NameCensus.

UK surname

High

An English surname derived from a topographic name for someone who lived on or near a hill.

In the 1881 census there were 1,367 people recorded with the High surname, ranking it #3,001 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,626, ranked #3,830, down from #3,001 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Dalton-in-Furness. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Broadland, North Norfolk and Middlesbrough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for High is 1,723 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.9%.

1881 census count

1,367

Ranked #3,001

Modern count

1,626

2016, ranked #3,830

Peak year

2002

1,723 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • High had 1,367 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,001 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,626 in 2016, ranked #3,830.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,566 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

High surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

High surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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High 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 913 #3,025
1861 historical 1,223 #2,330
1881 historical 1,367 #3,001
1891 historical 1,470 #2,993
1901 historical 1,562 #3,301
1911 historical 1,566 #3,098
1997 modern 1,680 #3,545
1998 modern 1,691 #3,644
1999 modern 1,695 #3,669
2000 modern 1,680 #3,679
2001 modern 1,658 #3,651
2002 modern 1,723 #3,611
2003 modern 1,667 #3,642
2004 modern 1,660 #3,652
2005 modern 1,629 #3,675
2006 modern 1,630 #3,688
2007 modern 1,641 #3,692
2008 modern 1,612 #3,772
2009 modern 1,655 #3,773
2010 modern 1,678 #3,805
2011 modern 1,662 #3,791
2012 modern 1,621 #3,800
2013 modern 1,641 #3,829
2014 modern 1,647 #3,838
2015 modern 1,626 #3,846
2016 modern 1,626 #3,830

Geography

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Where Highs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Dalton-in-Furness, St Paul, St Saviour, St Edmund, St Simon and Jude, St Peter Hungate, St Michael at Plea, St Martin a and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Broadland, North Norfolk, Middlesbrough, Ribble Valley and South Lakeland. 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 3
2 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
3 Dalton-in-Furness Lancashire
4 St Paul, St Saviour, St Edmund, St Simon and Jude, St Peter Hungate, St Michael at Plea, St Martin a Norfolk
5 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Broadland 018 Broadland
2 North Norfolk 004 North Norfolk
3 Middlesbrough 008 Middlesbrough
4 Ribble Valley 003 Ribble Valley
5 South Lakeland 012 South Lakeland

Forenames

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First names often paired with High

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for High

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, High is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

High is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

High falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of High

The surname "High" is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is a locational surname, derived from the Old English words "hēah" or "hēh," meaning "high" or "tall." This name was likely given to someone who lived on a hill or in an elevated area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "High" can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1199, which mention a person named Robert de la Heye. This early spelling variation, "de la Heye," reflects the Norman-French influence on English surnames during that period.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as "Atte Highe" and "de la Hye," indicating that it was primarily used to identify someone living near a high place or elevated location. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention a Johannes de la Hye in Buckinghamshire.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain the surname "High" itself, but it does include references to places with similar names, such as "Heia" in Shropshire and "Hege" in Bedfordshire, which may have been the ancestral homes of some early bearers of the name.

One notable figure with the surname "High" was Thomas High (c. 1506-1559), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for denying the spiritual supremacy of the monarch over the Church.

Another historically significant bearer of the name was Jeremiah High (1630-1703), an English Puritan minister and a founder of the town of High Hill, Connecticut, in the United States.

In the realm of literature, Mary High (1804-1868) was an English author and editor known for her works on education and moral instruction for children.

Sir Cecil Henry Erskine High (1861-1936) was a British diplomat and administrator who served as the Governor of the Federated Malay States from 1912 to 1917.

