NameCensus.

UK surname

Handley

From a place name meaning "high wood" or "wooded slope" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 5,051 people recorded with the Handley surname, ranking it #881 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,212, ranked #925, down from #881 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sandwell, York and Neath Port Talbot.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Handley is 7,606 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.8%.

1881 census count

5,051

Ranked #881

Modern count

7,212

2016, ranked #925

Peak year

1998

7,606 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Handley had 5,051 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #881 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,212 in 2016, ranked #925.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,849 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Handley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Handley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Handley 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 3,066 #942
1861 historical 3,233 #891
1881 historical 5,051 #881
1891 historical 5,306 #883
1901 historical 6,392 #869
1911 historical 6,849 #753
1997 modern 7,239 #893
1998 modern 7,606 #884
1999 modern 7,573 #894
2000 modern 7,583 #887
2001 modern 7,428 #883
2002 modern 7,566 #889
2003 modern 7,384 #886
2004 modern 7,318 #894
2005 modern 7,163 #902
2006 modern 7,170 #904
2007 modern 7,187 #908
2008 modern 7,215 #913
2009 modern 7,344 #917
2010 modern 7,488 #916
2011 modern 7,399 #914
2012 modern 7,233 #914
2013 modern 7,328 #916
2014 modern 7,381 #916
2015 modern 7,306 #920
2016 modern 7,212 #925

Geography

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Where Handleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes, Manchester, Nottingham St Mary and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sandwell, York and Neath Port Talbot. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sandwell 004 Sandwell
2 York 020 York
3 Sandwell 003 Sandwell
4 Neath Port Talbot 011 Neath Port Talbot
5 Sandwell 005 Sandwell

Forenames

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First names often paired with Handley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Handley

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

Handley 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

Handley falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Handley

The surname Handley originated in England and derives from the Old English words "hond" meaning hand and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing. It is thought to have been an occupational name given to a glove maker or someone who worked with their hands in a meadow or field.

The name can be traced back to the 12th century in Yorkshire and Lancashire. The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where it is spelled Handelay. Other early spellings include Handeley, Hanndeley, and Haundelay.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to places with similar names such as Handeleia in Nottinghamshire and Handelou in Dorset, which may have been the origins of some Handley families.

Notable Handleys throughout history include John Handley (1531-1594), a wealthy merchant and benefactor who founded Handley School in Wigan, Lancashire. William Handley (1686-1754) was an English clergyman and author of several religious works.

Sir Henry Handley (1819-1892) was a British MP and Lord Mayor of Manchester. He was involved in the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal. Elizabeth Handley (1766-1848) was a British Quaker minister and diarist who wrote about her travels and religious experiences.

Arthur Handley (1905-1979) was a British aircraft designer and pioneer in the development of jet engines. He worked for the Handley Page Aircraft Company, which was founded by his cousin Frederick Handley Page (1885-1962), a renowned aircraft designer and manufacturer.

