NameCensus.

UK surname

Bury

An English locational surname referring to someone who lived in a fort or castle.

In the 1881 census there were 2,237 people recorded with the Bury surname, ranking it #1,989 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,671, ranked #3,737, down from #1,989 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Manchester, Whalley and Blackburn. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Blackburn with Darwen and Hyndburn.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bury is 2,598 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 25.3%.

1881 census count

2,237

Ranked #1,989

Modern count

1,671

2016, ranked #3,737

Peak year

1911

2,598 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bury had 2,237 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,989 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,671 in 2016, ranked #3,737.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,598 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bury surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bury surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bury 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 1,871 #1,545
1861 historical 2,540 #1,151
1881 historical 2,237 #1,989
1891 historical 2,522 #1,877
1901 historical 2,395 #2,272
1911 historical 2,598 #1,971
1997 modern 1,554 #3,796
1998 modern 1,615 #3,811
1999 modern 1,628 #3,808
2000 modern 1,630 #3,784
2001 modern 1,589 #3,803
2002 modern 1,600 #3,851
2003 modern 1,574 #3,829
2004 modern 1,568 #3,850
2005 modern 1,553 #3,835
2006 modern 1,535 #3,879
2007 modern 1,536 #3,908
2008 modern 1,565 #3,871
2009 modern 1,603 #3,871
2010 modern 1,642 #3,866
2011 modern 1,628 #3,857
2012 modern 1,611 #3,825
2013 modern 1,664 #3,774
2014 modern 1,668 #3,789
2015 modern 1,673 #3,738
2016 modern 1,671 #3,737

Geography

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Where Burys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Manchester, Whalley, Blackburn and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Blackburn with Darwen and Hyndburn. 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 Manchester Lancashire
2 Whalley Lancashire
3 Blackburn Lancashire
4 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Blackburn with Darwen 017 Blackburn with Darwen
2 Blackburn with Darwen 015 Blackburn with Darwen
3 Blackburn with Darwen 016 Blackburn with Darwen
4 Blackburn with Darwen 014 Blackburn with Darwen
5 Hyndburn 002 Hyndburn

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bury

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bury

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

Bury is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bury falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Bury

The surname "BURY" has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "burg," meaning a fortified town or borough. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely residents of a particular town or borough, or may have lived near one.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Here, the name is listed in various spellings, such as "de Burgo" and "atte Bury."

In the 13th century, there are records of individuals with the surname "Bury" residing in counties such as Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex, which were home to numerous towns and boroughs at the time. This further reinforces the link between the name and its geographical origins.

Some notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname "Bury" include:

1. Richard de Bury (c. 1287 - 1345), an English philosopher, writer, and bibliophile who served as the Bishop of Durham and was a tutor to King Edward III.

2. John Bury (c. 1580 - 1667), an English Puritan and one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America.

3. Bury St. Edmunds (1092 - 1224), an English monk and historian who wrote a chronicle of the abbeys of Bury St. Edmunds and Peterborough.

4. William Bury (1795 - 1866), an English civil engineer who designed and constructed several notable bridges, including the Ouse Bridge in Bedford.

5. J. B. Bury (1861 - 1927), an Irish historian and scholar who wrote extensively on the Byzantine Empire and ancient Greece.

The name "Bury" has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, which was once a significant monastic town, and Bury in Lancashire, which was an important mill town during the Industrial Revolution.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bury families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bury 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. Lancashire leads with 1,478 Burys recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.74x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,478 5.74x
Middlesex 116 0.53x
Yorkshire 109 0.51x
Worcestershire 67 2.36x
Surrey 62 0.59x
Gloucestershire 41 0.96x
Essex 33 0.77x
Kent 31 0.42x
Warwickshire 29 0.53x
Hertfordshire 28 1.87x
Durham 24 0.37x
Cheshire 23 0.48x
Sussex 17 0.46x
Staffordshire 16 0.22x
Denbighshire 15 1.83x
Flintshire 13 2.23x
Buckinghamshire 8 0.61x
Cambridgeshire 8 0.58x
Dorset 8 0.56x
Nottinghamshire 8 0.27x
Oxfordshire 8 0.60x
Hampshire 7 0.16x
Herefordshire 7 0.79x
Shropshire 7 0.37x
Leicestershire 6 0.25x
Merionethshire 6 1.51x
Norfolk 6 0.18x
Berkshire 5 0.31x
Derbyshire 5 0.15x
Devon 5 0.11x
Midlothian 4 0.14x
Monmouthshire 4 0.25x
Somerset 4 0.11x
Angus 3 0.15x
Lincolnshire 3 0.09x
Northamptonshire 2 0.10x
Suffolk 2 0.08x
Bedfordshire 1 0.09x
Channel Islands 1 0.16x
Glamorgan 1 0.03x
Northumberland 1 0.03x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.15x
Royal Navy 1 0.39x
Westmorland 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Over Darwen in Lancashire leads with 524 Burys recorded in 1881 and an index of 254.72x.