The artist Cecil High (1899-1975), known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in England, was another noteworthy individual with this surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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High families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the High 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. Norfolk leads with 506 Highs recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.92x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 506 24.92x
Angus 147 12.01x
Lancashire 143 0.91x
Middlesex 114 0.86x
Durham 56 1.43x
Yorkshire 53 0.40x
Surrey 45 0.70x
Suffolk 40 2.49x
Essex 32 1.23x
Cumberland 29 2.55x
Kent 28 0.62x
Fife 26 3.33x
Lanarkshire 18 0.42x
Northumberland 17 0.87x
Aberdeenshire 14 1.14x
Cheshire 13 0.45x
Westmorland 13 4.48x
Midlothian 10 0.57x
Hertfordshire 8 0.88x
Sussex 8 0.36x
Cambridgeshire 7 0.84x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.28x
Hampshire 3 0.11x
Leicestershire 3 0.20x
Warwickshire 3 0.09x
Bedfordshire 2 0.29x
Devon 2 0.07x
Gloucestershire 2 0.08x
Northamptonshire 2 0.16x
Berkshire 1 0.10x
Isle of Man 1 0.41x
Lincolnshire 1 0.05x
Perthshire 1 0.17x
Staffordshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 62 Highs recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.57x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 62 13.57x
Great Yarmouth 49 29.13x
Heigham 33 30.28x
Pennington In Ulverston 29 372.27x
Forfar 24 36.22x
Salthouse 23 2446.81x
Acle 21 507.25x
Great Plumstead 21 1390.73x
West Ham 20 3.47x
Cley Next Sea 18 552.15x
Hackney London 18 2.43x
Bethnal Green London 17 2.96x
Dalton In Furness 17 28.10x
Ulverston 17 37.24x
Camberwell 16 1.90x
Reedham 15 386.60x
Brandon Byshottles 14 28.44x
Islington London 14 1.09x
Mattishall 14 344.83x
Barry 13 88.56x
Lancaster 13 13.94x
Monymusk 13 248.09x
Brechin 12 24.95x
Norwich St James 12 75.33x
Sprowston 12 133.93x
Lambeth 11 0.96x
Wymondham 11 52.96x
Norwich St Paul 10 82.24x
Tanfield 10 21.40x
Allerton 9 53.96x
Blofield 9 174.08x
Gorleston 9 22.02x
Kinghorn 9 54.22x
Little Plumstead 9 604.03x
Pittington 9 81.45x
Tottenham 9 4.28x
Upton With Fishley 9 373.44x
West Broughton 9 170.13x
Wood Norton 9 703.13x
Abbots Langley 8 59.17x
Barking 8 10.49x
Castle Acre 8 132.45x
Cawston 8 160.97x
Chester St Mary On Hill 8 31.99x
Colkirk 8 410.26x
Fritton 8 701.75x
Glamis 8 108.40x
Holme 8 227.27x
Narford 8 1250.00x
Oulton 8 467.84x
Tilney St Lawrence 8 244.65x
Barrow In Furness 7 3.28x
Blakeney 7 192.84x
Eaton St Andrew 7 124.11x
Elswick 7 4.46x
Markinch 7 26.38x
Millom 7 20.09x
Monifieth 7 16.20x
Norwich St Etheldred 7 243.90x
Norwich St Michael At 7 59.42x
Salford 7 1.52x
Shoreditch London 7 1.22x
Sittingbourne 7 19.67x
Staines 7 33.46x
Tealing 7 204.08x
Whissonsett 7 254.55x
Brantingham 6 483.87x
Clerkenwell London 6 1.92x
Glasgow 6 0.79x
Godalming 6 14.81x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 6 3.53x
Ingleton 6 81.41x
Lakenham 6 20.80x
Leeds 6 0.81x
Newington 6 1.23x
Norwich St Benedict 6 66.30x
Norwich St Clement 6 25.49x
Old Monkland 6 3.54x
Pentney 6 248.96x
Poplar London 6 2.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 74
John 61
James 59
George 42
Robert 32
Henry 30
Charles 23
Edward 16
Thomas 16
Benjamin 13
Walter 12
Joseph 11
Richard 11
Arthur 9
Alfred 8
Samuel 8
Anthony 6
Isaac 5
Christopher 4
Frank 4
Herbert 4
Thos. 4
Albert 3
David 3
Edmund 3
Ernest 3
Francis 3
Frederic 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Stephen 3
Willm. 3
Wm. 3
Adam 2
Antony 2
Bertie 2
Daveney 2
Jeremiah 2
Jonathan 2
Martin 2
Myles 2
Sydney 2
Andrew 1
Ben 1
Daniael 1
Dennis 1
Deveney 1
E. 1
Harold 1
Zechariah 1

FAQ

High surname: questions and answers

How common was the High surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,367 people were recorded with the High surname. That placed it at #3,001 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the High surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,626 in 2016. That gives High a modern rank of #3,830.

What does the High surname mean?

An English surname derived from a topographic name for someone who lived on or near a hill.

What does the High map show?

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