NameCensus.

UK surname

Hobson

An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold hose or leggings.

In the 1881 census there were 7,767 people recorded with the Hobson surname, ranking it #548 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,745, ranked #660, down from #548 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Manchester, Almondbury and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stockton-on-Tees, Kirklees and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hobson is 10,253 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.5%.

1881 census count

7,767

Ranked #548

Modern count

9,745

2016, ranked #660

Peak year

1999

10,253 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hobson had 7,767 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #548 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,745 in 2016, ranked #660.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,865 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hobson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hobson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hobson 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 4,981 #555
1861 historical 5,129 #549
1881 historical 7,767 #548
1891 historical 8,367 #526
1901 historical 9,471 #554
1911 historical 9,865 #498
1997 modern 9,892 #631
1998 modern 10,203 #633
1999 modern 10,253 #636
2000 modern 10,153 #638
2001 modern 9,931 #637
2002 modern 10,117 #641
2003 modern 9,873 #642
2004 modern 9,868 #644
2005 modern 9,619 #653
2006 modern 9,569 #656
2007 modern 9,654 #653
2008 modern 9,698 #655
2009 modern 10,004 #650
2010 modern 10,156 #651
2011 modern 10,025 #649
2012 modern 9,867 #649
2013 modern 9,944 #655
2014 modern 9,961 #657
2015 modern 9,803 #658
2016 modern 9,745 #660

Geography

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Where Hobsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Manchester, Almondbury, Sheffield, London parishes and Ecclesfield (Ecclesfield), Rotherham (Dalton), Conisborough. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stockton-on-Tees, Kirklees and Sheffield. 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 Manchester Lancashire
2 Almondbury Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 London parishes London 2
5 Ecclesfield (Ecclesfield), Rotherham (Dalton), Conisborough Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stockton-on-Tees 018 Stockton-on-Tees
2 Kirklees 059 Kirklees
3 Kirklees 053 Kirklees
4 Sheffield 076 Sheffield
5 Kirklees 058 Kirklees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hobson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hobson

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hobson is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hobson 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

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

Meaning and origin of Hobson

The surname Hobson originated in England, deriving from the Old English words "hob" meaning a pony or small horse, and "son" denoting a descendant or son. It was an occupational surname given to those who worked with horses, likely handlers, trainers, or breeders.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hobbessune" in the county of Yorkshire. This region, particularly around the areas of Leeds and Bradford, became a stronghold for the Hobson name over the centuries.

In the 13th century, records show a Richard Hobson held lands in the village of Halton, near Leeds. A century later, in 1379, the Poll Tax Returns mention a John Hobson residing in Pontefract, Yorkshire.

A notable figure bearing the Hobson surname was Thomas Hobson, a carrier and inn-keeper from Cambridge, who lived from 1544 to 1631. His strict policy of renting out horses in a rotating order, regardless of preference, gave rise to the phrase "Hobson's choice" – meaning no real choice at all.

Another prominent Hobson was Captain William Hobson, who served as the first Governor of New Zealand from 1840 to 1842. He played a crucial role in establishing British sovereignty over the islands through the Treaty of Waitangi.

In the literary world, Ralph Hobson (1655-1712) was an English playwright and author, best known for his comedy "The Virtuoso" staged in 1676.

The name also had a presence in the American colonies, with Edward Hobson (1616-1708) being one of the earliest settlers in Rhode Island, arriving in 1637 from England.

Another notable American bearing the Hobson name was Richmond Pearson Hobson (1870-1937), a celebrated naval officer who gained fame for his daring attempt to sink the USS Merrimac in the harbor of Santiago, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War.

