NameCensus.

UK surname

Hansford

Derived from a place name meaning "Hann's ford," referring to a river crossing owned by someone named Hann.

In the 1881 census there were 1,430 people recorded with the Hansford surname, ranking it #2,914 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,988, ranked #3,239, down from #2,914 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Poorstock and Portland. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Dorset, North Dorset and Weymouth and Portland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hansford is 2,152 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.0%.

1881 census count

1,430

Ranked #2,914

Modern count

1,988

2016, ranked #3,239

Peak year

1998

2,152 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hansford had 1,430 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,914 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,988 in 2016, ranked #3,239.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,104 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hansford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hansford surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hansford 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 879 #3,109
1861 historical 1,035 #2,711
1881 historical 1,430 #2,914
1891 historical 1,688 #2,673
1901 historical 1,862 #2,824
1911 historical 2,104 #2,380
1997 modern 2,136 #2,891
1998 modern 2,152 #2,974
1999 modern 2,137 #3,019
2000 modern 2,123 #3,011
2001 modern 2,069 #3,020
2002 modern 2,101 #3,045
2003 modern 2,038 #3,068
2004 modern 2,006 #3,109
2005 modern 1,947 #3,160
2006 modern 1,929 #3,193
2007 modern 1,918 #3,226
2008 modern 1,943 #3,213
2009 modern 1,996 #3,216
2010 modern 2,043 #3,213
2011 modern 2,019 #3,213
2012 modern 1,990 #3,207
2013 modern 2,050 #3,180
2014 modern 2,059 #3,188
2015 modern 2,029 #3,195
2016 modern 1,988 #3,239

Geography

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Where Hansfords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Poorstock, Portland, Netherbury and Loders, Allington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Dorset, North Dorset and Weymouth and Portland. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Poorstock Dorset
3 Portland Dorset
4 Netherbury Dorset
5 Loders, Allington Dorset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Dorset 007 West Dorset
2 West Dorset 006 West Dorset
3 West Dorset 008 West Dorset
4 North Dorset 002 North Dorset
5 Weymouth and Portland 004 Weymouth and Portland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hansford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hansford

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Hansford is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Hansford is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hansford falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hansford

The surname Hansford is of English origin and is believed to date back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hans" meaning "hanse" or "guild," and "ford" meaning a shallow river crossing or ford. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a ford used by a merchant's guild or association.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Hansford appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191, where it is spelled "Hansford." This suggests that the name was already well-established by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name is found in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it is spelled "Haunsford." This variation in spelling was common in medieval times due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

The Hansford surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Hansford Bridge in Oxfordshire and Hansford Mill in Somerset. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating that the name was prevalent in those areas.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Hansford surname was William Hansford, who was born in Gloucestershire in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was John Hansford, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the Hansford surname gained prominence with the rise of Richard Hansford (c. 1550-1620), a successful merchant and alderman in the city of London. His son, Sir Humphrey Hansford (1598-1658), was a prominent landowner and served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War.

Other notable individuals with the Hansford surname include:

1. Thomas Hansford (1609-1673), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Woodstock in Oxfordshire. 2. Elizabeth Hansford (1655-1712), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist from Gloucestershire who endowed several charitable institutions. 3. John Hansford (1714-1786), a renowned architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London. 4. William Hansford (1783-1859), a British Army officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as the Governor of the British colony of Sierra Leone. 5. Emily Hansford (1837-1911), a pioneering British nurse and one of the first trained nurses to work in hospitals during the Crimean War.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hansford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hansford 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. Dorset leads with 665 Hansfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 70.28x.

County Total Index
Dorset 665 70.28x
Middlesex 133 0.92x
Hampshire 127 4.30x
Devon 98 3.27x
Somerset 86 3.71x
Surrey 66 0.94x
Lancashire 60 0.35x
Channel Islands 45 10.53x
Wiltshire 30 2.35x
Kent 26 0.53x
Gloucestershire 17 0.60x
Yorkshire 17 0.12x
Durham 13 0.30x
Essex 13 0.46x
Glamorgan 13 0.52x
Oxfordshire 12 1.35x
Sussex 11 0.45x
Worcestershire 11 0.58x
Pembrokeshire 6 1.31x
Warwickshire 5 0.14x
Cheshire 4 0.13x
Leicestershire 4 0.25x
Monmouthshire 4 0.38x
Berkshire 3 0.28x
Royal Navy 3 1.75x
Angus 2 0.15x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.17x
Norfolk 1 0.05x
Staffordshire 1 0.02x
Suffolk 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Loders in Dorset leads with 74 Hansfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 1574.47x.

