NameCensus.

UK surname

Alcock

An English occupational surname referring to a keeper of gamecocks or a seller of male chickens.

In the 1881 census there were 4,334 people recorded with the Alcock surname, ranking it #1,031 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,212, ranked #1,295, down from #1,031 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, Wolstanton and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Staffordshire Moorlands.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Alcock is 6,153 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 20.3%.

1881 census count

4,334

Ranked #1,031

Modern count

5,212

2016, ranked #1,295

Peak year

1911

6,153 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Alcock had 4,334 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,031 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,212 in 2016, ranked #1,295.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,153 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Alcock surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Alcock surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Alcock 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 2,964 #980
1861 historical 2,867 #1,014
1881 historical 4,334 #1,031
1891 historical 4,791 #971
1901 historical 5,363 #1,051
1911 historical 6,153 #840
1997 modern 5,215 #1,251
1998 modern 5,829 #1,159
1999 modern 5,822 #1,173
2000 modern 5,743 #1,179
2001 modern 5,613 #1,184
2002 modern 5,663 #1,197
2003 modern 5,555 #1,188
2004 modern 5,522 #1,193
2005 modern 5,396 #1,206
2006 modern 5,327 #1,227
2007 modern 5,343 #1,227
2008 modern 5,357 #1,231
2009 modern 5,440 #1,246
2010 modern 5,502 #1,259
2011 modern 5,438 #1,260
2012 modern 5,320 #1,258
2013 modern 5,399 #1,261
2014 modern 5,393 #1,273
2015 modern 5,274 #1,291
2016 modern 5,212 #1,295

Geography

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Where Alcocks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, Wolstanton, London parishes and Burslem. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Staffordshire Moorlands. 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 Stockport Cheshire
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Burslem Staffordshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Staffordshire Moorlands 011 Staffordshire Moorlands
2 Staffordshire Moorlands 013 Staffordshire Moorlands
3 Staffordshire Moorlands 006 Staffordshire Moorlands
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 010 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 Staffordshire Moorlands 012 Staffordshire Moorlands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Alcock

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Alcock

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

Alcock 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

Alcock falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Alcock

The surname Alcock is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name Alcoc, which is a combination of the Old English elements "alc" meaning "elf" and "coc" meaning "masculine youth or young knight." It is believed to have originated in the late Anglo-Saxon period, around the 10th or 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Alcock can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Alecoc." This historical record suggests that the name was present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Alcock was particularly prevalent in the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire in northern England. It is also possible that the name may have derived from a place name, as there are several locations in England with names similar to Alcock, such as Alcocke in Shropshire and Alcock Tarn in Cumbria.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was William Alcock, a landowner and knight who lived in Cheshire. Another prominent figure was John Alcock (c. 1430-1500), who served as Bishop of Ely and Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry VII.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Alcock surname continued to be widely distributed across England. One notable individual was Sir John Alcock (c. 1590-1670), a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1659.

In the 18th century, Thomas Alcock (1709-1798) was a renowned English clergyman and scholar who served as the Master of Sion College in London. Additionally, John Alcock (1715-1806) was a notable English physician and writer who published several medical works.

In the 19th century, the surname Alcock gained further prominence with individuals like Sir Rutherford Alcock (1809-1897), a British diplomat and author who served as the first British Consul-General in Japan.

