NameCensus.

UK surname

Hartshorn

A surname derived from a maker or seller of hart's horn, a substance formerly used in medicines and foods.

In the 1881 census there were 1,296 people recorded with the Hartshorn surname, ranking it #3,160 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,725, ranked #3,618, down from #3,160 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Belgrave and Dudley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Cotswold and North East Derbyshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hartshorn is 1,772 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.1%.

1881 census count

1,296

Ranked #3,160

Modern count

1,725

2016, ranked #3,618

Peak year

1998

1,772 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hartshorn had 1,296 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,160 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,725 in 2016, ranked #3,618.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,594 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Hartshorn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hartshorn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hartshorn 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 831 #3,258
1861 historical 610 #4,355
1881 historical 1,296 #3,160
1891 historical 1,152 #3,706
1901 historical 1,486 #3,441
1911 historical 1,594 #3,049
1997 modern 1,690 #3,531
1998 modern 1,772 #3,493
1999 modern 1,768 #3,533
2000 modern 1,727 #3,592
2001 modern 1,733 #3,510
2002 modern 1,765 #3,530
2003 modern 1,696 #3,585
2004 modern 1,693 #3,595
2005 modern 1,669 #3,601
2006 modern 1,664 #3,610
2007 modern 1,689 #3,590
2008 modern 1,696 #3,607
2009 modern 1,723 #3,624
2010 modern 1,748 #3,652
2011 modern 1,757 #3,593
2012 modern 1,740 #3,570
2013 modern 1,746 #3,615
2014 modern 1,755 #3,611
2015 modern 1,738 #3,612
2016 modern 1,725 #3,618

Geography

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Where Hartshorns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Belgrave, Dudley, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, Cotswold, North East Derbyshire and Mansfield. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Belgrave Leicestershire
3 Dudley Staffordshire
4 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 026 Shropshire
2 Cotswold 009 Cotswold
3 Shropshire 007 Shropshire
4 North East Derbyshire 012 North East Derbyshire
5 Mansfield 002 Mansfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hartshorn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hartshorn

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Hartshorn surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Hartshorn household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Hartshorn 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

Hartshorn is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hartshorn 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 Hartshorn 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 Hartshorn, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Hartshorn

The surname Hartshorn is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "heorot" meaning "hart" or male red deer, and "horn". It likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who worked with or traded in the antlers of deer, which were used to make various items like handles, combs, and powders for medicinal purposes.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being Robert Hertshorn, mentioned in the Worcestershire Assize Rolls of 1221. The surname also appeared in various forms like Herteshorn, Hertishorne, and Hertshorne in medieval records across counties like Staffordshire, Berkshire, and Warwickshire.

In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, there is a reference to a place called "Hertesburne" in Dorset, which may have been an early spelling variation of the name or a location from which the surname derived its origins.

Notable individuals with the surname Hartshorn throughout history include Thomas Hartshorn (c.1530-1585), an English churchman who served as the Bishop of Norwich, and John Hartshorn (1650-1718), a prominent Quaker minister and author from Ashbourne, Derbyshire.

In the 17th century, William Hartshorn (1637-1683) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.

Moving forward, Elizabeth Hartshorn (1780-1854) was a British author and educator who wrote several influential works on early childhood education and the treatment of children in educational settings.

Lastly, George Hartshorn (1822-1898) was an American politician and businessman who served as the Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, from 1876 to 1878, during a period of rapid growth and development in the city.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hartshorn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hartshorn 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 318 Hartshorns recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.44x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 318 7.44x
Leicestershire 175 12.47x
Nottinghamshire 113 6.62x
Yorkshire 113 0.90x
Derbyshire 101 5.10x
Lancashire 99 0.66x
Middlesex 89 0.70x
Shropshire 86 7.86x
Warwickshire 33 1.03x
Worcestershire 31 1.87x
Kent 29 0.67x
Northumberland 22 1.17x
Cheshire 21 0.75x
Brecknockshire 10 3.95x
Durham 8 0.21x
Monmouthshire 7 0.76x
Northamptonshire 7 0.59x
Buckinghamshire 6 0.78x
Somerset 5 0.25x
Glamorgan 4 0.18x
Hertfordshire 4 0.46x
Flintshire 3 0.88x
Essex 2 0.08x
Gloucestershire 2 0.08x
Hampshire 2 0.08x
Lincolnshire 2 0.10x
Oxfordshire 1 0.13x
Roxburghshire 1 0.44x
Royal Navy 1 0.66x
Suffolk 1 0.06x
Surrey 1 0.02x
Wiltshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wolverhampton in Staffordshire leads with 47 Hartshorns recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.30x.

