NameCensus.

UK surname

Hercock

In the 1881 census there were 240 people recorded with the Hercock surname, ranking it #11,410 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 207, ranked #19,118, down from #11,410 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Laxton, London parishes and Battersea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Welwyn Hatfield, Huntingdonshire and Rotherham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hercock is 290 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 13.8%.

1881 census count

240

Ranked #11,410

Modern count

207

2016, ranked #19,118

Peak year

1891

290 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hercock had 240 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,410 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 207 in 2016, ranked #19,118.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 290 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Hercock surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hercock surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hercock 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 163 #12,156
1861 historical 210 #11,551
1881 historical 240 #11,410
1891 historical 290 #11,409
1901 historical 286 #12,029
1911 historical 274 #12,150
1997 modern 221 #16,565
1998 modern 240 #16,117
1999 modern 239 #16,268
2000 modern 249 #15,787
2001 modern 237 #16,048
2002 modern 244 #16,085
2003 modern 239 #16,093
2004 modern 231 #16,591
2005 modern 229 #16,631
2006 modern 238 #16,288
2007 modern 234 #16,706
2008 modern 237 #16,688
2009 modern 235 #17,151
2010 modern 236 #17,427
2011 modern 227 #17,733
2012 modern 206 #18,837
2013 modern 209 #18,984
2014 modern 209 #19,128
2015 modern 209 #19,018
2016 modern 207 #19,118

Geography

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Where Hercocks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Laxton, London parishes, Battersea, Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire) and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Welwyn Hatfield, Huntingdonshire, Rotherham, Bristol and Rugby. 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 Laxton Rutland
2 London parishes London 3
3 Battersea London (South Districts)
4 Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire) Cambridgeshire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Welwyn Hatfield 009 Welwyn Hatfield
2 Huntingdonshire 001 Huntingdonshire
3 Rotherham 009 Rotherham
4 Bristol 038 Bristol, City of
5 Rugby 002 Rugby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hercock

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hercock

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

Challenged Communities

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

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Hercock is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hercock 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

Hercock falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Hercock families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hercock 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. Northamptonshire leads with 42 Hercocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.08x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 42 19.08x
Cambridgeshire 41 27.65x
Lincolnshire 33 8.82x
Middlesex 30 1.28x
Rutland 26 151.25x
Leicestershire 22 8.48x
Surrey 16 1.40x
Norfolk 8 2.22x
Yorkshire 6 0.26x
Derbyshire 5 1.36x
Hertfordshire 4 2.48x
Huntingdonshire 3 6.45x
Gloucestershire 2 0.44x
Bedfordshire 1 0.83x
Herefordshire 1 1.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Blatherwycke in Northamptonshire leads with 26 Hercocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 23636.36x.

Place Total Index
Blatherwycke 26 23636.36x
Leicester St Margaret 18 28.44x
Wisbech St Mary 16 941.18x
Battersea 15 17.41x
Wisbech St Peter 12 161.29x
Whittlesey St Mary St 10 193.05x
Wing 10 3846.15x
St Pancras London 9 4.78x
Chelsea London 8 11.34x
Burton Pedwardine 7 4375.00x
Emneth 7 875.00x
Tinwell 7 3888.89x
Stamford St Mary 6 789.47x
Spalding 5 67.29x
Westminster St Margaret 5 44.29x
Apethorpe 4 2352.94x
Cottingham 4 526.32x
Denby 4 357.14x
Hertford St Andrew 4 201.01x
Whitby 4 51.15x
Desborough 3 181.82x
Elm 3 206.90x
Gainsborough 3 34.01x
Ketton 3 337.08x
Paddington London 3 3.49x
Stilton 3 576.92x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.97x
Bristol St James St Paul 2 13.06x
Frithville Fishtoft 2 740.74x
Leeds 2 1.53x
Preston 2 909.09x
Spittlegate 2 38.61x
Stamford All Sts 2 95.24x
Swineshead 2 162.60x
Ashby De La Zouch 1 16.61x
Bourn 1 33.11x
Camberwell 1 0.67x
Duddington 1 344.83x
Great Oakley 1 588.24x
Great Oxendon 1 526.32x
Hampstead London 1 2.74x
Hickling 1 151.52x
Islington London 1 0.44x
Leicester St Mary 1 4.77x
Liddington 1 238.10x
Little Casterton 1 714.29x
Luton 1 4.77x
Lyonshall 1 142.86x
Measham 1 74.07x
Medbourne 1 222.22x
Morcott 1 263.16x
Nailstone 1 169.49x
Peterborough 1 6.27x
Poplar London 1 2.26x
Stanion 1 357.14x
Swinstead 1 357.14x
Threckingham Swaton 1 434.78x
Uppingham 1 48.78x
Walkerith 1 1428.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 21
Sarah 11
Eliza 6
Emma 6
Louisa 6
Anne 5
Elizabeth 5
Jane 5
Alice 3
Ann 3
Charlotte 3
Emily 3
Naomi 3
Annie 2
Catherine 2
Ellen 2
Fanny 2
Gertrude 2
Harriett 2
Rachel 2
Selina 2
Susannah 2
Abigal 1
Adeline 1
Agnes 1
Angelina 1
Caroline 1
Constance 1
Daniel 1
Edith 1
Edward 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth.Ann 1
Elton 1
Esther 1
Frances 1
Georgeanna 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Julia 1
Letitia 1
Lucy 1
Marie 1
May 1
Mildred 1
Nelly 1
Priscilla 1
Ruth 1
Sophia 1
Thomasine 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 15
George 13
William 13
Thomas 8
Henry 5
Stephen 5
Charles 4
Daniel 4
David 4
Francis 3
James 3
Samuel 3
Alfred 2
Benjamin 2
Frank 2
Fredrick 2
Harry 2
Joseph 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Auther 1
Bernard 1
Earnest 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Fred. 1
Frederic 1
Geo. 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Jesse 1
Reuben 1
Richd. 1
Robert 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Hercock surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hercock surname in 1881?

In 1881, 240 people were recorded with the Hercock surname. That placed it at #11,410 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hercock surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 207 in 2016. That gives Hercock a modern rank of #19,118.

What does the Hercock map show?

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