Throughout its history, the surname Alcock has been associated with various notable figures across various fields, reflecting its deep roots and widespread distribution in England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Alcock families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Alcock 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. Staffordshire leads with 931 Alcocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.54x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 931 6.54x
Lancashire 648 1.30x
Cheshire 334 3.59x
Yorkshire 297 0.71x
Lincolnshire 236 3.50x
Warwickshire 218 2.05x
Middlesex 216 0.51x
Norfolk 171 2.64x
Surrey 142 0.69x
Derbyshire 125 1.89x
Nottinghamshire 100 1.76x
Worcestershire 99 1.80x
Gloucestershire 97 1.17x
Suffolk 93 1.81x
Kent 78 0.54x
Durham 61 0.49x
Cumberland 57 1.57x
Buckinghamshire 53 2.08x
Shropshire 43 1.18x
Northamptonshire 38 0.96x
Leicestershire 37 0.79x
Essex 27 0.32x
Oxfordshire 27 1.04x
Aberdeenshire 24 0.61x
Hampshire 24 0.28x
Cambridgeshire 21 0.79x
Somerset 17 0.25x
Northumberland 14 0.22x
Sussex 13 0.18x
Wiltshire 12 0.32x
Lanarkshire 10 0.07x
Bedfordshire 9 0.41x
Denbighshire 9 0.57x
Flintshire 7 0.62x
Dorset 6 0.22x
Devon 4 0.05x
Herefordshire 4 0.23x
Channel Islands 3 0.24x
Berkshire 2 0.06x
Glamorgan 2 0.03x
Hertfordshire 2 0.07x
Kincardineshire 2 0.39x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.15x
Westmorland 2 0.22x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.06x
Cardiganshire 1 0.10x
Midlothian 1 0.02x
Royal Navy 1 0.20x
Rutland 1 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 177 Alcocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.73x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 177 11.73x
Cheadle 124 181.42x
Wolstanton 89 20.59x
Burslem 84 20.60x
Liverpool 52 1.71x
Leigh 47 497.35x
Audley 45 31.96x
Aston 39 1.33x
Kirkdale 39 4.63x
Everton 37 2.32x
Birmingham 34 0.96x
Heaton Norris 34 11.94x
St Pancras London 34 1.00x
Warrington 34 5.73x
Holy Trinity 32 3.18x
Bury 31 5.42x
Caistor 31 115.54x
Leek Lowe 31 16.37x
Cheadle 30 16.88x
Hulme 30 2.87x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 29 35.01x
Eccleston In Prescot 28 11.15x
Manchester 28 1.24x
Bishopwearmouth 27 2.51x
Lambeth 27 0.73x
Mansfield 27 13.73x
Sheffield 27 2.03x
Wingrave 26 198.62x
Camberwell 25 0.93x
Wickhambrook 25 129.53x
Ince Blundell 24 314.55x
Bollin Fee 22 53.31x
Wolverhampton 22 2.01x
Glanford Brigg 21 87.28x
Leeds 21 0.89x
Shoreditch London 21 1.15x
Stockport 21 4.38x
Great Grimsby 20 4.67x
Kirk Langley 20 203.87x
Cheltenham 19 2.98x
Stoke Bardolph 19 745.10x
Dukinfield 18 4.19x
Eckington 18 11.23x
Heacham 18 124.83x
Leamington Priors 18 6.88x
Penrith 18 13.42x
Walsall Foreign 18 2.45x
Birkenhead 17 2.29x
Hackney London 16 0.68x
Kingsley 16 60.31x
Paddington London 16 1.03x
St Marylebone London 16 0.71x
Chelsea London 15 1.18x
Islington London 15 0.37x
Newark Upon Trent 15 7.34x
Pennington In Leigh 15 15.63x
Wolstanton Oldcott 15 29.10x
Aughton 14 28.26x
Beoley 14 159.64x
Trentham 14 11.57x
Worcester Blockhouse 14 46.31x
Fradswell 13 452.96x
Hook 13 14.15x
Woodhall 13 322.58x
Altrincham 12 7.38x
Coventry Holy Trinity 12 3.78x
Ecclesall Bierlow 12 1.41x
Gayton Thorpe 12 510.64x
Ilmington 12 104.71x
Ipswich St Margaret 12 6.89x
Kensington London 12 0.51x
Keswick 12 25.86x
Macclesfield 12 2.90x
Monks Coppenhall 12 3.42x
Prescot 12 13.26x
Branston 11 53.27x
Burton Upon Trent 11 3.30x
Salford 11 0.75x
Warminster 11 13.46x
West Derby 11 0.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 308
Elizabeth 181
Sarah 179
Emma 77
Ann 76
Hannah 73
Jane 69
Annie 63
Alice 60
Ellen 59
Eliza 58
Louisa 39
Martha 39
Margaret 37
Emily 35
Harriet 32
Fanny 31
Maria 27
Florence 26
Lucy 26
Charlotte 21
Ada 19
Edith 18
Eleanor 18
Caroline 16
Kate 16
Frances 15
Anne 14
Catherine 13
Clara 13
Susan 13
Rachel 12
Agnes 10
Betsy 10
Elizth. 10
Esther 10
Sophia 10
Ethel 9
Harriett 9
Matilda 9
Minnie 9
Bertha 8
Gertrude 8
Jessie 7
Lizzie 7
Rose 7
Ruth 7
Julia 6
Mabel 6
Marion 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 289
William 285
Thomas 171
George 144
James 128
Joseph 103
Charles 80
Henry 72
Samuel 51
Edward 48
Richard 45
Arthur 42
Robert 39
Alfred 38
Walter 29
Frederick 28
Albert 27
Harry 24
Ernest 19
Frank 19
Ralph 17
David 16
Herbert 16
Edwin 14
Benjamin 12
Wm. 11
Francis 9
Daniel 8
Geo. 8
Fred 7
Fredrick 7
Peter 7
Fredk. 6
Isaac 6
Thos. 6
Alexander 5
Christopher 5
Clement 5
Tom 5
Elijah 4
Joe 4
Mark 4
Amos 3
Giles 3
Harold 3
Jesse 3
Jno. 3
Phillip 3
Randal 3
Reuben 3

FAQ

Alcock surname: questions and answers

How common was the Alcock surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,334 people were recorded with the Alcock surname. That placed it at #1,031 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Alcock surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,212 in 2016. That gives Alcock a modern rank of #1,295.

What does the Alcock surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a keeper of gamecocks or a seller of male chickens.

What does the Alcock map show?

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