NameCensus.

UK surname

Helman

Derived from a German personal name composed of the elements "helm," meaning helmet or protection, and "man."

In the 1881 census there were 136 people recorded with the Helman surname, ranking it #16,433 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 156, ranked #23,098, down from #16,433 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Manchester and Budleigh, East. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Trafford, Hertsmere and North East Derbyshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Helman is 164 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 14.7%.

1881 census count

136

Ranked #16,433

Modern count

156

2016, ranked #23,098

Peak year

2013

164 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Helman had 136 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,433 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016, ranked #23,098.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 146 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Outer Suburbs.

Helman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Helman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Helman 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 142 #13,428
1861 historical 136 #16,556
1881 historical 136 #16,433
1891 historical 93 #24,965
1901 historical 113 #21,296
1911 historical 146 #18,179
1997 modern 147 #21,393
1998 modern 138 #22,814
1999 modern 141 #22,702
2000 modern 143 #22,457
2001 modern 139 #22,541
2002 modern 139 #22,991
2003 modern 145 #22,172
2004 modern 137 #23,098
2005 modern 141 #22,688
2006 modern 144 #22,520
2007 modern 142 #23,025
2008 modern 137 #23,883
2009 modern 151 #22,816
2010 modern 155 #22,985
2011 modern 147 #23,627
2012 modern 151 #23,166
2013 modern 164 #22,236
2014 modern 164 #22,445
2015 modern 158 #22,913
2016 modern 156 #23,098

Geography

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Where Helmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Manchester, Budleigh, East, Stoke Cannon and Falmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Trafford, Hertsmere, North East Derbyshire, Enfield and South Lakeland. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Budleigh, East Devon
4 Stoke Cannon Devon
5 Falmouth Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Trafford 027 Trafford
2 Hertsmere 013 Hertsmere
3 North East Derbyshire 013 North East Derbyshire
4 Enfield 011 Enfield
5 South Lakeland 002 South Lakeland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Helman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Helman

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Outer Suburbs

Nationally, the Helman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Outer Suburbs, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Helman 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 are found on the outer edges of many towns and cities. Many residents were born outside the UK. Indian ethnic group representation is high. There are high numbers of families with dependent children aged 5 to 14. Incidences of disability and of provision of unpaid care are low. Neighbourhoods provide a mix of detached housing and flats, and terraced housing is not uncommon. Levels of overcrowding are low and homeownership rates are high. Professional and managerial occupations are prevalent: unemployment is low and education to degree level is the norm.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Helman is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

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

Helman is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Helman falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Helman

The surname HELMAN is of German origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to have derived from the Old German word "helm," which means "helmet" or "protection." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who made or sold helmets, or perhaps a soldier who wore a distinctive helmet.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HELMAN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents related to the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. In this collection, a certain "Helmanus de Strausberg" is mentioned, indicating that the name was present in the region during that time.

During the 16th century, the HELMAN surname appears in various records across German-speaking regions, such as the Kirchenbücher (church registers) of Saxony and Bavaria. One notable individual from this period was Hans HELMAN, a merchant from Nuremberg who was born in 1532 and is mentioned in local trade records.

As the centuries progressed, the HELMAN name spread to different parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. In the 17th century, a Dutch painter named Isack HELMAN gained recognition for his still-life and genre paintings. He was born in 1619 in Delft and is considered one of the pioneers of the Dutch Golden Age of painting.

In the 18th century, the HELMAN surname can be found in the records of the American colonies, indicating that some individuals with this name had migrated to the New World. One such person was Johann HELMAN, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1740s and is listed in the ship passenger lists of that period.

Another notable figure with the HELMAN surname was Friedrich HELMAN, a German philosopher and educator who lived from 1770 to 1854. He was a proponent of the Philanthropinum educational movement and authored several works on pedagogy and moral philosophy.

As the 19th century unfolded, the HELMAN name continued to appear in various historical records across Europe and the United States. For instance, Johann HELMAN, a German-American industrialist born in 1812, is credited with establishing one of the first successful smelting operations in the United States, contributing to the growth of the country's steel industry.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Helman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Helman 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. Kent leads with 21 Helmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.12x.

County Total Index
Kent 21 4.12x
Somerset 18 7.49x
Channel Islands 17 38.44x
Devon 14 4.51x
Gloucestershire 14 4.78x
Middlesex 14 0.94x
Surrey 14 1.93x
Cornwall 8 4.74x
Aberdeenshire 6 4.34x
Lancashire 6 0.34x
Yorkshire 6 0.41x
Midlothian 4 2.00x
Worcestershire 4 2.05x
Norfolk 3 1.31x
Berkshire 2 1.79x
Durham 1 0.23x
Roxburghshire 1 3.70x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Peter Port in Channel Islands leads with 17 Helmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 207.82x.

Place Total Index
St Peter Port 17 207.82x
Minehead 12 1318.68x
Gillingham 10 95.24x
Kemerton 9 3600.00x
Exeter St Mary Steps 7 1000.00x
Deptford St Paul 6 15.28x
Dunster 6 1034.48x
Peterhead 6 82.08x
Preston 6 12.67x
Drypool 5 221.24x
Almondsbury 4 357.14x
Bermondsey 4 9.00x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 4.97x
Worcester St John 4 171.67x
Islington London 3 2.07x
Lambeth 3 2.31x
Lanlivery 3 422.54x
Paddington London 3 5.47x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 9.99x
St Botolph Aldgate London 3 97.72x
Croydon 2 4.96x
Deal 2 46.08x
East Budleigh 2 136.99x
Exeter St Sidwell 2 28.13x
Falmouth 2 33.44x
Great Yarmouth 2 10.52x
Hackney London 2 2.39x
Madron Penzance 2 32.57x
Otterton 2 400.00x
Sandwich St Clement 2 465.12x
Beverley St Nicholas 1 82.64x
Epsom 1 28.25x
Hawick 1 16.53x
Helston 1 56.82x
Lee 1 13.53x
New Windsor 1 26.53x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 4.18x
Poplar London 1 3.55x
Reading St Lawrence 1 41.67x
Rotherhithe 1 5.42x
Shoreditch London 1 1.55x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 1 47.39x
Stoke Holy Cross 1 476.19x
Stranton 1 6.69x
Westbury On Trym 1 10.08x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 9
William 9
Henry 5
Charles 4
Frederick 4
Thomas 4
Arthur 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
George 2
Joseph 2
Peter 2
Aldwyn 1
Benjamin 1
Evans 1
Ferdenand 1
Francis 1
James 1
Samuel 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Victor 1
Wallace 1

FAQ

Helman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Helman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 136 people were recorded with the Helman surname. That placed it at #16,433 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Helman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016. That gives Helman a modern rank of #23,098.

What does the Helman surname mean?

Derived from a German personal name composed of the elements "helm," meaning helmet or protection, and "man."

What does the Helman map show?

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