NameCensus.

UK surname

Hewish

In the 1881 census there were 242 people recorded with the Hewish surname, ranking it #11,333 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 253, ranked #16,671, down from #11,333 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton and Chewton Mendip, Emborrow, Binegar, Compton Martin. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Test Valley, Mendip and Stroud.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hewish is 290 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.5%.

1881 census count

242

Ranked #11,333

Modern count

253

2016, ranked #16,671

Peak year

1911

290 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hewish had 242 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,333 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 253 in 2016, ranked #16,671.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 290 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hewish surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hewish surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hewish 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 159 #12,400
1861 historical 144 #15,817
1881 historical 242 #11,333
1891 historical 241 #13,089
1901 historical 265 #12,652
1911 historical 290 #11,716
1997 modern 269 #14,543
1998 modern 270 #14,913
1999 modern 269 #15,040
2000 modern 263 #15,228
2001 modern 272 #14,654
2002 modern 281 #14,619
2003 modern 271 #14,787
2004 modern 274 #14,762
2005 modern 260 #15,250
2006 modern 263 #15,215
2007 modern 263 #15,366
2008 modern 259 #15,688
2009 modern 266 #15,711
2010 modern 268 #15,978
2011 modern 263 #16,058
2012 modern 254 #16,328
2013 modern 263 #16,232
2014 modern 261 #16,421
2015 modern 255 #16,564
2016 modern 253 #16,671

Geography

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Where Hewishs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton, Chewton Mendip, Emborrow, Binegar, Compton Martin and Crediton, Colebroke, Shobrooke, Cheriton Fitzpaine, Cruwys Morchard. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Test Valley, Mendip, Stroud, Bath and North East Somerset and Watford. 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 Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton Devon
3 London parishes London 3
4 Chewton Mendip, Emborrow, Binegar, Compton Martin Somerset
5 Crediton, Colebroke, Shobrooke, Cheriton Fitzpaine, Cruwys Morchard Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Test Valley 001 Test Valley
2 Mendip 005 Mendip
3 Stroud 011 Stroud
4 Bath and North East Somerset 023 Bath and North East Somerset
5 Watford 001 Watford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hewish

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hewish

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Hewish 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

Hewish is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hewish 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 Hewish 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 Hewish, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Hewish families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hewish 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. Gloucestershire leads with 50 Hewishs recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.80x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 50 10.80x
Somerset 43 11.32x
Middlesex 29 1.23x
Devon 27 5.50x
Cambridgeshire 19 12.71x
Surrey 11 0.96x
Lancashire 10 0.36x
Monmouthshire 10 5.86x
Warwickshire 9 1.51x
Nottinghamshire 6 1.89x
Wiltshire 5 2.40x
Yorkshire 5 0.21x
Durham 4 0.57x
Worcestershire 4 1.30x
Sussex 3 0.75x
Derbyshire 2 0.54x
Glamorgan 2 0.49x
Hampshire 1 0.21x
Lanarkshire 1 0.13x
Northamptonshire 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dursley in Gloucestershire leads with 16 Hewishs recorded in 1881 and an index of 842.11x.

Place Total Index
Dursley 16 842.11x
Chesterton 12 260.30x
Chewton Mendip 12 1904.76x
Birmingham 9 4.54x
Winterbourne 9 351.56x
Exeter St Thomas The 8 159.68x
Llanover 8 137.22x
West Derby 8 9.76x
Westminster St James 8 32.96x
Gloucester Barton St 7 258.30x
Gloucester St Catherine 7 538.46x
Lyncombe Widcombe 7 70.35x
St Andrewthe Less 7 40.98x
Exeter St Mary Major 6 202.70x
Westminster St John 6 20.87x
Barnstaple 5 64.85x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 5 11.47x
Camerton 5 450.45x
Lambeth 5 2.43x
Liversedge 5 48.03x
Paulton 5 287.36x
St Pancras London 5 2.63x
Trowbridge 5 54.17x
Beeston 4 109.29x
Brancepeth 4 312.50x
Clerkenwell London 4 7.18x
Frampton Cotterell 4 246.91x
Wellow 4 357.14x
Bath St Peter St Paul 3 178.57x
Brighton 3 3.74x
Cheriton Fitzpaine 3 483.87x
Feckenham 3 84.99x
St Anne Soho London 3 22.26x
Twerton 3 76.53x
Walcot 3 14.82x
Wimbledon 3 23.24x
Witheridge 3 361.45x
Cardiff St Mary 2 8.83x
Esher 2 124.22x
Normanton 2 64.10x
Sutton In Ashfield 2 28.99x
Bleadon 1 200.00x
Christchurch 1 18.94x
Clifton 1 4.27x
Croydon 1 1.57x
East Teignmouth 1 49.75x
Edmonton 1 5.26x
Holcot 1 333.33x
Holdenhurst 1 7.88x
Liverpool 1 0.59x
Maryhill 1 6.69x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 2.64x
Rusholme 1 13.39x
St Martin In Fields 1 7.08x
St Nicholas Olave London 1 2000.00x
Stoke Prior 1 52.63x
Trevethin 1 6.21x
Westbury On Trym 1 6.38x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 11
Ann 6
Alice 5
Emily 5
Sarah 5
Ellen 4
Anne 3
Emma 3
Harriet 3
Maria 3
Matilda 3
Ada 2
Amy 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Elizth. 2
Harriett 2
Maud 2
Minnie 2
Amelia 1
Annie 1
B. 1
Bertha 1
Bessie 1
Eliz.H. 1
Eliza 1
Elizabith 1
Ella 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Harriat 1
Helen 1
Jane 1
Jemima 1
Julia 1
Louise 1
Lousia 1
Lucy 1
Mabel 1
Mildred 1
Phebe 1
Phobe 1
Rebeckah 1
Rosa 1
S. 1
Thursa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 15
William 14
George 12
James 9
Charles 8
Arthur 6
Henry 5
Joseph 5
Alfred 4
Edward 4
Richard 4
Frank 3
Robert 3
Albert 2
F. 2
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Thomas 2
A. 1
Albion 1
Allen 1
Arther 1
Bertie 1
E. 1
Earnest 1
Eden 1
Edgar 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
G. 1
Herbert 1
Jno.Thos. 1
Llewellyn 1
Michael 1
Percy 1
Sam 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Hewish surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hewish surname in 1881?

In 1881, 242 people were recorded with the Hewish surname. That placed it at #11,333 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hewish surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 253 in 2016. That gives Hewish a modern rank of #16,671.

What does the Hewish map show?

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