NameCensus.

UK surname

Hinkins

A variant of the surname Hinckson, derived from a diminutive of the given name Henry.

In the 1881 census there were 167 people recorded with the Hinkins surname, ranking it #14,443 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 229, ranked #17,878, down from #14,443 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Enfield and Melbourn, Meldreth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, West Dorset and Dartford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hinkins is 292 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.1%.

1881 census count

167

Ranked #14,443

Modern count

229

2016, ranked #17,878

Peak year

1911

292 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hinkins had 167 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,443 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 229 in 2016, ranked #17,878.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 292 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hinkins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hinkins surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hinkins 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 72 #20,720
1861 historical 92 #22,112
1881 historical 167 #14,443
1891 historical 193 #15,335
1901 historical 255 #12,965
1911 historical 292 #11,674
1997 modern 229 #16,168
1998 modern 235 #16,358
1999 modern 231 #16,646
2000 modern 238 #16,290
2001 modern 232 #16,314
2002 modern 242 #16,186
2003 modern 232 #16,447
2004 modern 223 #16,965
2005 modern 219 #17,126
2006 modern 204 #18,051
2007 modern 214 #17,688
2008 modern 209 #18,114
2009 modern 218 #18,015
2010 modern 227 #17,895
2011 modern 227 #17,733
2012 modern 233 #17,339
2013 modern 234 #17,556
2014 modern 232 #17,761
2015 modern 225 #18,050
2016 modern 229 #17,878

Geography

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Where Hinkins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Enfield, Melbourn, Meldreth, Royston and St Mary Newington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, West Dorset, Dartford, Charnwood and South Oxfordshire. 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 3
2 Enfield Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
3 Melbourn, Meldreth Hertfordshire
4 Royston Hertfordshire
5 St Mary Newington London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 029 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 West Dorset 002 West Dorset
3 Dartford 012 Dartford
4 Charnwood 003 Charnwood
5 South Oxfordshire 015 South Oxfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hinkins

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hinkins

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

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Hinkins is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Hinkins is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Hinkins

The surname Hinkins has its origins in England, first recorded in the late 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hine" and "kyn" which together mean "family of servants." This suggests the name may have originated from a group or clan that worked as servants to a lord or landowner.

Some of the earliest documented instances of the Hinkins name can be found in tax records and manorial rolls from counties like Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire. The name appeared in various spellings such as Hynekyn, Hynkyn, and Hynkynne, reflecting the more phonetic spelling conventions of the time.

A notable early bearer of the name was John Hynkyn, a landowner in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1310. Another early reference is found in the Subsidy Rolls of 1334, which lists a Robert Hynkyn from Ipswich, Suffolk.

The Hinkins name did not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, as it likely emerged later in the Middle Ages. However, it may be related to similar surnames like Hinkins or Hinksman, which were occupational names for servants or retainers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling "Hinkins" can be found in the parish records of St Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds, where a Richard Hinkins was christened in 1578. Another early bearer was John Hinkins, born in 1612 in Stowmarket, Suffolk.

Other notable individuals with the Hinkins surname throughout history include:

1. William Hinkins (1642-1707), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire. 2. Mary Hinkins (1715-1789), a renowned embroiderer from Norwich, Norfolk. 3. Thomas Hinkins (1768-1834), a prominent clockmaker from London. 4. Elizabeth Hinkins (1820-1892), a philanthropist and benefactor from Yorkshire. 5. John Hinkins (1879-1952), a decorated British Army officer who served in World War I.

While the name originated in East Anglia, it eventually spread to other parts of England and even overseas as families migrated. The Hinkins surname continues to be found in various parts of the world today, reflecting its enduring legacy as a quintessentially English surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hinkins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hinkins 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. Cambridgeshire leads with 56 Hinkins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 53.63x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 56 53.63x
Surrey 30 3.73x
Middlesex 19 1.15x
Huntingdonshire 13 39.72x
Lancashire 13 0.66x
Hertfordshire 9 7.92x
Yorkshire 7 0.43x
Hampshire 6 1.78x
Leicestershire 6 3.28x
Monmouthshire 4 3.36x
Derbyshire 2 0.77x
Royal Navy 2 10.18x
Warwickshire 2 0.48x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Melbourn in Cambridgeshire leads with 24 Hinkins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2352.94x.

Place Total Index
Melbourn 24 2352.94x
Newington 12 19.70x
Bermondsey 11 22.41x
Bluntisham 9 1475.41x
Royston 9 927.84x
St Andrewthe Less 9 75.44x
Salford 7 12.17x
Buckminster 6 4285.71x
Hulme 6 14.69x
Kensington London 6 6.55x
Outwell 6 3157.89x
Shoreditch London 6 8.40x
Steeple Morden 6 1071.43x
Bedwellty 4 19.01x
Poplar London 4 12.86x
Somersham 4 500.00x
Southwark St Saviour 4 47.23x
Wimblington 4 645.16x
Bowling 3 18.54x
Hound 3 131.00x
Portsea 3 4.53x
Sheffield 3 5.77x
Upwell 3 389.61x
Beighton 2 170.94x
Camberwell 2 1.90x
Hammersmith London 2 4.92x
Harston 2 454.55x
Leamington Priors 2 19.55x
Royal Navy 2 11.91x
Doddington 1 129.87x
Fulham London 1 4.18x
Nether Hallam 1 4.52x
Richmond 1 8.88x
St Marythe Great 1 294.12x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Sarah 9
Agnes 4
Eliza 4
Ellen 4
Elizabeth 3
Jessie 3
Martha 3
Rhoda 3
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Emma 2
Frances 2
Hannah 2
Louisa 2
Maria 2
Susan 2
Amelia 1
Ann 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Elizebeth 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eunice 1
Hariett 1
Harriott 1
Harritt 1
Helen 1
Julia 1
Levina 1
Lizzie 1
Lizzy 1
Matha 1
Maud 1
Phoebe 1
Rachel 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 14
William 12
John 8
Charles 6
Joseph 5
Walter 4
Benjamin 3
Edward 3
Frederick 3
Thomas 3
Arthur 2
Francis 2
Henry 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Benjemin 1
David 1
Fred 1
Garner 1
Harry 1
James 1
Ralph 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Sidney 1

FAQ

Hinkins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hinkins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 167 people were recorded with the Hinkins surname. That placed it at #14,443 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hinkins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 229 in 2016. That gives Hinkins a modern rank of #17,878.

What does the Hinkins surname mean?

A variant of the surname Hinckson, derived from a diminutive of the given name Henry.

What does the Hinkins map show?

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