NameCensus.

UK surname

Antcliff

A surname derived from a topographical description of someone living near an anthill or cliff.

In the 1881 census there were 152 people recorded with the Antcliff surname, ranking it #15,372 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 431, ranked #11,170, up from #15,372 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Warsop, Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton and Gringley-on-the-Hill. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Lincolnshire, Mansfield and Newark and Sherwood.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Antcliff is 483 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 183.6%.

1881 census count

152

Ranked #15,372

Modern count

431

2016, ranked #11,170

Peak year

1999

483 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Antcliff had 152 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,372 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 431 in 2016, ranked #11,170.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 303 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Antcliff surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Antcliff surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Antcliff 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 98 #17,383
1861 historical 162 #14,310
1881 historical 152 #15,372
1891 historical 201 #14,866
1901 historical 233 #13,740
1911 historical 303 #11,372
1997 modern 451 #10,049
1998 modern 473 #10,018
1999 modern 483 #9,932
2000 modern 474 #10,029
2001 modern 461 #10,049
2002 modern 471 #10,076
2003 modern 456 #10,179
2004 modern 442 #10,459
2005 modern 434 #10,502
2006 modern 442 #10,388
2007 modern 443 #10,467
2008 modern 449 #10,447
2009 modern 442 #10,844
2010 modern 453 #10,858
2011 modern 448 #10,829
2012 modern 425 #11,157
2013 modern 435 #11,131
2014 modern 432 #11,287
2015 modern 436 #11,099
2016 modern 431 #11,170

Geography

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Where Antcliffs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Warsop, Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton, Gringley-on-the-Hill, Manchester and Eckington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Lincolnshire, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood and Wyre Forest. 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 Warsop Nottinghamshire
2 Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton Nottinghamshire
3 Gringley-on-the-Hill Nottinghamshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Eckington Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Lincolnshire 023 North Lincolnshire
2 Mansfield 002 Mansfield
3 Newark and Sherwood 011 Newark and Sherwood
4 Mansfield 001 Mansfield
5 Wyre Forest 001 Wyre Forest

Forenames

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First names often paired with Antcliff

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Antcliff

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

Antcliff is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Antcliff falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Antcliff is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Antcliff, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Antcliff

The surname Antcliff originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the old English words "ant" meaning ant and "clif" meaning cliff or slope. This suggests the name likely referred to someone who lived near an ant-infested cliff or sloping area.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name dates back to the 13th century, with a Walter de Antclif appearing in the Yorkshire Feet of Fines records in 1297. The spelling variations at the time included Antclyffe, Anteclyf, and Antclef. There are no known references to the name in the Domesday Book from 1086.

In the 16th century, parish records show instances of the name spelled Antcliff appearing in Yorkshire, particularly around the village of Shelley near Huddersfield. This area was likely the original hometown for many Antcliff families before they spread out across England.

Notable individuals with the Antcliff surname from history include William Antcliff (1695-1783), an English farmer and landowner from Nottinghamshire. There was also Thomas Antcliff (1766-1838), a British naval surgeon who served during the Napoleonic Wars.

Other early examples are John Antcliff (born c.1525) who was recorded as a resident of Bradfield, Yorkshire in 1574. And Edward Antcliff (1621-1699) was a Church of England clergyman who served as the Vicar of Silkstone, Yorkshire from 1662 until his death.

In the 18th century, Joseph Antcliff (1742-1823) was a prominent landowner and businessman from Chesterfield, Derbyshire. He owned lead mines and mills in the area.

So while not an extremely common surname, Antcliff has a long history originating from England, particularly Yorkshire, dating back over 700 years to the medieval period when the name first emerged from describing someone's residence near an ant-infested cliff or slope.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Antcliff families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Antcliff 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 87 Antcliffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 43.53x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 87 43.53x
Middlesex 15 1.01x
Derbyshire 14 6.03x
Yorkshire 9 0.61x
Lincolnshire 8 3.37x
Staffordshire 8 1.60x
Lancashire 5 0.28x
Durham 4 0.91x
Cheshire 1 0.31x
Hertfordshire 1 0.98x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gringley On Hill in Nottinghamshire leads with 31 Antcliffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 7380.95x.

Place Total Index
Gringley On Hill 31 7380.95x
Enfield 11 113.05x
North Muskham 10 3571.43x
Harborne 8 49.88x
Bolsover 7 603.45x
Broadholme 7 14000.00x
South Normanton 7 429.45x
Mansfield 6 86.71x
Newark Upon Trent 6 83.57x
Long Bennington 5 1086.96x
East Retford 4 231.21x
Morton 4 6666.67x
Nottingham St Mary 4 7.74x
Tottenham 4 16.94x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 3 21.91x
Fiskerton 3 2142.86x
Layton With Warbreck 3 46.44x
Sheffield 3 6.41x
Stockton On Tees 3 14.11x
Bathley 2 2222.22x
Great Grimsby 2 13.29x
Kirkby In Ashfield 2 93.46x
Stapleford 2 123.46x
Warsop 2 377.36x
Arnold 1 34.25x
Codicote 1 163.93x
Gainsborough 1 17.89x
Heap 1 10.72x
Hoveringham 1 588.24x
Hunslet 1 4.36x
Mansfield Woodhouse 1 75.19x
Monkwearmouth Shore 1 11.61x
Southcoates 1 12.25x
Stainforth In Thorne 1 270.27x
Upton In Macclesfield 1 500.00x
Warsop Soulkholme 1 625.00x
Withington 1 17.64x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Sarah 9
Ann 6
Elizabeth 5
Jane 4
Eliza 3
Ellen 3
Frances 2
Hannah 2
Louisa 2
Maria 2
Ada 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Grace 1
Lucy 1
Martha 1
Nancy 1
Pelerina 1
Pheobe 1
Rebecca 1
Selina 1
Thursey 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 13
John 11
Henry 7
Charles 5
George 5
Arthur 4
Joseph 4
Samuel 4
Albert 3
James 3
Robert 3
Edward 2
Ellis 2
Thomas 2
Tom 2
Alfred 1
Archibald 1
Edman 1
Edmond 1
Edmund 1
Elijah 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
G.W. 1
Gervase 1
Herbert 1
Herman 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Antcliff surname: questions and answers

How common was the Antcliff surname in 1881?

In 1881, 152 people were recorded with the Antcliff surname. That placed it at #15,372 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Antcliff surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 431 in 2016. That gives Antcliff a modern rank of #11,170.

What does the Antcliff surname mean?

A surname derived from a topographical description of someone living near an anthill or cliff.

What does the Antcliff map show?

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