NameCensus.

UK surname

Heyward

From an English place name meaning "enclosed yard" or "hedged enclosure."

In the 1881 census there were 351 people recorded with the Heyward surname, ranking it #8,742 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 346, ranked #13,291, down from #8,742 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bedminster, Ruabon and Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wrexham and Sedgemoor.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Heyward is 515 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.4%.

1881 census count

351

Ranked #8,742

Modern count

346

2016, ranked #13,291

Peak year

1891

515 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Heyward had 351 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,742 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 346 in 2016, ranked #13,291.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 515 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Heyward surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Heyward surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Heyward 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 440 #5,586
1861 historical 382 #6,698
1881 historical 351 #8,742
1891 historical 515 #7,249
1901 historical 363 #10,145
1911 historical 413 #9,082
1997 modern 390 #11,215
1998 modern 400 #11,335
1999 modern 420 #11,035
2000 modern 402 #11,357
2001 modern 395 #11,324
2002 modern 397 #11,497
2003 modern 384 #11,589
2004 modern 398 #11,321
2005 modern 395 #11,292
2006 modern 367 #12,016
2007 modern 369 #12,098
2008 modern 363 #12,359
2009 modern 382 #12,150
2010 modern 375 #12,568
2011 modern 367 #12,647
2012 modern 358 #12,724
2013 modern 372 #12,570
2014 modern 369 #12,745
2015 modern 355 #13,033
2016 modern 346 #13,291

Geography

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Where Heywards are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bedminster, Ruabon, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Bovey, North and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wrexham and Sedgemoor. 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 Bedminster Somerset
2 Ruabon Denbighshire
3 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
4 Bovey, North Devon
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wrexham 017 Wrexham
2 Wrexham 019 Wrexham
3 Wrexham 008 Wrexham
4 Wrexham 013 Wrexham
5 Sedgemoor 012 Sedgemoor

Forenames

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First names often paired with Heyward

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Heyward

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

London Fringe

Within London, Heyward is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Heyward is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Heyward falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Heyward

The surname HEYWARD is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "heg" meaning hedge and "weard" meaning guard or keeper. It likely originated as an occupational name for someone who guarded or maintained hedges, perhaps as part of their duties on a manor or estate.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire, where a Robert Heghward is mentioned in 1195. The variant spelling "Heyward" appears a few decades later in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1218, referring to a Robert Heyward.

In the 13th century, the name was also found in various forms such as Haiward, Hayward, and Heyword, suggesting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. The Suffolk Hundred Rolls of 1275 list a John Heyward, while the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 mention a William Hayward.

During the Middle Ages, the HEYWARD surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Berkshire, Sussex, and Suffolk, indicating that the name may have originated in these areas or that families with this occupational surname had settled there.

One notable bearer of the HEYWARD name was Sir Clement Heyward (c. 1500-1579), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1558. Another prominent figure was Thomas Heyward (1746-1809), a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence from South Carolina.

Other individuals of historical significance include John Heyward (1653-1737), an English politician and landowner who served as Governor of the Bermuda Islands, and George Heyward (1739-1804), a South Carolina planter and statesman who served in the Continental Congress.

In the literary world, the surname is associated with DuBose Heyward (1885-1940), an American author and playwright best known for his novel "Porgy" and the subsequent opera "Porgy and Bess" written in collaboration with George Gershwin.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Heyward families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Heyward 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. Devon leads with 99 Heywards recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.73x.

County Total Index
Devon 99 13.73x
Middlesex 41 1.18x
Lancashire 30 0.73x
Surrey 24 1.42x
Derbyshire 15 2.77x
Essex 13 1.90x
Glamorgan 12 1.99x
Hertfordshire 11 4.61x
Montgomeryshire 11 13.86x
Somerset 10 1.79x
Cornwall 9 2.30x
Yorkshire 8 0.23x
Denbighshire 7 5.35x
Hampshire 7 0.99x
Sussex 7 1.20x
Worcestershire 7 1.55x
Warwickshire 6 0.69x
Anglesey 5 8.15x
Cheshire 5 0.65x
Brecknockshire 4 5.78x
Gloucestershire 4 0.59x
Shropshire 4 1.34x
Staffordshire 4 0.34x
Channel Islands 3 2.92x
Wiltshire 3 0.98x
Berkshire 1 0.38x
Kent 1 0.08x
Monmouthshire 1 0.40x
Norfolk 1 0.19x
Royal Navy 1 2.42x
Suffolk 1 0.24x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. North Bovey in Devon leads with 16 Heywards recorded in 1881 and an index of 3076.92x.

