NameCensus.

UK surname

Bywater

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "by the water" or "near the stream".

In the 1881 census there were 1,505 people recorded with the Bywater surname, ranking it #2,787 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,869, ranked #3,406, down from #2,787 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Birstall and Nottingham St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Powys, Ribble Valley and Shropshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bywater is 1,959 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 24.2%.

1881 census count

1,505

Ranked #2,787

Modern count

1,869

2016, ranked #3,406

Peak year

1911

1,959 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bywater had 1,505 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,787 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,869 in 2016, ranked #3,406.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,959 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Bywater surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bywater surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bywater 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 1,025 #2,728
1861 historical 1,006 #2,774
1881 historical 1,505 #2,787
1891 historical 1,586 #2,801
1901 historical 1,777 #2,932
1911 historical 1,959 #2,535
1997 modern 1,845 #3,261
1998 modern 1,931 #3,243
1999 modern 1,951 #3,241
2000 modern 1,928 #3,263
2001 modern 1,861 #3,301
2002 modern 1,868 #3,353
2003 modern 1,858 #3,297
2004 modern 1,843 #3,330
2005 modern 1,818 #3,340
2006 modern 1,803 #3,369
2007 modern 1,800 #3,406
2008 modern 1,793 #3,447
2009 modern 1,864 #3,405
2010 modern 1,856 #3,485
2011 modern 1,831 #3,483
2012 modern 1,802 #3,477
2013 modern 1,854 #3,441
2014 modern 1,874 #3,439
2015 modern 1,855 #3,437
2016 modern 1,869 #3,406

Geography

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Where Bywaters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Birstall, Nottingham St Mary and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Powys, Ribble Valley, Shropshire, Dudley and Wyre. 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 3
2 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Powys 011 Powys
2 Ribble Valley 005 Ribble Valley
3 Shropshire 037 Shropshire
4 Dudley 037 Dudley
5 Wyre 001 Wyre

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bywater

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bywater

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Bywater is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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 very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bywater is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Bywater

The surname Bywater is of English origin, derived from a topographic name for someone who lived by a stream or water source. It is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th or 13th century.

Bywater is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "by," meaning "near" or "beside," and "wæter," meaning "water" or "stream." This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who resided near a body of water, such as a river, lake, or stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bywater can be found in the Feet of Fines records from Staffordshire, England, dating back to 1332. This document mentions a person named William Bywater.

Another early reference to the name appears in the Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem from 1400, which records the death of a John Bywater from Nottinghamshire.

Historically, the Bywater surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire in England. This is likely due to the abundance of waterways and streams in these regions, leading to the establishment of settlements near such water sources.

One notable individual with the surname Bywater was John Bywater (c. 1460-1537), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1519 until his death.

Another prominent figure was Ingram Bywater (1840-1914), a renowned English classical scholar and philologist known for his work on ancient Greek texts.

In the literary world, Geoffrey Bywater (1884-1955) was an English author and journalist who wrote several novels and works of non-fiction.

Sportingly, Frederick Bywater (1886-1955) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.

