NameCensus.

UK surname

Bumpus

Derived from the Middle English word "bumpous," meaning a person with a protuberant belly or an awkward, clumsy person.

In the 1881 census there were 112 people recorded with the Bumpus surname, ranking it #18,501 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 83, ranked #32,815, down from #18,501 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stonesfield, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Elmbridge, Slough and Charnwood.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bumpus is 129 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 25.9%.

1881 census count

112

Ranked #18,501

Modern count

83

2016, ranked #32,815

Peak year

1901

129 bearers

Map years

5

1881 to 1998

Key insights

  • Bumpus had 112 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,501 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 83 in 2016, ranked #32,815.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 129 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Bumpus surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bumpus surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bumpus 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 58 #22,928
1861 historical 52 #27,369
1881 historical 112 #18,501
1891 historical 104 #23,388
1901 historical 129 #19,735
1911 historical 119 #20,535
1997 modern 104 #26,351
1998 modern 104 #26,981
1999 modern 106 #26,885
2000 modern 114 #25,717
2001 modern 103 #26,927
2002 modern 103 #27,443
2003 modern 109 #26,361
2004 modern 102 #27,637
2005 modern 93 #29,133
2006 modern 91 #29,725
2007 modern 91 #30,061
2008 modern 92 #30,286
2009 modern 97 #30,076
2010 modern 99 #30,397
2011 modern 100 #30,058
2012 modern 96 #30,949
2013 modern 92 #31,909
2014 modern 89 #32,409
2015 modern 85 #32,693
2016 modern 83 #32,815

Geography

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Where Bumpus' are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Elmbridge, Slough, Charnwood, Westminster and North Devon. 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 Stonesfield Oxfordshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Loughborough Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Elmbridge 012 Elmbridge
2 Slough 012 Slough
3 Charnwood 004 Charnwood
4 Westminster 002 Westminster
5 North Devon 001 North Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bumpus

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bumpus

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Bumpus is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bumpus 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

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

Meaning and origin of Bumpus

The surname Bumpus is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "bun" meaning "a swelling or lump" and "puis" meaning "a small creek or stream," potentially referring to a person who lived near a small, swollen stream or a person with a physical characteristic resembling a swelling.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bumpus can be found in the Huntingdonshire Subsidy Rolls of 1327, where a certain Robert Bumpus is listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the early 14th century.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records and court documents across different counties in England, including Essex, Wiltshire, and Suffolk. Notable examples include John Bumpus, who was born in Wiltshire in 1542, and William Bumpus, who was recorded as a landowner in the village of Bradfield, Essex, in 1598.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bumpus family continued to spread across England, with branches emerging in counties such as Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Bumpus, a wealthy merchant and landowner born in Somerset in 1675.

As the British Empire expanded, some members of the Bumpus family emigrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name is that of John Bumpus, who was born in Virginia in 1687.

Other notable individuals with the surname Bumpus include:

1. Edward Bumpus (1798-1859), an English bookseller and founder of the Bumpus bookshop in London. 2. James Bumpus (1812-1887), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench. 3. Frederick Bumpus (1837-1901), an English naturalist and zoologist known for his work on the anatomy and behavior of birds. 4. Henry Croswell Bumpus (1854-1926), an American biologist and educator who served as the president of Tufts University. 5. Hermon Carey Bumpus (1862-1943), an American zoologist and educator who served as the director of the American Museum of Natural History.

While the Bumpus surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with families bearing this name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bumpus families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bumpus 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 Bumpus' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.72x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 30 2.72x
Surrey 23 4.28x
Essex 13 5.97x
Oxfordshire 9 13.22x
Northamptonshire 8 7.72x
Warwickshire 8 2.88x
Leicestershire 7 5.73x
Devon 4 1.74x
Wiltshire 4 4.10x
Gloucestershire 3 1.39x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.50x
Hertfordshire 1 1.32x
Kent 1 0.27x
Royal Navy 1 7.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Woodford in Essex leads with 13 Bumpus' recorded in 1881 and an index of 528.46x.

Place Total Index
Woodford 13 528.46x
Kensington London 8 13.05x
Battersea 7 17.26x
Camberwell 7 9.94x
Duston 7 744.68x
Finchley 7 165.48x
Loughborough 7 126.13x
St Marylebone London 7 11.89x
Newington 6 14.73x
Stonesfield 6 2727.27x
Aston 4 5.23x
Stoke Damerel 4 24.91x
Stoke Newington London 4 46.57x
Westbury 4 175.44x
Bourton On The Water 3 681.82x
Oxford St Giles 3 92.31x
Birmingham 2 2.16x
St Pancras London 2 2.25x
Stretton On Foss 2 1333.33x
Tooting Graveney 2 134.23x
Gravesend 1 31.45x
Lambeth 1 1.04x
Northampton St Sepulchre 1 18.98x
Paddington London 1 2.47x
Poplar London 1 4.81x
Royal Navy 1 8.90x
St Albans 1 64.10x
Stone 1 192.31x

Top female names

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

Name Count
James 7
John 5
Thomas 5
Frederick 4
Henry 4
Alfred 3
Francis 3
William 3
Charles 2
Harry 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Edward 1
Evan 1
Frank 1
Fredk.G. 1
George 1
Infant 1
Stanley 1
Williams 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Bumpus surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bumpus surname in 1881?

In 1881, 112 people were recorded with the Bumpus surname. That placed it at #18,501 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bumpus surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 83 in 2016. That gives Bumpus a modern rank of #32,815.

What does the Bumpus surname mean?

Derived from the Middle English word "bumpous," meaning a person with a protuberant belly or an awkward, clumsy person.

What does the Bumpus map show?

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