While the Hobson surname initially held occupational connotations, it eventually became associated with places like Hobson's Conduit in Cambridge and Hobson's Bay in Australia, further cementing its widespread recognition.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hobson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hobson 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. Yorkshire leads with 3,324 Hobsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.43x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 3,324 4.43x
Lancashire 1,100 1.22x
Middlesex 399 0.53x
Cheshire 372 2.22x
Staffordshire 356 1.39x
Derbyshire 352 2.97x
Lincolnshire 301 2.48x
Durham 298 1.32x
Warwickshire 189 0.99x
Surrey 161 0.44x
Leicestershire 84 1.00x
Kent 77 0.30x
Worcestershire 61 0.62x
Northumberland 49 0.43x
Nottinghamshire 49 0.48x
Lanarkshire 47 0.19x
Northamptonshire 45 0.63x
Essex 42 0.28x
Hampshire 40 0.26x
Caernarfonshire 37 1.21x
Shropshire 30 0.46x
Sussex 27 0.21x
Westmorland 27 1.62x
Buckinghamshire 26 0.57x
Hertfordshire 26 0.50x
Perthshire 26 0.76x
Cumberland 25 0.38x
Gloucestershire 25 0.17x
Cambridgeshire 22 0.46x
Berkshire 19 0.33x
Somerset 17 0.14x
Herefordshire 13 0.42x
Midlothian 13 0.13x
Suffolk 13 0.14x
Devon 8 0.05x
Bedfordshire 7 0.18x
Dorset 7 0.14x
Fife 7 0.16x
Isle of Man 7 0.50x
Royal Navy 6 0.66x
Norfolk 5 0.04x
Ayrshire 4 0.07x
Dumfriesshire 4 0.24x
Dunbartonshire 4 0.20x
Selkirkshire 4 0.58x
Channel Islands 3 0.13x
Anglesey 2 0.15x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.13x
Oxfordshire 2 0.04x
Argyllshire 1 0.05x
Denbighshire 1 0.03x
Flintshire 1 0.05x
Monmouthshire 1 0.02x
Renfrewshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 236 Hobsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.57x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 236 5.57x
Sheffield 236 9.87x
Ecclesall Bierlow 168 11.00x
Brightside Bierlow 158 10.73x
Ecclesfield 148 26.88x
Honley 118 89.77x
Manchester 104 2.57x
Birmingham 98 1.54x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 84 12.01x
Stoke Upon Trent 82 3.02x
Hunslet 78 6.66x
Barnsley 76 9.81x
Nether Hallam 76 7.48x
Ashton Under Lyne 73 3.71x
Salford 61 2.31x
Handsworth 56 28.21x
Preston 56 2.33x
Headingley Cum Burley 52 10.76x
Aston 50 0.95x
Kearsley 48 25.37x
Gorton 45 5.32x
Lambeth 42 0.64x
Glossop Dale 41 7.38x
Islington London 40 0.54x
Huddersfield 39 3.56x
Middlesbrough 39 3.99x
Sedgley 39 4.10x
Idle 38 10.91x
Sculcoates 36 3.02x
Burslem 35 4.78x
Upperthong 35 54.80x
Everton 34 1.19x
Macclesfield 34 4.57x
Holbeck 33 6.63x
Pendleton In Salford 33 3.08x
Dukinfield 32 4.14x
Newton 32 4.62x
Wortley In Bramley 32 5.38x
Dewsbury 30 3.90x
Hackney London 30 0.71x
Toxteth Park 30 0.99x
Eccleshill 29 15.87x
Govan 29 0.48x
Rotherham 29 6.85x
Shoreditch London 29 0.88x
Derby St Peter 28 7.41x
Leicester St Margaret 28 1.37x
Leicester St Mary 28 4.12x
Pudsey 28 6.98x
Liverpool 27 0.49x
Ormesby 27 13.38x
Almondbury 26 7.16x
Bradfield 26 8.98x
Llandudno 26 23.80x
Mottram 26 34.31x
North Meols 26 2.95x
West Derby 26 0.99x
Austonley 25 58.80x
Bishopwearmouth 25 1.29x
Darlington 25 2.87x
Denaby 25 58.87x
Great Grimsby 25 3.25x
Wolstanton 25 3.22x
Kimberworth 24 5.76x
Netherthong 24 98.85x
Rawmarsh 24 9.05x
Belper 23 10.00x
Bradford 23 1.27x
Stayley 23 12.03x
Wooldale 23 18.06x
Buxton 22 21.91x
Chapel En Le Frith 22 20.31x
Oldham 22 0.76x
Skelmanthorpe 22 27.14x
Staveley 22 10.45x
Thorne 22 23.62x
Bradford 21 4.99x
Fulham London 21 1.91x
Mexborough 21 14.09x
Thornhill 21 9.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 542
Sarah 300
Elizabeth 294
Ann 177
Annie 140
Jane 128
Emma 109
Hannah 108
Alice 107
Eliza 105
Ellen 97
Emily 88
Martha 81
Harriet 68
Ada 60
Margaret 59
Clara 56
Edith 56
Florence 50
Maria 48
Louisa 43
Fanny 38
Charlotte 34
Lucy 31
Anne 30
Catherine 29
Kate 29
Frances 27
Isabella 26
Caroline 24
Susannah 24
Agnes 23
Esther 22
Harriett 22
Amelia 20
Minnie 16
Ruth 16
Beatrice 15
Eleanor 15
Elizth. 15
Gertrude 15
Lydia 15
Rose 15
Amy 14
Ethel 14
Matilda 13
Rachel 13
Rebecca 12
Sophia 12
Susan 12

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 453
William 411
George 282
Thomas 277
Joseph 192
James 183
Henry 169
Charles 122
Alfred 84
Arthur 79
Edward 68
Samuel 65
Robert 64
Walter 62
Albert 61
Frederick 56
Harry 53
Herbert 50
Fred 40
Benjamin 36
Richard 33
Edwin 32
Frank 31
Francis 28
Ernest 26
Thos. 24
Tom 24
Peter 22
Wm. 21
Matthew 19
Geo. 16
Jonathan 15
Joe 13
Joshua 12
Ralph 12
Willie 12
David 10
Percy 10
Aaron 9
Chas. 9
Michael 9
Edgar 8
Fredrick 8
Leonard 8
Sam 8
Fredk. 7
Harold 7
Jesse 7
Jonas 7
Mark 7

FAQ

Hobson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hobson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,767 people were recorded with the Hobson surname. That placed it at #548 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hobson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,745 in 2016. That gives Hobson a modern rank of #660.

What does the Hobson surname mean?

An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold hose or leggings.

What does the Hobson map show?

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