NameCensus.

UK surname

Buhagiar

A surname of Maltese origin meaning "wealthy" or "prosperous".

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gloucester, Wycombe and Parkhead and Sighthill.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Buhagiar is 149 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has changed.

1881 census count

-

Modern count

134

2016, ranked #25,636

Peak year

2002

149 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016, ranked #25,636.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Buhagiar surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Buhagiar surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Buhagiar 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
1891 historical 4 #34,098
1911 historical 5 #33,427
1997 modern 119 #24,302
1998 modern 134 #23,202
1999 modern 137 #23,083
2000 modern 143 #22,457
2001 modern 136 #22,855
2002 modern 149 #22,001
2003 modern 134 #23,260
2004 modern 134 #23,425
2005 modern 144 #22,367
2006 modern 146 #22,320
2007 modern 136 #23,708
2008 modern 140 #23,511
2009 modern 132 #24,929
2010 modern 130 #25,775
2011 modern 133 #25,177
2012 modern 134 #25,059
2013 modern 135 #25,395
2014 modern 143 #24,621
2015 modern 140 #24,836
2016 modern 134 #25,636

Geography

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Where Buhagiars are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gloucester, Wycombe, Parkhead and Sighthill and Cardiff. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gloucester 012 Gloucester
2 Wycombe 007 Wycombe
3 Parkhead and Sighthill City of Edinburgh
4 Cardiff 017 Cardiff
5 Gloucester 008 Gloucester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Buhagiar

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Buhagiar

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Buhagiar, 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 Buhagiar surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Buhagiar household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Buhagiar 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.

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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

Buhagiar is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Buhagiar 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 Buhagiar is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Buhagiar

The surname Buhagiar originates from the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. Its roots can be traced back to the early 16th century during the period of the Knights Hospitaller's rule over the Maltese islands. The name is believed to have derived from the Maltese word "buhagar," which means "farmer" or "cultivator of the land."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Buhagiar surname can be found in the Cittadella Cathedral archives on the island of Gozo, where a certain Marinu Buhagiar is mentioned in a baptismal record dated 1567. This suggests that the name was already established in the Maltese islands by the mid-16th century.

In the 17th century, the Buhagiar surname appears in various parish records across Malta, particularly in the villages of Qormi and Siggiewi. It is possible that the name originated from these areas, where the ancestors of the Buhagiar family may have been farmers or landowners.

Historically, the Buhagiar surname has been associated with several notable figures in Maltese society. One such figure was Dun Guzepp Buhagiar, a prominent clergyman who served as the Archpriest of the Collegiate Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta in the late 18th century.

Another notable bearer of the Buhagiar name was Antonio Buhagiar, a Maltese merchant and ship owner who lived in the early 19th century. Records indicate that he owned several trading vessels that sailed across the Mediterranean Sea.

In the 20th century, Dr. Joseph Buhagiar (1909-1999) was a respected Maltese physician and academic. He served as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Malta and played a significant role in the development of medical education on the island.

The Buhagiar surname has also been carried by several artists and writers, such as the painter Victor Buhagiar (1924-2018) and the poet and novelist Trevor Buhagiar (born 1948).

While the name Buhagiar is predominantly found in Malta, it has also spread to other parts of the world through Maltese migration. However, its roots remain firmly planted in the rich agricultural heritage of the Maltese islands.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Buhagiar families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Buhagiar 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. Royal Navy leads with 2 Buhagiars recorded in 1881 and an index of 869.57x.

County Total Index
Royal Navy 2 869.57x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Royal Navy in Royal Navy leads with 2 Buhagiars recorded in 1881 and an index of 1000.00x.

Place Total Index
Royal Navy 2 1000.00x

Top male names

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

Name Count
Vincent 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 Buhagiar households.

Occupation Count
Musician 1

FAQ

Buhagiar surname: questions and answers

How common is the Buhagiar surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016. That gives Buhagiar a modern rank of #25,636.

What does the Buhagiar surname mean?

A surname of Maltese origin meaning "wealthy" or "prosperous".

What does the Buhagiar map show?

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