NameCensus.

UK surname

Hamlet

Derived from a place name meaning "homestead" or "village" in Old English and Old French.

In the 1881 census there were 509 people recorded with the Hamlet surname, ranking it #6,690 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 611, ranked #8,591, down from #6,690 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Over, Rochdale and Stockport. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Manchester, East Riding of Yorkshire and Wirral.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hamlet is 619 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 20.0%.

1881 census count

509

Ranked #6,690

Modern count

611

2016, ranked #8,591

Peak year

2014

619 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hamlet had 509 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,690 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 611 in 2016, ranked #8,591.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 509 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Hamlet surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hamlet surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hamlet 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 386 #6,216
1861 historical 461 #5,634
1881 historical 509 #6,690
1891 historical 495 #7,489
1901 historical 493 #8,133
1911 historical 491 #7,928
1997 modern 569 #8,454
1998 modern 585 #8,533
1999 modern 576 #8,673
2000 modern 551 #8,930
2001 modern 559 #8,699
2002 modern 577 #8,664
2003 modern 557 #8,758
2004 modern 561 #8,736
2005 modern 570 #8,582
2006 modern 575 #8,550
2007 modern 588 #8,486
2008 modern 591 #8,512
2009 modern 589 #8,713
2010 modern 612 #8,654
2011 modern 610 #8,569
2012 modern 606 #8,541
2013 modern 614 #8,589
2014 modern 619 #8,588
2015 modern 613 #8,592
2016 modern 611 #8,591

Geography

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Where Hamlets are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Over, Rochdale, Stockport, Davenham and Wolstanton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Manchester, East Riding of Yorkshire, Wirral, Kirklees and Hinckley and Bosworth. 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 Over Cheshire
2 Rochdale Lancashire
3 Stockport Cheshire
4 Davenham Cheshire
5 Wolstanton Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Manchester 015 Manchester
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 019 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 Wirral 020 Wirral
4 Kirklees 039 Kirklees
5 Hinckley and Bosworth 011 Hinckley and Bosworth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hamlet

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hamlet

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hamlet, 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 Hamlet surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Hamlet 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Hamlet is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hamlet 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

Hamlet 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 Hamlet is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hamlet

The surname Hamlet is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hām" meaning "homestead" and "lēah" meaning "a meadow or clearing." It was likely first used as a topographic name for someone who lived in a homestead or hamlet situated in a clearing or meadow.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Hamlet dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hameleth" and "Hamelet." This suggests that the name was already in use in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the name Hamlet was primarily found in the counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire in the West Midlands region of England. It was often associated with small villages or hamlets in these areas.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Hamlet was William Hamlet, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. Another early bearer of the name was John de Hamelet, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.

In the 16th century, the surname Hamlet was sometimes spelled as "Hamlett" or "Hamlette." One notable individual with this spelling was Humphrey Hamlett, born around 1540, who was a renowned English clergyman and author.

The most famous bearer of the name Hamlet is, of course, the tragic protagonist of William Shakespeare's play "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark," written around 1600. Although the name was likely chosen for its symbolic meaning of "homestead" or "village," Shakespeare's use of it in his iconic work has forever tied it to the character of the melancholic Prince of Denmark.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hamlet include Sir Benjamin Hamlet, an English physician and author who lived from 1586 to 1644, and John Hamlet, a 17th-century English playwright and dramatist whose works were performed at the Red Bull Theatre in London.

In the 19th century, the Hamlet surname was found in various parts of England, as well as in the United States, where it had been carried by English immigrants. One notable American bearer of the name was Samuel Hamlet, born in 1799, who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the United States House of Representatives.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hamlet families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hamlet 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. Cheshire leads with 146 Hamlets recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.29x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 146 13.29x
Lancashire 88 1.49x
Staffordshire 70 4.17x
Shropshire 46 10.70x
Yorkshire 28 0.57x
Middlesex 27 0.54x
Oxfordshire 18 5.86x
Derbyshire 17 2.18x
Glamorgan 11 1.27x
Warwickshire 9 0.72x
Gloucestershire 8 0.82x
Berkshire 7 1.87x
Denbighshire 7 3.73x
Somerset 7 0.87x
Leicestershire 5 0.91x
Hampshire 4 0.39x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.60x
Surrey 2 0.08x
Worcestershire 2 0.31x
Brecknockshire 1 1.01x
Channel Islands 1 0.68x
Devon 1 0.10x
Lanarkshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Over in Cheshire leads with 49 Hamlets recorded in 1881 and an index of 439.07x.

