NameCensus.

UK surname

Burdock

A surname derived from the plant name "burdock", potentially indicating one who lived near an abundance of that plant.

In the 1881 census there were 236 people recorded with the Burdock surname, ranking it #11,540 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 217, ranked #18,535, down from #11,540 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Petworth and Cobham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cotswold, Bradford and Stockport.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Burdock is 262 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 8.1%.

1881 census count

236

Ranked #11,540

Modern count

217

2016, ranked #18,535

Peak year

1901

262 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Burdock had 236 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,540 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 217 in 2016, ranked #18,535.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 262 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Burdock surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Burdock surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Burdock 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 191 #10,808
1861 historical 158 #14,644
1881 historical 236 #11,540
1891 historical 240 #13,123
1901 historical 262 #12,740
1911 historical 229 #13,712
1997 modern 221 #16,565
1998 modern 240 #16,117
1999 modern 237 #16,360
2000 modern 226 #16,840
2001 modern 222 #16,806
2002 modern 215 #17,487
2003 modern 213 #17,395
2004 modern 210 #17,644
2005 modern 198 #18,279
2006 modern 202 #18,160
2007 modern 193 #18,923
2008 modern 203 #18,470
2009 modern 210 #18,426
2010 modern 220 #18,265
2011 modern 216 #18,321
2012 modern 216 #18,251
2013 modern 219 #18,385
2014 modern 213 #18,883
2015 modern 216 #18,600
2016 modern 217 #18,535

Geography

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Where Burdocks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Petworth, Cobham, Chiddingfold, Haslemere and Peterborough St John the Baptist. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cotswold, Bradford, Stockport and Harlow. 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 3
2 Petworth Sussex
3 Cobham Surrey
4 Chiddingfold, Haslemere Surrey
5 Peterborough St John the Baptist Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cotswold 003 Cotswold
2 Bradford 004 Bradford
3 Cotswold 002 Cotswold
4 Stockport 033 Stockport
5 Harlow 007 Harlow

Forenames

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First names often paired with Burdock

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Burdock

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Burdock 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

Burdock is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Burdock falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Burdock

The surname Burdock is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is a locational surname derived from the place name Burdock, which was a parish in Derbyshire, England. The name itself comes from the Old English words 'burr' meaning a bur or prickly seed head and 'doc' meaning a plant or weed, referring to the burdock plant common in the area.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William de Burdoc, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1208. The Pipe Rolls were medieval financial records maintained by the English Exchequer. This indicates the name was well-established in the Midlands region of England by the early 13th century.

In the 14th century, the spelling variations of the name included Burdock, Burdoke, Burdoc, and Burdok. The Burdock family was also associated with the village of Burdock in Derbyshire, which is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Burdoch'.

One notable bearer of the Burdock name was Sir Thomas Burdock (c. 1385 - 1457), a Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in 1422 and 1427. Another was Robert Burdock (1578 - 1639), an English clergyman and author who published several works on theology.

The name also spread beyond England, with records showing a Burdock family residing in Scotland by the 16th century. One member, John Burdock (1592 - 1668), was a Scottish merchant and landowner who acquired significant property in Edinburgh.

In the 17th century, the Burdock surname appears in various records across England, including the Hearth Tax Rolls for Suffolk in 1674, where a Thomas Burdock is listed as a householder. Another bearer of note was William Burdock (1639 - 1716), an English botanist and herbalist who wrote extensively on the medicinal properties of plants.

Over the centuries, the Burdock name has been associated with various locations in England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Suffolk. Though not a common surname today, it has a rich history tied to the medieval English countryside and its traditional plant life.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Burdock families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Burdock 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. Surrey leads with 50 Burdocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.55x.

County Total Index
Surrey 50 4.55x
Gloucestershire 49 11.09x
Middlesex 27 1.20x
Wiltshire 19 9.53x
Cambridgeshire 15 10.51x
Oxfordshire 10 7.19x
Sussex 10 2.63x
Essex 9 2.02x
Somerset 9 2.48x
Yorkshire 7 0.31x
Northamptonshire 5 2.36x
Warwickshire 5 0.88x
Kent 4 0.52x
Lancashire 4 0.15x
Norfolk 3 0.87x
Monmouthshire 2 1.23x
Hampshire 1 0.22x
Herefordshire 1 1.08x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Painswick in Gloucestershire leads with 17 Burdocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 543.13x.

