NameCensus.

UK surname

Hansom

A surname potentially derived from the word "handsome".

In the 1881 census there were 168 people recorded with the Hansom surname, ranking it #14,380 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 310, ranked #14,406, down from #14,380 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Kirklees and Newcastle upon Tyne.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hansom is 315 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 84.5%.

1881 census count

168

Ranked #14,380

Modern count

310

2016, ranked #14,406

Peak year

2014

315 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hansom had 168 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,380 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 310 in 2016, ranked #14,406.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 228 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Hansom surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hansom surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Hansom 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 97 #17,484
1861 historical 123 #17,914
1881 historical 168 #14,380
1891 historical 181 #16,065
1901 historical 228 #13,929
1911 historical 215 #14,290
1997 modern 242 #15,597
1998 modern 258 #15,354
1999 modern 266 #15,150
2000 modern 278 #14,659
2001 modern 271 #14,691
2002 modern 276 #14,794
2003 modern 279 #14,506
2004 modern 280 #14,530
2005 modern 280 #14,452
2006 modern 283 #14,432
2007 modern 280 #14,694
2008 modern 287 #14,580
2009 modern 298 #14,480
2010 modern 310 #14,378
2011 modern 299 #14,631
2012 modern 289 #14,875
2013 modern 296 #14,876
2014 modern 315 #14,334
2015 modern 313 #14,313
2016 modern 310 #14,406

Geography

Back to top

Where Hansoms are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Gateshead, Eaglescliffe and Brancepeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Kirklees, Newcastle upon Tyne and Flintshire. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Eaglescliffe Durham
5 Brancepeth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 045 County Durham
2 Kirklees 049 Kirklees
3 Newcastle upon Tyne 003 Newcastle upon Tyne
4 Newcastle upon Tyne 005 Newcastle upon Tyne
5 Flintshire 003 Flintshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Hansom

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Hansom

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Hansom surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Hansom household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hansom 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

Hansom 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

Hansom falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hansom is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hansom

The surname Hansom originated from England in the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hana" meaning rooster and "sunu" meaning son, essentially translating to "son of the rooster". This name likely originated as a nickname for someone with a boisterous or cocky demeanor, akin to a rooster.

Early records show variants of the spelling such as Hanson, Hansonne, and Hansun in parish records from counties like Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire. One of the earliest recorded instances is John Hansun, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1572.

The Hansom name gained prominence in the 19th century with the invention of the Hansom cab, a type of horse-drawn carriage designed by Joseph Aloysius Hansom, an architect born in 1803 in Hinckley, Leicestershire. His innovative design for a lightweight, affordable cab revolutionized urban transportation in cities like London and New York.

Another notable figure bearing the Hansom name was Sir Reginald John Hansom, a British diplomat born in 1898, who served as the British Minister to Sweden from 1944 to 1948. He played a crucial role in the repatriation of British subjects during World War II.

In the realm of literature, Katharine Hansom, an English novelist born in 1920, gained recognition for her works exploring themes of family dynamics and relationships. Her novel "The Inheritance" was particularly well-received.

The Hansom name also has ties to the military, with Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hansom, born in 1878, serving as a decorated officer in the British Army during World War I. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.

Another notable figure was Sir Edmund Hansom, a prominent British architect born in 1807, known for his work on several churches and public buildings across England, including the Birmingham Town Hall and the Church of St. Mary and St. Ambrose in Edensor, Derbyshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Hansom families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hansom 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 49 Hansoms recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.98x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 49 2.98x
Durham 30 6.08x
Middlesex 28 1.69x
Northumberland 8 3.24x
Gloucestershire 6 1.84x
Hampshire 5 1.47x
Lincolnshire 5 1.89x
Surrey 5 0.62x
Worcestershire 5 2.31x
Devon 4 1.16x
Lancashire 3 0.15x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.34x
Sussex 3 1.07x
Cumberland 2 1.40x
Kent 2 0.35x
Royal Navy 2 10.12x
Somerset 2 0.75x
Warwickshire 2 0.48x
Berkshire 1 0.80x
Cheshire 1 0.27x
Hertfordshire 1 0.87x
Leicestershire 1 0.54x
Northamptonshire 1 0.64x
Oxfordshire 1 0.98x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Scarborough in Yorkshire leads with 30 Hansoms recorded in 1881 and an index of 200.94x.

Place Total Index
Scarborough 30 200.94x
Kensington London 12 13.02x
Gateshead 9 24.37x
Westgate 8 52.36x
Crook Billy Row 7 110.76x
Brandon Byshottles 5 80.91x
Falsgrave 5 206.61x
Lower Mitton 5 261.78x
North Bedburn 5 362.32x
Clifton 4 24.33x
Fishtoft 4 769.23x
Holbeck 4 36.73x
Alverstoke 3 24.39x
Arnold 3 92.02x
Gilling 3 612.24x
Islington London 3 1.87x
Accrington 2 11.18x
Acomb 2 232.56x
Chelsea London 2 4.00x
Milverton 2 162.60x
Mitcham 2 39.14x
Royal Navy 2 11.84x
Shoreditch London 2 2.78x
St Clement Danes London 2 58.31x
St Marylebone London 2 2.26x
Stoke Damerel 2 8.28x
Stranton 2 12.04x
West Rainton 2 130.72x
Whatley 2 800.00x
Bethnal Green London 1 1.39x
Bristol St Peter 1 86.21x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 3.27x
Caldewgate 1 12.79x
Chiswick 1 11.04x
Cosby 1 175.44x
Devonport 1 25.19x
Ealing 1 6.75x
Elton 1 14.71x
Ewerby 1 384.62x
Gillingham 1 8.58x
Hastings St Mary 1 14.37x
Hertford All Saints 1 156.25x
Horsted Keynes 1 153.85x
Leeds 1 1.08x
Lymm 1 37.59x
Maidstone 1 5.93x
Manfield 1 625.00x
Mayfield 1 60.61x
North Charford 1 1666.67x
Ockley 1 277.78x
Oxford St Thomas 1 20.92x
Plymouth Charles The 1 6.57x
Portsea 1 1.50x
Preston 1 109.89x
Ripon 1 26.25x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 3.00x
St Cuthbert Within 1 60.61x
St James Dukes Place 1 285.71x
St Martin In Fields 1 10.07x
Stainton In 1 526.32x
Sulgrave 1 384.62x
Woolhampton 1 357.14x
Worplesdon 1 103.09x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Hansom surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hansom surname in 1881?

In 1881, 168 people were recorded with the Hansom surname. That placed it at #14,380 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hansom surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 310 in 2016. That gives Hansom a modern rank of #14,406.

What does the Hansom surname mean?

A surname potentially derived from the word "handsome".

What does the Hansom map show?

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