NameCensus.

UK surname

Hess

A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) toponymic surname derived from various places named Hess or Hesse.

In the 1881 census there were 133 people recorded with the Hess surname, ranking it #16,676 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 368, ranked #12,649, up from #16,676 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Newchurch and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and Swansea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hess is 374 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 176.7%.

1881 census count

133

Ranked #16,676

Modern count

368

2016, ranked #12,649

Peak year

2014

374 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hess had 133 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,676 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 368 in 2016, ranked #12,649.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 209 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Hess surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hess surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hess 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 41 #25,926
1861 historical 81 #23,431
1881 historical 133 #16,676
1891 historical 173 #16,600
1901 historical 209 #14,712
1911 historical 191 #15,392
1997 modern 280 #14,136
1998 modern 306 #13,720
1999 modern 303 #13,873
2000 modern 284 #14,457
2001 modern 287 #14,131
2002 modern 291 #14,275
2003 modern 308 #13,587
2004 modern 309 #13,618
2005 modern 314 #13,403
2006 modern 314 #13,474
2007 modern 324 #13,322
2008 modern 333 #13,175
2009 modern 346 #13,075
2010 modern 372 #12,651
2011 modern 361 #12,800
2012 modern 366 #12,520
2013 modern 367 #12,707
2014 modern 374 #12,598
2015 modern 373 #12,519
2016 modern 368 #12,649

Geography

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Where Hess' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Newchurch, Toxteth Park and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Swansea, Brent and Uttlesford. 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 1
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Toxteth Park Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 028 Shropshire
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 026 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 Swansea 004 Swansea
4 Brent 015 Brent
5 Uttlesford 002 Uttlesford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hess

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hess

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

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Hess surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Hess 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 includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hess is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hess 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

Hess falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hess 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 - Other

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

Meaning and origin of Hess

The surname Hess is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "hesse," meaning "dweller on a heathland or barren area." The name first appeared in the 13th century in the region of Hesse, located in central Germany.

In its earliest form, the name was spelled as "Hesse" or "Hessen," referring to people from the area of Hesse. Over time, the spelling evolved to "Hess," reflecting the pronunciation changes in the German language.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Anhalt, dated around 1350. The document mentions a person named "Johannes Hesse."

The name Hess is also found in the Berne Chronicle, a 15th-century illustrated manuscript chronicling the history of the city of Berne, Switzerland. It mentions a member of the Hess family who held a prominent position in the city's governance.

Notable individuals with the surname Hess include:

1. Rudolf Hess (1894-1987), a prominent Nazi official and Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party. 2. Hans Hess (1490-1549), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works during the Renaissance. 3. Germain Henri Hess (1802-1850), a Swiss-Russian chemist and physician, best known for his work on the conservation of energy and the formulation of Hess's law. 4. Walter Rudolf Hess (1881-1973), a Swiss physiologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1949 for his discovery of the functional organization of the interbrain as a coordinator of the activities of the individual organs. 5. Moses Hess (1812-1875), a German philosopher and one of the founders of Labor Zionism, who played a significant role in the development of socialist theory and the early Zionist movement.

The name Hess has also been associated with various place names, such as Hessisch Oldendorf, a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, and the Hessian region in central Germany, which was once a separate state within the Holy Roman Empire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hess families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hess 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. Middlesex leads with 48 Hess' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.70x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 48 3.70x
Surrey 22 3.48x
Hampshire 17 6.39x
Lancashire 17 1.10x
Sussex 8 3.66x
Angus 6 4.99x
Lanarkshire 5 1.19x
Yorkshire 5 0.39x
Cheshire 2 0.70x
Oxfordshire 2 2.50x
Gloucestershire 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 15 Hess' recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.04x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 15 16.04x
Islington London 13 10.34x
Ventnor 13 513.83x
Bermondsey 11 28.48x
Lambeth 10 8.84x
Brighton 7 15.86x
Whitechapel London 7 54.73x
Dundee 6 13.37x
Hackney London 6 8.25x
Glasgow 5 6.71x
Mile End Old Town London 5 18.11x
Old Artillery Ground 5 446.43x
Portsmouth 3 49.02x
St Luke London 3 14.42x
Tottenham 3 14.52x
Oxford St Thomas 2 53.48x
Southcoates 2 28.01x
St Marylebone London 2 2.89x
Alverstoke 1 10.38x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 2.97x
Birkenhead 1 4.38x
Camberwell 1 1.21x
Crawley 1 500.00x
Horfield 1 39.06x
Kensington London 1 1.39x
Leeds 1 1.38x
Scarborough 1 8.56x
St George In East London 1 8.20x
St Martin In Fields 1 12.87x
St Pancras London 1 0.96x
Toxteth Park 1 1.92x
Tranmere 1 9.50x
Warley 1 26.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Bertha 3
Julia 3
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Charlotte 2
Eliza 2
Elizabeth 2
Esther 2
Georgina 2
Kate 2
Katherine 2
Louise 2
Miriam 2
Aice 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Blanch 1
Caroline 1
Celina 1
Dorothy 1
Emma 1
Flora 1
Fredericka 1
Gertrude 1
Jane 1
Josephine 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Mathilda 1
Rebecca 1
Regina 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Sophia 1
Theres 1
Winnifred 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Hess surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hess surname in 1881?

In 1881, 133 people were recorded with the Hess surname. That placed it at #16,676 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hess surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 368 in 2016. That gives Hess a modern rank of #12,649.

What does the Hess surname mean?

A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) toponymic surname derived from various places named Hess or Hesse.

What does the Hess map show?

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