Place Total Index
Over Darwen 524 254.72x
Blackburn 257 37.51x
Accrington 44 18.79x
Church 41 112.73x
Lower Darwen 40 118.34x
Oswaldtwistle 39 42.86x
Salford 39 5.15x
Manchester 33 2.85x
Broughton In Salford 29 12.31x
Haslingden 26 24.38x
Hulme 23 4.28x
Scarborough 21 10.75x
Great Bolton 20 5.86x
Clayton Le Moors 18 36.02x
Little Bolton 18 5.44x
Leeds 16 1.32x
Yate Pickup Bank 16 313.73x
Battersea 15 1.88x
Pendleton In Salford 15 4.89x
Preston 15 2.18x
Turton 15 35.57x
Adlington 13 53.90x
Cheetham 13 6.77x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 12 2.99x
St Pancras London 12 0.69x
Barton Upon Irwell 11 5.67x
Bermondsey 11 1.70x
Edmonton 11 6.29x
Habergham Eaves 11 4.67x
Halliwell 11 11.74x
Woolwich 11 4.02x
Aston 10 0.66x
Higher Kinnerton 10 331.13x
Little Hadham 10 157.73x
Moss Side 10 7.38x
St George Hanover Square 10 2.61x
Aspull 9 14.86x
Brailes 9 107.14x
Framfield 9 79.37x
Hammersmith London 9 1.68x
Newchurch 9 4.27x
Brentwood 8 30.63x
Camberwell 8 0.58x
Clapham 8 2.95x
Cottingham 8 17.26x
Kinver 8 37.88x
Myerscough 8 280.70x
Paddington London 8 1.00x
Sale 8 13.61x
Wavertree 8 9.70x
Alveston 7 116.09x
Astley 7 118.04x
Billington 7 66.60x
Birmingham 7 0.38x
Bowling 7 3.29x
Coundon 7 26.75x
Everton 7 0.85x
Lye 7 14.84x
Mellor 7 85.89x
Wisbech St Peter 7 10.15x
Worminghall 7 311.11x
Wrexham Abbot 7 33.96x
Wrexham Regis 7 11.50x
Bristol St James St Paul 6 4.23x
Burnley 6 2.77x
Chorlton On Medlock 6 1.47x
Clitheroe 6 7.92x
Elstree 6 121.70x
Golcar 6 10.55x
Gorton 6 2.48x
Great Malvern 6 10.15x
Hinton On The Green 6 447.76x
Hutton Henry 6 44.12x
Kensington London 6 0.50x
Kidderminster Borough 6 3.62x
Lambeth 6 0.32x
Llanycil 6 28.10x
Monk Bretton 6 27.55x
St Marylebone London 6 0.52x
Worcester St Nicholas 6 44.68x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 182
Elizabeth 86
Sarah 81
Alice 61
Ellen 57
Jane 46
Ann 41
Margaret 41
Martha 25
Nancy 24
Eliza 21
Emma 20
Annie 19
Catherine 18
Emily 18
Hannah 18
Betsy 17
Betty 14
Clara 13
Ada 12
Maria 12
Esther 11
Fanny 11
Anne 10
Edith 10
Louisa 10
Harriet 9
Susannah 9
Isabella 7
Rachel 7
Agnes 6
Eleanor 6
Susan 6
Amelia 5
Anna 5
Rose 5
Ruth 5
Bertha 4
Bridget 4
Caroline 4
Margret 4
Nanny 4
Florence 3
Frances 3
Grace 3
Helen 3
Julia 3
Lucy 3
Rhoda 3
Sophia 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 151
William 125
James 95
Thomas 84
George 52
Joseph 38
Andrew 33
Edward 30
Henry 30
Charles 24
Richard 24
Samuel 24
Arthur 18
Robert 18
Albert 16
Edmund 16
Walter 13
Frederick 12
Peter 10
Alfred 9
Harry 9
Benjamin 8
Herbert 8
Wm. 8
Francis 7
Tom 6
Abraham 5
David 5
Ernest 5
Frank 5
Lawrence 5
Edwin 4
Fred 4
Geo. 4
Ralph 4
Walmsley 4
Aaron 3
Christopher 3
Daniel 3
Edgar 3
Lionel 3
Percy 3
Reginald 3
Richd. 3
Turner 3
Chas. 2
Nathan 2
Oliver 2
Oswald 2
Patrick 2

FAQ

Bury surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bury surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,237 people were recorded with the Bury surname. That placed it at #1,989 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bury surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,671 in 2016. That gives Bury a modern rank of #3,737.

What does the Bury surname mean?

An English locational surname referring to someone who lived in a fort or castle.

What does the Bury map show?

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