NameCensus.

UK surname

Hinks

A surname of English origin, likely derived from a medieval form of the given name Henry.

In the 1881 census there were 1,219 people recorded with the Hinks surname, ranking it #3,319 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,696, ranked #3,684, down from #3,319 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Bushbury and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, South Derbyshire and Walsall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hinks is 1,842 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.1%.

1881 census count

1,219

Ranked #3,319

Modern count

1,696

2016, ranked #3,684

Peak year

2010

1,842 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hinks had 1,219 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,319 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,696 in 2016, ranked #3,684.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,567 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Hinks surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hinks surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hinks 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 772 #3,459
1861 historical 778 #3,541
1881 historical 1,219 #3,319
1891 historical 1,257 #3,432
1901 historical 1,453 #3,505
1911 historical 1,567 #3,097
1997 modern 1,732 #3,441
1998 modern 1,786 #3,473
1999 modern 1,781 #3,513
2000 modern 1,770 #3,517
2001 modern 1,742 #3,490
2002 modern 1,784 #3,488
2003 modern 1,728 #3,529
2004 modern 1,745 #3,492
2005 modern 1,705 #3,534
2006 modern 1,709 #3,530
2007 modern 1,741 #3,514
2008 modern 1,753 #3,511
2009 modern 1,799 #3,508
2010 modern 1,842 #3,501
2011 modern 1,819 #3,502
2012 modern 1,771 #3,524
2013 modern 1,759 #3,594
2014 modern 1,750 #3,626
2015 modern 1,734 #3,619
2016 modern 1,696 #3,684

Geography

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Where Hinks' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Bushbury, Portsmouth, Portsea, Birmingham Town: Birmingham and Birmingham Town: Aston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, South Derbyshire, Walsall and Lincoln. 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 Bushbury Staffordshire
3 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
4 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
5 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 013 Shropshire
2 South Derbyshire 013 South Derbyshire
3 Walsall 018 Walsall
4 Walsall 017 Walsall
5 Lincoln 007 Lincoln

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hinks

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hinks

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Hinks surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Hinks household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Hinks is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hinks 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

Hinks falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hinks is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Hinks, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Hinks

The surname Hinks is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "hinc," which means "hinge" or "bend," possibly referring to someone who lived near a hinge-like bend in a river or road.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hinks can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1545, which mention a John Hinks. The name also appears in the Parish Registers of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, where a William Hinks was christened in 1587.

In the 17th century, the Hinks surname was relatively widespread in the Yorkshire region, with several references to the name in parish records and tax rolls. Notably, a Robert Hinks was recorded in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Yorkshire in 1672.

The name Hinks has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Sir John Hinks (1615-1683), a wealthy English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1673. Another prominent figure was Edward Hinks (1629-1675), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.

In the 18th century, the Hinks surname spread beyond Yorkshire and Lancashire to other parts of England. Joseph Hinks (1767-1834) was a notable English engraver and cartographer who produced maps and charts for the British Admiralty. His son, Thomas Cramner Hinks (1793-1857), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned engraver and cartographer as well.

Moving into the 19th century, Arthur Robert Hinks (1873-1945) was a British astronomer and geophysicist who made significant contributions to the fields of celestial mechanics and geodesy. He served as the Chief Assistant at the Cambridge Observatory and was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The Hinks surname has also been associated with place names in England, such as Hinks Nook in West Yorkshire and Hinks Fell in Cumbria. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating areas where families with the Hinks name may have settled or held land.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hinks families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hinks 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. Warwickshire leads with 281 Hinks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.37x.

County Total Index
Warwickshire 281 9.37x
Staffordshire 157 3.91x
Hampshire 75 3.08x
Lancashire 69 0.49x
Shropshire 69 6.72x
Leicestershire 68 5.16x
Somerset 48 2.51x
Middlesex 47 0.40x
Northamptonshire 37 3.31x
Surrey 37 0.64x
Bedfordshire 34 5.52x
Worcestershire 29 1.87x
Kent 28 0.69x
Yorkshire 28 0.24x
Nottinghamshire 25 1.56x
Devon 22 0.89x
Oxfordshire 22 3.00x
Derbyshire 20 1.07x
Midlothian 18 1.13x
Gloucestershire 15 0.64x
Durham 11 0.31x
Dorset 10 1.28x
Sussex 10 0.50x
Stirlingshire 8 1.82x
Northumberland 7 0.40x
Cheshire 6 0.23x
Wiltshire 6 0.57x
Angus 5 0.45x
Essex 4 0.17x
Berwickshire 3 2.08x
Brecknockshire 3 1.26x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.42x
Royal Navy 3 2.12x
Berkshire 2 0.22x
Channel Islands 2 0.57x
Glamorgan 2 0.10x
Hertfordshire 2 0.24x
Flintshire 1 0.31x
Monmouthshire 1 0.12x
Norfolk 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 106 Hinks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.84x.

