NameCensus.

UK surname

Hinchliffe

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the meadow on the hill ridge".

In the 1881 census there were 2,592 people recorded with the Hinchliffe surname, ranking it #1,720 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,545, ranked #1,910, down from #1,720 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Calverley, Almondbury and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kirklees and High Peak.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hinchliffe is 3,863 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.8%.

1881 census count

2,592

Ranked #1,720

Modern count

3,545

2016, ranked #1,910

Peak year

1901

3,863 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hinchliffe had 2,592 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,720 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,545 in 2016, ranked #1,910.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,863 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Hinchliffe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hinchliffe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hinchliffe 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 1,421 #2,023
1861 historical 1,313 #2,176
1881 historical 2,592 #1,720
1891 historical 3,039 #1,548
1901 historical 3,863 #1,460
1911 historical 3,725 #1,393
1997 modern 3,443 #1,882
1998 modern 3,551 #1,900
1999 modern 3,602 #1,889
2000 modern 3,602 #1,885
2001 modern 3,632 #1,818
2002 modern 3,688 #1,836
2003 modern 3,562 #1,852
2004 modern 3,563 #1,853
2005 modern 3,558 #1,840
2006 modern 3,569 #1,828
2007 modern 3,579 #1,841
2008 modern 3,585 #1,851
2009 modern 3,618 #1,882
2010 modern 3,673 #1,896
2011 modern 3,656 #1,879
2012 modern 3,582 #1,878
2013 modern 3,630 #1,890
2014 modern 3,609 #1,903
2015 modern 3,589 #1,896
2016 modern 3,545 #1,910

Geography

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Where Hinchliffes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Calverley, Almondbury, Bradford, Sheffield and Huddersfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kirklees and High Peak. 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 Calverley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Almondbury Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Huddersfield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kirklees 059 Kirklees
2 High Peak 003 High Peak
3 Kirklees 058 Kirklees
4 Kirklees 053 Kirklees
5 Kirklees 055 Kirklees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hinchliffe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hinchliffe

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Hinchliffe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Hinchliffe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hinchliffe 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.

Read profile summary

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

Hinchliffe is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hinchliffe falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hinchliffe

The surname Hinchliffe originates from the West Riding of Yorkshire in England, dating back to the late 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the old English words "hincg" meaning a meadow and "clif" meaning a cliff or steep slope, essentially describing a steep meadow or hillside pasture.

Early recordings of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1208, where it appears as Hingeclive and Hingeclif. It is also mentioned in the Wakefield Court Rolls of 1275 as Hyncheclyve. These early spellings demonstrate how the name evolved from its geographical roots.

The Hinchliffe name is notably absent from the famous Domesday Book of 1086, suggesting the name arose after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. However, it is likely that the settlement from which the name derives existed before the Conquest.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John de Hyncheclyve, mentioned in the Yorkshire Inquisitions of 1301. Another early example is Robert de Hynchclyff, listed in the Wakefield Manor Court Rolls of 1317.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Hinchliffe surname. These include John Hinchliffe (1605-1656), an English Puritan clergyman and religious writer, and Sir Henry Hinchliffe (1768-1844), an English judge and Chief Justice of Gibraltar.

More recently, Alfred Hinchliffe (1846-1924) was a prominent English businessman and philanthropist, while Albert Hinchliffe (1870-1940) was a professional footballer and manager who played for Nottingham Forest and managed Manchester City.

Another bearer of note is Gordon Hinchliffe (1909-1992), an Australian politician and member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1949 to 1963.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hinchliffe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hinchliffe 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. Yorkshire leads with 2,129 Hinchliffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.52x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2,129 8.52x
Lancashire 186 0.62x
Derbyshire 82 2.08x
Cheshire 38 0.68x
Nottinghamshire 29 0.85x
Surrey 25 0.20x
Leicestershire 12 0.43x
Aberdeenshire 10 0.43x
Stirlingshire 9 0.97x
Lincolnshire 8 0.20x
Westmorland 8 1.44x
Clackmannanshire 7 3.36x
Ayrshire 6 0.32x
Wiltshire 6 0.27x
Cumberland 5 0.23x
Devon 5 0.10x
Hampshire 5 0.10x
Glamorgan 3 0.07x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.35x
Staffordshire 2 0.02x
Berwickshire 1 0.33x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.06x
Gloucestershire 1 0.02x
Kent 1 0.01x
Middlesex 1 0.00x
Midlothian 1 0.03x
Suffolk 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Pudsey in Yorkshire leads with 162 Hinchliffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 121.34x.

