NameCensus.

UK surname

Hoadley

From the English place name Hoadley, derived from Old English "hēafod" meaning "head" and "lēah" meaning "woodland clearing."

In the 1881 census there were 460 people recorded with the Hoadley surname, ranking it #7,211 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 709, ranked #7,637, down from #7,211 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Tunbridge, Bidborough, Swanscombe and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dartford and Gravesham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hoadley is 781 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.1%.

1881 census count

460

Ranked #7,211

Modern count

709

2016, ranked #7,637

Peak year

1911

781 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hoadley had 460 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,211 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 709 in 2016, ranked #7,637.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 781 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Hoadley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hoadley surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Hoadley 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 263 #8,439
1861 historical 222 #10,993
1881 historical 460 #7,211
1891 historical 572 #6,649
1901 historical 695 #6,324
1911 historical 781 #5,568
1997 modern 724 #7,055
1998 modern 740 #7,178
1999 modern 750 #7,144
2000 modern 737 #7,207
2001 modern 732 #7,102
2002 modern 730 #7,255
2003 modern 717 #7,239
2004 modern 727 #7,181
2005 modern 699 #7,356
2006 modern 707 #7,296
2007 modern 699 #7,429
2008 modern 688 #7,586
2009 modern 695 #7,682
2010 modern 709 #7,710
2011 modern 690 #7,773
2012 modern 683 #7,759
2013 modern 690 #7,817
2014 modern 699 #7,777
2015 modern 703 #7,693
2016 modern 709 #7,637

Geography

Back to top

Where Hoadleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Tunbridge, Bidborough, Swanscombe, London parishes, Rotherfield and Stone-near-Dartford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dartford and Gravesham. 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 Tunbridge, Bidborough Kent
2 Swanscombe Kent
3 London parishes London 3
4 Rotherfield Sussex
5 Stone-near-Dartford Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dartford 004 Dartford
2 Dartford 006 Dartford
3 Dartford 002 Dartford
4 Gravesham 001 Gravesham
5 Gravesham 004 Gravesham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Hoadley

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Hoadley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hoadley, 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 Hoadley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Hoadley 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Hoadley is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Hoadley is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hoadley falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hoadley

The surname Hoadley is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the place name Hoadly, a small hamlet near Guildford in the county of Surrey, England.

The name Hoadly itself is thought to be derived from the Old English words 'hoh' meaning 'heel' or 'ridge' and 'leah' meaning 'woodland clearing' or 'meadow'. This suggests that the original bearers of the name likely hailed from a settlement located on a ridge or heel-shaped hill within a woodland clearing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a person named William de Houedley is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

In the late 13th century, the name Hoadly appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a record of landowners and their holdings. This suggests that by this time, the family had established themselves as notable landowners in the region.

During the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was John Hoadly (c. 1500 - c. 1570), a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London. His son, Benjamin Hoadly (1576 - 1641), was a renowned clergyman and author who served as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.

Another significant figure was Benjamin Hoadly (1676 - 1761), a controversial Anglican bishop who was a leading figure in the Bangorian Controversy, a theological debate that polarized the Church of England in the early 18th century. He served as Bishop of Bangor, Hereford, Salisbury, and Winchester.

In the 19th century, Benjamin Tompson Hoadley (1783 - 1865) was a notable British civil engineer who worked on several significant projects, including the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hoadley include the American actors Jonathan Hoadley (1944 - 1995) and David Hoadley (1932 - 2020), as well as the British actor and writer Ralph Hoadley (1932 - 2005).

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Hoadley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hoadley 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. Sussex leads with 154 Hoadleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.40x.

County Total Index
Sussex 154 20.40x
Kent 145 9.49x
Surrey 72 3.30x
Middlesex 50 1.12x
Hampshire 9 0.98x
Yorkshire 8 0.18x
Cumberland 6 1.56x
Durham 3 0.23x
Essex 3 0.34x
Northumberland 3 0.45x
Bedfordshire 2 0.86x
Cornwall 1 0.20x
Devon 1 0.11x
Lancashire 1 0.02x
Warwickshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stone In Dartford in Kent leads with 34 Hoadleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 867.35x.

