NameCensus.

UK surname

Budge

A surname derived from the Old English word "bocian" meaning to move or yield.

In the 1881 census there were 1,512 people recorded with the Budge surname, ranking it #2,777 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,468, ranked #4,194, down from #2,777 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to South Ronaldsay and Burray, Wick and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Caithness North West, Isles and Wick North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Budge is 1,573 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.9%.

1881 census count

1,512

Ranked #2,777

Modern count

1,468

2016, ranked #4,194

Peak year

1901

1,573 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Budge had 1,512 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,777 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,468 in 2016, ranked #4,194.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,573 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Budge surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Budge surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Budge 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 1,017 #2,746
1861 historical 1,083 #2,597
1881 historical 1,512 #2,777
1891 historical 1,530 #2,883
1901 historical 1,573 #3,278
1911 historical 952 #4,733
1997 modern 1,387 #4,165
1998 modern 1,456 #4,155
1999 modern 1,466 #4,162
2000 modern 1,486 #4,093
2001 modern 1,414 #4,185
2002 modern 1,436 #4,209
2003 modern 1,392 #4,241
2004 modern 1,383 #4,271
2005 modern 1,352 #4,306
2006 modern 1,355 #4,305
2007 modern 1,369 #4,308
2008 modern 1,387 #4,288
2009 modern 1,433 #4,262
2010 modern 1,484 #4,220
2011 modern 1,461 #4,222
2012 modern 1,455 #4,188
2013 modern 1,464 #4,222
2014 modern 1,469 #4,237
2015 modern 1,465 #4,223
2016 modern 1,468 #4,194

Geography

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Where Budges are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around South Ronaldsay and Burray, Wick, Edinburgh, Dunnet and Latheron. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Caithness North West, Isles, Wick North, Caithness South and Thurso East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 South Ronaldsay and Burray Orkney
2 Wick Caithness
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dunnet Caithness
5 Latheron Caithness

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Caithness North West Highland
2 Isles Orkney Islands
3 Wick North Highland
4 Caithness South Highland
5 Thurso East Highland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Budge

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Budge

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Budge surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Budge household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Budge is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Budge is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Budge falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Budge 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 Budge, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Budge

The surname Budge is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'bugge', meaning 'a bag' or 'a pouch'. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a maker or seller of bags and pouches.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Budge can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk, dated around 1273, where it appears as 'Bugge'. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century in Norfolk, England.

In the 14th century, the name is recorded in various spellings such as 'Bogge', 'Bugge', and 'Budge'. The Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, a record of those who took an oath of allegiance to the Protestant religion, includes several individuals with the surname Budge residing in various counties across England.

Notable individuals with the surname Budge include John Budge, a Scottish merchant and Burgess of Aberdeen, who lived in the late 15th century. Another early record is that of William Budge, a landowner in Suffolk, England, mentioned in the Feet of Fines records for the year 1522.

In the 17th century, John Budge (1615-1670) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis. Thomas Budge (1666-1728) was a Church of England clergyman and author, best known for his work 'A Short Introduction to the Catechism'.

Sir Samuel Budgett (1794-1851) was a prominent English merchant and philanthropist from Bristol, known for his successful business ventures and charitable contributions. He established the Budgett Trust, which supported various educational and religious initiatives.

Moving into the 19th century, Edward Budge (1857-1934) was a renowned English Egyptologist and philologist. He served as the Keeper of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities at the British Museum and made significant contributions to the study of ancient Egyptian and Assyrian languages and cultures.

These are just a few examples of the historical presence of the surname Budge, which has its roots in the occupational trades of medieval England and has produced notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Budge families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Budge 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. Caithness leads with 317 Budges recorded in 1881 and an index of 155.44x.

County Total Index
Caithness 317 155.44x
Orkney 155 94.58x
Cornwall 130 7.71x
Middlesex 124 0.83x
Devon 116 3.74x
Somerset 99 4.13x
Surrey 78 1.07x
Midlothian 66 3.31x
Lancashire 54 0.31x
Cheshire 33 1.00x
Yorkshire 27 0.18x
Kent 26 0.51x
Lanarkshire 26 0.54x
Inverness-shire 25 5.62x
Hampshire 24 0.79x
Glamorgan 23 0.89x
Dorset 20 2.05x
Pembrokeshire 14 2.96x
Durham 13 0.29x
Gloucestershire 13 0.45x
Warwickshire 13 0.35x
Essex 11 0.37x
Shetland 10 6.57x
Suffolk 10 0.55x
Huntingdonshire 8 2.70x
Royal Navy 8 4.51x
Cambridgeshire 6 0.64x
Channel Islands 6 1.36x
Dunbartonshire 6 1.50x
Fife 6 0.68x
Staffordshire 6 0.12x
Sutherland 6 5.24x
Aberdeenshire 5 0.36x
Renfrewshire 5 0.43x
Angus 4 0.29x
Ross-shire 4 0.98x
Berwickshire 3 1.66x
Northumberland 3 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.15x
Selkirkshire 3 2.23x
Sussex 3 0.12x
Herefordshire 2 0.33x
Northamptonshire 2 0.14x
Perthshire 2 0.30x
Banffshire 1 0.32x
Berkshire 1 0.09x
Derbyshire 1 0.04x
Hertfordshire 1 0.10x
Leicestershire 1 0.06x
Monmouthshire 1 0.09x
Roxburghshire 1 0.37x
Wigtownshire 1 0.51x
Worcestershire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wick in Caithness leads with 127 Budges recorded in 1881 and an index of 192.77x.

