NameCensus.

UK surname

Hannis

Likely derived from the personal name "Hannis", a German form of the Hebrew name "John".

In the 1881 census there were 87 people recorded with the Hannis surname, ranking it #21,334 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 281, ranked #15,449, up from #21,334 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cranham, Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, and Chertsey. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stroud, Cheltenham and Sedgemoor.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hannis is 318 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 223.0%.

1881 census count

87

Ranked #21,334

Modern count

281

2016, ranked #15,449

Peak year

1999

318 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hannis had 87 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,334 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016, ranked #15,449.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 208 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hannis surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hannis surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hannis 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 39 #26,319
1861 historical 68 #25,196
1881 historical 87 #21,334
1891 historical 136 #19,601
1901 historical 205 #14,884
1911 historical 208 #14,594
1997 modern 286 #13,942
1998 modern 310 #13,578
1999 modern 318 #13,444
2000 modern 301 #13,873
2001 modern 285 #14,191
2002 modern 285 #14,483
2003 modern 280 #14,472
2004 modern 280 #14,530
2005 modern 274 #14,663
2006 modern 279 #14,577
2007 modern 279 #14,732
2008 modern 280 #14,823
2009 modern 289 #14,809
2010 modern 289 #15,127
2011 modern 305 #14,439
2012 modern 297 #14,607
2013 modern 301 #14,718
2014 modern 299 #14,880
2015 modern 288 #15,190
2016 modern 281 #15,449

Geography

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Where Hannis' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cranham, Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Chertsey, Spelsbury and Cheltenham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stroud, Cheltenham and Sedgemoor. 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 Cranham Gloucestershire
2 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
3 Chertsey Surrey
4 Spelsbury Oxfordshire
5 Cheltenham Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stroud 002 Stroud
2 Cheltenham 003 Cheltenham
3 Cheltenham 005 Cheltenham
4 Cheltenham 004 Cheltenham
5 Sedgemoor 004 Sedgemoor

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hannis

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hannis

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Hannis is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hannis is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hannis falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hannis is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hannis

The surname Hannis has its origins in the Germanic region of Europe, specifically in the areas that are now modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, Germany. In this record, dated 1287, a person named Johannes Hannis is mentioned, indicating the presence of the surname in that region during that time.

The name Hannis is thought to be a variant or derivative of the Germanic given name Johannes, which is the German form of the biblical name John. It is possible that the surname originated as a patronymic, meaning it was initially used to identify someone as the son or descendant of a person named Johannes or Hannis.

In the Netherlands, the surname Hannis is sometimes spelled as Hannes or Hannès, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. These Dutch variations likely emerged as the name spread from the Germanic regions into the Low Countries.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Hannis was Johann Hannis, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 16th century (1545-1623). He was known for his contributions to the development of logarithms and his work on celestial mechanics.

Another individual of note was Hendrik Hannis (1633-1704), a Dutch painter and engraver who was active in the city of Utrecht during the Dutch Golden Age. His works, which included portraits and landscapes, are now held in various museum collections in the Netherlands and abroad.

In the 18th century, there was a German theologian and philosopher named Gottfried Hannis (1712-1786), who wrote extensively on topics related to natural theology and the philosophy of religion.

The surname also appears in historical records from other European countries, such as England and France, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. For example, there is a mention of a William Hannis in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England, from the year 1225.

In France, the surname Hannis is sometimes spelled as Hanni or Hannier, reflecting the influence of French naming conventions. One notable French individual with this surname was Jean-Baptiste Hanni (1674-1746), a Baroque-era sculptor and woodcarver who worked on various religious and architectural projects in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hannis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hannis 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. Gloucestershire leads with 32 Hannis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.23x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 32 19.23x
Oxfordshire 22 41.98x
Berkshire 8 12.56x
Lancashire 6 0.60x
Warwickshire 5 2.34x
Middlesex 4 0.47x
Derbyshire 3 2.26x
Surrey 3 0.73x
Worcestershire 3 2.71x
Essex 1 0.60x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Spelsbury in Oxfordshire leads with 14 Hannis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 8750.00x.

Place Total Index
Spelsbury 14 8750.00x
Cranham 9 8181.82x
New Windsor 7 327.10x
Sevenhampton 7 4666.67x
Cheltenham 6 46.73x
Chipping Norton 5 413.22x
Shrewley 5 4545.45x
Badgeworth 4 1379.31x
Derby St Werburgh 3 39.11x
Lambeth 3 4.05x
Overbury 3 1578.95x
Atherton 2 54.50x
Chastleton 2 3333.33x
Chelsea London 2 7.82x
Manchester 2 4.42x
Painswick 2 169.49x
Wavertree 2 62.11x
Barking 1 20.41x
Gloucester St John Baptist 1 93.46x
Gloucester St Owen 1 555.56x
Hackney London 1 2.10x
Islington London 1 1.22x
Leckhampton 1 97.09x
Sarsden 1 2000.00x
Tewkesbury 1 67.11x
Windsor Castle 1 1666.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Elizabeth 5
Emily 4
Ellen 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Fanny 2
Hannah 2
Jane 2
Lucy 2
Alles 1
Annie 1
Bridget 1
Caroline 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Kate 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Martha 1
Sarah 1
Sussanna 1
Unice 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 7
John 5
George 3
James 3
Albert 2
Henry 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Charles 1
David 1
Dennis 1
Edwin 1
Eli 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Reginald 1
Richard 1
Stephen 1

FAQ

Hannis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hannis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 87 people were recorded with the Hannis surname. That placed it at #21,334 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hannis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 281 in 2016. That gives Hannis a modern rank of #15,449.

What does the Hannis surname mean?

Likely derived from the personal name "Hannis", a German form of the Hebrew name "John".

What does the Hannis map show?

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