Place Total Index
North Bovey 16 3076.92x
Bampton 9 407.24x
Clapham 8 18.48x
Highweek 8 311.28x
St Mary Magdalene 8 277.78x
Brighton 7 5.94x
North Meols 7 17.40x
Norton 7 1794.87x
Sampford Peverell 7 921.05x
St Bride London 7 348.26x
Westminster St James 7 19.66x
Wolborough 7 76.84x
Youlgreave 7 445.86x
Great Bolton 6 11.02x
Llandaff 6 29.91x
Llanfyllin 6 287.08x
Manchester 6 3.25x
Openshaw 6 31.19x
Uplowman 6 1276.60x
West Ham 6 3.98x
Battersea 5 3.92x
Braintree 5 81.43x
Bratton Clovelly 5 704.23x
Dudley 5 9.09x
Guilsfield 5 173.01x
Kingskerswell 5 416.67x
Kingsteignton 5 250.00x
Little Hempston 5 1923.08x
Llandysilio 5 259.07x
Tormoham 5 16.39x
Wortley In Bramley 5 18.40x
Ashford 4 500.00x
Chapel En Le Frith 4 80.81x
Fremington 4 273.97x
Holdenhurst 4 21.48x
Llangattock 4 70.92x
St Albans St Peter 4 49.69x
Stansty 4 277.78x
Staverton 4 449.44x
Swansea Town 4 8.09x
Berkswell 3 173.41x
Bristol St Michael 3 51.55x
Brushford 3 769.23x
Buerton In Nantwich 3 535.71x
Camberwell 3 1.36x
Croydon 3 3.20x
Hackney London 3 1.55x
Harlington 3 163.93x
Harmondsworth 3 139.53x
Ipplepen 3 306.12x
Rodbourne Cheney 3 127.12x
Salford 3 2.48x
St Peter Port 3 15.81x
Westminster St John 3 7.11x
Wolverhampton 3 3.34x
Bedminster 2 3.82x
Bermondsey 2 1.94x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.33x
Buckfastleigh 2 60.06x
Edgbaston 2 7.39x
Frimley 2 41.58x
Holbeck 2 8.80x
Huish Champflower 2 454.55x
Kensington London 2 1.04x
Milton Abbott 2 192.31x
Portsea 2 1.44x
St George Hanover Square 2 3.28x
St Marylebone London 2 1.08x
Tottenham 2 3.63x
Wick St Lawrence 2 740.74x
Worcester St Martin 2 32.79x
Wrexham Regis 2 20.60x
Bristol St Paul In 1 5.53x
Chirk 1 38.76x
Monks Coppenhall 1 3.47x
Sidmouth 1 24.21x
Silverton 1 66.67x
St George In East London 1 3.07x
St Martin 1 29.85x
Stayley 1 11.44x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 23
Sarah 17
Elizabeth 16
Jane 12
Annie 9
Alice 4
Emma 4
Harriet 4
Ellen 3
Kate 3
Maria 3
Matilda 3
Ruth 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Amelia 2
Beatrice 2
Charlotte 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Ester 2
Ethel 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Katie 2
Margaret 2
Martha 2
Maud 2
Rebecca 2
Winifred 2
Anne 1
Betey 1
Betsy 1
Caraline 1
Cathern 1
Davamon 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth.G. 1
Elizth.H. 1
Esther 1
Frances 1
Georgina 1
Harriett 1
Hilda 1
Jemima 1
Kathleen 1
Louisa 1
Magge 1
Margeret 1
Marion 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 27
John 18
George 16
Thomas 11
James 9
Henry 8
Richard 7
Albert 6
Arthur 5
Charles 5
Edwin 5
Frank 5
Alfred 4
Robert 4
Samuel 4
Frederick 3
Andrew 2
Edward 2
Francis 2
Harry 2
Hy. 2
Tom 2
Walter 2
Abraham 1
Alick 1
Barnet 1
Chas 1
Claud 1
Earnest 1
Eli 1
Enoch 1
Ernest 1
Frederic 1
Fredk. 1
Fredric 1
Geo.A. 1
Hampton 1
Horace 1
Isaac 1
Jeremiah 1
Jesse 1
Joseph 1
Leigh 1
Lewis 1
Matthew 1
Oliver 1
Paul 1
Ralph 1
Sparke 1
Wm 1

FAQ

Heyward surname: questions and answers

How common was the Heyward surname in 1881?

In 1881, 351 people were recorded with the Heyward surname. That placed it at #8,742 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Heyward surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 346 in 2016. That gives Heyward a modern rank of #13,291.

What does the Heyward surname mean?

From an English place name meaning "enclosed yard" or "hedged enclosure."

What does the Heyward map show?

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