NameCensus.

UK surname

Bryon

Of British origin indicating someone who lived near a brushwood or briarwood.

In the 1881 census there were 301 people recorded with the Bryon surname, ranking it #9,694 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 240, ranked #17,278, down from #9,694 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Eccles and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Staffordshire, The Vale of Glamorgan and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bryon is 330 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 20.3%.

1881 census count

301

Ranked #9,694

Modern count

240

2016, ranked #17,278

Peak year

1901

330 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bryon had 301 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,694 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 240 in 2016, ranked #17,278.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 330 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Bryon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bryon surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bryon 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 323 #7,198
1861 historical 323 #7,888
1881 historical 301 #9,694
1891 historical 274 #11,880
1901 historical 330 #10,899
1911 historical 315 #11,050
1997 modern 243 #15,556
1998 modern 255 #15,470
1999 modern 255 #15,599
2000 modern 253 #15,623
2001 modern 257 #15,236
2002 modern 245 #16,041
2003 modern 234 #16,343
2004 modern 230 #16,643
2005 modern 235 #16,335
2006 modern 223 #17,036
2007 modern 235 #16,668
2008 modern 244 #16,346
2009 modern 245 #16,646
2010 modern 246 #16,975
2011 modern 237 #17,235
2012 modern 232 #17,401
2013 modern 243 #17,114
2014 modern 241 #17,338
2015 modern 244 #17,090
2016 modern 240 #17,278

Geography

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Where Bryons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Eccles, Manchester and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Staffordshire, The Vale of Glamorgan, East Riding of Yorkshire, Fylde and Horsham. 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 London parishes London 3
3 Eccles Lancashire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Staffordshire 012 East Staffordshire
2 The Vale of Glamorgan 008 Vale of Glamorgan
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 011 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 Fylde 002 Fylde
5 Horsham 001 Horsham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bryon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bryon

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Bryon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bryon household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Bryon 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

Bryon 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

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

Meaning and origin of Bryon

The surname Bryon originated in England. Its earliest roots can be traced back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name derives from the Old French words "brun" meaning brown or dark complexion, and "iun" meaning young man or youth. It likely referred to a young man with a swarthy or dark complexion.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Bryon appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086. This invaluable record of landholders and their estates lists several individuals with the name Bryon or variations such as Bruyn or Bruin, primarily concentrated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk.

Over the centuries, the name Bryon evolved through various spellings, including Bryun, Brion, Brioun, and others. These variations often reflected regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping. The name was also influenced by place names, such as the village of Bryn in Lancashire, which may have contributed to its development.

Notable historical figures bearing the surname Bryon include Sir John Bryon (1292-1348), a knight who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence under Edward III. Another prominent individual was Sir Nicholas Bryon (1416-1480), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Lincolnshire during the Wars of the Roses.

In the 16th century, Sir John Bryon (1490-1558) was a distinguished soldier and courtier who served under Henry VIII and Edward VI. He is remembered for his involvement in the suppression of the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion in 1536.

The surname Bryon also has a literary connection through the English Romantic poet Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron, 1788-1824), whose works such as "Don Juan" and "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" made him one of the most celebrated figures of the Romantic era.

Another notable figure was Sir John Byron (1723-1786), a British naval officer and explorer who circumnavigated the world and explored the Hawaiian Islands, which he called the "Sandwich Islands" after his patron, the Earl of Sandwich.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bryon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bryon 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. Lancashire leads with 49 Bryons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.43x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 49 1.43x
Middlesex 49 1.69x
Surrey 28 1.98x
Yorkshire 27 0.94x
Staffordshire 25 2.56x
Oxfordshire 13 7.27x
Glamorgan 12 2.38x
Warwickshire 12 1.64x
Derbyshire 11 2.43x
Gloucestershire 11 1.94x
Ayrshire 10 4.61x
Durham 10 1.16x
Denbighshire 9 8.22x
Worcestershire 8 2.11x
Essex 5 0.87x
Northumberland 5 1.16x
Herefordshire 4 3.37x
Banffshire 1 1.66x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.57x
Devon 1 0.17x
Hampshire 1 0.17x
Lincolnshire 1 0.22x
Montgomeryshire 1 1.51x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.26x
Renfrewshire 1 0.45x
Sussex 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Worsley in Lancashire leads with 14 Bryons recorded in 1881 and an index of 66.07x.

