x
Old Monkland 1 3.79x
Paddington London 1 1.32x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 3.03x
Royal Navy 1 4.77x
South Milton 1 400.00x
St Giles Cripplegate 1 36.63x
St Michael Cornhill 1 625.00x
Stokeinteignhead 1 217.39x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 20
William 12
John 10
Henry 6
Arthur 4
James 4
Thomas 4
Charles 3
Frederick 3
Joseph 3
Robert 3
Harry 2
Philip 2
Wm. 2
Alan 1
Aurthur 1
Danford 1
David 1
E.A. 1
Ernest 1
Fernby 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Geo. 1
Hy.W. 1
Nicholas 1
Ralph 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Sidney 1
Wm.James 1

FAQ

Browse surname: questions and answers

How common was the Browse surname in 1881?

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

How common is the Browse surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 268 in 2016. That gives Browse a modern rank of #16,003.

What does the Browse map show?

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