NameCensus.

UK surname

Higton

In the 1881 census there were 228 people recorded with the Higton surname, ranking it #11,826 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 492, ranked #10,096, up from #11,826 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Matlock, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Wetton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Derbyshire Dales and Staffordshire Moorlands.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Higton is 577 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 115.8%.

1881 census count

228

Ranked #11,826

Modern count

492

2016, ranked #10,096

Peak year

1999

577 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Higton had 228 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,826 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 492 in 2016, ranked #10,096.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 434 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Higton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Higton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Higton 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 186 #11,024
1861 historical 181 #12,997
1881 historical 228 #11,826
1891 historical 288 #11,450
1901 historical 377 #9,876
1911 historical 434 #8,740
1997 modern 572 #8,424
1998 modern 573 #8,643
1999 modern 577 #8,662
2000 modern 561 #8,811
2001 modern 554 #8,762
2002 modern 566 #8,788
2003 modern 540 #8,967
2004 modern 530 #9,117
2005 modern 497 #9,479
2006 modern 499 #9,500
2007 modern 497 #9,615
2008 modern 497 #9,681
2009 modern 512 #9,670
2010 modern 517 #9,792
2011 modern 530 #9,541
2012 modern 510 #9,722
2013 modern 507 #9,917
2014 modern 503 #10,038
2015 modern 499 #10,021
2016 modern 492 #10,096

Geography

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Where Higtons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Matlock, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Wetton, St Werburgh and Wirksworth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Derbyshire Dales and Staffordshire Moorlands. 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 Matlock Derbyshire
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 Wetton Staffordshire
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 Wirksworth Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Derbyshire Dales 007 Derbyshire Dales
2 Staffordshire Moorlands 007 Staffordshire Moorlands
3 Derbyshire Dales 009 Derbyshire Dales
4 Derbyshire Dales 004 Derbyshire Dales
5 Derbyshire Dales 005 Derbyshire Dales

Forenames

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First names often paired with Higton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Higton

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Higton is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Higton is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Higton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Higton 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. Derbyshire leads with 95 Higtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.28x.

County Total Index
Derbyshire 95 27.28x
Staffordshire 38 5.06x
Nottinghamshire 30 10.01x
Cheshire 15 3.06x
Warwickshire 14 2.50x
Lancashire 9 0.34x
Shropshire 6 3.12x
Essex 4 0.91x
Yorkshire 4 0.18x
Kent 3 0.40x
Surrey 3 0.28x
Hampshire 2 0.44x
Leicestershire 2 0.81x
Middlesex 2 0.09x
Sussex 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Derby St Werburgh in Derbyshire leads with 20 Higtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 99.45x.

Place Total Index
Derby St Werburgh 20 99.45x
Wetton 20 8000.00x
Wirksworth 19 599.37x
Radford 14 91.92x
Matlock 12 256.41x
Birmingham 9 4.81x
Wingfield South 9 967.74x
Crich 8 352.42x
Nottingham St Peter 8 239.52x
Alveley 6 789.47x
Brinnington 6 130.72x
Glossop Dale 6 36.79x
Hartington Upper 6 361.45x
Ipstones 6 555.56x
Rowland 6 12000.00x
Edgbaston 5 28.75x
Mottram 5 225.23x
Onecote 5 1785.71x
Selston 5 149.25x
Alderwasley 4 1379.31x
Brightside Bierlow 4 9.25x
Epping 4 224.72x
Manchester 4 3.37x
Stoke Upon Trent 4 5.02x
Canterbury St Mary 3 58.94x
Darley 2 141.84x
Dukinfield 2 8.81x
Leicester St Margaret 2 3.33x
Newstead 2 270.27x
Pendleton In Salford 2 6.36x
Sale 2 33.22x
Southwark Christchurch 2 19.19x
Aldershot 1 6.55x
Alfreton 1 9.45x
Barrow In Furness 1 2.79x
Bonsall 1 97.09x
Butterton 1 555.56x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 2.39x
Eastbourne 1 5.80x
Hucknall Under 1 64.52x
Ilam 1 625.00x
Kingsley 1 71.43x
Mile End Old Town London 1 2.11x
Newton Grange 1 2000.00x
Pennington In Leigh 1 19.76x
Portsea 1 1.12x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 2.23x
St Anne Soho London 1 7.87x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Higton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Higton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 228 people were recorded with the Higton surname. That placed it at #11,826 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Higton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 492 in 2016. That gives Higton a modern rank of #10,096.

What does the Higton map show?

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