NameCensus.

UK surname

Handcock

A locational surname referring to a place where handcocks (metal cocks or vanes installed on roofs) were made or sold.

In the 1881 census there were 688 people recorded with the Handcock surname, ranking it #5,256 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 190, ranked #20,262, down from #5,256 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Biddulph, Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside and Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Bristol and Gloucester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Handcock is 795 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 72.4%.

1881 census count

688

Ranked #5,256

Modern count

190

2016, ranked #20,262

Peak year

1891

795 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Handcock had 688 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,256 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 190 in 2016, ranked #20,262.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 795 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Handcock surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Handcock surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Handcock 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 658 #3,943
1861 historical 723 #3,763
1881 historical 688 #5,256
1891 historical 795 #5,059
1901 historical 585 #7,209
1911 historical 436 #8,711
1997 modern 207 #17,267
1998 modern 208 #17,693
1999 modern 210 #17,712
2000 modern 206 #17,880
2001 modern 199 #17,996
2002 modern 213 #17,603
2003 modern 204 #17,909
2004 modern 200 #18,213
2005 modern 190 #18,753
2006 modern 185 #19,204
2007 modern 191 #19,031
2008 modern 193 #19,077
2009 modern 185 #20,010
2010 modern 192 #19,960
2011 modern 181 #20,579
2012 modern 186 #20,141
2013 modern 197 #19,725
2014 modern 195 #20,036
2015 modern 193 #20,056
2016 modern 190 #20,262

Geography

Back to top

Where Handcocks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Biddulph, Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Romsey Extra, Michelmersh and Romsey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Bristol, Gloucester, Forest of Dean and Runnymede. 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 Biddulph Cheshire
2 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
3 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
4 Romsey Extra, Michelmersh Hampshire
5 Romsey Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 040 Northumberland
2 Bristol 015 Bristol, City of
3 Gloucester 006 Gloucester
4 Forest of Dean 007 Forest of Dean
5 Runnymede 002 Runnymede

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Handcock

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Handcock

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Handcock surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Handcock household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Handcock 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

Handcock is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Handcock falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Handcock is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Handcock

The surname Handcock has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name "Handcocks" or "Hancox," which referred to small villages or hamlets in various counties across England. The name likely evolved from the Old English words "hana" meaning rooster, and "cocc" meaning a small hill or mound, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name resided near a particular rooster-shaped hill.

One of the earliest known references to this surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, where a John Hancok was mentioned. The Handcock name also appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, further establishing its presence in medieval England.

In the 16th century, the Handcock surname appeared in several historical records, including the parish registers of St. Martin in Birmingham, where a William Handcock was recorded in 1558. Another notable early bearer of this name was John Handcock, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who lived from 1549 to 1608.

During the 17th century, the Handcock surname continued to spread across various regions of England. One noteworthy individual was Thomas Handcock, a scholar and clergyman born in 1609 in Worcestershire, who later became the rector of St. Mary's Church in Warwick.

In the 18th century, the Handcock name gained prominence with individuals like John Handcock (1686-1744), a renowned English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the St. George's Church in Bloomsbury.

Throughout the 19th century, several notable figures bore the Handcock surname. Among them was Sir Thomas Buckney Handcock (1790-1853), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a rear admiral. Another prominent individual was Robert Handcock (1804-1872), a British artist renowned for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Lake District and North Wales.

As the Handcock name spread across different parts of the world through migration and exploration, it has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Hancock, Hancocke, and Hancocks, among others. However, the core meaning and origin of this surname remain rooted in the English landscape and the distinctive features that once defined the dwellings of its earliest bearers.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Handcock families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Handcock 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. Kent leads with 73 Handcocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.16x.

County Total Index
Kent 73 3.16x
Middlesex 68 1.00x
Devon 63 4.46x
Gloucestershire 53 3.99x
Somerset 36 3.30x
Cornwall 35 4.56x
Durham 35 1.74x
Yorkshire 32 0.48x
Hampshire 28 2.01x
Surrey 27 0.82x
Norfolk 25 2.40x
Wiltshire 21 3.50x
Glamorgan 20 1.69x
Cheshire 17 1.14x
Warwickshire 14 0.82x
Huntingdonshire 13 9.66x
Pembrokeshire 11 5.11x
Buckinghamshire 10 2.44x
Lancashire 9 0.11x
Derbyshire 8 0.75x
Dorset 8 1.80x
Northumberland 8 0.79x
Channel Islands 7 3.48x
Northamptonshire 7 1.10x
Staffordshire 7 0.31x
Cambridgeshire 6 1.40x
Oxfordshire 6 1.43x
Carmarthenshire 5 1.75x
Cumberland 5 0.86x
Essex 5 0.37x
Lincolnshire 5 0.46x
Midlothian 5 0.55x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.55x
Sussex 5 0.44x
Berkshire 3 0.59x
Herefordshire 2 0.72x
Ayrshire 1 0.20x
Flintshire 1 0.55x
Hertfordshire 1 0.21x
Isle of Man 1 0.79x
Monmouthshire 1 0.20x
Perthshire 1 0.33x
Royal Navy 1 1.24x
Suffolk 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tanfield in Durham leads with 16 Handcocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 66.72x.

