NameCensus.

UK surname

Burges

A surname derived from the Old French word "burgeis," meaning a resident of a town or borough.

In the 1881 census there were 758 people recorded with the Burges surname, ranking it #4,871 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 226, ranked #18,044, down from #4,871 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Portsmouth, North Hertfordshire and Suffolk Coastal.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Burges is 1,295 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 70.2%.

1881 census count

758

Ranked #4,871

Modern count

226

2016, ranked #18,044

Peak year

1851

1,295 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Burges had 758 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,871 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 226 in 2016, ranked #18,044.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,295 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Burges surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Burges surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Burges 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 1,295 #2,213
1861 historical 1,061 #2,647
1881 historical 758 #4,871
1891 historical 792 #5,075
1901 historical 587 #7,189
1911 historical 539 #7,400
1997 modern 276 #14,290
1998 modern 260 #15,291
1999 modern 258 #15,467
2000 modern 244 #16,004
2001 modern 244 #15,753
2002 modern 248 #15,896
2003 modern 241 #16,013
2004 modern 221 #17,066
2005 modern 221 #17,028
2006 modern 201 #18,226
2007 modern 202 #18,359
2008 modern 197 #18,818
2009 modern 200 #19,028
2010 modern 209 #18,893
2011 modern 199 #19,346
2012 modern 209 #18,659
2013 modern 222 #18,198
2014 modern 227 #18,029
2015 modern 225 #18,050
2016 modern 226 #18,044

Geography

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Where Burges' are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Portsmouth, North Hertfordshire, Suffolk Coastal, East Devon and Kelvindale. 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 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Wimbledon Surrey

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Portsmouth 021 Portsmouth
2 North Hertfordshire 004 North Hertfordshire
3 Suffolk Coastal 010 Suffolk Coastal
4 East Devon 010 East Devon
5 Kelvindale Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Burges

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Burges

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Burges, 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 Burges surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Burges 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Burges is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Burges is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Burges

The surname BURGES is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word "burgeis", which means a freeman or inhabitant of a borough or town. It's believed to have been introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The name BURGES is thought to have first appeared in the counties of Somerset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire in southwestern England, where many of the Norman settlers established themselves after the conquest. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholders and their properties across England.

During the Middle Ages, the name BURGES was often associated with individuals who held positions of authority or influential roles within the borough or town. The name appears in various historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Henry II (1154-1189) and the Curia Regis Rolls of King John (1199-1216).

One notable figure bearing the surname BURGES was Sir John Burges (c. 1380-1432), a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and a prominent landowner during the early 15th century. Another was Sir Roger Burges (c. 1515-1585), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1573.

The name BURGES has also been associated with several places, such as the village of Burgess Hill in West Sussex, which was originally known as Burgh or Bourghash in the 13th century. Other place names with similar origins include Bourges in France and Bruges in Belgium.

Over time, the surname BURGES has undergone various spelling variations, including Burgess, Burghes, Burgas, and Burgis, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes throughout history. Some notable individuals with these spelling variations include Thomas Burgess (1756-1837), an English philosopher and Bishop of Salisbury, and Anthony Burgess (1917-1993), the English novelist and literary critic best known for his novel "A Clockwork Orange".

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Burges families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Burges 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 84 Burges' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.15x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 84 1.15x
Surrey 52 1.46x
Somerset 34 2.89x
Suffolk 32 3.60x
Lancashire 31 0.36x
Shetland 30 40.26x
Wiltshire 29 4.49x
Banffshire 27 17.84x
Gloucestershire 25 1.75x
Yorkshire 23 0.32x
Dorset 22 4.59x
Midlothian 22 2.25x
Morayshire 22 19.41x
Buckinghamshire 19 4.31x
Glamorgan 17 1.34x
Shropshire 17 2.70x
Sussex 17 1.38x
Dumfriesshire 15 9.31x
Cheshire 14 0.87x
Essex 14 0.97x
Kent 14 0.56x
Norfolk 14 1.25x
Hampshire 13 0.87x
Devon 12 0.79x
Durham 11 0.51x
Warwickshire 11 0.60x
Berkshire 10 1.83x
Lanarkshire 9 0.38x
Renfrewshire 8 1.41x
Worcestershire 8 0.84x
Cambridgeshire 7 1.51x
Lincolnshire 7 0.60x
Staffordshire 7 0.28x
Cornwall 6 0.73x
East Lothian 6 6.21x
Hertfordshire 6 1.19x
Monmouthshire 5 0.95x
Northamptonshire 5 0.73x
Oxfordshire 5 1.11x
Angus 4 0.59x
Bedfordshire 4 1.06x
Fife 4 0.93x
Ayrshire 3 0.55x
Dunbartonshire 3 1.53x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.31x
Argyllshire 2 0.98x
Channel Islands 2 0.93x
Cumberland 2 0.32x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 1.89x
Leicestershire 2 0.25x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.15x
Herefordshire 1 0.33x
Inverness-shire 1 0.46x
Kincardineshire 1 1.13x
Northumberland 1 0.09x
Orkney 1 1.25x
Perthshire 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Burgh Castle in Suffolk leads with 24 Burges' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1832.06x.

