NameCensus.

UK surname

Handsley

In the 1881 census there were 127 people recorded with the Handsley surname, ranking it #17,166 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 186, ranked #20,575, down from #17,166 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wainfleet All Saints, North Holme, London parishes and Alford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North East Lincolnshire, Salford and Rochdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Handsley is 223 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.5%.

1881 census count

127

Ranked #17,166

Modern count

186

2016, ranked #20,575

Peak year

1911

223 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Handsley had 127 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,166 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 186 in 2016, ranked #20,575.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 223 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Handsley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Handsley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Handsley 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 113 #15,815
1861 historical 113 #19,151
1881 historical 127 #17,166
1891 historical 150 #18,328
1901 historical 192 #15,518
1911 historical 223 #13,951
1997 modern 162 #20,107
1998 modern 162 #20,673
1999 modern 169 #20,233
2000 modern 166 #20,426
2001 modern 167 #20,060
2002 modern 175 #19,902
2003 modern 164 #20,483
2004 modern 164 #20,609
2005 modern 160 #20,899
2006 modern 159 #21,148
2007 modern 155 #21,726
2008 modern 153 #22,132
2009 modern 165 #21,552
2010 modern 167 #21,835
2011 modern 162 #22,101
2012 modern 172 #21,219
2013 modern 176 #21,237
2014 modern 193 #20,159
2015 modern 183 #20,786
2016 modern 186 #20,575

Geography

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Where Handsleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wainfleet All Saints, North Holme, London parishes, Alford, Peterborough St John the Baptist and Friskney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North East Lincolnshire, Salford, Rochdale and Derby. 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 Wainfleet All Saints, North Holme Lincolnshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Alford Lincolnshire
4 Peterborough St John the Baptist Northamptonshire
5 Friskney Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North East Lincolnshire 008 North East Lincolnshire
2 Salford 030 Salford
3 Rochdale 025 Rochdale
4 Derby 009 Derby
5 Derby 017 Derby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Handsley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Handsley

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Handsley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Handsley 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Handsley is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Handsley is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Handsley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Handsley 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. Lincolnshire leads with 98 Handsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 49.48x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 98 49.48x
Lancashire 8 0.54x
Middlesex 8 0.65x
Yorkshire 8 0.65x
Northamptonshire 3 2.58x
Huntingdonshire 1 4.07x
Surrey 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Irby In Marsh in Lincolnshire leads with 24 Handsleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 30000.00x.

Place Total Index
Irby In Marsh 24 30000.00x
Goxhill 8 1632.65x
Islington London 7 5.83x
Great Steeping 6 5454.55x
Reedley Hallows 6 2142.86x
Bardney 5 847.46x
East Halton 5 1851.85x
Friskney 5 793.65x
Harrington 5 10000.00x
Northolme 5 5555.56x
Ripon 5 175.44x
Stainfield 5 5555.56x
Wainfleet St Mary 5 1666.67x
St Swithin Lincoln 4 128.62x
Newington 3 88.76x
Skendleby 3 2727.27x
Stickney 3 1034.48x
Wainfleet All Sts 3 517.24x
Kettering 2 42.46x
Manchester 2 3.03x
Skegness 2 350.88x
Spilsby 2 317.46x
Thorpe St Peter 2 833.33x
Croydon 1 2.99x
Easton 1 238.10x
Firsby 1 1000.00x
Fulham London 1 5.57x
Great Grimsby 1 7.96x
Huntingdon St John 1 140.85x
Leake 1 109.89x
New Sleaford 1 78.74x
Saleby Cum Thoresthorpe 1 1666.67x
St Martin Lincoln 1 54.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 7
Sarah 7
Emma 4
Maria 4
Ann 3
Ada 2
Anne 2
Emily 2
Fanny 2
Jane 2
Agnes 1
Annie 1
Azubah 1
Betsey 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Florence 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Lucy 1
Millicent 1
Rebecca 1
Rhoda 1
Salomy 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Charles 6
John 5
Harry 4
Henry 4
William 4
Benjamin 3
Edward 3
Fred 3
Robert 3
Thomas 3
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
James 2
Jonas 2
Maidens 2
Arthur 1
Ben 1
Benjaman 1
Enderby 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Garner 1
George 1
Jesse 1
Ralph 1
Rutter 1
Saint 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Handsley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Handsley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 127 people were recorded with the Handsley surname. That placed it at #17,166 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Handsley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 186 in 2016. That gives Handsley a modern rank of #20,575.

What does the Handsley map show?

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