NameCensus.

UK surname

Byers

An English occupational surname derived from the Old English "beo-cere," meaning "bee-keeper" or "producer of beeswax."

In the 1881 census there were 1,553 people recorded with the Byers surname, ranking it #2,714 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,536, ranked #2,607, up from #2,714 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Langholm, Carlisle St Cuthbert and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Byers is 2,605 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 63.3%.

1881 census count

1,553

Ranked #2,714

Modern count

2,536

2016, ranked #2,607

Peak year

2010

2,605 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Byers had 1,553 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,714 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,536 in 2016, ranked #2,607.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,067 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Byers surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Byers surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Byers 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 1,136 #2,480
1861 historical 990 #2,814
1881 historical 1,553 #2,714
1891 historical 1,758 #2,592
1901 historical 2,067 #2,593
1911 historical 1,643 #2,962
1997 modern 2,415 #2,602
1998 modern 2,522 #2,590
1999 modern 2,564 #2,568
2000 modern 2,564 #2,553
2001 modern 2,476 #2,585
2002 modern 2,543 #2,574
2003 modern 2,466 #2,596
2004 modern 2,493 #2,577
2005 modern 2,462 #2,571
2006 modern 2,442 #2,595
2007 modern 2,449 #2,612
2008 modern 2,480 #2,601
2009 modern 2,534 #2,613
2010 modern 2,605 #2,603
2011 modern 2,562 #2,613
2012 modern 2,475 #2,645
2013 modern 2,505 #2,657
2014 modern 2,528 #2,649
2015 modern 2,530 #2,625
2016 modern 2,536 #2,607

Geography

Back to top

Where Byers' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Langholm, Carlisle St Cuthbert, London parishes, Gateshead and Dumfries. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Allerdale, Carlisle, Copeland and Lochside and Lincluden. 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 Langholm Dumfries
2 Carlisle St Cuthbert Cumberland
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Dumfries Dumfries

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Allerdale 006 Allerdale
2 Carlisle 001 Carlisle
3 Copeland 004 Copeland
4 Carlisle 007 Carlisle
5 Lochside and Lincluden Dumfries and Galloway

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Byers

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Byers

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Byers surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Byers household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Byers 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

Byers 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

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

Meaning and origin of Byers

The surname Byers finds its origins in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Northumberland. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English word "byre," which referred to a cow shed or a barn. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely associated with the occupation of maintaining or overseeing such structures.

The earliest documented reference to the name Byers can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dating back to the 13th century. These records mention individuals with the surname Byers, or variations such as Byre and Byres, living in the Yorkshire area during that time period.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Byers was John Byers, a Scottish clergyman born in 1625. He served as the minister of St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh and played a significant role in the religious affairs of Scotland during the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the name Byers appeared in the parish records of Northumberland, England. One such entry mentions the baptism of William Byers in the village of Warkworth in 1712. This suggests that the surname had spread from its Yorkshire roots to neighboring counties.

Another notable individual with the Byers surname was James Byers, an American politician born in 1776 in Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1813 to 1815, representing the state of Pennsylvania.

In the 19th century, the Byers surname gained prominence in literary circles with the English poet and novelist Robert Byers (1828-1902). He was known for his romantic poetry and his novel "The Heir of Redclyffe," which was a popular work during the Victorian era.

The name Byers has also been associated with notable figures in the field of academia. One such example is William Byers, an American educator and journalist born in 1834 in Ohio. He founded the Rocky Mountain News, one of the oldest newspapers in Colorado, and played a significant role in the early educational system of the state.

Throughout its history, the surname Byers has been subject to various spellings and variations, including Byre, Byres, Byer, and Byers. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects, clerical errors in record-keeping, or personal preferences of individuals bearing the name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Byers families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Byers 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. Cumberland leads with 217 Byers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.64x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 217 16.64x
Durham 205 4.55x
Dumfriesshire 202 60.36x
Lancashire 163 0.91x
Yorkshire 143 0.95x
Middlesex 86 0.57x
Northumberland 83 3.68x
Surrey 51 0.69x
Lanarkshire 49 1.00x
Kirkcudbrightshire 42 19.15x
Westmorland 36 10.81x
Midlothian 30 1.48x
Roxburghshire 27 9.84x
Angus 23 1.64x
Aberdeenshire 22 1.57x
Cheshire 18 0.54x
Renfrewshire 18 1.53x
Kent 16 0.31x
Pembrokeshire 11 2.28x
Caithness 10 4.82x
Sussex 9 0.35x
Orkney 8 4.80x
Perthshire 8 1.18x
Ayrshire 7 0.62x
Banffshire 6 1.91x
Glamorgan 6 0.23x
Hampshire 6 0.19x
Wigtownshire 6 2.98x
Bedfordshire 5 0.64x
Cornwall 5 0.29x
Kinross-shire 5 13.05x
Essex 4 0.13x
Morayshire 4 1.70x
Norfolk 4 0.17x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.20x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.22x
Buteshire 2 2.18x
Dorset 2 0.20x
Hertfordshire 2 0.19x
Warwickshire 2 0.05x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.25x
Herefordshire 1 0.16x
Somerset 1 0.04x
Staffordshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishopwearmouth in Durham leads with 33 Byers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.53x.

