NameCensus.

UK surname

Hartney

A toponymic surname derived from a place name in England.

In the 1881 census there were 37 people recorded with the Hartney surname, ranking it #28,418 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 123, ranked #27,115, up from #28,418 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan, Calderdale and Woking.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hartney is 168 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 232.4%.

1881 census count

37

Ranked #28,418

Modern count

123

2016, ranked #27,115

Peak year

2002

168 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hartney had 37 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,418 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 123 in 2016, ranked #27,115.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 49 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Hartney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hartney surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hartney 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 29 #28,082
1861 historical 46 #28,170
1881 historical 37 #28,418
1891 historical 39 #31,257
1901 historical 37 #30,009
1911 historical 49 #27,894
1997 modern 164 #19,944
1998 modern 152 #21,481
1999 modern 160 #20,943
2000 modern 162 #20,735
2001 modern 160 #20,616
2002 modern 168 #20,396
2003 modern 157 #21,026
2004 modern 155 #21,352
2005 modern 136 #23,205
2006 modern 139 #23,044
2007 modern 130 #24,389
2008 modern 137 #23,883
2009 modern 140 #24,033
2010 modern 134 #25,263
2011 modern 124 #26,367
2012 modern 133 #25,187
2013 modern 132 #25,789
2014 modern 128 #26,490
2015 modern 131 #25,979
2016 modern 123 #27,115

Geography

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Where Hartneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan, Calderdale, Woking and Harrow. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 010 Wigan
2 Calderdale 005 Calderdale
3 Calderdale 008 Calderdale
4 Woking 007 Woking
5 Harrow 009 Harrow

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hartney

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hartney

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Hartney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Hartney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Hartney is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hartney is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hartney 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 Hartney 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Hartney

The surname Hartney is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "heorot" meaning "hart" or "deer", and "eg" meaning "island". Thus, the name likely originated as a topographic name for someone who lived on a hart-inhabited island or near a stretch of land frequented by deer.

The earliest known recorded instances of the name date back to the early 13th century in County Dorset, England. A Robert de Herteneye is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Dorset in 1212, while a Willelmus de Herteneye appears in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1243.

In the late 13th century, the surname is found in various spellings such as Hertenay, Herteney, and Hertney in various records from Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. This suggests the name was well-established in the southwest of England during this period.

The Hartney name is also associated with the village of Hartney in Cheshire, which is believed to have derived its name from the Old English "heorot-eg", meaning "the island of harts". It is possible that early bearers of the surname may have hailed from or lived near this location.

Notable individuals with the surname Hartney include Sir John Hartney (c. 1380-1455), a English landowner and Member of Parliament for Dorset in 1421 and 1425. Another early bearer was Walter Hartney (c. 1525-1598), a English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1591 until his death.

Other prominent individuals include Sir Walter Hartney (1603-1683), an English soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis during the English Civil War, and William Hartney (1672-1735), an English clergyman and author who published several religious works in the early 18th century.

In more recent history, Major General Sir Geoffrey Hartney (1888-1983) was a British Army officer who served in both World Wars and commanded the 51st Highland Division during the Battle of Normandy in 1944.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hartney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hartney 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 13 Hartneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.04x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 13 3.04x
Yorkshire 6 1.68x
Surrey 5 2.84x
Middlesex 4 1.11x
Midlothian 3 6.21x
Devon 2 2.66x
Glamorgan 2 3.18x
Durham 1 0.93x
Kent 1 0.81x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aspull in Lancashire leads with 8 Hartneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 792.08x.

Place Total Index
Aspull 8 792.08x
Sculcoates 5 88.18x
Edinburgh Canongate 3 243.90x
Manchester 3 15.58x
Sutton 3 236.22x
Gileston 2 20000.00x
Heston 2 166.67x
St Luke London 2 34.54x
Battersea 1 7.53x
Bradford 1 11.55x
Devonport 1 116.28x
Lanchester 1 500.00x
Tonbridge 1 22.52x
Tormoham 1 31.45x
Toxteth Park 1 6.90x
Wandsworth 1 28.82x
Widnes 1 32.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Thomas 4
John 3
William 2
Daniel 1
Ernest 1
Fred. 1
James 1
Michael 1
Patrick 1

FAQ

Hartney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hartney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 37 people were recorded with the Hartney surname. That placed it at #28,418 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hartney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 123 in 2016. That gives Hartney a modern rank of #27,115.

What does the Hartney surname mean?

A toponymic surname derived from a place name in England.

What does the Hartney map show?

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