NameCensus.

UK surname

Heelis

In the 1881 census there were 140 people recorded with the Heelis surname, ranking it #16,151 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 118, ranked #27,873, down from #16,151 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bury, Bongate or Appleby St Michael and Skipton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chelmsford, Eden and West Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Heelis is 164 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 15.7%.

1881 census count

140

Ranked #16,151

Modern count

118

2016, ranked #27,873

Peak year

1901

164 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Heelis had 140 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,151 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 118 in 2016, ranked #27,873.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 164 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Heelis surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Heelis surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Heelis 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 51 #24,096
1861 historical 73 #24,492
1881 historical 140 #16,151
1891 historical 138 #19,411
1901 historical 164 #17,144
1911 historical 150 #17,866
1997 modern 99 #27,039
1998 modern 118 #25,041
1999 modern 119 #25,095
2000 modern 122 #24,698
2001 modern 114 #25,344
2002 modern 118 #25,358
2003 modern 128 #23,890
2004 modern 129 #24,019
2005 modern 124 #24,529
2006 modern 119 #25,413
2007 modern 121 #25,469
2008 modern 117 #26,351
2009 modern 117 #26,927
2010 modern 121 #27,005
2011 modern 118 #27,192
2012 modern 124 #26,432
2013 modern 127 #26,452
2014 modern 121 #27,503
2015 modern 121 #27,405
2016 modern 118 #27,873

Geography

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Where Heelis' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bury, Bongate or Appleby St Michael, Skipton, St John Westminster and Stockport. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chelmsford, Eden, West Devon and Wandsworth. 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 Bury Lancashire
2 Bongate or Appleby St Michael Westmorland
3 Skipton Yorkshire, West Riding
4 St John Westminster London (West Districts)
5 Stockport Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chelmsford 003 Chelmsford
2 Eden 006 Eden
3 West Devon 006 West Devon
4 Wandsworth 017 Wandsworth
5 Chelmsford 013 Chelmsford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Heelis

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Heelis

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Heelis surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Heelis 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Heelis is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Heelis is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Heelis 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 Heelis is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Heelis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Heelis 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 66 Heelis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.02x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 66 4.02x
Middlesex 16 1.16x
Westmorland 14 45.99x
Cheshire 12 3.92x
Yorkshire 12 0.87x
Staffordshire 8 1.71x
Surrey 5 0.74x
Cumberland 3 2.52x
Isle of Man 2 7.78x
Gloucestershire 1 0.37x
Kent 1 0.21x
Sussex 1 0.43x
Warwickshire 1 0.29x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Little Bolton in Lancashire leads with 20 Heelis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 94.65x.

Place Total Index
Little Bolton 20 94.65x
Bury 10 53.28x
Great Bolton 9 41.34x
Westminster St John 9 53.35x
Dukinfield 8 56.62x
Handsworth 7 60.76x
Hawkshead Monk Coniston 7 1228.07x
Kirkby Thore 7 2800.00x
Westminster St Margaret 7 104.79x
Heaton 5 340.14x
Appleby St Michael 4 588.24x
Settle 4 380.95x
Tranmere 4 35.59x
Ardwick 3 20.24x
Carshalton 3 116.28x
Chorlton On Medlock 3 11.49x
Everton 3 5.73x
Halliwell 3 50.17x
Hulme 3 8.74x
Whitehaven 3 47.17x
Embsay Cum Eastby 2 363.64x
Heaton 2 289.86x
Lambeth 2 1.66x
Malew 2 88.89x
Appleby St Lawrence 1 144.93x
Blackrod 1 49.02x
Bristol St James In 1 25.06x
Casterton 1 357.14x
Erith 1 21.46x
Hove 1 9.76x
Long Preston 1 303.03x
Nether Graveship 1 344.83x
North Meols 1 6.22x
Polesworth 1 60.24x
Tonge With Haulgh 1 31.25x
West Bromwich 1 3.74x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
Edward 11
William 9
Thomas 7
James 4
Arthur 2
Frederick 2
George 2
Henry 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Walter 2
Abraham 1
Charles 1
Chas. 1
Ernest 1
Hugh 1
Jonathan 1
Jonathon 1
Leonard 1
Richd.H. 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Thos.Wm. 1

FAQ

Heelis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Heelis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 140 people were recorded with the Heelis surname. That placed it at #16,151 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Heelis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 118 in 2016. That gives Heelis a modern rank of #27,873.

What does the Heelis map show?

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