Place Total Index
Wolverhampton 47 14.30x
Arnold 44 176.64x
Pontesbury 38 285.50x
Thurmaston 38 1538.46x
Syston 34 258.75x
Wednesbury 34 31.83x
Bilston 32 38.63x
Dudley 31 15.42x
Broseley 25 128.60x
Normanton 24 63.66x
Leicester St Margaret 23 6.72x
Walsall Foreign 23 10.42x
Birmingham 20 1.88x
Nottingham St Mary 19 4.30x
Bromley London 17 6.10x
Burton Upon Trent 17 17.00x
Little Hulton 16 64.31x
Hasland 15 74.33x
Basford 14 17.80x
Broughton In Salford 14 10.19x
Salford 14 3.17x
Tamworth 14 61.27x
West Bromwich 14 5.72x
Willenhall 14 17.49x
Islington London 13 1.06x
Rushall 13 51.69x
Dale Abbey 12 681.82x
Denby 12 198.35x
Leeds 12 1.69x
Brewood 11 89.29x
Burslem 11 8.98x
Greenwich 11 5.46x
Ilkeston 11 19.79x
Leicester St Mary 11 9.70x
Snenton 11 16.41x
Poplar London 10 4.18x
Great Bowden 9 70.48x
Hucknall Torkard 9 20.79x
Kingswinford 9 5.80x
Llangattock 9 43.65x
Loughborough 9 14.13x
Openshaw 9 12.79x
Ripley 9 36.72x
Sheepshed 9 46.78x
Shoreditch London 9 1.64x
Breedon On The Hill 8 189.13x
Hunslet 8 4.09x
Market Bosworth 8 157.79x
Nottingham St Peter 8 42.04x
Sheffield 8 2.00x
St Marylebone London 8 1.18x
Woolwich 8 5.01x
Barrow In Furness 7 3.43x
Bolehall Glascote 7 51.74x
Chadderton 7 9.53x
Derby St Peter 7 11.09x
Ecclesall Bierlow 7 2.74x
Featherstone 7 49.68x
Llanwenarth Ultra 7 104.79x
Mason 7 162.79x
Stanley 7 190.74x
Weston By Welland 7 752.69x
Bedlington 6 9.54x
Bradford 6 1.98x
Darlaston 6 10.16x
Hornsey 6 3.75x
Mapperley 6 320.86x
Newcastle Under Lyme 6 7.93x
Norton Canes 6 38.51x
Oldham 6 1.24x
Plumstead 6 4.17x
Sedgley 6 3.78x
Stoke Upon Trent 6 1.32x
Tipton 6 4.58x
Woodborough 6 155.84x
Bradford 5 7.11x
Gate Fulford 5 17.06x
Kirk Hallam 5 1428.57x
Middlesbrough 5 3.06x
Mile End Old Town London 5 1.86x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 74
William 70
Thomas 52
George 36
Samuel 35
Charles 24
James 22
Joseph 22
Henry 20
Edward 15
Alfred 13
Arthur 13
Enoch 11
Frank 11
Frederick 11
Albert 10
Robert 10
Richard 8
Walter 8
Edwin 7
Daniel 6
Joshua 6
Alexander 5
Francis 5
Herbert 5
David 4
Edmund 4
Ernest 4
Thos. 4
Wm. 4
Benjamin 3
Jacob 3
Peter 3
Reuben 3
Stephen 3
Aaron 2
Earnest 2
Ed. 2
Frederic 2
Geo. 2
Harry 2
Isaac 2
Josiah 2
Louis 2
Michael 2
Sampson 2
Cornillwy 1
Emmanuel 1
Enos 1
Ephraim 1

FAQ

Hartshorn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hartshorn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,296 people were recorded with the Hartshorn surname. That placed it at #3,160 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hartshorn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,725 in 2016. That gives Hartshorn a modern rank of #3,618.

What does the Hartshorn surname mean?

A surname derived from a maker or seller of hart's horn, a substance formerly used in medicines and foods.

What does the Hartshorn map show?

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