NameCensus.

UK surname

Handforth

In the 1881 census there were 245 people recorded with the Handforth surname, ranking it #11,232 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 273, ranked #15,800, down from #11,232 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, Glossop and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Leeds, Tameside and Selby.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Handforth is 307 in 2008. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.4%.

1881 census count

245

Ranked #11,232

Modern count

273

2016, ranked #15,800

Peak year

2008

307 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Handforth had 245 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,232 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 273 in 2016, ranked #15,800.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 283 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Handforth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Handforth surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Handforth 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 198 #10,483
1861 historical 196 #12,223
1881 historical 245 #11,232
1891 historical 221 #13,897
1901 historical 264 #12,693
1911 historical 283 #11,883
1997 modern 270 #14,515
1998 modern 286 #14,318
1999 modern 287 #14,374
2000 modern 291 #14,200
2001 modern 290 #14,033
2002 modern 296 #14,110
2003 modern 294 #14,002
2004 modern 280 #14,530
2005 modern 279 #14,480
2006 modern 279 #14,577
2007 modern 295 #14,198
2008 modern 307 #13,907
2009 modern 298 #14,480
2010 modern 306 #14,529
2011 modern 291 #14,903
2012 modern 267 #15,791
2013 modern 283 #15,401
2014 modern 291 #15,168
2015 modern 288 #15,190
2016 modern 273 #15,800

Geography

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Where Handforths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, Glossop, Manchester, Prestwich and Rothwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Leeds, Tameside, Selby and Trafford. 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 Glossop Derbyshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Prestwich Lancashire
5 Rothwell Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Leeds 094 Leeds
2 Tameside 020 Tameside
3 Selby 009 Selby
4 Leeds 112 Leeds
5 Trafford 015 Trafford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Handforth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Handforth

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Handforth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Handforth household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Handforth 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

Handforth 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

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

1881 census detail

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Handforth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Handforth 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 91 Handforths recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.81x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 91 3.81x
Lancashire 75 2.62x
Cheshire 42 7.90x
Derbyshire 34 9.01x
Kent 4 0.49x
Surrey 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Rothwell in Yorkshire leads with 32 Handforths recorded in 1881 and an index of 663.90x.

Place Total Index
Rothwell 32 663.90x
Glossop Dale 28 158.55x
Hunslet 23 61.78x
Manchester 13 10.11x
Salford 12 14.27x
Bredbury 11 357.14x
Oldham 10 10.84x
Bradford 9 15.57x
Middleton In Hunslet 9 2647.06x
Bollington In 8 169.13x
Pilkington 7 64.46x
Ardwick 6 23.26x
Ashton Under Lyne 6 9.60x
Hulme 6 10.05x
Pendleton In Salford 6 17.62x
Chelford 5 1923.08x
Altrincham 4 43.06x
Dover St Mary Virgin 4 50.25x
Normanton 4 55.79x
Siddington 4 1176.47x
Horton In Bradford 3 8.05x
Poynton 3 167.60x
Whittington 3 57.47x
Ackton 2 344.83x
Adlington 2 281.69x
Broughton In Salford 2 7.65x
Cheadle 2 19.69x
Chorlton On Medlock 2 4.40x
Drighlington 2 57.47x
Dronfield 2 41.41x
Hollingworth 2 91.32x
Idle 2 18.07x
Layton With Warbreck 2 19.07x
Leeds 2 1.48x
Saddleworth 2 10.86x
Birkdale 1 13.83x
Eckington 1 10.92x
Heaton Norris 1 6.15x
Lambeth 1 0.48x
Manningham 1 3.40x
Newton 1 4.54x
Stockport 1 3.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 14
Mary 12
Elizabeth 11
Ann 9
Hannah 8
Ellen 6
Martha 5
Emma 4
Ada 3
Alice 3
Florence 3
Julia 3
Margaret 3
Amy 2
Annie 2
Clara 2
Eliza 2
M. 2
Maria 2
Matilda 2
Naomi 2
Ruth 2
Amelia 1
Arice 1
Caroline 1
Celia 1
Charlotte 1
Clarissa 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Frances 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Isabelle 1
Jane 1
Lilian 1
Lilly 1
Louise 1
Lucy 1
Matty 1
Minnie 1
Nancy 1
Nellie 1
Philitia 1
Rachel 1
Sametta 1
Seah 1
Sophie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 23
William 12
Thomas 8
Daniel 5
Charles 4
Edward 4
James 4
Tom 4
George 3
Harry 3
Joseph 3
Nathan 3
Robert 3
Samuel 3
Albert 2
Alfred 2
Benjamin 2
Chas. 2
Edwin 2
Henry 2
Mark 2
Peter 2
Abel 1
Aron 1
Arthur 1
Ashworth 1
Edw. 1
Ernest 1
Eugene 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Hamlet 1
Isreal 1
Jno. 1
Jonathan 1
Nathaniel 1
Ralph 1
Seth 1

FAQ

Handforth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Handforth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 245 people were recorded with the Handforth surname. That placed it at #11,232 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Handforth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 273 in 2016. That gives Handforth a modern rank of #15,800.

What does the Handforth map show?

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