NameCensus.

UK surname

Heady

Derived from a Middle English nickname for an intelligent or clever person, or from a place name.

In the 1881 census there were 174 people recorded with the Heady surname, ranking it #14,042 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 151, ranked #23,615, down from #14,042 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Little Horwood, Great and Little Munden and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Aylesbury Vale, Shepway and Gwynedd.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Heady is 208 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 13.2%.

1881 census count

174

Ranked #14,042

Modern count

151

2016, ranked #23,615

Peak year

1911

208 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Heady had 174 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,042 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016, ranked #23,615.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 208 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Heady surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Heady surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Heady 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 115 #15,634
1861 historical 181 #12,997
1881 historical 174 #14,042
1891 historical 181 #16,065
1901 historical 168 #16,886
1911 historical 208 #14,594
1997 modern 155 #20,684
1998 modern 163 #20,582
1999 modern 178 #19,592
2000 modern 157 #21,146
2001 modern 163 #20,372
2002 modern 161 #20,925
2003 modern 167 #20,245
2004 modern 163 #20,685
2005 modern 151 #21,667
2006 modern 159 #21,148
2007 modern 158 #21,464
2008 modern 157 #21,766
2009 modern 156 #22,351
2010 modern 154 #23,082
2011 modern 157 #22,574
2012 modern 152 #23,069
2013 modern 154 #23,210
2014 modern 158 #23,022
2015 modern 156 #23,106
2016 modern 151 #23,615

Geography

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Where Headys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Little Horwood, Great and Little Munden, London parishes, Dunstable and Barnet, East. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Aylesbury Vale, Shepway, Gwynedd, Epping Forest and Havering. 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 Little Horwood Buckinghamshire
2 Great and Little Munden Hertfordshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Dunstable Bedfordshire
5 Barnet, East Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Aylesbury Vale 003 Aylesbury Vale
2 Shepway 001 Shepway
3 Gwynedd 016 Gwynedd
4 Epping Forest 007 Epping Forest
5 Havering 012 Havering

Forenames

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First names often paired with Heady

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Heady

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Heady surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Heady household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Heady 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

Heady 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

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

Meaning and origin of Heady

The surname "HEADY" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that may have contained the Old English word "hēafod," meaning "head." This could suggest that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or the source of a river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "HEADY" can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a certain Robert Heady is mentioned as residing in Oxfordshire. This historical record provides evidence of the name's existence in England during the 13th century.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records and court documents across different counties in England. For instance, in 1542, a John Heady was documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire. Additionally, a Richard Heady was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1586.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname "HEADY." However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the formation of the surname, such as Headborough and Headley.

One notable individual with the surname "HEADY" was Sir Richard Heady, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire and served as a justice of the peace. Another prominent figure was John Heady, a successful merchant and landowner born in 1612 in Worcestershire.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname "HEADY" continued to appear in various records across England. For example, William Heady, born in 1678 in Somerset, was a renowned clockmaker and inventor. In the late 18th century, a family of Headys resided in Gloucestershire, with several members serving as clergymen and lawyers.

Another individual of note was Samuel Heady, born in 1756 in Wiltshire. He was a respected scholar and author who wrote extensively on topics ranging from history to theology. Additionally, in the 19th century, a certain Thomas Heady, born in 1822 in Oxfordshire, gained recognition as a pioneering horticulturist and contributed significantly to the development of new plant varieties.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Heady families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Heady 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. Buckinghamshire leads with 52 Headys recorded in 1881 and an index of 50.67x.

County Total Index
Buckinghamshire 52 50.67x
Middlesex 27 1.59x
Hertfordshire 22 18.81x
Bedfordshire 12 13.65x
Surrey 11 1.33x
Kent 10 1.73x
Cambridgeshire 7 6.51x
Yorkshire 7 0.42x
Lanarkshire 6 1.09x
Devon 5 1.42x
Midlothian 5 2.20x
Sussex 3 1.05x
Suffolk 2 0.97x
Durham 1 0.20x
Hampshire 1 0.29x
Herefordshire 1 1.44x
Lancashire 1 0.05x
Leicestershire 1 0.53x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stewkley in Buckinghamshire leads with 28 Headys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3589.74x.

Place Total Index
Stewkley 28 3589.74x
East Barnet 12 517.24x
Wing 10 1052.63x
Leighton Buzzard 9 238.10x
Linslade 7 693.07x
Little Munden 7 2592.59x
Petham 7 1750.00x
Wycombe 7 91.50x
March 6 166.67x
Send Ripley 6 555.56x
St Pancras London 6 4.39x
Edinburgh New North 5 252.53x
Glasgow 5 5.13x
Kensington London 5 5.30x
Shoreditch London 5 6.80x
Huddersfield 4 16.33x
Islington London 4 2.43x
Plymstock 4 216.22x
Dunstable 3 111.11x
Lambeth 3 2.03x
Mirfield 3 32.50x
Willesden 3 18.75x
Arundel 2 125.00x
Gorleston 2 38.10x
Burnley 1 5.90x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.24x
Eastbourne 1 7.59x
Govan 1 0.74x
Harrow On The Hill 1 29.50x
Hertford St Andrew 1 69.44x
Holmer 1 80.00x
Kingston On Thames 1 5.03x
Leicester St Nicholas 1 93.46x
Nackington 1 1428.57x
Paddington London 1 1.60x
Portsea 1 1.47x
St Andrew Holborn London 1 13.61x
St Lawrence 1 25.13x
St Luke London 1 3.67x
St Marythe Great 1 285.71x
Stoke 1 25.64x
Tormoham 1 6.69x
Watford 1 11.03x
Watton 1 208.33x
Witton Gilbert 1 50.25x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Sarah 10
Hannah 5
Louisa 5
Elizabeth 4
Ann 3
Emily 3
Jane 3
Martha 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Elizth. 2
Emma 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Grace 2
Amelia 1
Beatrice 1
Blanche 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Elizh. 1
Jaine 1
Margret 1
Maria 1
Minnie 1
Nettie 1
Polly 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
John 8
Thomas 8
James 7
Henry 6
George 5
Joseph 5
Albert 3
Alfred 3
Charles 3
Ernest 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Thos. 2
Walter 2
Archer 1
Arther 1
Arthur 1
Augustus 1
Bertie 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Ellis 1
Esaias 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Herbert 1
Horuce 1
Jesse 1
Jno. 1
Leonard 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Heady surname: questions and answers

How common was the Heady surname in 1881?

In 1881, 174 people were recorded with the Heady surname. That placed it at #14,042 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Heady surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016. That gives Heady a modern rank of #23,615.

What does the Heady surname mean?

Derived from a Middle English nickname for an intelligent or clever person, or from a place name.

What does the Heady map show?

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