Place Total Index
Loders 74 1574.47x
Bridport 51 261.81x
Netherbury 37 473.15x
Portland 33 64.86x
Buckfastleigh 27 194.95x
St Helier 27 19.41x
Bradpole 24 309.68x
Portsea 23 3.97x
Puncknowle 23 987.12x
Camberwell 21 2.28x
Toller Porcorum 18 818.18x
Walcot 18 14.56x
Powerstock 17 419.75x
Southampton St Mary 17 9.15x
Charminster 16 212.48x
Littlebredy 15 1578.95x
Litton Cheney 15 657.89x
Melcombe Regis 15 38.25x
Fulham London 14 6.70x
Ryde 14 22.05x
Winterborne Steepleton 14 1917.81x
Wyke Regis 14 103.09x
Fordington 13 63.79x
Kingston Russell 13 3714.29x
Puddletown 13 224.14x
Kensington London 12 1.50x
Lambeth 12 0.95x
Milton Abbas 12 258.62x
Ottery St Mary 12 60.94x
Hackney London 11 1.36x
Moreton 11 723.68x
Wincanton 11 92.13x
Anstey 10 689.66x
Beaminster 10 95.06x
Chelsea London 10 2.30x
Owermoigne 10 478.47x
Shipton George 10 649.35x
Bentley 9 259.37x
Calbourne 9 283.91x
East Stour 9 403.59x
Maiden Newton 9 227.27x
Preston 9 260.87x
St Anne Soho London 9 10.93x
St Peter Port 9 11.39x
Sydling St Nicholas 9 326.09x
Wanstead 9 18.06x
Wigan 9 3.76x
Abbotsbury 8 165.63x
Chickerell 8 198.02x
Donhead St Mary 8 123.46x
Gorton 8 4.97x
Hammersmith London 8 2.25x
Hulme 8 2.24x
Shepton Mallet 8 30.72x
South Stoneham 8 12.48x
Broadhembury 7 209.58x
Cowley 7 25.19x
Crediton 7 24.61x
Islington London 7 0.50x
Kidderminster Foreign 7 26.30x
Luppitt 7 234.90x
Plympton Maurice 7 123.46x
Shaftesbury Holy Trinity 7 143.44x
St Pancras London 7 0.60x
Stowell 7 1521.74x
Walditch 7 736.84x
Woolwich 7 3.85x
Wortley In Bramley 7 6.19x
Burton Bradstock 6 128.48x
Cerne Abbas 6 131.00x
Ewell 6 40.46x
Langton Herring 6 476.19x
Manerdivy 6 160.43x
Nursling 6 127.12x
Paulton 6 56.44x
St Marylebone London 6 0.78x
Upway 6 166.67x
Whitcombe 6 1764.71x
Widley 6 113.64x
Yetminster 6 170.94x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 90
John 83
George 64
James 39
Charles 34
Henry 32
Thomas 30
Robert 27
Frederick 19
Alfred 16
Joseph 15
Arthur 13
Richard 13
Samuel 13
Harry 11
Albert 10
Edward 10
Walter 10
Job 9
Ernest 8
Frank 8
Herbert 7
Sidney 6
Fred 5
David 4
Edmund 4
Fredrick 4
Benjamin 3
Daniel 3
Edwin 3
Francis 3
Josiah 3
Thos. 3
Tom 3
Abel 2
Anthony 2
Augustus 2
Eli 2
Elisha 2
Jesse 2
Lewis 2
Matthew 2
Reuben 2
Simon 2
Alice 1
Azariah 1
Ben 1
Edgar 1
Geo.Hy. 1
Wm.Charles 1

FAQ

Hansford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hansford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,430 people were recorded with the Hansford surname. That placed it at #2,914 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hansford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,988 in 2016. That gives Hansford a modern rank of #3,239.

What does the Hansford surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "Hann's ford," referring to a river crossing owned by someone named Hann.

What does the Hansford map show?

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