NameCensus.

UK surname

Harrall

A variant spelling of an English surname derived from the Old English words "here" (army) and "heal" (hall or house), referring to someone who lived at a public hall.

In the 1881 census there were 75 people recorded with the Harrall surname, ranking it #22,893 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 145, ranked #24,293, down from #22,893 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rugby, London parishes and Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ipswich, South Northamptonshire and South Holland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Harrall is 194 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 93.3%.

1881 census count

75

Ranked #22,893

Modern count

145

2016, ranked #24,293

Peak year

1891

194 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Harrall had 75 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,893 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 145 in 2016, ranked #24,293.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 194 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Harrall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Harrall surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Harrall 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 64 #21,914
1861 historical 183 #12,903
1881 historical 75 #22,893
1891 historical 194 #15,277
1901 historical 151 #17,988
1911 historical 167 #16,692
1997 modern 161 #20,176
1998 modern 172 #19,883
1999 modern 173 #19,935
2000 modern 170 #20,120
2001 modern 172 #19,696
2002 modern 166 #20,532
2003 modern 163 #20,554
2004 modern 155 #21,352
2005 modern 152 #21,572
2006 modern 155 #21,477
2007 modern 153 #21,912
2008 modern 149 #22,530
2009 modern 154 #22,536
2010 modern 160 #22,487
2011 modern 149 #23,408
2012 modern 152 #23,069
2013 modern 158 #22,817
2014 modern 153 #23,537
2015 modern 151 #23,613
2016 modern 145 #24,293

Geography

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Where Harralls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rugby, London parishes, Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington, Preston and Ipswich St Mary Stoke. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ipswich, South Northamptonshire, South Holland and York. 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 Rugby Warwickshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Stafford St Mary and St Chad, Tillington Staffordshire
4 Preston Lancashire
5 Ipswich St Mary Stoke Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ipswich 009 Ipswich
2 South Northamptonshire 008 South Northamptonshire
3 South Holland 002 South Holland
4 York 014 York
5 York 015 York

Forenames

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First names often paired with Harrall

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Harrall

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Harrall surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Harrall household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Harrall is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Harrall 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

Harrall 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 Harrall is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Harrall

The surname Harrall is believed to have originated in England, likely in the early medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name referring to a specific location or area.

One possible origin is that the name comes from the Old English words "hara" meaning "hare" and "halh" meaning "a nook or corner of land." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a small corner of land where hares were found.

Another theory traces the name back to the Old English "har" meaning "gray" or "hoar" and "heal" meaning "hall" or "manor." In this case, the name could have referred to someone who lived near a gray or hoary manor house.

While the exact origins are uncertain, the name Harrall appears to have been present in various forms in early English records and documents. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a person named Harrald de Kilvington.

In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire recorded a William Harhale, indicating the name's presence in that region during that time period. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also listed a John Harehale, further exemplifying the variations in spelling.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Harrall include:

1. John Harrall (c. 1520 - c. 1590), an English churchman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

2. William Harrall (1572 - 1616), an English clergyman and author who wrote a treatise on the Holy Eucharist.

3. Thomas Harrall (1768 - 1835), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was present at the Battle of Trafalgar.

4. Elizabeth Harrall (1832 - 1912), a British suffragette and activist for women's rights, who campaigned for the right to vote and equal opportunities.

5. James Harrall (1875 - 1947), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.

While the exact origins may be shrouded in the mists of time, the surname Harrall has left its mark on various historical records and individuals throughout the centuries, reflecting its enduring presence in English history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Harrall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Harrall 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. Staffordshire leads with 34 Harralls recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.77x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 34 13.77x
Lancashire 16 1.84x
Buckinghamshire 6 13.57x
Kent 6 2.40x
Yorkshire 6 0.83x
Surrey 3 0.84x
Shropshire 2 3.16x
Middlesex 1 0.14x
Warwickshire 1 0.54x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hopton Coton in Staffordshire leads with 16 Harralls recorded in 1881 and an index of 4571.43x.

Place Total Index
Hopton Coton 16 4571.43x
Preston 15 64.60x
Wolstanton 7 93.33x
Stoke Upon Trent 6 22.92x
Wycombe 6 181.82x
Chapel Allerton 5 462.96x
Higham 3 882.35x
Ingestre 3 10000.00x
Kingston On Thames 3 35.05x
Hopesay 2 1250.00x
Strood 2 140.85x
Audley 1 40.98x
Chelsea London 1 4.54x
Clayton Le Moors 1 59.52x
Colwich 1 169.49x
Holbeck 1 20.83x
Rugby 1 40.00x
Woolwich 1 10.85x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ann 5
Mary 3
Annie 2
Clara 2
Elizabeth 2
Ellen 2
Louisa 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Amelin 1
Amy 1
Catherine 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Isabella 1
Maggie 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Sarah 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
Charles 4
Joseph 4
William 4
Samuel 2
Thomas 2
Algernon 1
Arthur 1
Geor. 1
George 1
Herbert 1
Lawrence 1
Mark 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Willm.Fredr. 1

FAQ

Harrall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Harrall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 75 people were recorded with the Harrall surname. That placed it at #22,893 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Harrall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 145 in 2016. That gives Harrall a modern rank of #24,293.

What does the Harrall surname mean?

A variant spelling of an English surname derived from the Old English words "here" (army) and "heal" (hall or house), referring to someone who lived at a public hall.

What does the Harrall map show?

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