NameCensus.

UK surname

Heape

A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a small hill or heap of soil.

In the 1881 census there were 115 people recorded with the Heape surname, ranking it #18,230 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 69, ranked #33,762, down from #18,230 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Burton-on-Trent and Stapenhill. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Derbyshire, West Dorset and Winchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Heape is 192 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 40.0%.

1881 census count

115

Ranked #18,230

Modern count

69

2016, ranked #33,762

Peak year

1901

192 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 1998

Key insights

  • Heape had 115 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,230 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 69 in 2016, ranked #33,762.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 192 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Heape surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Heape surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Heape 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 114 #15,716
1861 historical 122 #18,036
1881 historical 115 #18,230
1891 historical 170 #16,816
1901 historical 192 #15,518
1911 historical 157 #17,348
1997 modern 107 #25,924
1998 modern 105 #26,822
1999 modern 102 #27,468
2000 modern 99 #27,845
2001 modern 90 #28,793
2002 modern 97 #28,383
2003 modern 90 #29,260
2004 modern 86 #30,019
2005 modern 87 #29,966
2006 modern 77 #31,510
2007 modern 76 #31,966
2008 modern 74 #32,460
2009 modern 79 #32,372
2010 modern 68 #33,632
2011 modern 73 #33,230
2012 modern 64 #34,028
2013 modern 69 #33,808
2014 modern 69 #33,833
2015 modern 70 #33,717
2016 modern 69 #33,762

Geography

Back to top

Where Heapes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Burton-on-Trent, Stapenhill, Church Gresley and Wymeswould. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Derbyshire, West Dorset, Winchester and South Gloucestershire. 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 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
3 Stapenhill Staffordshire
4 Church Gresley Staffordshire
5 Wymeswould Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Derbyshire 012 South Derbyshire
2 West Dorset 009 West Dorset
3 Winchester 011 Winchester
4 West Dorset 010 West Dorset
5 South Gloucestershire 024 South Gloucestershire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Heape

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Heape

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Heape is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Heape 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

Heape falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Heape is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Heape

The surname HEAPE originated from the lands of Lancashire, England in the medieval period. Its earliest form is believed to derive from the Old English word "hēap" meaning a "heap" or "pile", referring to a prominent landscape feature or settlement built upon a hill or mound.

Records from the 13th century show variations such as "de Heap" and "atte Hepe", indicating the name's development from a toponymic source. The Heape family can trace their ancestry to the township of Heapey, a settlement whose name shares this etymological root.

One of the earliest documented references appears in the Lancashire Inquests of 1310, mentioning a "Richard del Hepe". The renowned Domesday Book of 1086 does not explicitly list the surname, but does record place names like "Heppa" that may be related.

Among notable historical figures bearing this name was Richard Heape (c.1575-1658), an English lawyer and member of the Middle Temple in London. In the 17th century, Thomas Heape (1611-1662) served as the Mayor of Preston, Lancashire.

During the English Civil War, Captain William Heape (1609-1682) fought for the Parliamentarian forces. His son, Robert Heape (1645-1727), became a prominent Dissenting minister and tutor at the prestigious Bury Presbyterian Seminary.

Crossing the Atlantic, Matthew Heape (1629-1697) emigrated from England to Virginia in the colonial era, establishing a lineage of American Heapes. In more recent times, Benjamin Heape (1857-1929) gained recognition as a pioneering British electrical engineer and inventor.

These examples illustrate the long-standing presence of the HEAPE surname across various regions and historical periods, originating from the geography of northern England but eventually spreading further afield.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Heape families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Heape 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 29 Heapes recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.24x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 29 2.24x
Derbyshire 25 14.62x
Staffordshire 17 4.61x
Yorkshire 12 1.11x
Warwickshire 9 3.27x
Shropshire 5 5.30x
Leicestershire 4 3.30x
Middlesex 4 0.37x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.45x
Essex 1 0.46x
Gloucestershire 1 0.47x
Hampshire 1 0.45x
Midlothian 1 0.68x
Surrey 1 0.19x
Worcestershire 1 0.70x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Church Gresley in Derbyshire leads with 14 Heapes recorded in 1881 and an index of 514.71x.

Place Total Index
Church Gresley 14 514.71x
Castleton 13 100.46x
Stapenhill 9 352.94x
Wardleworth 7 94.47x
Burton Upon Trent 6 69.52x
Cannock 5 77.76x
Fazeley 5 746.27x
Filey 5 574.71x
Oswestry Town 5 165.56x
Ashby De La Zouch 4 142.35x
North Meols 4 31.52x
Brotherton 3 697.67x
Curdworth 3 1200.00x
Sutton Coldfield 3 103.45x
Birmingham 2 2.18x
Hulme 2 7.39x
Ilkley 2 112.99x
Openshaw 2 32.95x
St Marylebone London 2 3.43x
St Pancras London 2 2.27x
Swadlincote 2 1052.63x
Amblecote 1 95.24x
Cheltenham 1 6.05x
Edgbaston 1 11.71x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 1.70x
Frimley 1 65.79x
Leyton Low 1 22.83x
Linthorpe 1 15.48x
Manchester 1 1.72x
Ovenden 1 20.75x
Southampton All Sts 1 26.04x
St Edward Cambridge 1 454.55x
Stourbridge 1 27.25x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Annie 3
Emily 3
Harriet 3
Margaret 3
Martha 3
Sarah 3
Ann 2
Elizabeth 2
Emma 2
Gertrude 2
Selina 2
Ada 1
Bathsheba 1
Beatrice 1
Bertha 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Chas. 1
Constance 1
Edith 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth. 1
Faney 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Jane 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Nellie 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Heape surname: questions and answers

How common was the Heape surname in 1881?

In 1881, 115 people were recorded with the Heape surname. That placed it at #18,230 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Heape surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 69 in 2016. That gives Heape a modern rank of #33,762.

What does the Heape surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a small hill or heap of soil.

What does the Heape map show?

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