NameCensus.

UK surname

Hills

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

In the 1881 census there were 8,291 people recorded with the Hills surname, ranking it #509 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 10,053, ranked #637, down from #509 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Swale, Ashford and Maidstone.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hills is 11,257 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.3%.

1881 census count

8,291

Ranked #509

Modern count

10,053

2016, ranked #637

Peak year

1911

11,257 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hills had 8,291 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #509 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 10,053 in 2016, ranked #637.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 11,257 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hills surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hills surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Hills 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 5,648 #490
1861 historical 6,670 #417
1881 historical 8,291 #509
1891 historical 8,951 #493
1901 historical 10,150 #515
1911 historical 11,257 #432
1997 modern 10,468 #592
1998 modern 10,701 #599
1999 modern 10,765 #596
2000 modern 10,615 #604
2001 modern 10,422 #600
2002 modern 10,617 #604
2003 modern 10,223 #613
2004 modern 10,174 #619
2005 modern 9,944 #624
2006 modern 9,804 #639
2007 modern 9,890 #636
2008 modern 9,943 #639
2009 modern 10,140 #640
2010 modern 10,377 #638
2011 modern 10,235 #636
2012 modern 9,930 #644
2013 modern 10,161 #641
2014 modern 10,225 #639
2015 modern 10,081 #640
2016 modern 10,053 #637

Geography

Back to top

Where Hills' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch, Lambeth and Brighton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Swale, Ashford and Maidstone. 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 1
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Swale 015 Swale
2 Ashford 004 Ashford
3 Ashford 007 Ashford
4 Ashford 008 Ashford
5 Maidstone 013 Maidstone

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Hills

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Hills

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Hills is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hills is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hills falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hills

The surname HILLS is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is derived from the Old English word "hyll," meaning a hill or elevated land. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a hill or in a hilly area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "de la Hille" in various counties across England, including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Surrey.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Atte Hille," "de la Hille," and "del Hille," reflecting the evolution of the English language and the transition from the Anglo-Norman spelling to the more modern form.

Notable individuals with the surname HILLS include John Hills (1590-1628), an English Puritan clergyman and author; Robert Hills (1769-1853), an English painter and engraver; and George Hills (1816-1895), an English librarian and bibliographer who served as the Principal Librarian of the British Museum.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Sir John Hills (1834-1902), a British civil engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the construction of railways and bridges in India during the 19th century.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname HILLS was Joseph Hills (1602-1688), an English settler who arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630s and became a prominent figure in the colonial government.

The name HILLS has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Hillsborough in County Down, Northern Ireland, which is believed to have derived its name from the Old English "Hylles" and "burh," meaning a fortified place on a hill.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Hills families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hills 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. Kent leads with 2,108 Hills' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.65x.

County Total Index
Kent 2,108 7.65x
Middlesex 1,178 1.46x
Surrey 854 2.17x
Sussex 796 5.84x
Essex 747 4.68x
Cambridgeshire 407 7.95x
Hertfordshire 277 4.97x
Durham 251 1.04x
Hampshire 230 1.39x
Suffolk 160 1.63x
Northumberland 159 1.32x
Bedfordshire 158 3.78x
Yorkshire 150 0.19x
Lancashire 98 0.10x
Warwickshire 77 0.38x
Norfolk 69 0.56x
Huntingdonshire 51 3.18x
Northamptonshire 46 0.61x
Staffordshire 39 0.14x
Gloucestershire 26 0.16x
Somerset 25 0.19x
Berkshire 23 0.38x
Derbyshire 23 0.18x
Devon 23 0.14x
Caernarfonshire 22 0.67x
Lincolnshire 22 0.17x
Midlothian 21 0.19x
Oxfordshire 21 0.42x
Cumberland 19 0.27x
Leicestershire 18 0.20x
Buckinghamshire 17 0.35x
Dorset 16 0.30x
Cornwall 14 0.15x
Nottinghamshire 13 0.12x
Cheshire 12 0.07x
Roxburghshire 12 0.82x
Selkirkshire 11 1.51x
Wiltshire 11 0.15x
Monmouthshire 10 0.17x
Carmarthenshire 9 0.26x
Herefordshire 9 0.27x
Berwickshire 6 0.61x
Worcestershire 6 0.06x
Pembrokeshire 5 0.19x
Royal Navy 5 0.52x
Shropshire 5 0.07x
Denbighshire 4 0.13x
Glamorgan 4 0.03x
Lanarkshire 3 0.01x
Westmorland 3 0.17x
Anglesey 2 0.14x
Channel Islands 2 0.08x
Cardiganshire 1 0.05x
Flintshire 1 0.05x
Merionethshire 1 0.07x
Perthshire 1 0.03x
Renfrewshire 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. Hackney London in Middlesex leads with 138 Hills' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.05x.