Place Total Index
Aston 106 12.84x
Birmingham 83 8.30x
Portsea 38 7.96x
Essington 34 642.72x
Harlington 25 1146.79x
Morton Pinkney 18 994.48x
Condover 17 235.13x
Nottingham St Mary 17 4.10x
Walsall Foreign 17 8.20x
Fringford 15 898.20x
Stoke Upon Trent 14 3.29x
Stanton Lacy 13 146.56x
Wolverhampton 13 4.21x
Northam 11 60.98x
Warwick St Mary 11 42.26x
Brighton 10 2.47x
Bromley London 10 3.82x
Cannock 10 14.28x
Hackney London 10 1.50x
Leicester St Mary 10 9.39x
Milverton 10 113.77x
South Brewham 10 704.23x
Fifehead Magdalen 9 1525.42x
Lambeth 9 0.87x
Leicester St Margaret 9 2.80x
Litchurch 9 12.01x
Manchester 9 1.42x
Bilton 8 115.77x
Bradford 8 12.11x
Faversham 8 20.68x
Frome 8 17.47x
Greenwich 8 4.23x
Horsington 8 262.30x
Kettering 8 17.68x
North Leith 8 10.85x
Northfleet 8 22.38x
Polmont 8 49.41x
Wellington 8 13.86x
Wincanton 8 81.22x
Worsley 8 9.20x
Alverstoke 7 7.93x
Barrow In Furness 7 3.65x
Croydon 7 2.18x
Hugglescote 7 36.08x
Kingswinford 7 4.80x
Leamington Priors 7 9.49x
Markfield 7 107.03x
Stapenhill 7 25.26x
Tynemouth 7 7.39x
Warwick St Nicholas 7 31.83x
Brading 6 18.52x
Edgbaston 6 6.45x
Ercall Magna 6 81.52x
Hylton 6 96.15x
Little Hulton 6 25.68x
Liverpool 6 0.70x
Luton 6 5.63x
Newsham With 6 705.88x
Normanton 6 16.94x
Purton 6 64.10x
Ryde 6 11.46x
Southwark St George Martyr 6 2.51x
Tormoham 6 5.73x
Wakefield 6 6.63x
West Bromwich 6 2.61x
Wolstanton 6 4.92x
Wolstanton Chesterton 6 29.25x
Worcester Blockhouse 6 70.34x
Astley 5 505.05x
Handsworth 5 5.05x
Harborne 5 3.89x
Henstridge 5 94.52x
Limehouse London 5 3.83x
Northampton All Sts 5 13.18x
Oxted 5 71.63x
Pownall Fee 5 42.59x
Sedgley 5 3.35x
Tipton 5 4.07x
Westbury 5 94.34x
Worcester St Martin 5 23.87x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 85
William 68
Thomas 56
Henry 41
James 41
George 37
Joseph 26
Charles 16
Walter 15
Alfred 14
Samuel 12
Edward 11
Richard 9
Arthur 8
Frederick 8
Harry 8
Albert 7
Ernest 7
Edwin 5
Francis 5
Robert 5
Herbert 4
Thos. 4
Frank 3
Isaac 3
Wm. 3
Benjamin 2
Bertram 2
Edmund 2
Edwd. 2
Geo. 2
Hy. 2
Isaiah 2
Matthew 2
Tom 2
Benjn. 1
Bernard 1
Charley 1
Charls 1
Chas. 1
Chas.H. 1
Eli 1
Elias 1
Enoch 1
Frdk. 1
Horace 1
Isiah 1
Issac 1
Jno.Wm. 1
Wm.Geo. 1

FAQ

Hinks surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hinks surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,219 people were recorded with the Hinks surname. That placed it at #3,319 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hinks surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,696 in 2016. That gives Hinks a modern rank of #3,684.

What does the Hinks surname mean?

A surname of English origin, likely derived from a medieval form of the given name Henry.

What does the Hinks map show?

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