NameCensus.

UK surname

Heaps

An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a heap of stones or on a hill.

In the 1881 census there were 1,311 people recorded with the Heaps surname, ranking it #3,125 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,196, ranked #4,981, down from #3,125 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, Preston and Keighley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Preston, Rotherham and East Cambridgeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Heaps is 1,652 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 8.8%.

1881 census count

1,311

Ranked #3,125

Modern count

1,196

2016, ranked #4,981

Peak year

1901

1,652 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Heaps had 1,311 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,125 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,196 in 2016, ranked #4,981.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,652 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Heaps surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Heaps surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Heaps 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 755 #3,525
1861 historical 917 #3,025
1881 historical 1,311 #3,125
1891 historical 1,401 #3,107
1901 historical 1,652 #3,122
1911 historical 1,645 #2,960
1997 modern 1,285 #4,438
1998 modern 1,316 #4,516
1999 modern 1,307 #4,580
2000 modern 1,270 #4,671
2001 modern 1,237 #4,684
2002 modern 1,225 #4,816
2003 modern 1,215 #4,757
2004 modern 1,211 #4,780
2005 modern 1,208 #4,733
2006 modern 1,193 #4,798
2007 modern 1,237 #4,703
2008 modern 1,233 #4,735
2009 modern 1,225 #4,857
2010 modern 1,256 #4,858
2011 modern 1,225 #4,894
2012 modern 1,223 #4,835
2013 modern 1,240 #4,854
2014 modern 1,236 #4,884
2015 modern 1,212 #4,931
2016 modern 1,196 #4,981

Geography

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Where Heaps' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, Preston, Keighley, Blackburn and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Preston, Rotherham, East Cambridgeshire, Kirklees and Knowsley. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 Preston Lancashire
3 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Blackburn Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Preston 009 Preston
2 Rotherham 020 Rotherham
3 East Cambridgeshire 001 East Cambridgeshire
4 Kirklees 018 Kirklees
5 Knowsley 007 Knowsley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Heaps

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Heaps

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

Small Town Suburbia

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Heaps 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

Heaps is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Heaps 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 Heaps is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Heaps

The surname HEAPS is of English origin, deriving from a topographic name for someone who lived near a heap or mound of some kind. The name is believed to date back to the late 12th century.

The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "heap" or "heope," meaning a pile or heap. It may have been used to describe someone who lived near a mound or hill. Variations in spelling include Heppe, Heppes, and Heppes.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1204, where a Robert de la Hepe is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1279, where a Walter atte Hepe is listed.

In the 13th century, a person named John Hepes is recorded in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire. The Suffolk Feet of Fines from 1310 mentions a William atte Hepe, indicating the name's spread across different regions of England.

Notable individuals with the surname HEAPS throughout history include:

1. Benjamin Heaps (1785-1865), an English architect known for his designs of churches and public buildings in Yorkshire.

2. John Heaps (1834-1910), a British engineer and inventor who contributed to the development of early telephone technology.

3. Arnold Heaps (1857-1938), a prominent English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Heaps Charity Trust in Manchester.

4. Wilfred Heaps (1877-1964), a Canadian politician who served as a Member of Parliament and was a leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation party.

5. Leo Heaps (1900-1976), an American artist renowned for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West.

The surname HEAPS has been present in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, and Suffolk, as evidenced by historical records. Its topographic origin and Early Modern English spelling variations reflect the linguistic evolution of the name over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Heaps families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Heaps 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 578 Heaps' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.83x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 578 3.83x
Yorkshire 285 2.26x
Cheshire 168 5.98x
Nottinghamshire 41 2.39x
Derbyshire 33 1.66x
Surrey 33 0.53x
Middlesex 31 0.24x
Westmorland 17 6.08x
Kent 16 0.37x
Cambridgeshire 13 1.61x
Durham 12 0.32x
Leicestershire 12 0.85x
Stirlingshire 12 2.56x
West Lothian 12 6.26x
Gloucestershire 9 0.36x
Essex 6 0.24x
Hertfordshire 5 0.57x
Hampshire 4 0.15x
Lanarkshire 4 0.10x
Staffordshire 3 0.07x
Berkshire 2 0.21x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.19x
Midlothian 1 0.06x
Monmouthshire 1 0.11x
Northamptonshire 1 0.08x
Shropshire 1 0.09x
Warwickshire 1 0.03x
Wiltshire 1 0.09x
Worcestershire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 91 Heaps' recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.53x.

