NameCensus.

UK surname

Brydges

An English surname derived from "bridge," referring to someone living near a bridge.

In the 1881 census there were 102 people recorded with the Brydges surname, ranking it #19,518 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 170, ranked #21,801, down from #19,518 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Willesden and Clee. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rotherham, Burnley and Staffordshire Moorlands.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Brydges is 196 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 66.7%.

1881 census count

102

Ranked #19,518

Modern count

170

2016, ranked #21,801

Peak year

2010

196 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Brydges had 102 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,518 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016, ranked #21,801.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 135 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Brydges surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Brydges surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Brydges 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 63 #22,069
1861 historical 82 #23,321
1881 historical 102 #19,518
1891 historical 106 #23,105
1901 historical 131 #19,552
1911 historical 135 #19,058
1997 modern 165 #19,861
1998 modern 177 #19,523
1999 modern 175 #19,798
2000 modern 175 #19,764
2001 modern 177 #19,357
2002 modern 171 #20,177
2003 modern 169 #20,092
2004 modern 177 #19,662
2005 modern 176 #19,667
2006 modern 184 #19,254
2007 modern 188 #19,204
2008 modern 187 #19,465
2009 modern 190 #19,656
2010 modern 196 #19,698
2011 modern 195 #19,610
2012 modern 184 #20,291
2013 modern 185 #20,575
2014 modern 179 #21,186
2015 modern 173 #21,542
2016 modern 170 #21,801

Geography

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Where Brydges' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Willesden, Clee, St Pancras and Tewkesbury. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rotherham, Burnley, Staffordshire Moorlands and Dudley. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Willesden Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
3 Clee Lincolnshire
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Tewkesbury Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rotherham 008 Rotherham
2 Burnley 004 Burnley
3 Rotherham 005 Rotherham
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 002 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 Dudley 028 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Brydges

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Brydges

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

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Brydges surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Brydges household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Brydges is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Brydges is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Brydges falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Brydges is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Brydges

The surname BRYDGES is of English origin, first appearing in records from the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "brycg" and "brigg", meaning a bridge or causeway. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a bridge or maintained a bridge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BRYDGES is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1194, where a John de Brugges is mentioned. The spelling variations in early records include Brugge, Brugges, Brigges, and Brydges, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.

The BRYDGES surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "de Bruges" and "de Brugis". This suggests the name may have originated from the city of Bruges in modern-day Belgium, with some early bearers perhaps being Flemish immigrants to England.

A notable early bearer of the BRYDGES surname was Sir John Brydges (c. 1492-1557), who served as Lord Chancellor of England under Queen Mary I. He was also the founder of the Brydges dynasty, which produced several notable figures throughout history.

Another prominent member of the BRYDGES family was George Brydges, 6th Baron Chandos (1589-1655), an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire.

In the literary world, Samuel Egerton Brydges (1762-1837) was a renowned English bibliographer, antiquary, and author, known for his works on typography and literature.

Sir Samuel Brydges (1619-1668), a British diplomat and politician, served as Ambassador to the Netherlands and was a member of the English Parliament.

Sir Harford Jones Brydges (1764-1847) was a British diplomat and politician who served as Ambassador to Persia (modern-day Iran) and played a significant role in establishing British influence in the region.

The BRYDGES surname has a rich history and can be traced back to medieval England, with its origins linked to the Old English words for bridges and causeways. The name has been borne by notable figures in various fields, including politics, literature, and diplomacy.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Brydges families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Brydges 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 30 Brydges' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.99x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 30 2.99x
Gloucestershire 17 8.63x
Surrey 12 2.45x
Herefordshire 8 19.42x
Suffolk 8 6.54x
Lincolnshire 5 3.11x
Merionethshire 4 21.76x
Warwickshire 4 1.58x
Radnorshire 3 36.99x
Durham 2 0.67x
Huntingdonshire 2 10.03x
Lanarkshire 1 0.31x
Lancashire 1 0.08x
Monmouthshire 1 1.38x
Norfolk 1 0.65x
Royal Navy 1 8.35x
Sussex 1 0.59x
Worcestershire 1 0.76x
Yorkshire 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. Charlton Kings in Gloucestershire leads with 8 Brydges' recorded in 1881 and an index of 588.24x.

Place Total Index
Charlton Kings 8 588.24x
Lambeth 8 9.13x
Bow London 6 46.91x
Paddington London 6 16.24x
Pembridge 6 1333.33x
Clee With Weelsby 5 142.05x
Edmonton 5 61.80x
Gloucester St Mary Lode 5 1086.96x
Lowestoft 5 86.51x
St Pancras London 5 6.18x
Cheltenham 4 26.32x
Llanegryn 4 1666.67x
Islington London 3 3.08x
Aston 2 2.87x
Birmingham 2 2.37x
Coundon Grange 2 303.03x
Cradley 2 333.33x
Hackney London 2 3.55x
Kessingland 2 476.19x
Newington 2 5.39x
Norton 2 2000.00x
St Marylebone London 2 3.73x
Eynesbury 1 217.39x
Great Malvern 1 36.50x
Great Yarmouth 1 7.81x
Llanover 1 40.32x
Maryhill 1 15.72x
Patcham 1 333.33x
Presteigne 1 196.08x
Reigate Foreign 1 18.87x
Royal Navy 1 9.78x
South Kirkby 1 454.55x
Southwark St Saviour 1 19.38x
St Clement Danes London 1 48.08x
St Neots 1 92.59x
Widnes 1 11.63x
Woodbridge 1 64.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Sarah 4
Charlotte 3
Eliza 3
Maria 3
Ann 2
Elizabeth 2
Jane 2
Lucy 2
Martha 2
Alice 1
Anna 1
Beatrice 1
Blance 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Dora 1
Eliot 1
Elizth 1
Elzh. 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Jessie 1
Lady 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Mabel 1
Margaret 1
Margrett 1
Marie 1
Rebecca 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 9
George 5
James 5
Henry 4
John 3
Walter 3
Edward 2
F. 2
Hugh 2
Richard 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Harford 1
Harry 1
J. 1
Octavis 1
Octavius 1
Rodney 1
Samuel 1
Thomas 1
W. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Brydges surname: questions and answers

How common was the Brydges surname in 1881?

In 1881, 102 people were recorded with the Brydges surname. That placed it at #19,518 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Brydges surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 170 in 2016. That gives Brydges a modern rank of #21,801.

What does the Brydges surname mean?

An English surname derived from "bridge," referring to someone living near a bridge.

What does the Brydges map show?

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