NameCensus.

UK surname

Hankey

English surname transferred from a diminutive of the medieval name Hans or John.

In the 1881 census there were 713 people recorded with the Hankey surname, ranking it #5,104 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 843, ranked #6,627, down from #5,104 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Audlem, Wolstanton and Runcorn. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newark and Sherwood, Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hankey is 994 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.2%.

1881 census count

713

Ranked #5,104

Modern count

843

2016, ranked #6,627

Peak year

1999

994 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hankey had 713 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,104 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 843 in 2016, ranked #6,627.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 988 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Hankey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hankey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hankey 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 361 #6,554
1861 historical 450 #5,752
1881 historical 713 #5,104
1891 historical 718 #5,493
1901 historical 853 #5,345
1911 historical 988 #4,579
1997 modern 876 #6,091
1998 modern 981 #5,766
1999 modern 994 #5,738
2000 modern 960 #5,882
2001 modern 940 #5,869
2002 modern 958 #5,885
2003 modern 906 #6,055
2004 modern 893 #6,132
2005 modern 883 #6,105
2006 modern 881 #6,132
2007 modern 895 #6,114
2008 modern 919 #6,040
2009 modern 946 #6,016
2010 modern 925 #6,245
2011 modern 884 #6,413
2012 modern 868 #6,420
2013 modern 866 #6,547
2014 modern 856 #6,625
2015 modern 844 #6,655
2016 modern 843 #6,627

Geography

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Where Hankeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Audlem, Wolstanton, Runcorn, Great Budworth (Witton with Twambrook), Davenham (Leftwich) and Warrington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newark and Sherwood, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester and Warrington. 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 Audlem Cheshire
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 Runcorn Cheshire
4 Great Budworth (Witton with Twambrook), Davenham (Leftwich) Cheshire
5 Warrington Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newark and Sherwood 001 Newark and Sherwood
2 Cheshire East 051 Cheshire East
3 Cheshire West and Chester 017 Cheshire West and Chester
4 Warrington 007 Warrington
5 Cheshire West and Chester 003 Cheshire West and Chester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hankey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hankey

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hankey, 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 Hankey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Hankey 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Hankey is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hankey is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hankey falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hankey

The surname Hankey originates from England, with its roots dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the village of Handkey, located near Billericay in Essex. The name is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "hana" meaning "cock" or "rooster" and "eg" meaning "island" or "piece of higher ground," potentially indicating that the area was once an elevated region frequented by roosters.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285, where a William de Hanekeye is listed. This document, which recorded land transactions, provides evidence of the surname's presence in the region during that period.

In the 14th century, the Hankey surname appeared in various historical records, such as the Poll Tax returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where a John Hankey was listed. Similarly, in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1381, a Thomas Hankey was documented.

Notable individuals bearing the Hankey surname throughout history include Sir Henry Hankey (1677-1728), a British politician who served as Secretary at War from 1714 to 1718. Another prominent figure was Maurice Hankey (1877-1963), a British civil servant who played a crucial role in the development of the Cabinet Office and served as the first Cabinet Secretary from 1916 to 1938.

In the 18th century, the Hankey family established themselves as prominent bankers in London. Joseph Hankey (1714-1786) co-founded the banking firm of Hankey and Alers, which later merged with the Veres to form the notable Hankey, Alers & Veres banking house.

Other notable Hankeys include Sir Michael Hankey (1832-1897), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of British Guiana from 1881 to 1884, and Sir Maurice Hankey (1894-1964), a British naval officer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party.

Throughout its history, the Hankey surname has been associated with various locations in England, such as Hankey Park in Worcestershire and Hankey's Farm in East Sussex, further reflecting its longstanding roots in the country.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hankey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hankey 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 254 Hankeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.57x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 254 16.57x
Lancashire 175 2.12x
Staffordshire 51 2.18x
Durham 48 2.32x
Middlesex 34 0.49x
Shropshire 20 3.33x
Kent 18 0.76x
Sussex 18 1.54x
Cornwall 13 1.65x
Hampshire 11 0.77x
Wiltshire 11 1.79x
Surrey 9 0.27x
Berkshire 8 1.53x
Yorkshire 7 0.10x
Essex 6 0.44x
Flintshire 6 3.21x
Dorset 5 1.10x
Midlothian 5 0.54x
Glamorgan 4 0.33x
Warwickshire 4 0.23x
Herefordshire 2 0.70x
Gloucestershire 1 0.07x
Lincolnshire 1 0.09x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Warrington in Lancashire leads with 35 Hankeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.82x.