Place Total Index
Tanfield 16 66.72x
Bristol St James St Paul 13 29.32x
Hackney London 13 3.42x
Itteringham 13 1733.33x
Hammersmith London 11 6.59x
Kensington London 11 2.92x
Gateshead 10 6.62x
Bedminster 9 8.78x
Ipsley 9 286.62x
Shavington Cum Gresty 9 362.90x
Stapleton 9 35.69x
Chislet 8 306.51x
Hail Weston 8 987.65x
Heytesbury 8 365.30x
Horfield 8 59.79x
Langtree 8 467.84x
Lewannick 8 533.33x
Plymouth Charles The 8 12.87x
Sturry 8 291.97x
Ashford 7 31.07x
Falmouth 7 25.76x
Lambeth 7 1.18x
Penshaw 7 115.51x
Sculthorpe 7 514.71x
Sittingbourne 7 38.31x
Southampton Holy Rood 7 500.00x
Swansea Town 7 7.23x
Advent 6 1153.85x
Anderton 6 750.00x
Ashover 6 113.64x
Aylburton 6 397.35x
Clifford Cum Boston 6 99.34x
Lee 6 17.86x
Merthyr Tydfil 6 5.29x
Quinton 6 2068.97x
Romsey Infra 6 127.39x
Southcoates 6 16.09x
Swanage 6 109.29x
Tynemouth 6 11.11x
Westbury On Trym 6 13.32x
Whimple 6 387.10x
Wortley In Bramley 6 11.28x
Bigbury 5 476.19x
Burton 5 230.41x
Caldewgate 5 15.63x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 5 1.37x
Hemington 5 367.65x
Hornsey 5 5.83x
Marston 5 704.23x
Michelmersh 5 185.87x
Neithrop 5 35.54x
Penshurst 5 128.53x
Ramsey 5 46.38x
Redruth 5 23.03x
St Faith Winchester 5 77.16x
St George Bloomsbury 5 12.85x
St Pancras London 5 0.92x
St Saviour 5 45.05x
Stoke Damerel 5 5.06x
Woolwich 5 5.85x
Wye 5 139.66x
Battersea 4 1.60x
Bermondsey 4 1.98x
Bristol St James In 4 20.46x
Cheddar 4 72.86x
Denton 4 22.43x
Great Horwood 4 242.42x
Haverfordwest St Martin 4 100.25x
Kilmersdon 4 74.21x
Llanelly 4 6.22x
Potter Newton 4 33.76x
Simpson 4 233.92x
St George Hanover Square 4 3.35x
Steeple Langford 4 330.58x
Washfield 4 434.78x
Wrotham 4 52.22x
Antony 3 40.49x
Corpusty 3 340.91x
Exeter St Thomas The 3 20.85x
Plymouth St Andrew 3 2.76x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 55
John 40
Thomas 25
George 24
James 20
Henry 17
Robert 16
Charles 13
Arthur 8
Frederick 6
Samuel 6
Edward 5
Richard 5
Albert 4
Alfred 4
Benjamin 4
Herbert 4
Wm. 4
Peter 3
Ralph 3
Walter 3
Charle 2
Edmund 2
Ephraim 2
Ernest 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Godwin 2
Jas. 2
Joseph 2
Lewis 2
Philip 2
Phillip 2
Alexander 1
Claude 1
Edwin 1
Elliot 1
Fred 1
Fredik 1
Geo.H. 1
Gilbert 1
Gustavus 1
Harry 1
Jno. 1
Kaldeigh 1
Lionel 1
Ludlow 1
Luke 1
Mary 1
Wm.O. 1

FAQ

Handcock surname: questions and answers

How common was the Handcock surname in 1881?

In 1881, 688 people were recorded with the Handcock surname. That placed it at #5,256 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Handcock surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 190 in 2016. That gives Handcock a modern rank of #20,262.

What does the Handcock surname mean?

A locational surname referring to a place where handcocks (metal cocks or vanes installed on roofs) were made or sold.

What does the Handcock map show?

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