NameCensus.

UK surname

Heel

In the 1881 census there were 192 people recorded with the Heel surname, ranking it #13,185 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 114, ranked #28,515, down from #13,185 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, St Pancras and St James Clerkenwell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Middlesbrough, County Durham and Maldon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Heel is 368 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 40.6%.

1881 census count

192

Ranked #13,185

Modern count

114

2016, ranked #28,515

Peak year

1861

368 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Heel had 192 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,185 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 114 in 2016, ranked #28,515.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 368 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Heel surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Heel surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Heel 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 192 #10,756
1861 historical 368 #6,935
1881 historical 192 #13,185
1891 historical 291 #11,388
1901 historical 214 #14,517
1911 historical 281 #11,953
1997 modern 124 #23,669
1998 modern 127 #23,940
1999 modern 131 #23,709
2000 modern 129 #23,901
2001 modern 127 #23,781
2002 modern 125 #24,492
2003 modern 120 #24,909
2004 modern 125 #24,443
2005 modern 114 #25,837
2006 modern 110 #26,717
2007 modern 108 #27,391
2008 modern 113 #26,920
2009 modern 122 #26,220
2010 modern 127 #26,176
2011 modern 125 #26,220
2012 modern 128 #25,852
2013 modern 123 #26,974
2014 modern 120 #27,646
2015 modern 123 #27,088
2016 modern 114 #28,515

Geography

Back to top

Where Heels are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, St Pancras, St James Clerkenwell, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory and Blakesley, Pattishall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Middlesbrough, County Durham, Maldon, West Berkshire and Leicester. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 St Pancras London (North Districts)
3 St James Clerkenwell London (Central Districts)
4 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
5 Blakesley, Pattishall Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Middlesbrough 011 Middlesbrough
2 County Durham 049 County Durham
3 Maldon 008 Maldon
4 West Berkshire 003 West Berkshire
5 Leicester 032 Leicester

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Heel

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Heel

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Heel surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Heel household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Heel is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Heel is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Heel falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Heel 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 Heel, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Heel families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Heel 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. Durham leads with 36 Heels recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.43x.

County Total Index
Durham 36 6.43x
Northamptonshire 36 20.33x
Middlesex 18 0.96x
Warwickshire 18 3.79x
Leicestershire 12 5.75x
Hertfordshire 10 7.71x
Staffordshire 9 1.42x
Yorkshire 9 0.48x
Surrey 8 0.87x
Lancashire 6 0.27x
Wiltshire 6 3.60x
Bedfordshire 5 5.13x
Oxfordshire 5 4.30x
Flintshire 4 7.91x
Kent 4 0.62x
Somerset 2 0.66x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.88x
Caernarfonshire 1 1.31x
Channel Islands 1 1.79x
Northumberland 1 0.36x
Suffolk 1 0.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ouston in Durham leads with 16 Heels recorded in 1881 and an index of 1951.22x.

Place Total Index
Ouston 16 1951.22x
Pattishall 16 2711.86x
Leicester St Margaret 9 17.68x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 8 32.98x
Monks Kirby 7 673.08x
Richmond 7 54.47x
Almondbury 6 66.52x
Aston 6 4.59x
Northampton Priory St 6 56.50x
Northampton St Sepulchre 6 66.59x
Bengeo 5 331.13x
Berwick St John 5 2000.00x
Everton 5 7.02x
Monkwearmouth 5 93.28x
Pelton 5 187.97x
West Bromwich 5 13.74x
Bethnal Green London 4 4.89x
Bradden 4 5000.00x
Clerkenwell London 4 9.00x
Folkestone 4 32.10x
Luton 4 23.71x
Nuneaton 4 72.73x
St Pancras London 4 2.64x
Stoke Upon Trent 4 5.94x
Witney 4 206.19x
Ysceifiog 4 512.82x
Great Bowden 3 157.89x
Hackney London 3 2.84x
Newington 3 58.37x
Watford 3 29.82x
Lyncombe Widcombe 2 25.22x
Northampton St Giles 2 29.67x
Peterborough 2 15.60x
Banbury 1 42.92x
Chesham 1 23.87x
Conside Knitsley 1 22.99x
Downton 1 45.87x
Earsdon 1 43.86x
Edgbaston 1 6.79x
Esh 1 24.51x
Great Hadham 1 119.05x
Icklingham 1 370.37x
Kensington London 1 0.96x
Liverpool 1 0.74x
Llanbeblig 1 12.94x
Paddington London 1 1.44x
Shefford 1 144.93x
Shoreditch London 1 1.23x
Southwark St Thomas 1 200.00x
St Helier 1 5.51x
Ware 1 26.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Elizabeth 9
Ann 6
Emily 5
Annie 4
Sarah 4
Alice 3
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Isabella 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Maria 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Cathe. 1
Eliz.J. 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Georgina 1
Gorgina 1
Harriet 1
Hetty 1
Jemima 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Lilian 1
Lillian 1
Lydia 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Maude 1
Melvina 1
Nancy 1
Nellie 1
Rosa 1
Sally 1
Selina 1
Susan 1
Wallis 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 12
John 10
Thomas 9
Charles 6
James 6
George 5
Henry 5
Joseph 5
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Edward 3
Frederick 3
David 2
Josiah 2
Leonard 2
Walter 2
Aaron 1
Alfred 1
Alick 1
Caleb 1
Edgar 1
Ernest 1
Frances 1
Geo. 1
Herbert 1
Jehemia 1
Job 1
Josuia 1
Mathew 1
Matthew 1
Nehemiah 1
Peter 1
Ralph 1
Samuel 1
Taylor 1
Wiliam 1

FAQ

Heel surname: questions and answers

How common was the Heel surname in 1881?

In 1881, 192 people were recorded with the Heel surname. That placed it at #13,185 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Heel surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 114 in 2016. That gives Heel a modern rank of #28,515.

What does the Heel map show?

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