Place Total Index
Warrington 35 35.82x
Audlem 34 941.83x
Latchford 24 235.76x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 21 153.85x
Everton 19 7.23x
Audley 17 73.28x
Wolstanton Thursfield 16 561.40x
Helmington Row 15 155.93x
Monks Coppenhall 13 22.47x
Pickmere 13 2241.38x
St Teath 13 274.26x
Crowley 12 2553.19x
Appleton 10 288.18x
Church Coppenhall 10 145.99x
Eccleston In Prescot 10 24.17x
Stoke Upon Trent 10 4.02x
Brighton 9 3.81x
Hoole 9 155.17x
Shrewsbury St Mary 9 38.01x
St George Hanover Square 9 7.35x
Warminster 9 66.86x
Wharton 9 107.78x
Church Lawton 8 408.16x
Folkestone 8 17.41x
Gorton 8 10.33x
Rainhill 8 151.52x
Tudhoe 8 44.25x
Buerton In Nantwich 7 625.00x
Congleton 7 26.43x
Ellesmere 7 67.96x
Great Budworth 7 257.35x
Kirkdale 7 5.05x
Stranton 7 10.06x
Toxteth Park 7 2.51x
Wokingham 7 58.82x
Antrobus 6 571.43x
Bow London 6 6.79x
Burtonwood 6 198.68x
Halewood 6 136.05x
Hatherton 6 789.47x
Islington London 6 0.89x
Kirkby 6 179.64x
Mold Bistree 6 197.37x
Barnton 5 136.61x
Barrow In Furness 5 4.46x
Dalton In Furness 5 15.72x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 5 1.34x
Frant 5 60.24x
Garston 5 20.56x
Knutsford Nether 5 53.94x
Lanchester 5 131.93x
Marston 5 214.59x
Ryde 5 16.35x
Bexley 4 19.09x
Bolton On Dearne 4 168.07x
Chertsey 4 18.29x
Chester St John Baptist 4 14.51x
Church 4 34.36x
Hulme 4 2.32x
Moreton Cum Alcumlow 4 1428.57x
Parr 4 13.57x
Swansea Town 4 4.03x
Walworth 4 930.23x
Weaverham Cum Milton 4 98.77x
West Ham 4 1.32x
Wolsingham 4 21.24x
Barton Upon Irwell 3 4.84x
Bromley 3 8.31x
Caverswall 3 24.61x
Chelsea London 3 1.43x
Chrtltn Cdngtn Nwtn 3 245.90x
Holdenhurst 3 8.03x
Leamington Priors 3 6.96x
Maiden Newton 3 157.07x
Manchester 3 0.81x
Stoke Newington London 3 5.55x
West Derby 3 1.24x
Cheam 2 55.25x
Croydon 2 1.06x
Sound 2 307.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 48
William 46
Thomas 32
James 21
George 19
Joseph 19
Charles 10
Henry 9
Arthur 8
Edward 8
Richard 7
Samuel 7
Peter 6
Alfred 5
Robert 5
Albert 3
Allan 3
Gilbert 3
Jonathan 3
Thos. 3
Walter 3
Cecil 2
Clement 2
Edmund 2
Ernest 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Hiram 2
Jno. 2
Reginald 2
Robt. 2
Stephen 2
Sydney 2
Benjamin 1
Bertie 1
Ed. 1
Edd.A. 1
Edwin 1
Emanuel 1
Eric 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Harold 1
Hugh 1
Humphrey 1
Hy. 1
Jabex 1
Jaciad 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Hankey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hankey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 713 people were recorded with the Hankey surname. That placed it at #5,104 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hankey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 843 in 2016. That gives Hankey a modern rank of #6,627.

What does the Hankey surname mean?

English surname transferred from a diminutive of the medieval name Hans or John.

What does the Hankey map show?

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