NameCensus.

UK surname

Harmsworth

In the 1881 census there were 461 people recorded with the Harmsworth surname, ranking it #7,193 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 713, ranked #7,611, down from #7,193 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kingsclere, Newchurch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wokingham, Tendring and Swale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Harmsworth is 798 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.7%.

1881 census count

461

Ranked #7,193

Modern count

713

2016, ranked #7,611

Peak year

1998

798 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Harmsworth had 461 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,193 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 713 in 2016, ranked #7,611.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 753 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Harmsworth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Harmsworth surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Harmsworth 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 329 #7,079
1861 historical 219 #11,124
1881 historical 461 #7,193
1891 historical 580 #6,577
1901 historical 717 #6,159
1911 historical 753 #5,722
1997 modern 745 #6,920
1998 modern 798 #6,766
1999 modern 798 #6,805
2000 modern 791 #6,837
2001 modern 782 #6,763
2002 modern 788 #6,856
2003 modern 747 #7,043
2004 modern 756 #6,980
2005 modern 713 #7,218
2006 modern 698 #7,366
2007 modern 703 #7,398
2008 modern 716 #7,357
2009 modern 738 #7,342
2010 modern 748 #7,387
2011 modern 743 #7,365
2012 modern 723 #7,435
2013 modern 723 #7,545
2014 modern 725 #7,571
2015 modern 728 #7,503
2016 modern 713 #7,611

Geography

Back to top

Where Harmsworths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kingsclere, Newchurch, London parishes, Wigan and Brimpton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wokingham, Tendring, Swale and Richmondshire. 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 Kingsclere Hampshire
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Wigan Lancashire
5 Brimpton Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wokingham 014 Wokingham
2 Tendring 011 Tendring
3 Wokingham 020 Wokingham
4 Swale 015 Swale
5 Richmondshire 006 Richmondshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Harmsworth

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Harmsworth

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

Harmsworth is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Harmsworth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Harmsworth 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. Hampshire leads with 167 Harmsworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.12x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 167 18.12x
Surrey 94 4.29x
Middlesex 52 1.16x
Berkshire 47 13.92x
Sussex 31 4.09x
Lancashire 20 0.37x
Kent 12 0.78x
Wiltshire 12 3.02x
Essex 11 1.24x
Yorkshire 8 0.18x
Bedfordshire 4 1.72x
Denbighshire 1 0.59x
Hertfordshire 1 0.32x
Somerset 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kingsclere in Hampshire leads with 40 Harmsworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 950.12x.

Place Total Index
Kingsclere 40 950.12x
Basingstoke 28 264.15x
Brimpton 20 3030.30x
Hindley 19 83.52x
Ryde 17 85.86x
Winkfield 16 285.71x
Baughurst 15 2000.00x
Lambeth 14 3.57x
Kingston On Thames 13 24.70x
Hampstead London 12 17.13x
Wimbledon 12 48.78x
Chittoe 11 3548.39x
Portsmouth 11 51.84x
West Ham 11 5.61x
Deptford St Paul 10 8.45x
St Faith Winchester 10 232.56x
Chichester St Andrew 8 1012.66x
Frimley 8 128.21x
Hackney London 8 3.17x
Mile End Old Town London 8 8.36x
West Clandon 8 1403.51x
Wootton St Lawrence 8 522.88x
Battle 7 136.72x
Rotherhithe 7 12.60x
Battersea 6 3.63x
Croydon 6 4.93x
Eversley 6 566.04x
Kingston By Sea 6 495.87x
Alton 5 71.94x
Bucklebury 5 284.09x
Chelsea London 5 3.69x
Finchley 5 29.00x
Southwark St George Martyr 5 5.53x
Yateley 5 287.36x
Bedford St Paul 4 25.05x
Bentworth 4 465.12x
Bray 4 40.32x
Ecclesfield 4 12.24x
Froyle 4 338.98x
Littlehampton 4 66.12x
Subdeanery 4 69.57x
Tooting Graveney 4 65.57x
Ardsley 2 38.91x
Chiswick 2 8.14x
Farnham 2 11.74x
Frensham 2 62.11x
Kensington London 2 0.80x
Shoreditch London 2 1.03x
Stockbridge 2 149.25x
Westminster St James 2 4.33x
Winslade 2 1176.47x
Wonersh 2 73.26x
Worting 2 769.23x
Aldershot 1 3.24x
Bentley 1 92.59x
Bolton Percy 1 263.16x
Britford 1 38.02x
Broughton In Salford 1 2.05x
Chilton Foliat 1 114.94x
Clapham 1 1.78x
Clerkenwell London 1 0.94x
Crondall 1 20.20x
Droxford 1 28.41x
Fulham London 1 1.53x
Lewisham 1 1.22x
Llanfwrog 1 48.08x
Millbrook 1 4.31x
Milton In Gravesend 1 4.35x
Nether Hallam 1 1.66x
Paddington London 1 0.60x
Portsea 1 0.55x
Reading St Mary 1 3.70x
Sawbridgeworth 1 21.32x
Shipton Bellinger 1 227.27x
South Bersted 1 15.50x
St Andrew Holborn London 1 5.14x
St Bartholomew Hyde 1 45.45x
Streatham 1 3.00x
Walcot 1 2.59x
Woking 1 7.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 31
George 26
John 21
James 20
Charles 14
Henry 14
Alfred 8
Edward 8
Joseph 8
Thomas 8
Frederick 5
David 4
Frank 4
Geo. 4
Robert 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Edwin 3
Ernest 2
Francis 2
Harold 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Thos. 2
Walter 2
Benjamin 1
Cecil 1
Daniel 1
G.B. 1
Geo.R. 1
Geroge 1
Henrey 1
Heny.Jas.Woolgar 1
Hildebrand 1
Infant 1
J. 1
Jas.Henry 1
Jas.W. 1
Jesse 1
Jonathon 1
Leicester 1
Matthew 1
Reginald 1
Richard 1
Stafford 1
Sydney 1
Tom 1
W.James 1
Willie 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Harmsworth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Harmsworth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 461 people were recorded with the Harmsworth surname. That placed it at #7,193 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Harmsworth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 713 in 2016. That gives Harmsworth a modern rank of #7,611.

What does the Harmsworth map show?

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