Finally, Thomas Bywater (1694-1744) was an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London during the Georgian era.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bywater families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bywater 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. Yorkshire leads with 579 Bywaters recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.97x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 579 3.97x
Middlesex 127 0.86x
Staffordshire 122 2.46x
Nottinghamshire 87 4.39x
Warwickshire 72 1.94x
Lancashire 70 0.40x
Worcestershire 48 2.50x
Shropshire 37 2.91x
Lincolnshire 34 1.45x
Cheshire 33 1.02x
Leicestershire 32 1.96x
Montgomeryshire 28 8.31x
Norfolk 28 1.24x
Radnorshire 24 20.22x
Derbyshire 22 0.96x
Essex 20 0.69x
Surrey 19 0.27x
Gloucestershire 17 0.59x
Bedfordshire 15 1.97x
Kent 13 0.26x
Denbighshire 12 2.16x
Wiltshire 10 0.77x
Glamorgan 8 0.31x
Huntingdonshire 8 2.74x
Herefordshire 6 0.99x
Monmouthshire 6 0.56x
Northumberland 6 0.27x
Northamptonshire 5 0.36x
Durham 3 0.07x
Roxburghshire 3 1.13x
Sussex 3 0.12x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.34x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.21x
Hertfordshire 2 0.20x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.11x
Fife 1 0.11x
Midlothian 1 0.05x
Oxfordshire 1 0.11x
Royal Navy 1 0.57x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 67 Bywaters recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.14x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 67 8.14x
Aston 46 4.50x
North Bierley 46 58.45x
Nottingham St Mary 41 7.99x
Wolverhampton 39 10.21x
Hunslet 37 16.28x
Gomersal 31 45.56x
Morley 25 32.99x
West Bromwich 23 8.09x
Wyke In Bradford 22 84.39x
Louth 21 38.96x
Brightside Bierlow 17 5.95x
Hemington 17 890.05x
Bowling 16 11.08x
Bristol St George 15 11.24x
Dudley 15 6.42x
Gildersome 14 79.91x
Islington London 14 0.98x
Pudsey 14 17.97x
Snenton 14 17.97x
Wakefield 14 12.51x
Huddersfield 13 6.12x
Sedgley 13 7.05x
Coventry Holy Trinity 12 10.83x
Dewsbury 12 8.03x
Pemberton 12 17.24x
Walsall Foreign 12 4.68x
Selby 11 36.11x
St Giles In Fields London 11 15.24x
Tipton 11 7.23x
Beechamwell 10 632.91x
Castle Donnington 10 73.91x
Manchester 10 1.27x
Measham 10 118.20x
Plumstead 10 5.98x
Sandy 10 74.46x
St Pancras London 10 0.84x
Swindon 10 9.91x
Tadcaster West 10 86.66x
Tranmere 10 8.38x
Beeston 9 39.51x
Dukinfield 9 6.00x
Fincham 9 226.13x
Kimberworth 9 11.12x
Llansantffraid Glyn 9 238.10x
Mile End New Town London 9 30.97x
Nottingham St Peter 9 40.71x
Adwick Le Street 8 620.16x
Birkenhead 8 3.09x
Calverley Cum Farsley 8 19.33x
Camberwell 8 0.85x
Hackney London 8 0.97x
Horsforth 8 25.03x
Huntingdon St Benedict 8 218.58x
Kerry 8 78.90x
Moughtrey 8 312.50x
Neen Savage 8 476.19x
Sheffield 8 1.72x
St Clement Danes London 8 26.28x
Toxteth Park 8 1.35x
Wolverley 8 47.45x
Wortley In Bramley 8 6.93x
Armley 7 10.89x
Birmingham 7 0.57x
Clerkenwell London 7 2.02x
Crayke 7 277.78x
Derby St Peter 7 9.54x
Elton 7 11.61x
Guisbrough 7 21.98x
Kings Norton 7 4.06x
Kingswinford 7 3.88x
Kippax 7 54.60x
Styrrup 7 237.29x
Templenewsam Thorpe 7 230.26x
Aberystruth 6 6.40x
Chelsea London 6 1.35x
Clun Eddycliff 6 250.00x
Horton In Bradford 6 2.64x
Keighley 6 3.86x
West Derby 6 1.17x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 110
Sarah 61
Elizabeth 52
Ann 41
Jane 30
Emma 28
Annie 27
Hannah 20
Alice 19
Eliza 19
Ellen 18
Ada 13
Martha 13
Emily 12
Margaret 12
Maria 11
Clara 10
Harriet 10
Caroline 9
Kate 9
Florence 8
Fanny 7
Amelia 6
Amy 6
Elizth. 6
Esther 6
Lucy 6
Rose 6
Edith 5
Gertrude 5
Matilda 5
Susan 5
Susannah 5
Anne 4
Bertha 4
Frances 4
Helen 4
Maud 4
Rachel 4
Sophia 4
Catherine 3
Dorothy 3
Francis 3
Harriett 3
Henrietta 3
Julia 3
Laura 3
Louisa 3
Rebecca 3
Ruth 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 104
William 83
Thomas 61
George 45
James 42
Henry 33
Charles 25
Joseph 24
Richard 21
Arthur 19
Alfred 18
Walter 15
Samuel 14
Edward 13
Robert 11
Frederick 10
Albert 9
Harry 9
Frank 8
Benjamin 7
Wm. 7
Edwin 6
Ernest 6
David 5
Francis 5
Fred 5
Fredrick 5
Geo. 5
Herbert 5
Matthew 4
Abraham 3
Chas. 3
Enoch 3
Horace 3
Joshua 3
Percy 3
Thos. 3
Tom 3
Amos 2
Baxter 2
Edmund 2
Evan 2
Jas. 2
Jno. 2
Johnathan 2
Jonathan 2
Owen 2
Reuben 2
Willm. 2
Wright 2

FAQ

Bywater surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bywater surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,505 people were recorded with the Bywater surname. That placed it at #2,787 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bywater surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,869 in 2016. That gives Bywater a modern rank of #3,406.

What does the Bywater surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "by the water" or "near the stream".

What does the Bywater map show?

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