NameCensus.

UK surname

Hitchcock

An English occupational surname referring to a person who raised or trained hawks or falcons for hunting.

In the 1881 census there were 3,440 people recorded with the Hitchcock surname, ranking it #1,328 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,034, ranked #2,218, down from #1,328 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Tunbridge, Bidborough and St Werburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Amber Valley, Three Rivers and Derby.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hitchcock is 3,936 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.8%.

1881 census count

3,440

Ranked #1,328

Modern count

3,034

2016, ranked #2,218

Peak year

1911

3,936 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hitchcock had 3,440 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,328 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,034 in 2016, ranked #2,218.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,936 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hitchcock surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hitchcock surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hitchcock 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 2,754 #1,068
1861 historical 2,470 #1,183
1881 historical 3,440 #1,328
1891 historical 3,642 #1,317
1901 historical 3,889 #1,448
1911 historical 3,936 #1,304
1997 modern 3,280 #1,963
1998 modern 3,415 #1,957
1999 modern 3,404 #1,990
2000 modern 3,438 #1,966
2001 modern 3,322 #1,986
2002 modern 3,340 #2,023
2003 modern 3,242 #2,030
2004 modern 3,177 #2,065
2005 modern 3,104 #2,081
2006 modern 3,058 #2,119
2007 modern 3,072 #2,132
2008 modern 3,076 #2,143
2009 modern 3,140 #2,154
2010 modern 3,199 #2,162
2011 modern 3,132 #2,174
2012 modern 3,040 #2,196
2013 modern 3,099 #2,193
2014 modern 3,127 #2,192
2015 modern 3,071 #2,200
2016 modern 3,034 #2,218

Geography

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Where Hitchcocks are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Amber Valley, Three Rivers and Derby. 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 Tunbridge, Bidborough Kent
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Amber Valley 007 Amber Valley
2 Three Rivers 003 Three Rivers
3 Amber Valley 009 Amber Valley
4 Amber Valley 011 Amber Valley
5 Derby 025 Derby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hitchcock

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hitchcock

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Hitchcock 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

Hitchcock 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

Hitchcock falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hitchcock

The surname Hitchcock has its origins in England, where it emerged in the medieval era, believed to have arisen sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is derived from the Old English words "hicce," meaning a hitch or catch, and "cocc," meaning a hill or mound, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a ridge or hillock.

Early records of the name can be found in various historical documents, including the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 under the rule of William the Conqueror. The name appears in several variations, such as Hichecoc and Hichcok, reflecting the fluidity of spelling during that period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Walter Hitchcock, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. Another early reference is John Hichcok, documented in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332.

The surname Hitchcock has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Robert Hitchcock (1572-1636) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Coventry. George Hitchcock (1850-1913) was an American writer and publisher known for founding the literary magazine "The Periodical."

Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980), perhaps the most famous bearer of the name, was a renowned English film director and producer, widely considered one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. His iconic works, such as "Psycho," "Vertigo," and "Rear Window," have left an indelible mark on the art of filmmaking.

Another notable figure was Edward Hitchcock (1793-1864), an American geologist and educator who served as the president of Amherst College and made significant contributions to the study of geology and paleontology in the Connecticut River Valley.

Ethan Allen Hitchcock (1798-1870) was a distinguished American military officer who served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War, rising to the rank of major general in the Union Army.

The surname Hitchcock has a rich history rooted in the English landscape and has been carried by individuals who have made their mark across various fields, from politics and literature to science and the arts, further enriching the legacy of this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hitchcock families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hitchcock 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. Middlesex leads with 600 Hitchcocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.78x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 600 1.78x
Surrey 362 2.20x
Devon 266 3.79x
Somerset 264 4.87x
Kent 229 1.99x
Derbyshire 186 3.53x
Essex 164 2.47x
Suffolk 135 3.29x
Wiltshire 98 3.29x
Yorkshire 87 0.26x
Leicestershire 85 2.27x
Oxfordshire 78 3.75x
Buckinghamshire 74 3.63x
Hampshire 73 1.06x
Dorset 72 3.26x
Huntingdonshire 58 8.67x
Nottinghamshire 58 1.28x
Warwickshire 58 0.68x
Hertfordshire 49 2.11x
Lancashire 47 0.12x
Northamptonshire 45 1.42x
Norfolk 44 0.85x
Berkshire 41 1.62x
Gloucestershire 40 0.61x
Lincolnshire 34 0.63x
Glamorgan 24 0.41x
Staffordshire 22 0.19x
Bedfordshire 21 1.20x
Cheshire 18 0.24x
Cambridgeshire 17 0.80x
Sussex 17 0.30x
Durham 13 0.13x
Channel Islands 12 1.20x
Worcestershire 12 0.27x
Morayshire 11 2.10x
Flintshire 8 0.88x
Orkney 8 2.16x
Cornwall 6 0.16x
Lanarkshire 5 0.05x
Royal Navy 4 1.00x
Midlothian 3 0.07x
Cumberland 2 0.07x
Banffshire 1 0.14x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.13x
Northumberland 1 0.02x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.09x
Shropshire 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. Wellington in Somerset leads with 81 Hitchcocks recorded in 1881 and an index of 110.11x.