Place Total Index
Bishopwearmouth 33 8.53x
Langholm 32 133.06x
Half Morton 31 1196.91x
Gateshead 26 7.71x
Middlebie 26 258.96x
Glasgow 20 2.30x
Middlesbrough 20 10.23x
St Pancras London 20 1.64x
Newcastle On Tyne St 19 16.26x
Stockton On Tees 19 8.75x
Brampton 18 100.67x
Dumfries 18 54.53x
Kippax 18 136.36x
Crosscanonby 16 37.10x
Cliburn 15 1034.48x
Islington London 15 1.02x
Lambeth 15 1.14x
Toxteth Park 15 2.46x
Wigan 15 5.97x
Workington 15 20.09x
Canonbie 14 98.45x
Kells 14 278.33x
Leeds 14 1.65x
Dearham 13 75.54x
Darlington 12 6.90x
Elswick 12 6.67x
Govan 12 0.99x
St Mungo 12 348.84x
Wallsend 12 16.79x
Wetheral 12 69.48x
Bethnal Green London 11 1.67x
Everton 11 1.92x
Hoddam 11 136.48x
Steynton 11 70.69x
West Calder 11 27.50x
Arthuret 10 73.53x
Crossmichael 10 144.30x
Eskdalemuir 10 348.43x
Guisbrough 10 30.49x
Hackney London 10 1.18x
Kirkpatrick Fleming 10 130.89x
Pendleton In Salford 10 4.67x
Rotherhithe 10 5.34x
Wick 10 14.93x
Annan 9 31.32x
Blackburn 9 1.88x
Croydon 9 2.20x
Egremont 9 28.94x
Orton 9 382.98x
Reddish 9 36.35x
St Cuthbert W O 9 14.16x
York St Mary 9 14.47x
Adlington 8 47.53x
Ainstable 8 340.43x
Castle Carrock 8 516.13x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 8 0.98x
Hartlepool 8 12.49x
Headlam 8 1454.55x
Heworth 8 9.01x
Holy Trinity 8 2.22x
Irthington Newtown 8 597.01x
Lynesack Softley 8 65.68x
Montrose 8 9.41x
West Greenock 8 3.80x
Aberdeen Old Machar 7 2.39x
Barony 7 0.56x
Dawdon 7 12.63x
Kirkpatrick Juxta 7 127.97x
Lewisham 7 2.54x
Little Bolton 7 3.03x
Muggleswick 7 160.18x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 7 5.20x
Newton 7 5.05x
Peterhead 7 9.44x
Stanhope 7 15.04x
Tottenham 7 2.90x
Hayton 6 81.19x
Leswalt 6 43.54x
Lofthouse 6 26.77x
West Auckland 6 36.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 95
John 83
Thomas 54
James 42
Robert 27
George 25
Joseph 16
Henry 14
David 13
Charles 9
Richard 9
Walter 9
Samuel 7
Herbert 5
Thos. 5
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Edward 4
Edwin 4
Frederick 4
Isaac 4
Adam 3
Christopher 3
Ralph 3
Abraham 2
Albert 2
Ernest 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Harry 2
Joshua 2
Richd. 2
Stephen 2
Andrew 1
Chas. 1
Clifton 1
Cuthbert 1
Elisha 1
Emmanuel 1
Fenwick 1
Forbes 1
Fountain 1
Fred 1
Henderson 1
Herrert 1
Howard 1
Hugh 1
Infant 1
Irving 1
Wm.Lumsdon 1

FAQ

Byers surname: questions and answers

How common was the Byers surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,553 people were recorded with the Byers surname. That placed it at #2,714 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Byers surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,536 in 2016. That gives Byers a modern rank of #2,607.

What does the Byers surname mean?

An English occupational surname derived from the Old English "beo-cere," meaning "bee-keeper" or "producer of beeswax."

What does the Byers map show?

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