NameCensus.

UK surname

Byles

A habitational surname derived from a place name referring to a homestead or building.

In the 1881 census there were 518 people recorded with the Byles surname, ranking it #6,583 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 699, ranked #7,712, down from #6,583 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, St George Tombland, St Peter Mountergate, St John Timberhill, All Saints, St Michael at Thorn, St Ju and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Oxford, Tendring and Forest Heath.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Byles is 751 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.9%.

1881 census count

518

Ranked #6,583

Modern count

699

2016, ranked #7,712

Peak year

2010

751 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Byles had 518 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,583 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 699 in 2016, ranked #7,712.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 654 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Byles surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Byles surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Byles 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 288 #7,884
1861 historical 271 #9,193
1881 historical 518 #6,583
1891 historical 571 #6,665
1901 historical 574 #7,311
1911 historical 654 #6,416
1997 modern 659 #7,592
1998 modern 731 #7,244
1999 modern 748 #7,161
2000 modern 732 #7,242
2001 modern 705 #7,330
2002 modern 735 #7,221
2003 modern 697 #7,403
2004 modern 700 #7,400
2005 modern 689 #7,441
2006 modern 683 #7,519
2007 modern 689 #7,515
2008 modern 701 #7,479
2009 modern 719 #7,484
2010 modern 751 #7,372
2011 modern 737 #7,416
2012 modern 713 #7,499
2013 modern 702 #7,705
2014 modern 709 #7,699
2015 modern 700 #7,710
2016 modern 699 #7,712

Geography

Back to top

Where Byles' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, St George Tombland, St Peter Mountergate, St John Timberhill, All Saints, St Michael at Thorn, St Ju, London parishes and Weeley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Oxford, Tendring, Forest Heath, Northampton and Wellingborough. 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 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
2 St George Tombland, St Peter Mountergate, St John Timberhill, All Saints, St Michael at Thorn, St Ju Norfolk
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 Weeley Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Oxford 016 Oxford
2 Tendring 008 Tendring
3 Forest Heath 001 Forest Heath
4 Northampton 028 Northampton
5 Wellingborough 009 Wellingborough

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Byles

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Byles

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Byles surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Byles household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Byles 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

Byles 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

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

Meaning and origin of Byles

The surname Byles is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Yorkshire. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word 'bile', which means 'a dwelling' or 'a building'. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a particular building or structure.

Records indicate that the earliest known spelling of the name was 'Byles', which appeared in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by the late 14th century. It is also possible that the name may have been derived from a place name, such as Byles Green in Yorkshire, which was recorded as 'Biles' in the Domesday Book of 1086.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Byles can be found in the parish records of Kirkby Overblow, Yorkshire, where a John Byles was recorded in 1585. Another early example is that of Robert Byles, who was born in Yorkshire in 1615 and later became a prominent merchant in London.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Byles. One such person was Sir John Byles (1801-1884), a British judge and lawyer who served as a Baron of the Exchequer. Another was Mather Byles (1706-1788), an American Congregational minister and loyalist during the American Revolutionary War.

Thomas Byles (1870-1912) was a Catholic priest who famously perished aboard the RMS Titanic after refusing to leave the ship. William Byles (1793-1857) was an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in the city of Bradford, including the Bradford Exchange.

Lastly, John Barnard Byles (1801-1884) was an English novelist and playwright who wrote several popular works in the Victorian era, including "The Cruise of the Daring" and "The Life of Sir Thomas More".

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Byles families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Byles 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 103 Byles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.03x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 103 2.03x
Norfolk 60 7.69x
Essex 55 5.49x
Suffolk 51 8.25x
Hampshire 41 3.94x
Surrey 37 1.50x
Yorkshire 37 0.74x
Oxfordshire 30 9.58x
Gloucestershire 20 2.01x
Dorset 14 4.21x
Somerset 9 1.10x
Durham 8 0.53x
Staffordshire 7 0.41x
Pembrokeshire 6 3.72x
Caernarfonshire 5 2.44x
Kent 5 0.29x
Lancashire 5 0.08x
Sussex 5 0.58x
Warwickshire 5 0.39x
Lincolnshire 4 0.49x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.93x
Berkshire 2 0.53x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.65x
Royal Navy 2 3.31x
Hertfordshire 1 0.29x
Lanarkshire 1 0.06x
Leicestershire 1 0.18x
Wiltshire 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Weeley in Essex leads with 26 Byles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2476.19x.

