NameCensus.

UK surname

Heathcock

A surname referring to someone who lived near or worked on a heathland or moor.

In the 1881 census there were 276 people recorded with the Heathcock surname, ranking it #10,305 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 285, ranked #15,286, down from #10,305 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dudley, Oldswinford and Middlesborough. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Heathcock is 365 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.3%.

1881 census count

276

Ranked #10,305

Modern count

285

2016, ranked #15,286

Peak year

1911

365 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Heathcock had 276 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,305 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 285 in 2016, ranked #15,286.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 365 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Heathcock surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Heathcock surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Heathcock 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 180 #11,300
1861 historical 216 #11,273
1881 historical 276 #10,305
1891 historical 302 #11,058
1901 historical 364 #10,128
1911 historical 365 #9,955
1997 modern 317 #13,053
1998 modern 323 #13,211
1999 modern 324 #13,288
2000 modern 319 #13,391
2001 modern 318 #13,205
2002 modern 321 #13,378
2003 modern 320 #13,239
2004 modern 313 #13,502
2005 modern 303 #13,757
2006 modern 304 #13,797
2007 modern 295 #14,198
2008 modern 282 #14,748
2009 modern 291 #14,742
2010 modern 307 #14,485
2011 modern 307 #14,386
2012 modern 277 #15,375
2013 modern 285 #15,313
2014 modern 284 #15,455
2015 modern 288 #15,190
2016 modern 285 #15,286

Geography

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Where Heathcocks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dudley, Oldswinford, Middlesborough, Bidstone and Kingswinford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dudley. 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 Dudley Staffordshire
2 Oldswinford Worcestershire
3 Middlesborough Durham
4 Bidstone Cheshire
5 Kingswinford Worcestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dudley 037 Dudley
2 Dudley 014 Dudley
3 Dudley 013 Dudley
4 Dudley 022 Dudley
5 Dudley 035 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Heathcock

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Heathcock

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Heathcock, 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 Heathcock surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Heathcock 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

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Heathcock is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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 residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Heathcock is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Heathcock

The surname Heathcock is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hæth" meaning heathland or uncultivated land, and "cocc" meaning a small hill or mound. It likely originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near a specific heath or area of heathland with small hills.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a William Hethcok is listed. This suggests the name was already established in that region by the 14th century. Variations in spelling included Hethcok, Hethcoke, and Heathcocke.

The Heathcock name can be found in various historical records throughout the centuries, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662-1666, where multiple Heathcock families are listed in counties like Staffordshire and Derbyshire. This indicates the name had spread to different areas of England by that time.

Notable individuals bearing the Heathcock surname include John Heathcock (c.1519-1578), an English composer and musician who served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal during the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Another early figure was Richard Heathcock (1590-1644), a member of the Virginia Company and one of the earliest settlers in the English colony of Virginia.

In the 18th century, Thomas Heathcock (1714-1786) was a prominent English clockmaker based in Nottingham, known for his intricate longcase clocks. Meanwhile, John Heathcock (1759-1826) was an English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in Derbyshire and neighboring counties.

Moving into the 19th century, Samuel Heathcock (1809-1892) was a British poet and writer who published several volumes of poetry and prose works, including "The Autobiography of a Mind" and "The Reminiscences of a Literary Life." His contemporary, William Heathcock (1821-1899), was a successful businessman and philanthropist in Birmingham, known for his charitable contributions to education and social welfare initiatives.

While these are just a few examples, the Heathcock surname has a long and storied history in England, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages and beyond.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Heathcock families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Heathcock 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. Worcestershire leads with 162 Heathcocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.91x.

County Total Index
Worcestershire 162 45.91x
Staffordshire 52 5.70x
Cheshire 19 3.19x
Cumberland 9 3.87x
Cornwall 6 1.96x
Herefordshire 6 5.42x
Lancashire 6 0.19x
Yorkshire 6 0.22x
Northumberland 5 1.24x
Warwickshire 5 0.73x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dudley in Worcestershire leads with 50 Heathcocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 116.55x.

Place Total Index
Dudley 50 116.55x
Lye 43 732.54x
Kingswinford 29 87.56x
Upperswinford 26 869.57x
Wollaston 18 803.57x
Birkenhead 15 31.55x
Wollescote 14 492.96x
Stourbridge 10 110.13x
Millom 9 126.23x
Kinver 7 266.16x
Rowley Regis 7 27.54x
Middlesbrough 6 17.21x
St Stephens By Saltash 6 454.55x
West Bromwich 6 11.49x
Whitchurch 6 882.35x
Birmingham 5 2.20x
Hulme 5 7.47x
Longbenton 5 29.36x
Frodsham 3 129.87x
Amblecote 2 76.92x
Claughton With Grange 1 36.76x
Everton 1 0.98x
Hagley 1 87.72x
Nottingham St Mary 1 1.06x
Tipton 1 3.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 14
Mary 10
Alice 7
Eliza 7
Elizabeth 7
Emma 7
Lucy 6
Ann 5
Annie 5
Charlotte 3
Florence 3
Hannah 3
Harriet 3
Ada 2
Edith 2
Ellen 2
Fany 2
Gertrude 2
Jane 2
Leah 2
Louisa 2
Margaret 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Mercy 2
Pricilla 2
Agnes 1
Beatrice 1
Bella 1
Caroline 1
Cath 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Eleanor 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Frances 1
Harriett 1
Henryetta 1
July 1
Lizzie 1
Matilda 1
Maude 1
Priscilla 1
Prudence 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Turner 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 19
Joseph 14
George 12
John 12
Thomas 11
James 8
Henry 7
Alfred 5
Richard 5
Albert 4
Daniel 4
Edward 3
Jesse 3
Samuel 3
Ambrose 2
Benjamin 2
David 2
Joshua 2
Thos. 2
Alexander 1
Charles 1
Eli 1
Enoch 1
Esau 1
Frederick 1
Goerge 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Isaac 1
John. 1
Jos. 1
Lawence 1
Moses 1
Noah 1
Phillip 1
Saml. 1
Saml.A. 1
Sampson 1
Sidney 1

FAQ

Heathcock surname: questions and answers

How common was the Heathcock surname in 1881?

In 1881, 276 people were recorded with the Heathcock surname. That placed it at #10,305 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Heathcock surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 285 in 2016. That gives Heathcock a modern rank of #15,286.

What does the Heathcock surname mean?

A surname referring to someone who lived near or worked on a heathland or moor.

What does the Heathcock map show?

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