NameCensus.

UK surname

Brum

A Bavarian Germanizing spelling variant of the French surname 'Brun', meaning dark or brown.

In the 1881 census there were 74 people recorded with the Brum surname, ranking it #23,062 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 151, ranked #23,615, down from #23,062 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Acton, Heston and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Swale, Richmond upon Thames and Hounslow.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brum is 169 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 104.1%.

1881 census count

74

Ranked #23,062

Modern count

151

2016, ranked #23,615

Peak year

1997

169 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brum had 74 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,062 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016, ranked #23,615.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 109 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Brum surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brum surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brum 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 25 #28,853
1861 historical 52 #27,369
1881 historical 74 #23,062
1891 historical 80 #26,785
1901 historical 109 #21,712
1911 historical 90 #23,797
1997 modern 169 #19,578
1998 modern 157 #21,058
1999 modern 151 #21,740
2000 modern 162 #20,735
2001 modern 155 #21,047
2002 modern 162 #20,839
2003 modern 154 #21,308
2004 modern 151 #21,720
2005 modern 148 #21,961
2006 modern 155 #21,477
2007 modern 155 #21,726
2008 modern 155 #21,956
2009 modern 159 #22,072
2010 modern 164 #22,109
2011 modern 148 #23,520
2012 modern 154 #22,870
2013 modern 153 #23,314
2014 modern 160 #22,824
2015 modern 157 #22,997
2016 modern 151 #23,615

Geography

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Where Brums are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Acton, Heston, London parishes and Mortlake. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Swale, Richmond upon Thames, Hounslow, Spelthorne and Greenwich. 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 Acton Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 Heston Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Mortlake Surrey

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Swale 005 Swale
2 Richmond upon Thames 015 Richmond upon Thames
3 Hounslow 024 Hounslow
4 Spelthorne 010 Spelthorne
5 Greenwich 025 Greenwich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brum

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brum

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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Brum surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Brum 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 many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Brum is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Brum is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Brum

The surname "BRUM" is believed to have originated in the region of Braunschweig, located in modern-day Lower Saxony, Germany. This name dates back to the 11th century and was derived from the Old German word "brun," which means brown or dark-colored. It is thought to have initially referred to individuals with a darker complexion or hair color.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, which includes references to individuals with the surname "Brum" as early as the 13th century. Additionally, the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a compilation of records from the city of Bremen, contains entries mentioning individuals with variations of the name, such as "Brume" and "Brumen," dating back to the 14th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name "BRUM" was particularly prevalent in the regions of Braunschweig and Hannover, where it was often associated with families residing in or near towns and villages with names containing the root "brum" or "brun," such as Brumby, Brunshausen, and Brunkensen. One notable individual from this era was Johann Brum, a prominent merchant from Hannover who lived in the late 15th century and was influential in the city's trade guilds.

As time progressed, the name "BRUM" spread to other parts of Germany and Europe, with some bearers of the name achieving notable status. In the 17th century, Christian Brum was a renowned scholar and theologian from Saxony, known for his contributions to the field of Protestant theology. Another noteworthy figure was Hans Brum, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and whose works were widely performed in churches throughout central Europe.

During the 19th century, the name "BRUM" gained recognition in the field of engineering and manufacturing. August Brum, born in 1819 in Braunschweig, was a pioneering industrialist who established one of the first large-scale machine tool factories in Germany. His company, Brum & Co., played a significant role in the country's industrial revolution and exported machinery worldwide.

While the surname "BRUM" has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and has been adopted by individuals of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Brum families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brum 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. Middlesex leads with 58 Brums recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.04x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 58 8.04x
Northamptonshire 4 5.89x
Oxfordshire 4 8.98x
Lanarkshire 3 1.29x
Cheshire 2 1.26x
Yorkshire 2 0.28x
Lancashire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Acton in Middlesex leads with 33 Brums recorded in 1881 and an index of 780.14x.

Place Total Index
Acton 33 780.14x
Heston 14 583.33x
Hammersmith London 6 33.75x
E Adderbury 4 1818.18x
Sulgrave 4 3636.36x
Barony 3 5.08x
Headingley Cum Burley 2 43.48x
Islington London 2 2.86x
Sale 2 102.56x
Hackney London 1 2.47x
Kirkdale 1 6.94x
South Mimms 1 101.01x
Westminster St John 1 11.38x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 7
Mary 4
Amy 2
Ann 2
Caroline 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Rebecca 2
Sarah 2
Anna 1
Annie 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Gerty 1
Hannah 1
Jane 1
Julia 1
Katie 1
Lydia 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 6
Henry 5
Thomas 5
George 3
John 3
Edward 2
James 2
Arthur 1
Fredk. 1
Harry 1
Isaac 1
Samuel 1
Wm.V. 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 Brum households.

FAQ

Brum surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brum surname in 1881?

In 1881, 74 people were recorded with the Brum surname. That placed it at #23,062 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brum surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016. That gives Brum a modern rank of #23,615.

What does the Brum surname mean?

A Bavarian Germanizing spelling variant of the French surname 'Brun', meaning dark or brown.

What does the Brum map show?

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