NameCensus.

UK surname

Hearnshaw

In the 1881 census there were 156 people recorded with the Hearnshaw surname, ranking it #15,114 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 272, ranked #15,832, down from #15,114 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bakewell, Chesterfield and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chesterfield and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hearnshaw is 326 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 74.4%.

1881 census count

156

Ranked #15,114

Modern count

272

2016, ranked #15,832

Peak year

2002

326 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hearnshaw had 156 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,114 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 272 in 2016, ranked #15,832.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 268 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Hearnshaw surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hearnshaw surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Hearnshaw 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 80 #19,558
1861 historical 124 #17,797
1881 historical 156 #15,114
1891 historical 194 #15,277
1901 historical 249 #13,172
1911 historical 268 #12,332
1997 modern 289 #13,859
1998 modern 304 #13,773
1999 modern 314 #13,556
2000 modern 305 #13,769
2001 modern 300 #13,737
2002 modern 326 #13,241
2003 modern 325 #13,104
2004 modern 298 #13,937
2005 modern 300 #13,837
2006 modern 295 #14,053
2007 modern 292 #14,313
2008 modern 296 #14,275
2009 modern 290 #14,778
2010 modern 290 #15,096
2011 modern 280 #15,310
2012 modern 276 #15,427
2013 modern 287 #15,224
2014 modern 286 #15,378
2015 modern 274 #15,749
2016 modern 272 #15,832

Geography

Back to top

Where Hearnshaws are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bakewell, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Staveley and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chesterfield and Sheffield. 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 Bakewell Derbyshire
2 Chesterfield Derbyshire
3 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Staveley Derbyshire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chesterfield 010 Chesterfield
2 Sheffield 022 Sheffield
3 Sheffield 013 Sheffield
4 Chesterfield 005 Chesterfield
5 Chesterfield 007 Chesterfield

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Hearnshaw

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Hearnshaw

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hearnshaw, 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 Hearnshaw surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Hearnshaw 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hearnshaw 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

Hearnshaw 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

Hearnshaw falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hearnshaw is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Hearnshaw families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hearnshaw 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. Yorkshire leads with 48 Hearnshaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.18x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 48 3.18x
Derbyshire 31 13.01x
Warwickshire 19 4.95x
Staffordshire 16 3.11x
Norfolk 8 3.42x
Sussex 8 3.12x
Lancashire 7 0.39x
Pembrokeshire 7 14.47x
Nottinghamshire 5 2.44x
Lincolnshire 2 0.82x
Middlesex 2 0.13x
Durham 1 0.22x
Suffolk 1 0.54x
Worcestershire 1 0.50x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brightside Bierlow in Yorkshire leads with 31 Hearnshaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 104.80x.

Place Total Index
Brightside Bierlow 31 104.80x
Birmingham 17 13.29x
West Bromwich 13 44.20x
Chesterfield 11 123.18x
Baslow With Bubnell 10 2272.73x
Lakenham 8 240.96x
Little Houghton 7 7000.00x
Lewes All Sts 6 588.24x
Pembroke St Michael 6 857.14x
Staveley 6 141.84x
Burton Joyce 4 1142.86x
Crumpsall 3 70.42x
Oldham 3 5.15x
Walsall Foreign 3 11.31x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 2 14.23x
Brighton 2 3.86x
Chelsea London 2 4.36x
Newbold Dunston 2 88.50x
Spalding 2 41.41x
Altofts 1 60.24x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 2.53x
Brimington 1 55.25x
Bromsgrove 1 14.95x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 3.26x
Harthill Cum Woodall 1 172.41x
Headingley Cum Burley 1 10.30x
Holy Trinity 1 2.76x
Ipswich St Peter 1 40.00x
Leamington 1 39.37x
Leamington Priors 1 10.59x
Monkwearmouth Shore 1 11.31x
Nether Hallam 1 4.90x
Nottingham St Mary 1 1.89x
Pembroke St Mary 1 16.05x
Rawmarsh 1 18.76x
Soothill 1 18.35x
Tideswell 1 97.09x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Elizabeth 7
Annie 6
Eliza 6
Sarah 4
Hannah 3
Jane 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Anna 2
Anne 2
Emma 2
Florence 2
Lucy 2
Lydia 2
Ada 1
Betsy 1
Constance 1
Diana 1
Easter 1
Elizbth. 1
Emily 1
Eva 1
Frances 1
Henryetta 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Martha 1
Priscilla 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 8
George 6
Charles 5
Henry 5
Joseph 5
Thomas 5
Frank 4
Arthur 3
Francis 3
James 3
Albert 2
Ernest 2
Harry 2
Jacob 2
Walter 2
Abraham 1
Alfred 1
David 1
Fossey 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Geo.D. 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Joe 1
Leopold 1
Paul 1
Percy 1
Roger 1
Samuel 1
Thos. 1
Thos.R. 1
Tom 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Hearnshaw surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hearnshaw surname in 1881?

In 1881, 156 people were recorded with the Hearnshaw surname. That placed it at #15,114 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hearnshaw surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 272 in 2016. That gives Hearnshaw a modern rank of #15,832.

What does the Hearnshaw map show?

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