NameCensus.

UK surname

Hartley

From an English place name meaning "stag wood," or an occupational name for a deer herder.

In the 1881 census there were 18,787 people recorded with the Hartley surname, ranking it #202 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 18,967, ranked #317, down from #202 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Halifax and Wakefield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pendle, Burnley and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hartley is 23,465 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.0%.

1881 census count

18,787

Ranked #202

Modern count

18,967

2016, ranked #317

Peak year

1911

23,465 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hartley had 18,787 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #202 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 18,967 in 2016, ranked #317.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 23,465 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Hartley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hartley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hartley 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 11,833 #209
1861 historical 11,439 #213
1881 historical 18,787 #202
1891 historical 19,159 #208
1901 historical 22,473 #211
1911 historical 23,465 #183
1997 modern 19,335 #297
1998 modern 19,945 #299
1999 modern 20,106 #300
2000 modern 19,851 #301
2001 modern 19,280 #302
2002 modern 19,757 #301
2003 modern 19,271 #301
2004 modern 19,203 #301
2005 modern 18,838 #300
2006 modern 18,870 #302
2007 modern 18,888 #303
2008 modern 19,019 #303
2009 modern 19,316 #308
2010 modern 19,665 #309
2011 modern 19,355 #309
2012 modern 18,922 #310
2013 modern 19,382 #309
2014 modern 19,353 #314
2015 modern 19,096 #317
2016 modern 18,967 #317

Geography

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Where Hartleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Halifax, Wakefield, Bradford and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pendle, Burnley and Copeland. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Wakefield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pendle 008 Pendle
2 Burnley 014 Burnley
3 Copeland 008 Copeland
4 Burnley 001 Burnley
5 Burnley 010 Burnley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hartley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hartley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hartley, 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 Hartley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Hartley 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, Hartley 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

Hartley is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hartley falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hartley

The surname Hartley originated in England and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "heorot" meaning a stag or male deer, and "leah" meaning a meadow or woodland clearing. This suggests that the name originally referred to a person who lived near a deer meadow or forest clearing.

Hartley is an English locational surname, indicating that it was initially taken from the place name of various towns and villages in England, primarily in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire. These place names were often derived from the same Old English roots as the surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hartley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Henricus de Hertleia in Yorkshire. This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Herteley, Hertelay, and Hartlay, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that time period.

Notable individuals with the surname Hartley throughout history include:

1. David Hartley (1705-1757), an English philosopher and founder of the associationist school of psychology. 2. Jonathan Scott Hartley (1845-1912), an English-born American inventor and engineer, best known for patenting the first successful glass-blowing machine. 3. Leslie Poles Hartley (1895-1972), an English novelist and critic, whose works include "The Go-Between" and "The Hireling." 4. Dorothy Hartley (1893-1985), an English writer and social historian, known for her works on traditional English country life and customs. 5. Marsden Hartley (1877-1943), an American Modernist painter and leading figure in the early 20th century avant-garde movement.

The surname Hartley is also associated with various place names in England, such as Hartley Wintney in Hampshire, Hartley in Kent, and Great Hartley in Northumberland, among others. These place names likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hartley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hartley 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. Lancashire leads with 7,518 Hartleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.46x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 7,518 3.46x
Yorkshire 7,151 3.94x
Middlesex 659 0.36x
Durham 364 0.67x
Cheshire 339 0.84x
Cumberland 300 1.90x
Surrey 210 0.24x
Derbyshire 188 0.66x
Lincolnshire 171 0.58x
Warwickshire 159 0.34x
Suffolk 149 0.67x
Staffordshire 139 0.22x
Nottinghamshire 108 0.44x
Kent 97 0.16x
Westmorland 96 2.39x
Northumberland 93 0.34x
Essex 91 0.25x
Lanarkshire 87 0.15x
Norfolk 73 0.26x
Sussex 66 0.21x
Worcestershire 56 0.23x
Oxfordshire 54 0.48x
Hampshire 52 0.14x
Leicestershire 51 0.25x
Cornwall 44 0.21x
Shropshire 39 0.25x
Hertfordshire 33 0.26x
Gloucestershire 32 0.09x
Wiltshire 31 0.19x
Midlothian 26 0.11x
Glamorgan 25 0.08x
Northamptonshire 25 0.15x
Buckinghamshire 22 0.20x
Devon 22 0.06x
Cambridgeshire 21 0.18x
Flintshire 16 0.33x
Dunbartonshire 15 0.30x
Angus 10 0.06x
Caernarfonshire 10 0.14x
Stirlingshire 10 0.15x
Dorset 9 0.07x
Herefordshire 9 0.12x
Isle of Man 9 0.26x
Pembrokeshire 9 0.15x
Perthshire 7 0.09x
Roxburghshire 7 0.21x
Argyllshire 6 0.12x
Denbighshire 6 0.09x
Somerset 6 0.02x
Huntingdonshire 5 0.14x
Merionethshire 5 0.15x
Royal Navy 5 0.23x
Carmarthenshire 4 0.05x
Monmouthshire 4 0.03x
Renfrewshire 4 0.03x
Rutland 4 0.30x
Ayrshire 3 0.02x
Montgomeryshire 3 0.07x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.01x
Bedfordshire 2 0.02x
Buteshire 2 0.18x
Wigtownshire 2 0.08x
Anglesey 1 0.03x
Berkshire 1 0.01x
Berwickshire 1 0.05x
Brecknockshire 1 0.03x
Fife 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Little Marsden in Lancashire leads with 578 Hartleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 58.07x.

