NameCensus.

UK surname

Hart

An English occupational surname for a hunter or someone who tended deer.

In the 1881 census there were 25,518 people recorded with the Hart surname, ranking it #128 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 34,198, ranked #151, down from #128 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Govan Combination and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North West Leicestershire, Fenland and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hart is 35,374 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.0%.

1881 census count

25,518

Ranked #128

Modern count

34,198

2016, ranked #151

Peak year

1999

35,374 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hart had 25,518 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #128 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 34,198 in 2016, ranked #151.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 31,266 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hart surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hart surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hart 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 16,610 #128
1861 historical 16,699 #127
1881 historical 25,518 #128
1891 historical 26,974 #127
1901 historical 31,266 #130
1911 historical 31,197 #116
1997 modern 33,937 #144
1998 modern 35,129 #144
1999 modern 35,374 #145
2000 modern 35,179 #147
2001 modern 34,396 #146
2002 modern 34,894 #148
2003 modern 33,940 #149
2004 modern 33,763 #150
2005 modern 33,049 #151
2006 modern 32,995 #151
2007 modern 33,221 #151
2008 modern 33,386 #151
2009 modern 34,084 #152
2010 modern 34,906 #151
2011 modern 34,424 #151
2012 modern 33,737 #151
2013 modern 34,552 #151
2014 modern 34,736 #151
2015 modern 34,436 #151
2016 modern 34,198 #151

Geography

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Where Harts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Govan Combination, Lambeth and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North West Leicestershire, Fenland, Cornwall, Wyre Forest and Pembrokeshire. 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 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North West Leicestershire 012 North West Leicestershire
2 Fenland 006 Fenland
3 Cornwall 054 Cornwall
4 Wyre Forest 004 Wyre Forest
5 Pembrokeshire 013 Pembrokeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hart

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hart

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Hart is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hart is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hart falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hart

The surname Hart is an English surname that originated in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "heorot," which means "hart" or "stag." The name was first used as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a forest or displayed stag-like characteristics.

The earliest recorded instance of the Hart surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hert" and "Harte." During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name spread across England, with various spellings such as "Hert," "Harte," and "Hart" emerging.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Hart surname was Sir Percival Hart, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Another notable figure was Sir John Hart (c. 1501-1573), a English merchant and alderman of London who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1568-1569.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Hart surname was associated with several prominent families, including the Harts of Lullingstone Castle in Kent and the Harts of Stratton in Gloucestershire. One notable member of the latter family was Sir John Hart (1572-1645), a Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.

Another famous bearer of the Hart surname was John Hart (c. 1651-1711), a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence from New Jersey. In the 18th century, the Hart family also produced several notable figures, including Thomas Hart Benton (1782-1858), a renowned American painter and one of the foremost artists of the American West.