Place Total Index
Stone In Dartford 34 867.35x
Rotherfield 28 421.05x
Swanscombe 28 408.16x
Horsted Keynes 23 1306.82x
Speldhurst 23 295.63x
Croydon 22 18.17x
Kensington London 14 5.62x
Horley 13 355.19x
Tonbridge 13 23.59x
Keymer 12 225.14x
Lewes St Michael 10 666.67x
Battersea 9 5.46x
Ardingly 8 333.33x
Cowfold 8 500.00x
Dorking 8 54.61x
Eastbourne 8 23.03x
Fletching 8 236.69x
Islington London 8 1.84x
Slaugham 8 327.87x
Ashford 6 40.32x
Brighton 6 3.94x
St George Hanover Square 6 7.61x
St Pancras London 6 1.66x
Beckenham 5 25.04x
Cheam 5 214.59x
Deptford St Paul 5 4.24x
Hackney London 5 1.99x
St Cuthbert Within 5 111.86x
Bromley 4 17.18x
Halifax 4 6.14x
Hunslet 4 5.78x
Leigh 4 200.00x
Lewes St John 4 476.19x
Lower Beeding 4 199.01x
Penge 4 13.99x
Rochester St Margaret 4 24.83x
Warlingham 4 225.99x
Buxted 3 101.69x
Elvet 3 31.19x
Goudhurst 3 70.92x
Guestling 3 243.90x
Lee 3 13.53x
Lewes St Ann 3 116.73x
Lindfield 3 94.04x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 3 7.54x
Newchurch 3 600.00x
Newhaven 3 48.94x
Newington 3 1.81x
Otterbourne 3 229.01x
Southampton St Mary 3 5.20x
Sunbury 3 55.76x
Wadhurst 3 60.48x
West Ham 3 1.54x
Westminster St James 3 6.52x
Burpham 2 317.46x
Camberwell 2 0.70x
Chislehurst 2 24.42x
Gillingham 2 6.35x
Holdenhurst 2 8.31x
Luton 2 4.98x
Midhurst 2 80.65x
West Grinstead 2 87.72x
Westminster St Margaret 2 9.26x
Ardwick 1 2.09x
Bexley 1 7.40x
Birmingham 1 0.27x
Bishopsteignton 1 56.82x
Chiddingstone 1 50.00x
Chiswick 1 4.09x
Christchurch 1 5.03x
Edenbridge 1 33.33x
Helston 1 18.98x
Hove 1 3.02x
Northfleet 1 7.43x
Reigate Foreign 1 4.23x
Southfleet 1 70.92x
St Marylebone London 1 0.42x
Streatham 1 3.01x
Tottenham 1 1.40x
West Linton 1 147.06x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Elizabeth 14
Emma 14
Jane 14
Sarah 14
Alice 13
Eliza 11
Ellen 8
Emily 8
Annie 6
Charlotte 6
Ann 5
Clara 5
Edith 5
Fanny 5
Louisa 5
Ada 4
Agnes 4
Anne 4
Kate 4
Maria 4
Martha 4
Ruth 4
Amelia 3
Caroline 3
Catherine 3
Bessie 2
Hannah 2
Harriett 2
Helen 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2
Rhoda 2
Selina 2
Sophia 2
Add 1
Altra 1
Aquilla 1
Aves 1
Christiana 1
Clarissa 1
Daisy 1
Dinah 1
Drusilla 1
Eleaner 1
Georgina 1
Haddie 1
Harriet 1
Harriott 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 22
John 17
Henry 15
George 14
Thomas 13
Alfred 11
James 11
Edward 6
Frederick 6
Albert 5
Arthur 5
Benj. 3
Benjamin 3
Charles 3
David 3
Harry 3
Robert 3
Samuel 3
Thos. 3
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Herbert 2
Horatio 2
Joseph 2
Percy 2
Peter 2
Sampson 2
Sidney 2
Walter 2
Wm. 2
Alfd. 1
Aquila 1
Earnest 1
Felix 1
Fredr.A. 1
Fredrick 1
Harold 1
Harrold 1
Henery 1
Horace 1
Jonathan 1
Leonard 1
Lewis 1
Lucy 1
Matthew 1
Owen 1
Philip 1
Richard 1
Robt. 1
Wm.Js. 1

FAQ

Hoadley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hoadley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 460 people were recorded with the Hoadley surname. That placed it at #7,211 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hoadley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 709 in 2016. That gives Hoadley a modern rank of #7,637.

What does the Hoadley surname mean?

From the English place name Hoadley, derived from Old English "hēafod" meaning "head" and "lēah" meaning "woodland clearing."

What does the Hoadley map show?

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