NameCensus.

UK surname

Hignell

In the 1881 census there were 206 people recorded with the Hignell surname, ranking it #12,596 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 182, ranked #20,890, down from #12,596 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include The Vale of Glamorgan, Central Bedfordshire and Aylesbury Vale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hignell is 254 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.7%.

1881 census count

206

Ranked #12,596

Modern count

182

2016, ranked #20,890

Peak year

1901

254 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hignell had 206 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,596 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 182 in 2016, ranked #20,890.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 254 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Hignell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hignell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hignell 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 135 #13,964
1861 historical 173 #13,553
1881 historical 206 #12,596
1891 historical 239 #13,173
1901 historical 254 #13,005
1911 historical 234 #13,526
1997 modern 213 #16,948
1998 modern 222 #16,969
1999 modern 211 #17,662
2000 modern 227 #16,792
2001 modern 222 #16,806
2002 modern 222 #17,147
2003 modern 209 #17,620
2004 modern 210 #17,644
2005 modern 199 #18,198
2006 modern 196 #18,512
2007 modern 197 #18,669
2008 modern 192 #19,143
2009 modern 202 #18,896
2010 modern 206 #19,066
2011 modern 212 #18,575
2012 modern 194 #19,606
2013 modern 194 #19,932
2014 modern 196 #19,961
2015 modern 187 #20,502
2016 modern 182 #20,890

Geography

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Where Hignells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras, Lambeth and Thornbury, Rockhampton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to The Vale of Glamorgan, Central Bedfordshire, Aylesbury Vale, West Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Thornbury, Rockhampton Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 The Vale of Glamorgan 011 Vale of Glamorgan
2 Central Bedfordshire 028 Central Bedfordshire
3 Aylesbury Vale 009 Aylesbury Vale
4 West Oxfordshire 004 West Oxfordshire
5 Vale of White Horse 008 Vale of White Horse

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hignell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hignell

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Hignell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Hignell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hignell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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.

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Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Hignell is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hignell falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Hignell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hignell 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 64 Hignells recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.24x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 64 16.24x
Warwickshire 34 6.71x
Middlesex 22 1.09x
Berkshire 16 10.61x
Oxfordshire 16 12.89x
Surrey 10 1.02x
Cambridgeshire 9 7.07x
Monmouthshire 7 4.82x
Somerset 7 2.16x
Glamorgan 6 1.71x
Cheshire 5 1.13x
Lancashire 4 0.17x
Norfolk 4 1.29x
Worcestershire 2 0.76x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 27 Hignells recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.99x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 27 15.99x
Fairford 12 1142.86x
Cowley 10 258.40x
Westbury On Trym 9 67.42x
Henbury 8 416.67x
Aston 7 5.02x
Islington London 7 3.59x
St Pancras London 7 4.33x
Thornbury 7 260.22x
Bitton 6 174.93x
Lambeth 6 3.42x
Roath 6 37.76x
Twining 6 1016.95x
Chester St John Baptist 5 62.74x
Brimpton 4 1379.31x
Hungerford 4 196.08x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 4 43.15x
Pebworth 4 833.33x
St Peter Cambridge 4 930.23x
St Woollos 4 24.68x
Bedminster 3 9.87x
Chelsea London 3 4.95x
Reading St Giles 3 20.27x
Streatham 3 20.12x
Temple Guiting 3 810.81x
Westminster St Margaret 3 30.96x
Woolhampton 3 882.35x
Bristol St James In 2 34.48x
Bristol St James St Paul 2 15.22x
Cheltenham 2 6.58x
Kidderminster Borough 2 13.02x
Oxford St Thomas 2 34.54x
Salford 2 2.85x
St Giles Cambridge 2 121.95x
The Holy Sepulchre 2 645.16x
Wrington 2 183.49x
Bath St James 1 29.67x
Chepstow 1 40.49x
Christchurch 1 22.27x
Cirencester 1 18.73x
Coln St Aldwins 1 333.33x
Drayton 1 322.58x
Earley 1 39.84x
Harston 1 185.19x
Haslingden 1 10.13x
Holywell 1 172.41x
Hulme 1 2.01x
Kingston Bagpuize 1 588.24x
Middleton Stoney 1 500.00x
Nash 1 625.00x
Olveston 1 90.09x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 1 68.03x
Paddington London 1 1.35x
Pensford St Thomas 1 555.56x
St Marylebone London 1 0.93x
Weybridge 1 47.62x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 11
Ann 5
Hannah 5
Jane 4
Sarah 4
Alice 3
Annie 3
Caroline 3
Edith 3
Ellen 3
Fanny 3
Florence 3
Kate 3
Phoebe 3
Charlotte 2
Ethel 2
Harriett 2
Maria 2
Ruth 2
Susan 2
Ada 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Clara 1
Elizth. 1
Ella 1
Esther 1
Gertrude 1
Helen 1
Henrietta 1
Josephine 1
Julia 1
Keziah 1
Lillie 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Mabel 1
Martha 1
May 1
Mearie 1
Mercy 1
Rebecca 1
Sophia 1
Suan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
George 10
Thomas 10
Joseph 6
William 6
Albert 5
Alfred 5
Henry 5
Arthur 4
Edward 4
Charles 3
Frederick 3
Fredk. 3
Herbert 3
Frank 2
Daniel 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Fredrick 1
Gilbert 1
Harold 1
James 1
Lionel 1
Major 1
Percy 1
Robert 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Hignell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hignell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 206 people were recorded with the Hignell surname. That placed it at #12,596 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hignell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 182 in 2016. That gives Hignell a modern rank of #20,890.

What does the Hignell map show?

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