Place Total Index
Wellington 81 110.11x
Lambeth 76 2.59x
Islington London 59 1.81x
Tonbridge 52 12.54x
Deptford St Paul 47 5.30x
Camberwell 45 2.09x
Bethnal Green London 44 3.01x
West Ham 43 2.93x
Bermondsey 40 3.99x
Duffield 38 91.37x
Hackney London 38 2.01x
Paddington London 37 2.99x
Shoreditch London 35 2.40x
Croydon 28 3.07x
Yeovil 23 20.87x
Lyme Regis 21 79.28x
Clerkenwell London 20 2.51x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 20 12.86x
Snenton 20 11.21x
Hammersmith London 19 2.29x
Kensington London 19 1.01x
Leicester St Margaret 19 2.09x
Ockbrook 19 84.82x
Richmond 19 8.26x
Southampton St Mary 19 4.37x
St George Hanover Square 19 3.20x
St Marylebone London 19 1.06x
Twickenham 19 13.15x
Aston 18 0.77x
Chelsea London 18 1.77x
Greenwich 18 3.35x
Streatham 18 7.20x
Tiverton 18 14.89x
Mile End Old Town London 17 2.37x
Sudbury St Gregory 17 51.67x
East Teignmouth 16 55.75x
Exeter Heavitree 16 30.59x
Lewisham 16 2.61x
Mile End New Town London 16 24.03x
Poplar London 16 2.52x
Ruishton 16 293.04x
Sawtry All Sts 16 203.82x
Axminster 15 45.61x
Colaton Raleigh 15 173.21x
Exeter St Sidwell 15 9.34x
Ipswich St Mathew 15 13.04x
Leigh 15 99.80x
Basingstoke 14 17.62x
Bedminster 14 2.75x
Belper 13 12.71x
Dedham 13 64.42x
St Pancras London 13 0.48x
Taunton St James 13 16.43x
Thetford St Mary 13 92.13x
Walcot 13 4.50x
Woodbury 13 62.50x
Chaddesden 12 170.45x
Dauntsey 12 215.44x
Derby St Werburgh 12 3.94x
Huntingdon St Mary 12 71.68x
Nottingham St Mary 12 1.02x
Rayne 12 256.96x
St Albans St Peter 12 15.31x
St Giles In Fields London 12 7.26x
Weston 12 28.76x
Aylesbury 11 12.18x
Edmonton 11 4.05x
Fittleton 11 275.00x
Leicester St Mary 11 3.64x
Liverpool 11 0.45x
Luton 11 3.64x
Southwark Christchurch 11 6.97x
Water Eaton 11 384.62x
Whitechapel London 11 3.31x
Bathwick 10 16.66x
Birmingham 10 0.35x
Bradford On Avon 10 10.48x
Derby St Alkmund 10 6.32x
Guildford Holy Trinity 10 31.95x
Hemel Hempstead 10 9.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 216
Elizabeth 131
Sarah 128
Eliza 68
Emma 68
Jane 59
Alice 55
Ann 54
Emily 52
Annie 47
Ellen 46
Hannah 34
Louisa 31
Caroline 28
Edith 25
Florence 23
Fanny 22
Kate 22
Harriet 20
Ada 19
Lucy 19
Martha 19
Maria 18
Rose 18
Agnes 16
Susan 16
Catherine 13
Charlotte 13
Margaret 13
Esther 12
Amelia 11
Matilda 11
Clara 10
Lydia 10
Minnie 10
Rebecca 10
Anna 9
Elizth. 9
Gertrude 9
Julia 9
Ethel 8
Frances 8
Harriett 8
Anne 7
Maud 7
Sophia 7
Helen 6
Isabella 6
Jessie 6
Marian 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 199
John 170
Henry 114
Thomas 103
George 102
James 92
Charles 73
Alfred 53
Robert 51
Edward 48
Arthur 41
Joseph 39
Walter 35
Albert 32
Frederick 28
Samuel 25
Harry 20
Herbert 19
Richard 18
Frank 16
David 15
Ernest 15
Edwin 12
Francis 11
Fred 11
Wm. 11
Geo. 10
Tom 10
Mark 9
Edmund 7
Fredk. 7
Thos. 7
Jacob 6
Stephen 6
Philip 5
Cecil 4
Chas. 4
Daniel 4
Ebenezer 4
Goliath 4
Robt. 4
Augustus 3
Harold 3
Hary 3
Henery 3
Isaac 3
Jas. 3
Matthew 3
Percy 3
Sydney 3

FAQ

Hitchcock surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hitchcock surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,440 people were recorded with the Hitchcock surname. That placed it at #1,328 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hitchcock surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,034 in 2016. That gives Hitchcock a modern rank of #2,218.

What does the Hitchcock surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a person who raised or trained hawks or falcons for hunting.

What does the Hitchcock map show?

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