Place Total Index
Over 49 439.07x
Odd Rode 25 459.56x
Birkenhead 15 17.14x
Moulton 15 1485.15x
Ulverston 14 81.44x
Stoke Upon Trent 12 6.74x
Wortley In Bramley 12 30.74x
Derby St Peter 11 44.34x
Burslem 10 20.79x
Shrewsbury St Julian 10 94.07x
Aston 9 2.61x
Beverley St Nicholas 9 222.77x
Hale 9 237.47x
Hornsey 9 14.31x
Oxford St Thomas 9 62.76x
Salford 9 5.18x
Wharton 9 150.50x
Bilston 7 21.51x
Lyncombe Widcombe 7 33.38x
Middleton In Oldham 7 39.55x
Roath 7 17.79x
Stockport 7 12.39x
Sunninghill 7 135.14x
Wolverhampton 7 5.42x
Cirencester 6 45.42x
Mucklestone 6 372.67x
Parr 6 28.41x
Pilkington 6 26.76x
Rugeley 6 49.79x
Toxteth Park 6 3.00x
Wem 6 93.90x
Wolstanton 6 11.76x
Hardwick 5 1666.67x
Leicester St Margaret 5 3.72x
Mile End Old Town London 5 4.72x
Monks Coppenhall 5 12.07x
Oswestry Rural 5 75.87x
Rotherham 5 17.99x
Wellington 5 20.70x
Audley 4 24.07x
Chesterfield 4 13.70x
Flixton 4 132.45x
Hulme 4 3.25x
Liverpool 4 1.12x
Manchester 4 1.51x
Nuthall 4 158.73x
Pendleton In Salford 4 5.69x
West Derby 4 2.32x
Wrexham Regis 4 28.65x
Drayton In Hales 3 33.86x
Ducklington 3 405.41x
Edgmond 3 63.42x
Hyde 3 9.26x
Islington London 3 0.62x
Ruabon 3 11.61x
Walsall Foreign 3 3.46x
Whitchurch Tilstock 3 283.02x
Widnes 3 7.05x
Ystradyfodwg 3 3.95x
Armitage 2 91.32x
Claughton With Grange 2 40.00x
Everton 2 1.06x
Gorton 2 3.60x
Lichfield St Michael 2 37.95x
Macclesfield 2 4.10x
Rastrick 2 14.61x
Sale 2 14.85x
Stoke Upon Tern 2 125.79x
Upton Magna 2 253.16x
Westminster St John 2 3.30x
Wolverley 2 35.09x
Worsley 2 5.50x
Alverstoke 1 2.71x
Bermondsey 1 0.68x
Burford 1 37.45x
Farnborough 1 9.34x
St Mary 1 58.82x
St Pancras London 1 0.25x
Tranmere 1 2.48x
Westminster St Margaret 1 4.17x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 40
Sarah 22
Ann 19
Elizabeth 19
Martha 16
Alice 13
Emma 11
Eliza 8
Hannah 8
Emily 6
Jane 6
Catherine 5
Ellen 5
Edith 4
Margaret 4
Charlotte 3
Elizth. 3
Lucy 3
Maria 3
Ada 2
Annie 2
Esther 2
Fanny 2
Harriet 2
Helen 2
Isabella 2
Mercy 2
Minnie 2
Rebecca 2
Susannah 2
Thurza 2
Amy 1
Anna 1
Bessie 1
Betrus 1
Cecila 1
Eliz. 1
Elizebeth 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Henry 1
Isabel 1
Jemima 1
Lilly 1
Lily 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
M. 1
Malinda 1
Margareth 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 30
George 28
William 25
Thomas 20
James 18
Henry 10
Richard 10
Charles 8
Edward 8
Joseph 7
Samuel 6
Alfred 5
Robert 5
Albert 4
Thos. 4
Arthur 3
Ernest 3
Harry 3
Mark 3
Philip 3
Walter 3
Arnold 2
Fred 2
Geo. 2
Geo.H. 2
Jesse 2
Joshua 2
Peter 2
Benjamin 1
Edric 1
Edwin 1
Ephriam 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Hanry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Horatio 1
J. 1
Jean 1
Levi 1
Malcolm 1
Nathan 1
Noah 1
Oliver 1
Ralph 1
Saml. 1
Selwood 1
Stephen 1
Wm.Jas. 1

FAQ

Hamlet surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hamlet surname in 1881?

In 1881, 509 people were recorded with the Hamlet surname. That placed it at #6,690 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hamlet surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 611 in 2016. That gives Hamlet a modern rank of #8,591.

What does the Hamlet surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "homestead" or "village" in Old English and Old French.

What does the Hamlet map show?

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