The Handley surname has been well-represented in various fields throughout its long history in England and parts of the United Kingdom.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Handley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Handley 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 795 Handleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.63x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 795 1.63x
Lancashire 695 1.19x
Staffordshire 561 3.37x
Warwickshire 309 2.48x
Middlesex 304 0.62x
Derbyshire 248 3.21x
Lincolnshire 239 3.03x
Nottinghamshire 234 3.52x
Worcestershire 179 2.78x
Essex 168 1.73x
Cheshire 138 1.27x
Surrey 136 0.57x
Durham 134 0.91x
Cambridgeshire 88 2.82x
Shropshire 81 1.90x
Herefordshire 76 3.76x
Leicestershire 76 1.39x
Westmorland 73 6.74x
Kent 68 0.40x
Norfolk 49 0.65x
Hertfordshire 43 1.27x
Northamptonshire 31 0.67x
Glamorgan 30 0.35x
Hampshire 29 0.29x
Radnorshire 29 7.29x
Gloucestershire 28 0.29x
Kirkcudbrightshire 18 2.52x
Lanarkshire 17 0.11x
Flintshire 16 1.21x
Sussex 16 0.19x
Devon 13 0.13x
Pembrokeshire 11 0.70x
Brecknockshire 9 0.91x
Cornwall 9 0.16x
Denbighshire 9 0.48x
Selkirkshire 9 2.02x
Bedfordshire 8 0.31x
Dumfriesshire 8 0.73x
Dunbartonshire 6 0.45x
Midlothian 6 0.09x
Northumberland 6 0.08x
Renfrewshire 6 0.16x
Cumberland 5 0.12x
Rutland 5 1.38x
Berkshire 4 0.11x
Isle of Man 4 0.44x
Royal Navy 4 0.68x
Monmouthshire 3 0.08x
Somerset 3 0.04x
Stirlingshire 3 0.17x
Suffolk 3 0.05x
Wiltshire 3 0.07x
Carmarthenshire 2 0.10x
Clackmannanshire 2 0.49x
Anglesey 1 0.11x
Ayrshire 1 0.03x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.05x
Merionethshire 1 0.11x
Oxfordshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 111 Handleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.68x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 111 2.68x
Aston 104 3.04x
Leeds 88 3.19x
Nottingham St Mary 68 3.96x
Wolverhampton 59 4.61x
Wolstanton 54 10.68x
West Ham 51 2.37x
Manchester 47 1.79x
Stoke Upon Trent 45 2.55x
Sheffield 43 2.76x
Kingswinford 40 6.62x
Maldon St Marys 39 167.17x
Salford 39 2.27x
Sedburgh 39 191.55x
Pendleton In Salford 38 5.45x
West Bromwich 38 3.99x
Garsdale 36 354.33x
Runcorn 35 13.95x
Cannock 34 11.71x
Broughton In Salford 33 6.17x
Nether Hallam 33 4.99x
Hulme 32 2.62x
Paddington London 31 1.71x
Brightside Bierlow 30 3.13x
Sedbergh 30 166.57x
Derby St Werburgh 29 6.51x
Hunslet 29 3.81x
Bradford 28 2.37x
Kidderminster Borough 28 7.43x
Holy Trinity 27 2.30x
Hackney London 26 0.94x
Kensington London 26 0.95x
Northfleet 26 17.54x
Little Bolton 25 3.32x
Brassington 24 206.01x
Burslem 24 5.03x
Landbeach 24 278.75x
Boston 23 9.62x
Everton 23 1.23x
Liverpool 23 0.65x
Newington 23 1.26x
Toxteth Park 23 1.16x
Arnold 21 21.65x
Bury 21 3.14x
Shoreditch London 21 0.98x
Islington London 20 0.42x
Wolverley 20 35.38x
Bethnal Green London 19 0.89x
Portsea 19 0.96x
Rugeley 19 15.91x
Sedgebrook 19 509.38x
Widnes 19 4.50x
Ashton Under Lyne 18 1.41x
Camberwell 18 0.57x
Ecclesall Bierlow 18 1.81x
Oldham 18 0.95x
Sutton In Ashfield 18 12.48x
Bourn 17 26.69x
Edgbaston 17 4.41x
Kingsbury 17 63.91x
Lambeth 17 0.40x
St George Hanover Square 17 1.96x
St Marylebone London 17 0.65x
Wednesbury 17 4.09x
Chorlton On Medlock 16 1.72x
Darlaston 16 6.96x
Loughborough 16 6.45x
Middleham 16 115.77x
Chilvers Coton 15 29.33x
Gorton 15 2.73x
Kendal 15 7.56x
Litchurch 15 4.83x
Mile End Old Town London 15 1.43x
Osbournby 15 179.21x
Worcester St Peter 15 12.31x
Bradford 14 5.11x
Handsworth 14 10.84x
Hooton Pagnell 14 283.98x
Middlesbrough 14 2.20x
Willenhall 14 4.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 370
Elizabeth 187
Sarah 181
Ann 117
Annie 100
Jane 99
Alice 93
Ellen 90
Eliza 76
Emma 57
Hannah 52
Margaret 48
Harriet 43
Emily 42
Catherine 35
Louisa 35
Martha 35
Florence 30
Fanny 29
Agnes 28
Edith 27
Lucy 23
Maria 22
Ada 21
Charlotte 21
Frances 20
Kate 20
Anne 19
Susan 19
Clara 16
Caroline 15
Harriett 15
Gertrude 14
Isabella 14
Esther 12
Jessie 12
Lydia 12
Rebecca 12
Betsy 11
Bridget 11
Eleanor 11
Minnie 10
Lily 9
Matilda 9
Rose 9
Selina 9
Sophia 9
Amy 8
Elizth. 8
Maud 8

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 331
William 301
Thomas 221
George 177
James 163
Joseph 106
Henry 85
Charles 71
Samuel 59
Edward 55
Arthur 50
Robert 50
Alfred 48
Albert 32
Harry 32
Richard 32
Herbert 30
Walter 28
Frederick 23
Frank 22
Michael 21
Edwin 18
Benjamin 17
Francis 17
Patrick 17
Wm. 16
Ernest 15
David 14
Thos. 14
Fred 12
Daniel 11
Fredk. 11
Peter 11
Tom 9
Isaac 8
Jas. 8
Mark 8
Stephen 8
Abraham 7
Matthew 7
Percy 6
Ambrose 5
Martin 5
Edmund 4
Enoch 4
Lawrence 4
Philip 4
Richd. 4
Sampson 4
Jabez 3

FAQ

Handley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Handley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,051 people were recorded with the Handley surname. That placed it at #881 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Handley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,212 in 2016. That gives Handley a modern rank of #925.

What does the Handley surname mean?

From a place name meaning "high wood" or "wooded slope" in Old English.

What does the Handley map show?

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