NameCensus.

UK surname

Hincks

A topographic name indicating someone who lived near a hinge or bend in a river or road.

In the 1881 census there were 355 people recorded with the Hincks surname, ranking it #8,679 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 417, ranked #11,504, down from #8,679 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Barwell and Hinckley (incl. Hydes Pastures). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ceredigion, Wolverhampton and Sefton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hincks is 580 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.5%.

1881 census count

355

Ranked #8,679

Modern count

417

2016, ranked #11,504

Peak year

1911

580 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hincks had 355 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,679 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 417 in 2016, ranked #11,504.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 580 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hincks surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hincks surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hincks 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 228 #9,418
1861 historical 214 #11,365
1881 historical 355 #8,679
1891 historical 438 #8,234
1901 historical 534 #7,683
1911 historical 580 #7,013
1997 modern 455 #9,985
1998 modern 456 #10,295
1999 modern 455 #10,364
2000 modern 457 #10,300
2001 modern 443 #10,371
2002 modern 463 #10,202
2003 modern 445 #10,376
2004 modern 446 #10,391
2005 modern 441 #10,368
2006 modern 431 #10,600
2007 modern 438 #10,568
2008 modern 444 #10,535
2009 modern 444 #10,797
2010 modern 455 #10,802
2011 modern 441 #10,958
2012 modern 420 #11,278
2013 modern 431 #11,231
2014 modern 433 #11,262
2015 modern 430 #11,226
2016 modern 417 #11,504

Geography

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Where Hincks' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Barwell, Hinckley (incl. Hydes Pastures), Sapcote and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ceredigion, Wolverhampton, Sefton, Blaby and Liverpool. 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 Barwell Leicestershire
3 Hinckley (incl. Hydes Pastures) Leicestershire
4 Sapcote Leicestershire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ceredigion 001 Ceredigion
2 Wolverhampton 033 Wolverhampton
3 Sefton 023 Sefton
4 Blaby 012 Blaby
5 Liverpool 015 Liverpool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hincks

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hincks

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Hincks is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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 very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hincks is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Hincks

The surname Hincks is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "hinc," meaning "hinge" or "hank." It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a maker or seller of hinges or hooks.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early recordings including William le Hynck in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1278 and John Hynck in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.

One of the earliest instances of the Hincks surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Hinguar" in Lincolnshire.

The name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Hynck, Hyncke, Hinck, and Hinckx, reflecting regional dialects and scribal interpretations.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Francis Hincks (c. 1515-1595), an English courtier and diplomat who served as Ambassador to France during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Hincks (1767-1857), an Irish-born Canadian politician and statesman who served as the Premier of the Province of Canada from 1851 to 1854.

Edward Hincks (1792-1866) was a distinguished Irish scholar and Egyptologist who made significant contributions to the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Thomas Cowper Hincks (1818-1899) was a British naturalist and zoologist, known for his pioneering work in the study of marine invertebrates.

Edward Revill Hincks (1845-1890) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire and Cambridge University in the late 19th century.

The surname Hincks has maintained a presence throughout various regions of England, particularly in counties such as Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Lancashire, where it has been recorded since medieval times.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hincks families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hincks 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. Leicestershire leads with 190 Hincks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 49.48x.

County Total Index
Leicestershire 190 49.48x
Staffordshire 34 2.91x
Shropshire 28 9.36x
Warwickshire 22 2.52x
Lancashire 18 0.44x
Surrey 15 0.89x
Nottinghamshire 9 1.93x
Middlesex 8 0.23x
Cheshire 6 0.78x
Worcestershire 6 1.33x
Derbyshire 4 0.74x
Hampshire 3 0.42x
Somerset 3 0.54x
Devon 2 0.28x
Essex 2 0.29x
Bedfordshire 1 0.56x
Glamorgan 1 0.17x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.91x
Suffolk 1 0.24x
Wiltshire 1 0.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leicester St Margaret in Leicestershire leads with 56 Hincks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 59.81x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Margaret 56 59.81x
Sapcote 34 4146.34x
Hinckley 16 175.63x
Leicester St Mary 16 51.58x
Sedgley 15 34.55x
Leicester All Sts 11 145.89x
Rugby 11 93.14x
Worthen 11 345.91x
Barwell 10 492.61x
Fleckney 9 989.01x
Hucknall Torkard 9 76.01x
Loughborough 9 51.66x
Everton 8 6.11x
Burton Upon Trent 6 21.94x
Chester St Oswald 6 43.35x
Pontesbury 5 137.36x
Wolverhampton 5 5.56x
Camberwell 4 1.81x
Condover 4 189.57x
Earl Shilton 4 476.19x
Grendon 4 533.33x
Humberstone 4 126.98x
Linton 4 279.72x
Nether Seal 4 588.24x
Shrewsbury St Chad 4 38.10x
St George Bloomsbury 4 20.13x
Yardley 4 34.57x
Atherstone 3 67.26x
Barrow In Furness 3 5.37x
Clapham 3 6.93x
Clevedon 3 51.72x
Kingston On Thames 3 7.40x
Liverpool 3 1.20x
Seals 3 222.22x
Sharnford 3 555.56x
Whitwick 3 61.48x
Aldershot 2 8.41x
Ashby De La Zouch 2 22.47x
Blymhill 2 333.33x
Farnham 2 15.24x
Ludlow St Lawrence 2 33.61x
Upper Penn 2 68.26x
Walton Le Dale 2 18.12x
West Ham 2 1.33x
Willenhall 2 9.14x
Birmingham 1 0.34x
Birstall 1 172.41x
Bow London 1 2.27x
Bury St Edmunds St James 1 8.87x
Cardiff St Mary 1 3.01x
Claines 1 8.06x
Coventry St Michael 1 3.57x
Dunstable 1 18.15x
East Teignmouth 1 33.90x
Gaydon 1 322.58x
Habberley 1 625.00x
Hardhorn With Newton 1 200.00x
Kenton 1 44.05x
Kidderminster Foreign 1 15.65x
Lambeth 1 0.33x
Leamington Priors 1 4.65x
Leicester Newarke 1 50.00x
Leicester St Martin 1 38.76x
Leicester St Nicholas 1 46.08x
Market Lavington 1 60.24x
Milford Haven 1 112.36x
Penge 1 4.52x
Putney 1 6.34x
Ryde 1 6.56x
Snarestone 1 263.16x
St Martin In Fields 1 4.82x
St Pancras London 1 0.36x
Tettenhall 1 13.99x
Twickenham 1 6.73x
Walton On Hill 1 4.49x
West Bromwich 1 1.49x
Westbury 1 64.94x
Wigston Magna 1 19.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 29
William 26
Thomas 19
George 13
Joseph 11
Henry 7
Richard 6
James 5
Walter 5
Ernest 4
Samuel 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Harry 3
Charles 2
Daniel 2
Edwin 2
Thos. 2
Wm. 2
Aquilla 1
Chas. 1
Edmund 1
Even 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fredric 1
Fredrick 1
Geoffrey 1
Harold 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
Josiah 1
Julius 1
Mathew 1
Michael 1
Olven 1
Philip 1
Reginald 1
Rueben 1
Sidney 1

FAQ

Hincks surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hincks surname in 1881?

In 1881, 355 people were recorded with the Hincks surname. That placed it at #8,679 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hincks surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 417 in 2016. That gives Hincks a modern rank of #11,504.

What does the Hincks surname mean?

A topographic name indicating someone who lived near a hinge or bend in a river or road.

What does the Hincks map show?

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