NameCensus.

UK surname

Highway

In the 1881 census there were 170 people recorded with the Highway surname, ranking it #14,265 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 103, ranked #30,515, down from #14,265 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Dawley, Magna and Shiffnal. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Staffordshire, Clermiston and Drumbrae and Walsall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Highway is 177 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 39.4%.

1881 census count

170

Ranked #14,265

Modern count

103

2016, ranked #30,515

Peak year

1891

177 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Highway had 170 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,265 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 103 in 2016, ranked #30,515.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 177 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ethnically Diverse Families in Less Connected Locations.

Highway surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Highway surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Highway 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 110 #16,093
1861 historical 174 #13,483
1881 historical 170 #14,265
1891 historical 177 #16,330
1901 historical 164 #17,144
1911 historical 151 #17,797
1997 modern 86 #28,876
1998 modern 87 #29,240
1999 modern 97 #28,187
2000 modern 104 #27,150
2001 modern 101 #27,252
2002 modern 103 #27,443
2003 modern 96 #28,381
2004 modern 99 #28,136
2005 modern 97 #28,485
2006 modern 94 #29,264
2007 modern 104 #28,020
2008 modern 104 #28,341
2009 modern 107 #28,483
2010 modern 111 #28,509
2011 modern 111 #28,294
2012 modern 114 #27,868
2013 modern 111 #28,856
2014 modern 110 #29,294
2015 modern 107 #29,708
2016 modern 103 #30,515

Geography

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Where Highways are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Dawley, Magna, Shiffnal, Kidderminster and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Staffordshire, Clermiston and Drumbrae and Walsall. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Dawley, Magna Shropshire
3 Shiffnal Shropshire
4 Kidderminster Worcestershire
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Staffordshire 009 East Staffordshire
2 Clermiston and Drumbrae City of Edinburgh
3 Walsall 023 Walsall
4 Walsall 030 Walsall
5 Walsall 037 Walsall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Highway

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Highway

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

Low-Skilled Migrant and Student Communities

Group

Ethnically Diverse Families in Less Connected Locations

Nationally, the Highway surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ethnically Diverse Families in Less Connected Locations, within Low-Skilled Migrant and Student Communities. This does not mean every Highway 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 is often found in less central parts of London and other major towns and cities. Adults are more likely than the Supergroup average to have never been married and are typically aged less than 45 years. Many have young dependent children and individuals may have been born in Africa. There are many members identifying with a Black ethnic group, with the other ethnic groups (as listed in the glossary) also represented, though Chinese less so. Accommodation in flats, frequently socially rented, is common in these neighbourhoods. Part time employment is also common, and work is often in elementary occupations, while unemployment is also the highest within this Supergroup.

Wider pattern

Young adults, many of whom are students, predominate in these high-density and overcrowded neighbourhoods of rented terrace houses or flats. Most ethnic minorities are present in these communities, as are people born in European countries that are not part of the EU. Students aside, low skilled occupations predominate, and unemployment rates are above average. Overall, the mix of students and more sedentary households means that neighbourhood average numbers of children are not very high. The Mixed or Multiple ethnic group composition of neighbourhoods is often associated with low rates of affiliation to Christian religions. This Supergroup predominates in non-central urban locations the UK, particularly within England in the Midlands and the outskirts of west, south and north-east London.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Highway 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

Highway is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Highway falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Highway is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Highway families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Highway 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. Staffordshire leads with 60 Highways recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.72x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 60 10.72x
Shropshire 28 19.54x
Middlesex 22 1.33x
Worcestershire 16 7.39x
Warwickshire 14 3.35x
Yorkshire 9 0.55x
Lancashire 6 0.30x
Gloucestershire 5 1.54x
Durham 4 0.81x
Essex 2 0.61x
Flintshire 2 4.49x
Northamptonshire 1 0.64x
Oxfordshire 1 0.98x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wednesfield in Staffordshire leads with 14 Highways recorded in 1881 and an index of 169.90x.

Place Total Index
Wednesfield 14 169.90x
Dawley 12 230.33x
Ealing 12 80.97x
Kidderminster Borough 12 94.71x
Walsall Foreign 9 31.13x
Birmingham 8 5.74x
Stone 6 83.80x
West Bromwich 6 18.73x
Aston 5 4.34x
Wednesbury 5 35.74x
Aldridge 4 370.37x
Burntwood Edial 4 111.73x
Clun 4 392.16x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 4 68.14x
St George Hanover Square 4 13.69x
Stoke Upon Trent 4 6.74x
Stourbridge 4 71.81x
Tong 4 1379.31x
Codsall 3 375.00x
Methley 3 129.87x
Newland 3 109.89x
Shifnal 3 77.12x
Wolverhampton 3 6.97x
Ashton In Makerfield 2 35.71x
Bilston 2 18.43x
Bishop Auckland 2 30.21x
Bristol St Augustine 2 38.10x
Darlington 2 10.50x
Farlow 2 1000.00x
Hanmer Bettisfield 2 952.38x
Hornsey 2 9.54x
Leeds 2 2.16x
West Ham 2 2.77x
Burnley 1 6.04x
Coventry Holy Trinity 1 8.01x
Diddlebury 1 212.77x
Heaton Norris 1 8.93x
Islington London 1 0.62x
Kirkham 1 38.46x
Mile End Old Town London 1 2.83x
Oxford St Thomas 1 20.92x
Rushton 1 357.14x
Shoreditch London 1 1.39x
Stockton 1 322.58x
Wellington 1 12.42x
Westminster St Margaret 1 12.50x
Withington 1 15.77x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 11
Henry 7
John 7
Thomas 7
Richard 6
Edward 5
Edwin 5
Isaac 5
George 3
James 3
Joseph 3
Arthur 2
Harry 2
Matthew 2
Peter 2
Thos. 2
Abraham 1
Albert 1
Arbraham 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Emanuel 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Job 1
Joshua 1
Riley 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Highway surname: questions and answers

How common was the Highway surname in 1881?

In 1881, 170 people were recorded with the Highway surname. That placed it at #14,265 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Highway surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 103 in 2016. That gives Highway a modern rank of #30,515.

What does the Highway map show?

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