Place Total Index
Burgh Castle 24 1832.06x
Dunrossness 18 183.49x
Bellie 16 312.50x
St Marylebone London 16 4.11x
Lochmaben 15 212.46x
Patney 15 4285.71x
Dinton 12 693.64x
Keith 12 74.40x
Longburton 12 1263.16x
Bressay Burra Quarff 11 338.46x
Edmonton 11 18.71x
Southwark St Saviour 10 26.67x
Mangotsfield 9 63.11x
Shrewsbury St Mary 9 36.19x
Dallington 8 601.50x
Henstridge 8 246.91x
St Pancras London 8 1.36x
Swansea Town 8 7.68x
Wimbledon 8 20.04x
Islington London 7 0.99x
Kingston On Thames 7 8.20x
Ruishton 7 593.22x
Stantonbury 7 7777.78x
Wereham 7 454.55x
West Derby 7 2.76x
Combmartin 6 181.82x
Darlington 6 7.16x
Govan 6 1.03x
Inveravon 6 93.02x
Knockando 6 130.15x
Little Bardfield 6 697.67x
Penicuik 6 45.18x
Rathven 6 21.10x
West Greenock 6 5.91x
Ashton Under Lyne 5 2.64x
Bedwellty 5 5.37x
Dunbar 5 36.90x
East Hagbourn 5 381.68x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 5 1.27x
Holbeach 5 38.49x
Kensington London 5 1.23x
Mile End Old Town London 5 3.22x
Milton In Gravesend 5 13.39x
Newhaven 5 50.05x
North Leith 5 11.05x
Pirton 5 176.68x
Poplar London 5 3.63x
Portsea 5 1.71x
Sibton 5 409.84x
South Leith 5 4.55x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 5 14.89x
Weymouth 5 55.13x
Yate 5 159.74x
Aston 4 0.79x
Bethnal Green London 4 1.26x
Birkenhead 4 3.12x
Bow London 4 4.31x
Bowling 4 5.59x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 4 2.97x
Croydon 4 2.03x
Kings Norton 4 4.68x
Lambeth 4 0.63x
Lewisham 4 3.01x
Limehouse London 4 4.99x
Lochee 4 66.34x
Orcheston St George 4 833.33x
Rugeley 4 22.64x
South Stoneham 4 12.33x
Stranton 4 5.47x
West Ham 4 1.26x
Willesden 4 5.82x
Altrincham 3 10.66x
Bickenhill 3 236.22x
Cardiff St Mary 3 4.29x
Costessey 3 124.48x
Hardingstone 3 45.80x
Manchester 3 0.77x
New Cumnock 3 31.68x
Northenden 3 102.04x
Northfield 3 16.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 34
Elizabeth 26
Sarah 23
Ann 11
Emily 10
Emma 10
Eliza 8
Ellen 8
Alice 7
Jane 6
Louisa 6
Edith 5
Hannah 5
Annie 4
Caroline 4
Charlotte 4
Harriet 4
Lucy 4
Martha 4
Rose 4
Amy 3
Anna 3
Catherine 3
Dora 3
Julia 3
Kate 3
Margaret 3
Ada 2
Anne 2
Frances 2
Francis 2
Georgina 2
Marey 2
Marry 2
Matilda 2
Phebe 2
Rhoda 2
Susan 2
Alix 1
Bithiah 1
Cathrine 1
Eliva 1
Elizth. 1
Emley 1
Emm 1
Hanah 1
Harriett 1
Harriott 1
Helin 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 38
George 28
John 27
Thomas 20
James 18
Charles 13
Henry 12
Joseph 11
Edward 6
Samuel 6
Alfred 5
Frank 5
Harry 5
Isaac 5
Sidney 4
Albert 3
Ernest 3
Frederick 3
Fredrick 3
Herbert 3
Joshua 3
Luke 3
Thos. 3
Alexander 2
Arthur 2
Benjamin 2
David 2
Edwin 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Frederic 2
Geo. 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Stephen 2
Sydney 2
Trayton 2
Walter 2
Benedict 1
Charls 1
Chas.E. 1
Clement 1
Colin 1
Fred. 1
Fredk. 1
Fredreick 1
Loftus 1
Mark 1
Martin 1
Zackariah 1

FAQ

Burges surname: questions and answers

How common was the Burges surname in 1881?

In 1881, 758 people were recorded with the Burges surname. That placed it at #4,871 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Burges surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 226 in 2016. That gives Burges a modern rank of #18,044.

What does the Burges surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old French word "burgeis," meaning a resident of a town or borough.

What does the Burges map show?

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