NameCensus.

UK surname

Harraway

A descriptive surname referring to someone living near a harrowed or ploughed field.

In the 1881 census there were 100 people recorded with the Harraway surname, ranking it #19,750 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 227, ranked #17,992, up from #19,750 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bishops Cannings, London parishes and Marlborough St Mary the Virgin. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Somerset, South Cambridgeshire and Kingston upon Hull.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Harraway is 248 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 127.0%.

1881 census count

100

Ranked #19,750

Modern count

227

2016, ranked #17,992

Peak year

1999

248 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Harraway had 100 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,750 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 227 in 2016, ranked #17,992.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 177 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Harraway surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Harraway surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Harraway 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 54 #23,577
1861 historical 81 #23,431
1881 historical 100 #19,750
1891 historical 128 #20,393
1901 historical 145 #18,426
1911 historical 177 #16,129
1997 modern 233 #15,975
1998 modern 244 #15,947
1999 modern 248 #15,884
2000 modern 242 #16,101
2001 modern 232 #16,314
2002 modern 230 #16,730
2003 modern 235 #16,291
2004 modern 233 #16,471
2005 modern 233 #16,434
2006 modern 230 #16,690
2007 modern 233 #16,752
2008 modern 231 #16,973
2009 modern 241 #16,848
2010 modern 243 #17,100
2011 modern 237 #17,235
2012 modern 233 #17,339
2013 modern 225 #18,027
2014 modern 237 #17,528
2015 modern 235 #17,530
2016 modern 227 #17,992

Geography

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Where Harraways are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bishops Cannings, London parishes, Marlborough St Mary the Virgin and Devizes St Mary the Virgin. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Somerset, South Cambridgeshire, Kingston upon Hull, Plymouth and South Gloucestershire. 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 Bishops Cannings Wiltshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Marlborough St Mary the Virgin Wiltshire
4 Devizes St Mary the Virgin Wiltshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Somerset 014 North Somerset
2 South Cambridgeshire 019 South Cambridgeshire
3 Kingston upon Hull 021 Kingston upon Hull, City of
4 Plymouth 004 Plymouth
5 South Gloucestershire 004 South Gloucestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Harraway

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Harraway

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Harraway surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Harraway household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Harraway 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

Harraway is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Harraway falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Harraway

The surname Harraway is an English surname that originated in the county of Somerset in the southwest of England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hara" meaning hare and "weg" meaning path or way, potentially referring to a path or track frequented by hares.

Historical records show that the name appeared as early as the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Harraweye, Harrewey, and Harweye. One of the earliest recorded references to the name is in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1327, where a John de Harraweye is listed.

In the 15th century, the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Somerset, a collection of legal documents relating to property transactions. A Robert Harraway is mentioned in these records in 1465.

The Harraway surname is also associated with the village of Harrowaway in Somerset, which may have been named after the hare path from which the surname is derived. This connection suggests that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or came from this village.

Notable individuals with the surname Harraway include:

1. John Harraway (c. 1570 - c. 1640), an English clergyman and author who wrote a treatise on the doctrine of predestination.

2. William Harraway (1769 - 1847), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was later appointed as a Marshal of the Vice-Admiralty Court in Newfoundland.

3. Elizabeth Harraway (1838 - 1920), a British author and poet who published several works of fiction and non-fiction in the late 19th century.

4. Thomas Harraway (1856 - 1932), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.

5. Robert Harraway (1920 - 2002), a British artist and sculptor known for his abstract metal sculptures and his work in public art commissions.

While the Harraway surname has its roots in Somerset, it has since spread across various parts of England and beyond, with families bearing this name found in other regions of the United Kingdom and countries like Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Harraway families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Harraway 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. Wiltshire leads with 37 Harraways recorded in 1881 and an index of 42.89x.

County Total Index
Wiltshire 37 42.89x
Surrey 11 2.31x
Yorkshire 9 0.93x
Buckinghamshire 8 13.57x
Cornwall 8 7.24x
Middlesex 7 0.72x
Cheshire 5 2.32x
Hampshire 5 2.50x
Berkshire 3 4.10x
Lancashire 3 0.26x
Kent 2 0.60x
Oxfordshire 1 1.66x
Suffolk 1 0.84x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Marlborough St Mary Virgin in Wiltshire leads with 14 Harraways recorded in 1881 and an index of 2295.08x.

Place Total Index
Marlborough St Mary Virgin 14 2295.08x
Bishops Cannings 13 4062.50x
Cottingham 9 432.69x
Wycombe 6 136.36x
Bermondsey 5 17.22x
Islington London 5 5.29x
Monks Coppenhall 5 61.50x
Stoke Climsland 5 704.23x
Warminster 5 264.55x
Devizes St Mary 4 459.77x
Lambeth 4 4.70x
Liverpool 3 4.27x
Saltash 3 348.84x
Shinfield 3 697.67x
Eltham 2 102.56x
Portsea 2 5.10x
Southampton St Mary 2 15.91x
Upton Cum Chalvey 2 85.11x
Croydon 1 3.79x
Eynsham 1 263.16x
Polstead 1 357.14x
Portsmouth 1 21.74x
Preshute 1 188.68x
St George Hanover Square 1 5.82x
St Pancras London 1 1.27x
Wandsworth 1 10.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 5
Sarah 4
Emily 3
Mary 3
Ann 2
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Ellen 2
Ethel 2
Martha 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Bella 1
Blanch 1
Charlotte 1
Christina 1
Edith 1
Elizath. 1
Elizth. 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Helen 1
Kate 1
Leah 1
Lillian 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Marion 1
Olivia 1
Phoebe 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 6
Thomas 5
George 4
John 4
William 4
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Albert 2
Charles 2
Henry 2
Richd. 2
Robert 2
Allan 1
Arthur 1
Bertram 1
Daniel 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Fredrick 1
Gordon 1
Harry 1
Percy 1
Sidney 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Harraway surname: questions and answers

How common was the Harraway surname in 1881?

In 1881, 100 people were recorded with the Harraway surname. That placed it at #19,750 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Harraway surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 227 in 2016. That gives Harraway a modern rank of #17,992.

What does the Harraway surname mean?

A descriptive surname referring to someone living near a harrowed or ploughed field.

What does the Harraway map show?

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