Place Total Index
Weeley 26 2476.19x
Langham 14 1196.58x
Halesworth 13 296.80x
Hayes 13 250.97x
Norwich St John Timberhill 13 619.05x
Henley On Thames 12 186.92x
Chelsea London 11 7.20x
Lowestoft 11 37.68x
Middlesbrough 10 15.28x
Portsea 10 4.91x
Bow London 9 13.94x
Camberwell 9 2.78x
Lambeth 9 2.03x
Norwich St John Sepulchre 9 177.87x
Carisbrooke 8 55.44x
Headingley Cum Burley 8 24.72x
Westminster St Margaret 8 32.69x
Alverstoke 7 18.60x
Corpusty 7 1060.61x
Ealing 7 15.44x
Horton In Bradford 7 8.92x
Kingswinford 7 11.26x
Norton 7 126.13x
Shalford 7 255.47x
Clapham 6 9.46x
Eastleach Martin 6 2400.00x
Hackney London 6 2.11x
Lexden 6 149.25x
Llanstadwell 6 113.85x
Oxford St Thomas 6 41.04x
Shoreditch London 6 2.73x
St George Hanover Square 6 6.71x
Swefling 6 1200.00x
Thetford St Cuthbert 6 212.77x
Chigwell 5 52.91x
Havant 5 95.06x
Ickenham 5 724.64x
Ipswich St Clement 5 31.85x
Llanfair Is Gaer 5 176.68x
Oxford St Ebbe 5 54.23x
Paddington London 5 2.68x
Poole St James 5 39.97x
Runham 5 320.51x
Shepton Mallet 5 54.59x
South Hayling 5 270.27x
Hales 4 869.57x
Heston 4 23.74x
Ipswich St Helen 4 54.64x
Keighley 4 7.47x
Manningham 4 6.46x
Studland 4 377.36x
Uxbridge 4 68.97x
Accrington 3 5.48x
Boston 3 12.19x
Charlbury 3 85.23x
Chatham 3 6.30x
Cheltenham 3 3.91x
Cottingham 3 27.70x
East Dereham 3 30.46x
Farnham 3 937.50x
Mile End Old Town London 3 2.78x
Newton Flotman 3 600.00x
Oxford St Michael 3 230.77x
Stratford St Mary 3 340.91x
Wrington 3 109.49x
Bethnal Green London 2 0.91x
Bristol St James In 2 13.67x
Chesterton 2 20.18x
Diss 2 29.94x
Fritton 2 500.00x
Hardwick 2 588.24x
Harrow 2 25.81x
Millbrook 2 7.64x
Portsmouth 2 8.35x
St Pancras London 2 0.49x
Stapleton 2 10.60x
Stratford St Andrews 2 606.06x
Twining 2 134.23x
Westhampnett 2 222.22x
Wimbledon 2 7.21x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 35
John 26
Charles 17
George 15
Henry 15
Robert 14
Joseph 13
Thomas 8
Frederick 7
James 6
Walter 6
Arthur 5
Harry 5
Albert 4
Alfred 4
Samuel 4
Edward 3
Francis 3
Richard 3
Allan 2
Benjamin 2
Chas. 2
Cyril 2
Ernest 2
Isaac 2
Jesse 2
Roussel 2
Wm. 2
Alexander 1
Anthony 1
Caleb 1
Cecil 1
Clara 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fred. 1
Fredrick 1
Harold 1
Herbert 1
Jame 1
Jerimiah 1
Jessie 1
Jonathan 1
Joshua 1
Laurence 1
Leonard 1
Lewis 1
Mark 1
Mather 1
Maurice 1

FAQ

Byles surname: questions and answers

How common was the Byles surname in 1881?

In 1881, 518 people were recorded with the Byles surname. That placed it at #6,583 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Byles surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 699 in 2016. That gives Byles a modern rank of #7,712.

What does the Byles surname mean?

A habitational surname derived from a place name referring to a homestead or building.

What does the Byles map show?

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