Place Total Index
Wick 127 192.77x
South Ronaldshay 99 583.73x
Latheron 67 196.37x
Thurso 48 150.90x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 39 4.86x
Dunnet 29 353.66x
Lambeth 28 2.16x
North Hill 23 425.93x
Crewkerne 22 86.41x
Govan 20 1.68x
Camberwell 18 1.89x
Halkirk 18 130.43x
Plymouth St Andrew 18 7.54x
Portsea 17 2.84x
Plymstock 16 98.58x
Stoke Damerel 16 7.37x
Stromness 16 130.19x
Lezant 15 397.88x
St George Hanover Square 15 5.72x
Kilmuir 14 107.03x
Pembroke St Mary 14 22.97x
Aston 13 1.26x
Callington 13 132.25x
Isle Brewers 13 807.45x
Lathom 13 60.92x
North Leith 13 14.08x
St Andrews Deerness 13 150.81x
Chillington 12 1034.48x
Neath 12 22.74x
Poplar London 12 4.27x
Ashton On Mersey 11 64.71x
St Pancras London 11 0.92x
Bower 10 121.80x
Brixton 10 285.71x
Bromley London 10 3.05x
Chelsea London 10 2.23x
Edinburgh St Marys 10 25.78x
Keighley 10 6.36x
Lifton 10 134.05x
Hackney London 9 1.08x
Ilminster 9 53.73x
Barking 8 9.30x
Everton 8 1.42x
Evie Rendall 8 115.61x
Flixton 8 88.30x
Kensington London 8 0.97x
Monks Coppenhall 8 6.45x
Newington 8 1.45x
Olrig 8 78.51x
Paddington London 8 1.46x
Pakefield 8 177.38x
Royal Navy 8 5.27x
St Erme 8 308.88x
St Mary Magdalene 8 64.52x
Watten 8 111.58x
Bethnal Green London 7 1.08x
Bishopwearmouth 7 1.84x
Buckland Monachorum 7 105.74x
Chard 7 24.10x
Halling 7 105.11x
Islington London 7 0.48x
Llantwit Lower 7 30.70x
Poole St James 7 19.06x
Radcliffe 7 8.22x
Snizort 7 63.12x
Dumbarton 6 10.77x
Dunrossness 6 29.96x
Gillingham 6 5.73x
Lostwithel 6 125.52x
Loth 6 201.34x
North Petherwyn 6 136.99x
Orphir 6 115.38x
Saddleworth 6 5.27x
Sandwick 6 97.72x
St Neots 6 37.31x
St Peter Port 6 7.35x
Wisbech St Peter 6 12.68x
Camborne 5 7.20x
St Marylebone London 5 0.63x
Tavistock 5 14.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 70
John 53
Thomas 28
Henry 26
George 24
James 18
Richard 17
Charles 15
Arthur 10
Edward 8
Ernest 8
Samuel 8
Alfred 7
Harry 7
Joseph 7
Robert 7
Albert 6
Frederick 6
David 5
Walter 4
Donald 3
Sidney 3
Wm. 3
Alexander 2
Andrew 2
Archibald 2
Corydon 2
Edmund 2
Edwin 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Fredk. 2
Fredrick 2
Herbert 2
Horace 2
J. 2
Reginald 2
Silvanus 2
Sydney 2
Uriah 2
Chas.Geo. 1
Cyrus 1
Daniel 1
Edwd.J. 1
Emmanuel 1
Jno 1
Jno.Edwd.H. 1
Joe 1
Laban 1

FAQ

Budge surname: questions and answers

How common was the Budge surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,512 people were recorded with the Budge surname. That placed it at #2,777 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Budge surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,468 in 2016. That gives Budge a modern rank of #4,194.

What does the Budge surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English word "bocian" meaning to move or yield.

What does the Budge map show?

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