The Hart surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Hartfield in East Sussex, Hartley in Kent, and Hartford in Cheshire. These place names often derived from the Old English words "heorot" or "hort," meaning "stag" or "deer enclosure."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hart families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hart 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. Middlesex leads with 4,146 Harts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.66x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 4,146 1.66x
Lancashire 3,045 1.03x
Surrey 1,864 1.54x
Yorkshire 1,490 0.60x
Kent 1,146 1.35x
Lanarkshire 1,073 1.33x
Essex 873 1.77x
Suffolk 744 2.45x
Durham 689 0.93x
Warwickshire 537 0.85x
Gloucestershire 534 1.09x
Devon 492 0.95x
Staffordshire 465 0.55x
Sussex 450 1.07x
Hampshire 448 0.88x
Derbyshire 439 1.13x
Leicestershire 420 1.52x
Hertfordshire 410 2.39x
Cambridgeshire 395 2.50x
Worcestershire 379 1.16x
Wiltshire 371 1.68x
Nottinghamshire 366 1.09x
Somerset 357 0.89x
Norfolk 351 0.92x
Dorset 335 2.05x
Renfrewshire 324 1.68x
Bedfordshire 304 2.36x
Northamptonshire 290 1.24x
Cheshire 264 0.48x
Northumberland 262 0.71x
Berkshire 206 1.10x
Cornwall 202 0.72x
Glamorgan 200 0.46x
Midlothian 198 0.59x
Lincolnshire 149 0.37x
Monmouthshire 124 0.69x
Ayrshire 115 0.62x
Buckinghamshire 102 0.68x
Angus 84 0.36x
Herefordshire 82 0.80x
Shropshire 82 0.38x
Huntingdonshire 77 1.56x
Fife 65 0.44x
Oxfordshire 52 0.34x
Dunbartonshire 51 0.76x
Perthshire 47 0.42x
Pembrokeshire 42 0.53x
Cumberland 40 0.19x
Stirlingshire 39 0.42x
Roxburghshire 37 0.82x
Royal Navy 23 0.77x
West Lothian 23 0.61x
Shetland 21 0.83x
Channel Islands 19 0.26x
Rutland 18 0.98x
Argyllshire 17 0.25x
Caernarfonshire 17 0.17x
Selkirkshire 15 0.67x
Kirkcudbrightshire 13 0.36x
Carmarthenshire 12 0.11x
Flintshire 11 0.16x
Peeblesshire 10 0.85x
Aberdeenshire 9 0.04x
Isle of Man 9 0.19x
Merionethshire 9 0.20x
Morayshire 9 0.23x
Buteshire 6 0.40x
East Lothian 6 0.18x
Sutherland 6 0.31x
Dumfriesshire 4 0.07x
Ross-shire 4 0.06x
Westmorland 4 0.07x
Brecknockshire 3 0.06x
Caithness 3 0.09x
Denbighshire 3 0.03x
Kincardineshire 3 0.10x
Montgomeryshire 3 0.05x
Anglesey 2 0.05x
Clackmannanshire 2 0.10x
Banffshire 1 0.02x
Cardiganshire 1 0.02x
Radnorshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 391 Harts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.62x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 391 1.62x
Lambeth 378 1.74x
Govan 306 1.54x
Barony 301 1.48x
St Pancras London 258 1.29x
Newington 247 2.68x
Hackney London 240 1.72x
Camberwell 217 1.36x
Bethnal Green London 211 1.95x
Shoreditch London 204 1.89x
Wigan 198 4.79x
Aston 197 1.14x
Birmingham 196 0.94x
Mile End Old Town London 195 3.68x
West Ham 185 1.70x
Liverpool 183 1.02x
Kensington London 159 1.15x
Brighton 158 1.86x
Glasgow 158 1.10x
Wolverhampton 154 2.38x
St Marylebone London 153 1.15x
Manchester 147 1.11x
Paddington London 141 1.54x
Poplar London 132 2.81x
Folkestone 124 7.52x
St George In East London 124 5.29x
Portsea 122 1.22x
Little Bolton 120 3.16x
Whitechapel London 120 4.89x
Lye 118 21.79x
Hammersmith London 114 1.86x
Battersea 109 1.19x
Bermondsey 109 1.47x
Leicester St Margaret 106 1.57x
Great Bolton 104 2.66x
Leeds 102 0.73x
Chorley 101 6.09x
Croydon 98 1.45x
Spitalfields London 98 5.23x
Everton 97 1.03x
Ashton In Makerfield 92 10.93x
Bromley London 92 1.68x
Southwark St George Martyr 91 1.81x
Abbey 87 2.95x
St George Hanover Square 84 1.91x
Tottenham 83 2.09x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 82 0.61x
Clerkenwell London 80 1.36x
Nottingham St Mary 78 0.90x
Chelsea London 77 1.03x
Cheltenham 75 1.99x
Edmonton 75 3.74x
Halliwell 73 6.78x
Deptford St Paul 69 1.05x
Toxteth Park 68 0.68x
Old Monkland 66 2.06x
Hulme 64 1.04x
Stockton On Tees 64 1.79x
Stanley 63 87.31x
Lewisham 62 1.37x
Ashby De La Zouch 61 9.53x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 60 1.30x
Westhoughton 60 7.60x
Bradford On Avon 59 8.36x
Fulham London 59 1.63x
Hampstead London 59 1.52x
St Botolph Aldgate London 58 11.30x
Ince In Makerfield 56 4.07x
Kirkdale 56 1.13x
Dundee 55 0.64x
Greenwich 55 1.39x
Salford 55 0.63x
Woolwich 55 1.75x
Eastbourne 54 2.79x
Enfield 54 3.30x
Middlesbrough 54 1.68x
Hornsey 53 1.68x
Measham 53 36.96x
Wollescote 53 20.22x
Blackburn 51 0.65x
St Luke London 51 1.28x
Preston 50 0.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,578
Elizabeth 913
Sarah 749
Ellen 431
Ann 398
Jane 387
Alice 359
Eliza 359
Emma 356
Annie 353
Margaret 273
Emily 264
Hannah 227
Louisa 167
Harriet 158
Martha 158
Catherine 156
Florence 154
Caroline 145
Charlotte 145
Maria 139
Edith 128
Ada 121
Kate 110
Clara 109
Fanny 107
Lucy 102
Susan 93
Frances 92
Anne 83
Harriett 83
Agnes 81
Rose 81
Esther 78
Julia 78
Matilda 71
Sophia 68
Amelia 66
Rebecca 61
Minnie 57
Isabella 55
Susannah 55
Amy 52
Bridget 49
Eleanor 47
Elizth. 44
Gertrude 42
Rachel 40
Ethel 39
Jessie 39

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 1,372
John 1,292
James 733
Thomas 723
George 696
Henry 602
Charles 488
Joseph 377
Edward 260
Robert 232
Alfred 224
Frederick 211
Arthur 194
Samuel 187
Richard 183
Walter 168
Albert 150
Harry 134
Ernest 111
David 95
Frank 92
Herbert 88
Benjamin 75
Michael 73
Francis 70
Patrick 69
Peter 66
Edwin 63
Wm. 50
Stephen 47
Daniel 43
Isaac 43
Fred 39
Sidney 33
Thos. 33
Martin 32
Percy 31
Abraham 26
Fredrick 26
Lewis 26
Philip 26
Fredk. 23
Moses 21
Chas. 20
Sydney 20
Willm. 20
Alexander 19
Geo. 19
Jesse 19
Matthew 19

FAQ

Hart surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hart surname in 1881?

In 1881, 25,518 people were recorded with the Hart surname. That placed it at #128 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hart surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 34,198 in 2016. That gives Hart a modern rank of #151.

What does the Hart surname mean?

An English occupational surname for a hunter or someone who tended deer.

What does the Hart map show?

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