NameCensus.

UK surname

Hett

An English surname derived from a nickname for someone with a hot temper.

In the 1881 census there were 156 people recorded with the Hett surname, ranking it #15,114 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 180, ranked #21,022, down from #15,114 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Glossop, Mottram-in-Longdendale and Nottingham St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fareham, Flintshire and Tameside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hett is 246 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 15.4%.

1881 census count

156

Ranked #15,114

Modern count

180

2016, ranked #21,022

Peak year

1861

246 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hett had 156 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,114 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 180 in 2016, ranked #21,022.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 246 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hett surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hett surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hett 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 134 #14,033
1861 historical 246 #10,010
1881 historical 156 #15,114
1891 historical 212 #14,318
1901 historical 161 #17,324
1911 historical 183 #15,811
1997 modern 164 #19,944
1998 modern 169 #20,104
1999 modern 158 #21,102
2000 modern 158 #21,055
2001 modern 153 #21,197
2002 modern 165 #20,619
2003 modern 162 #20,624
2004 modern 163 #20,685
2005 modern 166 #20,379
2006 modern 165 #20,634
2007 modern 170 #20,471
2008 modern 163 #21,238
2009 modern 171 #21,024
2010 modern 180 #20,812
2011 modern 188 #20,067
2012 modern 182 #20,440
2013 modern 186 #20,502
2014 modern 190 #20,374
2015 modern 187 #20,502
2016 modern 180 #21,022

Geography

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Where Hetts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Glossop, Mottram-in-Longdendale, Nottingham St Mary, Cuckney, Woodhouse Hall and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fareham, Flintshire and Tameside. 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 Glossop Derbyshire
2 Mottram-in-Longdendale Lancashire
3 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
4 Cuckney, Woodhouse Hall Nottinghamshire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fareham 006 Fareham
2 Flintshire 015 Flintshire
3 Tameside 020 Tameside
4 Flintshire 011 Flintshire
5 Tameside 018 Tameside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hett

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hett

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hett, 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 Hett surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Hett 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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Hett is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Hett is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hett 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 Hett is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hett

The surname HETT is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a locational surname, derived from a place name in England.

One theory suggests that HETT is derived from the Old English word "hett," meaning "heated" or "passionate." This could indicate that the name was initially given to someone with a fiery temperament or perhaps a blacksmith who worked with heated metals.

Another possibility is that HETT is a variation of the place name "Hett" or "Het," which may have been a small hamlet or village in England during the medieval period. Place names were often adopted as surnames by individuals who migrated from those locations.

The earliest recorded instances of the HETT surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, dated 1273, there is a reference to a person named William Hett. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a John Hette.

Notably, the HETT surname appears in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This early mention suggests that the name had already established itself in England by the late 11th century.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the HETT surname. One such person was Sir John Hett (1490-1556), an English politician and landowner from Kent. Another was William Hett (1625-1678), a prominent merchant and member of the East India Company in London.

In the literary world, Henry Hett (1673-1738) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works. Thomas Hett (1795-1868) was a British explorer and navigator who made significant contributions to the mapping of the Australian coastline.

Another noteworthy figure was John Hett (1810-1892), a pioneering industrialist and entrepreneur from Lancashire, England, who played a crucial role in the development of the cotton industry during the Industrial Revolution.

While the HETT surname may have evolved from different sources or place names, its enduring presence in historical records and its association with notable individuals highlight its rich heritage and deep roots in English history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hett families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hett 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 37 Hetts recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.04x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 37 18.04x
Cheshire 24 7.14x
Middlesex 19 1.25x
Derbyshire 16 6.72x
Yorkshire 13 0.86x
Lancashire 9 0.50x
Durham 8 1.77x
Hampshire 8 2.56x
Lincolnshire 8 3.29x
Kent 4 0.77x
Devon 2 0.63x
Huntingdonshire 2 6.62x
Warwickshire 2 0.52x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.09x
Hertfordshire 1 0.95x
Lanarkshire 1 0.20x
Northamptonshire 1 0.70x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ludworth in Derbyshire leads with 16 Hetts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1428.57x.

Place Total Index
Ludworth 16 1428.57x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 11 78.29x
Cuckney 9 3103.45x
Newton In Ashton Under 8 241.69x
Nottingham St Mary 8 15.08x
St George Martyr London 8 259.74x
Exton 7 4666.67x
Gainford 7 1489.36x
Leighton In Neston 7 5384.62x
Wrawby 7 1060.61x
Norton 6 4615.38x
Stockport 6 34.70x
Worksop 6 98.68x
Ashton Under Lyne 5 12.67x
Mansfield 4 56.34x
Mansfield Woodhouse 4 294.12x
Hampstead London 3 12.66x
Kensington London 3 3.55x
Litherland 3 79.37x
Dukinfield 2 12.89x
Hayes 2 555.56x
Lewisham 2 7.22x
Mexborough 2 66.89x
St Pancras London 2 1.63x
Tormoham 2 14.93x
Wyton 2 1538.46x
Barony 1 0.80x
Barrow In Furness 1 4.07x
Bilton 1 113.64x
Darlington 1 5.72x
Glanford Brigg 1 114.94x
Goostrey Cum Barnshaw 1 526.32x
Hackney London 1 1.17x
Holdenhurst 1 12.22x
Hornsey 1 5.20x
Northampton St Giles 1 18.35x
Polesworth 1 54.95x
Shenley 1 144.93x
St Anne Soho London 1 11.51x
Upton Cum Chalvey 1 27.25x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 7
Charles 6
George 4
Henry 4
James 3
Abraham 2
Edmund 2
Edward 2
Frank 2
Richard 2
Thomas 2
Wright 2
Alfred 1
Chas.P. 1
Frederick 1
Geoffrey 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Kalentiss 1
Micheal 1
Miles 1
Mosses 1
Oscar 1
Percy 1
Reginald 1
Reubin 1
Ruben 1
Stanley 1
W. 1
Wilfred 1

FAQ

Hett surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hett surname in 1881?

In 1881, 156 people were recorded with the Hett surname. That placed it at #15,114 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hett surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 180 in 2016. That gives Hett a modern rank of #21,022.

What does the Hett surname mean?

An English surname derived from a nickname for someone with a hot temper.

What does the Hett map show?

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