Place Total Index
Great Little Marsden 578 58.07x
Colne 477 73.70x
Burnley 395 21.59x
Blackburn 357 6.18x
Habergham Eaves 347 17.47x
Leeds 319 3.11x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 314 37.25x
Bradford 226 5.15x
Halifax 223 8.37x
Keighley 222 11.48x
Horton In Bradford 214 7.55x
Accrington 203 10.28x
Trawden 198 145.65x
Preston 196 3.37x
Manchester 195 2.00x
Bowling 162 9.01x
Bingley 148 12.81x
Oswaldtwistle 146 19.02x
Spotland 146 6.04x
Shipley 144 15.29x
Thornton In Craven 142 97.53x
Morley 141 14.95x
Sheffield 139 2.41x
Hunslet 137 4.84x
Oldham 136 1.94x
Castleton 133 6.13x
Ecclesall Bierlow 127 3.44x
Ovenden 126 15.60x
Barrowford Booth 124 51.57x
Bury 123 4.96x
Wuerdle Wardle 121 18.35x
Salford 119 1.86x
Newchurch 108 6.08x
Manningham 107 4.79x
Clitheroe 103 16.11x
Blatchinworth 92 18.60x
Wakefield 91 6.53x
Barnoldswick 89 35.14x
Southowram 88 15.89x
Wardleworth 88 7.09x
Hulme 87 1.92x
Holbeck 86 7.15x
Northowram 82 6.45x
Lancaster 81 6.27x
Padiham 79 15.05x
Brightside Bierlow 77 2.16x
Little Bolton 77 2.76x
St Pancras London 76 0.52x
Gomersal 74 8.74x
Skipton 73 12.79x
Wortley In Bramley 72 5.01x
Barrow In Furness 71 2.40x
Hipperholme Cum 70 8.78x
Huddersfield 69 2.61x
Haslingden 68 7.56x
Idle 68 8.08x
Haworth 63 14.61x
Liverpool 63 0.48x
Soyland 62 28.48x
Lofthouse Cum Carlton 61 27.59x
Everton 60 0.87x
Armley 59 7.37x
Kirkdale 58 1.59x
Thornton In Bradford 58 9.60x
Nether Hallam 57 2.32x
Hackney London 56 0.55x
Glemsford 55 35.11x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 54 3.19x
Chorley 53 4.35x
Eccleshill 52 11.78x
Islington London 51 0.29x
Pendleton In Salford 51 1.97x
Bishopwearmouth 50 1.07x
Dukinfield 50 2.68x
Great Harwood 50 12.73x
Walton Le Dale 50 8.56x
Cheetham 47 2.90x
Sowerby In Halifax 47 7.92x
Ecclesfield 46 3.46x
Newton 46 2.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,443
Sarah 871
Elizabeth 730
Jane 411
Ann 382
Alice 335
Hannah 305
Ellen 292
Margaret 279
Annie 263
Martha 263
Emma 256
Emily 180
Eliza 163
Ada 108
Clara 102
Edith 93
Maria 91
Harriet 85
Isabella 83
Susannah 83
Betty 78
Fanny 76
Louisa 72
Nancy 65
Catherine 64
Charlotte 63
Agnes 60
Florence 58
Grace 58
Frances 56
Lucy 56
Anne 52
Rebecca 49
Ruth 48
Susan 48
Caroline 46
Esther 46
Amelia 45
Betsy 41
Eleanor 41
Elizth. 38
Rachel 38
Kate 34
Ethel 29
Rose 27
Minnie 26
Harriett 23
Selina 23
Margret 22

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 1,264
William 967
James 791
Thomas 577
Joseph 447
George 421
Henry 328
Robert 293
Richard 247
Charles 186
Alfred 165
Samuel 162
Edward 125
Arthur 121
Harry 121
Walter 116
Albert 103
Herbert 99
Fred 84
Benjamin 83
David 83
Frederick 70
Frank 59
Wm. 55
Edwin 50
Ernest 50
Isaac 50
Tom 47
Francis 43
Peter 43
Abraham 40
Stephen 38
Willie 34
Edmund 30
Thos. 30
Christopher 28
Jonathan 28
Joshua 27
Jno. 25
Sam 25
Geo. 22
Bernard 21
Joe 21
Mark 21
Michael 20
Wilson 20
Amos 18
Matthew 18
Daniel 16
Jonas 16

FAQ

Hartley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hartley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 18,787 people were recorded with the Hartley surname. That placed it at #202 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hartley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 18,967 in 2016. That gives Hartley a modern rank of #317.

What does the Hartley surname mean?

From an English place name meaning "stag wood," or an occupational name for a deer herder.

What does the Hartley map show?

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