NameCensus.

UK surname

Hele

In the 1881 census there were 160 people recorded with the Hele surname, ranking it #14,860 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 179, ranked #21,086, down from #14,860 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), London parishes and Modbury, Bigbury, Ermington, Kingston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Torbay and North Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hele is 189 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.9%.

1881 census count

160

Ranked #14,860

Modern count

179

2016, ranked #21,086

Peak year

1891

189 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hele had 160 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,860 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 179 in 2016, ranked #21,086.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 189 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Hele surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hele surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hele 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 174 #11,590
1861 historical 187 #12,690
1881 historical 160 #14,860
1891 historical 189 #15,547
1901 historical 183 #15,996
1911 historical 178 #16,073
1997 modern 166 #19,797
1998 modern 174 #19,729
1999 modern 183 #19,248
2000 modern 186 #19,055
2001 modern 178 #19,288
2002 modern 169 #20,307
2003 modern 165 #20,401
2004 modern 175 #19,805
2005 modern 164 #20,552
2006 modern 170 #20,214
2007 modern 170 #20,471
2008 modern 172 #20,523
2009 modern 182 #20,201
2010 modern 187 #20,309
2011 modern 187 #20,132
2012 modern 181 #20,531
2013 modern 184 #20,643
2014 modern 186 #20,664
2015 modern 181 #20,934
2016 modern 179 #21,086

Geography

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Where Heles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), London parishes, Modbury, Bigbury, Ermington, Kingston and Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Torbay and North Somerset. 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 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
2 London parishes London 3
3 Modbury, Bigbury, Ermington, Kingston Devon
4 London parishes London 2
5 Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841) Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Torbay 004 Torbay
2 Torbay 006 Torbay
3 North Somerset 021 North Somerset
4 Torbay 001 Torbay
5 Torbay 003 Torbay

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hele

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hele

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Hele surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Hele household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Young Asian Family Terraces

Within London, Hele is most associated with areas classed as Young Asian Family Terraces, 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 households with dependent children typically live in terraced housing and are of (non-Chinese) Asian extraction. Individuals with Bangladeshi origins are particularly in evidence. Employment is often in elementary occupations or as process, plant or machine operatives, and part-time work is common. Students are much in evidence.

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

Hele 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

Hele 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 Hele is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Hele families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hele 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. Devon leads with 99 Heles recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.91x.

County Total Index
Devon 99 29.91x
Gloucestershire 11 3.53x
Surrey 11 1.42x
Middlesex 9 0.57x
Cornwall 7 3.89x
Cumberland 7 5.11x
Staffordshire 5 0.93x
Suffolk 4 2.07x
Yorkshire 3 0.19x
Channel Islands 2 4.25x
Glamorgan 2 0.72x
Kent 1 0.18x
Northumberland 1 0.42x
Royal Navy 1 5.28x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Damerel in Devon leads with 23 Heles recorded in 1881 and an index of 99.31x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Damerel 23 99.31x
Brixham 19 496.08x
Plymouth St Andrew 14 54.92x
Bermondsey 8 16.90x
Plymouth Charles The 8 54.87x
Dunkeswell 7 3333.33x
Rickergate 7 241.38x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 6 20.44x
Calstock 6 169.97x
Bishops Nympton 5 793.65x
Burslem 5 32.53x
Aldeburgh 4 347.83x
Chiswick 3 34.52x
Exeter St David 3 106.01x
Exeter St Sidwell 3 39.58x
Hackney London 3 3.37x
Lambeth 3 2.16x
Westbury On Trym 3 28.41x
Highweek 2 169.49x
Islington London 2 1.30x
Little Hempston 2 1666.67x
Newton Abbot St Nicholas 2 294.12x
Rose Ash 2 714.29x
Scarborough 2 13.97x
St Peter Port 2 22.96x
Tiverton 2 35.09x
Ugborough 2 250.00x
Bristol St George 1 6.93x
Bristol St Paul In 1 12.03x
Cardiff St Mary 1 6.56x
Exeter Alphington 1 163.93x
Exeter St Mary Steps 1 133.33x
Exeter St Thomas The 1 29.67x
Ilsington 1 172.41x
Kingstonupon Hull 1 79.37x
Lewisham 1 3.46x
Llanwonno 1 10.05x
Maker 1 60.24x
North Shields 1 21.19x
Royal Navy 1 6.18x
Stoke Newington London 1 8.08x
Wolborough 1 23.92x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 4
Emily 4
Sarah 4
Edith 3
Florence 3
Harriet 3
Jessie 3
Ann 2
Anna 2
Annie 2
Beatrice 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Jane 2
Margaret 2
Beautrice 1
Bessie 1
Blanche 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Christina 1
Elise 1
Elisth. 1
Eliz.Olive 1
Ernest 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eunice 1
Euphemia 1
Fanny 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Helen 1
Hepzibah 1
Honor 1
Ida 1
Kate 1
Lily 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1
Matilda 1
Mauriel 1
Miriam 1
Norah 1
Rose 1
Roseanna 1
Saramaria 1
Sylvia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 13
George 8
William 8
Thomas 5
Charles 4
Henry 4
Albert 2
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
James 2
Robert 2
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Fenwick 1
Fitz 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Fredk.Wm. 1
Herbert 1
Joseph 1
Kevan 1
Richard 1
Rowland 1
Saml.Chas.King 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Stanley 1
Thos. 1
Warwick 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Hele surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hele surname in 1881?

In 1881, 160 people were recorded with the Hele surname. That placed it at #14,860 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hele surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 179 in 2016. That gives Hele a modern rank of #21,086.

What does the Hele map show?

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