Place Total Index
Hackney London 138 3.05x
Lambeth 138 1.96x
Brighton 121 4.40x
Islington London 98 1.25x
Maidstone 89 10.84x
Camberwell 86 1.67x
Shoreditch London 81 2.31x
West Ham 79 2.24x
Battersea 69 2.32x
Kensington London 69 1.54x
Croydon 68 3.11x
Ashford 66 24.59x
Deptford St Paul 62 2.92x
Lewisham 61 4.15x
Willesborough 60 80.95x
Newington 58 1.94x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 56 25.10x
St Marylebone London 51 1.18x
Bermondsey 50 2.08x
Faversham 50 19.02x
Hammersmith London 50 2.51x
Paddington London 50 1.68x
Horsham 48 18.14x
Margate St John Baptist 48 9.51x
Soham 48 43.59x
Northfleet 47 19.35x
Sevenoaks 47 21.03x
Langford 46 133.80x
Folkestone 45 8.42x
Sittingbourne 45 20.67x
Gateshead 44 2.45x
Minster In Sheppey 44 9.64x
Tonbridge 44 4.43x
Westoe 44 3.23x
Greenwich 40 3.11x
Kingsnorth 40 236.69x
Bethnal Green London 39 1.11x
Bromley 39 9.28x
Clifton 39 96.58x
Plumstead 39 4.24x
Tottenham 39 3.03x
Bexley 37 15.18x
Grays Thurrock 36 24.29x
Southwark St George Martyr 36 2.21x
Ware 36 22.55x
Bow London 35 3.40x
Chatham 35 4.62x
Enfield 34 6.41x
Mile End Old Town London 34 1.98x
Rotherhithe 33 3.31x
Milton In Milton 32 27.31x
Ramsgate 32 7.11x
Epping 31 47.84x
Hove 31 5.19x
Birmingham 30 0.44x
St Peters 30 23.53x
Penge 29 5.62x
St Andrewthe Less 29 4.96x
Babraham 28 379.40x
Preston 28 11.77x
Ryde 28 7.87x
Speldhurst 28 19.95x
St Pancras London 28 0.43x
Aldershot 27 4.87x
Ash Next Ridley 27 154.46x
St George Hanover Square 26 1.83x
Westminster St John 26 2.64x
Clapham 25 2.48x
Fulham London 24 2.05x
Great Abington 24 310.88x
South Shoebury 24 37.47x
Freshwater 23 30.40x
Gillingham 23 4.05x
Preston Next Faversham 23 35.49x
Borden 22 62.98x
Clerkenwell London 22 1.15x
Gorleston 22 8.80x
Littlehampton 22 20.23x
Yarm 22 53.53x
Edmonton 21 3.23x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 457
Elizabeth 310
Sarah 255
Eliza 154
Alice 148
Emma 146
Ellen 141
Ann 135
Emily 132
Annie 128
Jane 126
Harriet 78
Louisa 72
Caroline 64
Charlotte 61
Florence 61
Martha 60
Kate 58
Fanny 47
Hannah 47
Margaret 46
Ada 44
Harriett 44
Frances 42
Clara 41
Edith 39
Catherine 38
Lucy 38
Susan 35
Maria 33
Rose 30
Sophia 27
Anne 26
Amy 25
Susannah 25
Agnes 24
Amelia 23
Minnie 23
Jessie 22
Eleanor 20
Isabella 20
Rebecca 20
Esther 19
Ethel 19
Ruth 19
Laura 18
Julia 17
Lydia 14
Gertrude 13
Matilda 13

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 486
John 385
George 324
Thomas 257
James 248
Henry 218
Charles 186
Edward 135
Arthur 127
Alfred 116
Robert 97
Walter 97
Frederick 87
Albert 74
Joseph 70
Harry 61
Richard 55
Ernest 52
Edwin 49
Frank 46
Samuel 41
Herbert 37
Stephen 30
Benjamin 28
David 22
Percy 20
Wm. 19
Francis 18
Fredk. 17
Daniel 13
Horace 13
Geo. 12
Philip 12
Sidney 12
Fred 11
Isaac 10
Mark 10
Abraham 9
Fredrick 9
Peter 9
Rowland 9
Sydney 9
Edmund 8
Matthew 8
Thos. 8
Jonathan 7
Adam 6
Andrew 6
Leonard 6
Ralph 6

FAQ

Hills surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hills surname in 1881?

In 1881, 8,291 people were recorded with the Hills surname. That placed it at #509 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hills surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 10,053 in 2016. That gives Hills a modern rank of #637.

What does the Hills surname mean?

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

What does the Hills map show?

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