Place Total Index
Pudsey 162 121.34x
Sheffield 113 14.21x
Barnsley 109 42.31x
Huddersfield 99 27.21x
Wooldale 98 231.35x
Cartworth 88 425.94x
Lockwood 55 61.21x
Almondbury 53 43.88x
Saddleworth 51 26.47x
Honley 50 114.36x
Oldham 49 5.08x
Dewsbury 45 17.57x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 45 71.43x
Brightside Bierlow 41 8.37x
Austonley 39 275.81x
Glossop Dale 38 20.56x
Leeds 38 2.69x
Longwood 37 91.90x
Nether Hallam 35 10.36x
Upperthong 33 155.37x
Penistone 32 164.36x
Liversedge 30 26.98x
Rotherham 30 21.31x
Fulstone 29 158.73x
Heckmondwike 28 34.85x
Thurlstone 28 113.68x
Kimberworth 27 19.48x
Monk Bretton 26 102.81x
Ecclesfield 24 13.10x
Hunslet 23 5.91x
Bradford 22 3.64x
Meltham 21 54.07x
Bowling 20 8.08x
Linthwaite 20 38.10x
Ecclesall Bierlow 19 3.74x
Barugh 18 85.31x
Bradfield 17 17.66x
Kirkburton 17 57.73x
Ludworth 17 91.45x
Bramley In Bramley 16 16.73x
Hunshelf 16 130.72x
Manchester 16 1.19x
Wakefield 16 8.34x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 15 16.54x
Netherthong 14 173.27x
Tinsley 14 160.18x
Dalton In Huddersfield 13 23.24x
Upper Hallam 13 59.91x
Wardleworth 13 7.61x
West Clayton 13 104.84x
Ardsley 12 41.70x
Erringden 12 74.40x
Golcar 12 18.17x
Halifax 12 3.27x
Sowerby In Halifax 12 14.69x
Spotland 12 3.61x
Ashton Under Lyne 11 1.68x
Cawthorne In Wortley 11 109.02x
Dukinfield 11 4.28x
Lambeth 11 0.50x
Liverpool 11 0.61x
Thornhill 11 15.09x
Brampton Bierlow 10 31.26x
Gomersal 10 8.58x
Newbold Dunston 10 26.66x
North Bierley 10 7.42x
Thurstonland 10 115.61x
Tintwistle 10 33.64x
Alva 9 20.30x
Dodworth 9 34.68x
Hepworth 9 89.20x
Horbury 9 20.60x
Hoyland Nether 9 14.69x
Leicester St Leonard 9 34.03x
Mirfield 9 6.56x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 9 10.09x
Shitlington 9 34.83x
Warrington 9 2.54x
Hipperholme Cum 8 7.29x
Roystone 8 81.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 195
Sarah 121
Elizabeth 79
Ann 70
Hannah 67
Emma 49
Martha 44
Annie 42
Ellen 37
Jane 34
Eliza 31
Emily 31
Clara 27
Alice 25
Ada 23
Harriet 21
Ruth 15
Florence 13
Anne 11
Betty 11
Edith 11
Fanny 11
Maria 11
Rebecca 11
Charlotte 10
Lydia 9
Esther 7
Lucy 7
Rachel 7
Caroline 6
Frances 6
Louisa 6
Margaret 6
Matilda 6
Nancy 6
Amelia 5
Betsy 5
Rhoda 5
Selina 5
Susannah 5
Bertha 4
Eleanor 4
Elizth. 4
Eva 4
Harriett 4
Kate 4
Polly 4
Amy 3
Lilian 3
Lilly 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 163
George 96
James 84
William 82
Joseph 66
Thomas 46
Charles 37
Henry 37
Arthur 33
Fred 29
Walter 26
Herbert 24
Joe 24
Albert 23
Harry 23
Edward 20
Alfred 19
Richard 19
Samuel 19
Tom 17
Robert 16
Ernest 14
Frank 13
Jonathan 13
Benjamin 12
Ben 11
Edwin 10
Jonas 10
Joshua 10
Frederick 9
Sam 8
Mark 7
Wm. 7
Thos. 6
Allen 5
Daniel 5
David 5
Geo. 5
Matthew 5
Saml. 5
Andrew 4
Elliot 4
Walker 4
Abraham 3
Earnest 3
Elijah 3
Ezra 3
Francis 3
Jas. 3
Ralph 3

FAQ

Hinchliffe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hinchliffe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,592 people were recorded with the Hinchliffe surname. That placed it at #1,720 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hinchliffe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,545 in 2016. That gives Hinchliffe a modern rank of #1,910.

What does the Hinchliffe surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the meadow on the hill ridge".

What does the Hinchliffe map show?

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