Place Total Index
Worsley 14 66.07x
Aston 12 5.96x
Lambeth 12 4.75x
Fulham London 11 26.18x
St Marylebone London 11 7.11x
Llandaff 10 59.59x
Ashley 9 1125.00x
Llangollen 9 833.33x
Beverley St Martin 8 167.01x
Liverpool 7 3.35x
Rock 7 463.58x
Shoreditch London 7 5.57x
Tibshelf 7 313.90x
Brewood 6 212.77x
Burslem 6 21.42x
Chelsea London 6 6.87x
Chipping Norton 6 144.93x
Churchill 6 1200.00x
Dawdon 6 56.60x
Leeds 6 3.70x
Gloucester St Michael 5 384.62x
Largs 5 97.85x
Levenshulme 5 141.24x
Windle 5 25.85x
Beswick 4 45.51x
Blackburn 4 4.37x
Camberwell 4 2.16x
Coulsdon 4 155.64x
Kensington London 4 2.48x
Old Cumnock 4 82.82x
Ormesby 4 51.81x
Pendleton In Salford 4 9.77x
St Pancras London 4 1.72x
Willey 4 3333.33x
Barking 3 17.93x
Great Driffield 3 50.93x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 3 11.66x
Newington 3 2.80x
Stretton 3 483.87x
East Ham 2 18.85x
Farnworth 2 9.71x
Hackney London 2 1.23x
Hammersmith London 2 2.80x
Lockwood 2 19.36x
Merthyr Tydfil 2 4.12x
North Seaton 2 110.50x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 3.43x
Sunderland 2 13.14x
West Bromwich 2 3.57x
Wolverhampton 2 2.66x
Barton Upon Irwell 1 3.86x
Bilton In Skirlaugh 1 1111.11x
Brighton 1 1.01x
Cheltenham 1 2.28x
Clapham 1 2.76x
Coylton 1 32.47x
Deeping St Nicholas 1 73.53x
Eastwood 1 7.23x
Falsgrave 1 23.64x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 1 9.62x
Gloucester Holy Trinity 1 204.08x
Gloucester St John Baptist 1 27.25x
Holmesfield 1 204.08x
Keith 1 15.60x
Kew 1 121.95x
Lancaster 1 4.89x
Llanllwchaiarn 1 34.72x
Manchester 1 0.65x
Mickleton 1 133.33x
Newark Upon Trent 1 7.12x
Portsea 1 0.86x
Richmond 1 5.06x
South Shields 1 13.02x
St George In East London 1 3.67x
St Mary Le Strand London 1 94.34x
Stoke Damerel 1 2.37x
Stretford 1 5.29x
Taplow 1 95.24x
Upper Hallam 1 40.16x
Worcester All Sts 1 45.66x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Emma 8
Elizabeth 7
Sarah 7
Ellen 6
Ann 5
Catherine 4
Alice 3
Annie 3
Caroline 3
Charlotte 3
Clara 3
Edith 3
Emily 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Eliza 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Hannah 2
Harriett 2
Julia 2
Margaret 2
Martha 2
Phoebe 2
Rose 2
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Bridget 1
Celia 1
Clarissa 1
Dorothy 1
Edw. 1
Eilen 1
Elezibeth 1
Elizbeth 1
Eva 1
Eve 1
Fanny 1
Fanny. 1
Girtrude 1
Hellen 1
Henrietta 1
Johanna 1
Kate 1
Lucy 1
Margret 1
Maria 1
Marion 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 30
William 18
Thomas 11
Edward 7
George 6
Henry 6
James 6
Alfred 5
Joseph 5
Arthur 4
Robert 4
Frederick 3
Daniel 2
Thos. 2
Walter 2
Wm. 2
Albert 1
Alfrd. 1
Benjamin 1
Bernard 1
Charles 1
Edmund 1
Eli 1
Eric 1
Francis 1
Fredrick 1
Harold 1
Heb. 1
Herbert 1
Hodgson 1
Howard 1
Isaac 1
Jefferson 1
Joe 1
Luke 1
Matthew 1
Morgan 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Ransom 1
Robt. 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Wiltan 1

FAQ

Bryon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bryon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 301 people were recorded with the Bryon surname. That placed it at #9,694 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bryon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 240 in 2016. That gives Bryon a modern rank of #17,278.

What does the Bryon surname mean?

Of British origin indicating someone who lived near a brushwood or briarwood.

What does the Bryon map show?

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