Place Total Index
Preston 91 22.53x
Blackburn 42 10.46x
Keighley 41 30.52x
Walton Le Dale 35 86.29x
Macclesfield 32 25.64x
Chorley 29 34.24x
Leeds 28 3.93x
Monks Coppenhall 23 21.71x
Salford 23 5.18x
Bradford 22 7.21x
Oldham 21 4.31x
Wigan 21 9.96x
Cheadle 20 37.29x
Prescot 20 73.26x
Chorlton On Medlock 19 7.92x
Tranmere 19 18.41x
Stockport 18 12.46x
Tickhill 18 223.88x
Openshaw 17 24.05x
Camberwell 16 1.97x
Little Bolton 16 8.24x
Manchester 15 2.21x
Worksop 15 29.50x
Lambeth 14 1.26x
Bredbury 13 80.00x
Bollington In 12 48.02x
Kendal 12 23.45x
Liverpool 12 1.31x
Bedford 11 34.84x
Clapham Cum Newby 11 374.15x
Kimberworth 11 15.72x
Slamannan 11 42.82x
Bulwell 10 26.82x
Clerkenwell London 10 3.33x
Farington 10 113.77x
Pendleton In Salford 10 5.56x
Potter Newton 10 44.96x
Everton 9 1.87x
Headingley Cum Burley 9 11.09x
Hunslet 9 4.58x
Long Eaton 9 34.23x
Morton In Keighley 9 90.91x
Wortley In Bramley 9 9.02x
Castleton 8 5.31x
Fishwick 8 85.65x
Great Bolton 8 4.00x
Hulme 8 2.54x
Laughton En Le Morthen 8 275.86x
Nantwich 8 24.52x
Nottingham St Mary 8 1.80x
Bingley 7 8.72x
Birkenhead 7 3.13x
Charnock Richard 7 234.90x
Layton With Warbreck 7 12.64x
St Luke London 7 3.43x
Templenewsam 7 76.67x
Westleigh 7 20.42x
Bentham 6 62.44x
Derby All Sts 6 36.08x
Downham 6 70.09x
Ecclesfield 6 6.49x
Forest Gate 6 172.41x
Gateshead 6 2.12x
Great Lever 6 37.48x
Halifax 6 3.24x
Kegworth 6 64.03x
Little Lever 6 31.09x
Mangotsfield 6 24.13x
Manningham 6 3.86x
Newton 6 5.16x
Skelmersdale 6 23.86x
Whitburn 6 21.68x
Wrightington 6 91.05x
Barnoldswick 5 28.41x
Barrow In Furness 5 2.44x
Bathgate 5 12.02x
Crayford 5 26.39x
Erith 5 11.69x
Holme 5 147.49x
Morley 5 7.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 100
Elizabeth 72
Sarah 55
Ellen 39
Jane 28
Ann 27
Alice 26
Hannah 20
Martha 19
Margaret 18
Eliza 14
Emma 12
Annie 11
Maria 11
Fanny 9
Catherine 8
Harriet 8
Susannah 8
Isabella 7
Agnes 6
Charlotte 6
Frances 6
Louisa 6
Rebecca 6
Ada 5
Betsy 5
Lucy 5
Matilda 5
Amelia 4
Clara 4
Emily 4
Helen 4
Rachel 4
Amy 3
Edith 3
Florence 3
Gertrude 3
Grace 3
Kate 3
Margret 3
Margt. 3
Anne 2
Beatrice 2
Bertha 2
Betty 2
Caroline 2
Elizbth. 2
Harriett 2
Lydia 2
Nancy 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 102
William 68
Thomas 57
James 48
George 33
Joseph 33
Robert 33
Henry 21
Christopher 13
Edward 13
Samuel 13
Alfred 11
Richard 11
Charles 10
Arthur 9
David 6
Frank 5
Matthew 5
Abraham 4
Benjamin 4
Fred 4
Harry 4
Walter 4
Wm. 4
Edwin 3
Francis 3
Frederick 3
Leonard 3
Mathew 3
Peter 3
Thos. 3
Albert 2
Daniel 2
Edwd. 2
Elias 2
Geo. 2
Isaac 2
J. 2
Luke 2
Moses 2
Robt. 2
Saml. 2
Tom 2
Cyrus 1
Ephraim 1
Ezra 1
Fenton 1
Fred. 1
Joe 1
Joel 1

FAQ

Heaps surname: questions and answers

How common was the Heaps surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,311 people were recorded with the Heaps surname. That placed it at #3,125 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Heaps surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,196 in 2016. That gives Heaps a modern rank of #4,981.

What does the Heaps surname mean?

An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a heap of stones or on a hill.

What does the Heaps map show?

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