NameCensus.

UK surname

Byars

Derived from a place name meaning "cattle sheds" in Old Norse, or from the Middle English word for "cowshed."

In the 1881 census there were 158 people recorded with the Byars surname, ranking it #14,989 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 278, ranked #15,579, down from #14,989 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Forfar, Govan Combination and Riccarton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hunter's Quay, Prestwick East and Blairgowrie West.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Byars is 285 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 75.9%.

1881 census count

158

Ranked #14,989

Modern count

278

2016, ranked #15,579

Peak year

2014

285 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Byars had 158 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,989 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 278 in 2016, ranked #15,579.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 220 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Byars surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Byars surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Byars 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 55 #23,413
1861 historical 97 #21,503
1881 historical 158 #14,989
1891 historical 220 #13,937
1901 historical 217 #14,381
1911 historical 21 #31,179
1997 modern 250 #15,281
1998 modern 268 #14,978
1999 modern 266 #15,150
2000 modern 264 #15,191
2001 modern 258 #15,194
2002 modern 252 #15,714
2003 modern 258 #15,293
2004 modern 261 #15,274
2005 modern 258 #15,323
2006 modern 262 #15,255
2007 modern 265 #15,295
2008 modern 265 #15,425
2009 modern 256 #16,145
2010 modern 256 #16,523
2011 modern 269 #15,800
2012 modern 276 #15,427
2013 modern 279 #15,574
2014 modern 285 #15,416
2015 modern 279 #15,527
2016 modern 278 #15,579

Geography

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Where Byars' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Forfar, Govan Combination, Riccarton, Newburgh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hunter's Quay, Prestwick East, Blairgowrie West, East Dorset and Arun. 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 Forfar Forfar
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Riccarton Ayr
4 Newburgh Fife
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hunter's Quay Argyll and Bute
2 Prestwick East South Ayrshire
3 Blairgowrie West Perth and Kinross
4 East Dorset 006 East Dorset
5 Arun 010 Arun

Forenames

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First names often paired with Byars

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Byars

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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Byars surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Byars household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Byars is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Byars is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Byars falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Byars

The surname Byars has its origins in the British Isles, likely emerging in England or Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "byre," meaning a cow shed or barn, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked in such a structure.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as "Bieres." This document provides evidence of the name's existence in northern England during the late 12th century.

In Scotland, the name appears in various forms, including Byers, Byres, and Byars, throughout historical records from the 13th century onward. For example, a John de Byers is mentioned in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland in 1306, indicating the presence of the name in that region during the reign of King Robert the Bruce.

During the 16th century, the Byars surname can be found in various English parish records, such as those of Staffordshire and Derbyshire. Additionally, the name is associated with several place names, including Byars Lees in Yorkshire and Byarsgreen in Durham.

Notable individuals bearing the Byars surname throughout history include:

1. Sir John Byars (c. 1540-1604), an English merchant and diplomat who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1598. 2. Robert Byars (c. 1660-1732), a Scottish minister and theologian known for his work "The Secret and Sanctified Suffering of the Church." 3. William Byars (1804-1888), an American politician who served as a United States Representative from Tennessee from 1839 to 1843. 4. John Byars (1886-1952), an American baseball player who played for the Detroit Tigers and the New York Giants in the early 20th century. 5. Betsy Byars (1928-2020), an American author of children's books, including the Newbery Medal-winning "The Summer of the Swans" and the popular "Bingo Brown" series.

While the Byars surname may have originated as a reference to a specific occupation or location, it has since become a well-established family name carried by individuals from various walks of life across multiple generations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Byars families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Byars 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. Lanarkshire leads with 46 Byars' recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.23x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 46 9.23x
Angus 41 28.72x
Renfrewshire 18 15.07x
Fife 11 12.06x
Ayrshire 10 8.67x
Essex 8 2.63x
Perthshire 5 7.23x
Derbyshire 4 1.66x
Hertfordshire 4 3.77x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 13.45x
Staffordshire 3 0.58x
Dumfriesshire 1 2.94x
Dunbartonshire 1 2.41x
Kent 1 0.19x
Surrey 1 0.13x
Wigtownshire 1 4.89x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Forfar in Angus leads with 31 Byars' recorded in 1881 and an index of 401.03x.

Place Total Index
Forfar 31 401.03x
Abbey 18 98.79x
Govan 18 14.60x
Bothwell 9 66.57x
Riccarton 8 459.77x
West Ham 8 11.91x
Barony 7 5.55x
Cupar 7 176.32x
Glasgow 6 6.78x
Edzell 5 1136.36x
Hamilton 5 35.97x
Perth Middle Church 5 192.31x
Codnor Loscoe 4 209.42x
Great Hadham 4 579.71x
Newburgh 4 344.83x
Anwoth 3 789.47x
Kirriemuir 3 85.23x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 5.44x
Arbroath 2 42.28x
Ayr 1 18.38x
Farnham 1 17.12x
Inch 1 50.00x
Kilmarnock 1 7.28x
Kirkintilloch 1 17.76x
Lochmaben 1 67.11x
Margate St John Baptist 1 10.38x
Shettleston 1 22.42x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Ann 2
Anne 1
Annie 1
Catherine 1
Harriette 1
Hellen 1
Jessie 1
Meggy 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 2
William 2
David 1
Infant 1
John 1
Richard 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 Byars households.

FAQ

Byars surname: questions and answers

How common was the Byars surname in 1881?

In 1881, 158 people were recorded with the Byars surname. That placed it at #14,989 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Byars surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 278 in 2016. That gives Byars a modern rank of #15,579.

What does the Byars surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "cattle sheds" in Old Norse, or from the Middle English word for "cowshed."

What does the Byars map show?

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