Place Total Index
Painswick 17 543.13x
Cobham 11 611.11x
Minety 11 2000.00x
Petworth 9 396.48x
Godalming 8 115.77x
Cheltenham 7 20.53x
Clevedon 7 185.68x
Naunton 7 1707.32x
Whittlesey St Mary St 7 140.56x
Chelmsford 6 78.64x
Chiddingfold 6 582.52x
Shoreditch London 6 6.14x
St Luke London 6 16.60x
Kensington London 5 3.99x
Peterborough 5 32.59x
Worplesdon 5 378.79x
Aston 4 2.56x
Bethnal Green London 4 4.09x
Hambledon 4 344.83x
Langford 4 1333.33x
Lower Slaughter 4 2500.00x
Stratton St Margaret 4 130.72x
Croydon 3 4.92x
Dewsbury 3 13.10x
Dunsfold 3 500.00x
Fulbrook 3 1111.11x
March 3 62.76x
Purton 3 169.49x
Syde 3 10000.00x
Tortworth 3 2000.00x
Wisbech St Peter 3 41.90x
Chard 2 45.56x
Gravesend 2 30.72x
Islington London 2 0.92x
Kirby Le Soken 2 312.50x
Liverpool 2 1.23x
St Pancras London 2 1.10x
Stoke 2 38.61x
Stroud 2 23.26x
Trevethin 2 13.00x
Wandsworth 2 9.22x
West Dean 2 27.86x
Wigan 2 5.35x
Birmingham 1 0.53x
Bottisham 1 81.97x
Bradwell 1 500.00x
Bramley 1 103.09x
Camberwell 1 0.69x
Chartham 1 52.08x
Clanfield 1 263.16x
Devizes St John 1 66.67x
Downham Market 1 42.02x
Farmington 1 476.19x
Fernhurst 1 119.05x
Greenwich 1 2.79x
Hammersmith London 1 1.80x
Kingston On Thames 1 3.79x
Lambeth 1 0.51x
Leckhampton 1 36.76x
Leeds 1 0.79x
Norwich St Clement 1 24.88x
Norwich St Martin At Oak 1 47.39x
Nottingham St Mary 1 1.27x
Penge 1 6.95x
Poplar London 1 2.35x
Portsea 1 1.10x
Richmond 1 6.50x
Rotherham 1 7.94x
Roundhay 1 158.73x
Sculcoates 1 2.82x
St Andrewthe Less 1 6.13x
Taynton 1 384.62x
Walthamstow 1 6.25x
Wick Rissington 1 769.23x
Windrush 1 555.56x
Woolhope 1 172.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 18
Mary 12
Sarah 9
Alice 7
Emma 5
Clara 4
Ellen 4
Jane 4
Agnes 3
Ann 3
Annie 3
Caroline 3
Ruth 3
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Harriet 2
Kate 2
Lucy 2
Agness 1
Beatrice 1
Betsey 1
Eleanor 1
Elenor 1
Elizebeth 1
Elvina 1
Eva 1
Flora 1
Francis 1
Golinda 1
Grace 1
Harriett 1
Julia 1
Kathleen 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
May 1
Phoebe 1
Prescilla 1
Priscilla 1
Rachel 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 17
John 11
James 8
Thomas 7
Frederick 6
George 6
Henry 6
Robert 6
Edward 5
Charles 4
Walter 4
Fred 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
David 1
Elizabeth 1
Francis 1
Frederic 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Gray 1
Hy. 1
Joseph 1
Mark 1
Nathaniel 1
Norman 1
Octavius 1
Theophillus 1
W. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Burdock surname: questions and answers

How common was the Burdock surname in 1881?

In 1881, 236 people were recorded with the Burdock surname. That placed it at #11,540 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Burdock surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 217 in 2016. That gives Burdock a modern rank of #18,535.

What does the Burdock surname mean?

A surname derived from the plant name "burdock", potentially indicating one who lived near an abundance of that plant.

What does the Burdock map show?

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