NameCensus.

UK surname

Hockey

A surname derived from a topographic name related to a hock, meaning a nook or corner of land.

In the 1881 census there were 892 people recorded with the Hockey surname, ranking it #4,269 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,129, ranked #5,219, down from #4,269 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Middle and West Chinnock and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Monmouthshire, South Somerset and Bristol.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hockey is 1,266 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 26.6%.

1881 census count

892

Ranked #4,269

Modern count

1,129

2016, ranked #5,219

Peak year

1998

1,266 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hockey had 892 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,269 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,129 in 2016, ranked #5,219.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,240 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hockey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hockey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hockey 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 597 #4,298
1861 historical 693 #3,894
1881 historical 892 #4,269
1891 historical 992 #4,179
1901 historical 1,127 #4,302
1911 historical 1,240 #3,819
1997 modern 1,257 #4,535
1998 modern 1,266 #4,676
1999 modern 1,259 #4,730
2000 modern 1,252 #4,730
2001 modern 1,223 #4,728
2002 modern 1,236 #4,771
2003 modern 1,210 #4,773
2004 modern 1,189 #4,848
2005 modern 1,169 #4,865
2006 modern 1,156 #4,916
2007 modern 1,159 #4,954
2008 modern 1,171 #4,933
2009 modern 1,178 #5,020
2010 modern 1,209 #5,009
2011 modern 1,177 #5,071
2012 modern 1,139 #5,132
2013 modern 1,152 #5,176
2014 modern 1,151 #5,199
2015 modern 1,145 #5,177
2016 modern 1,129 #5,219

Geography

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Where Hockeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Middle and West Chinnock, London parishes and Pilton, North Wootton, Shepton Mallet, Croscombe. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Monmouthshire, South Somerset, Bristol, Mendip and Caerphilly. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Middle and West Chinnock Somerset
3 London parishes London 1
4 Pilton, North Wootton, Shepton Mallet, Croscombe Somerset
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Monmouthshire 005 Monmouthshire
2 South Somerset 017 South Somerset
3 Bristol 026 Bristol, City of
4 Mendip 006 Mendip
5 Caerphilly 010 Caerphilly

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hockey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hockey

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

Hockey is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hockey falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hockey

The surname HOCKEY is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "hoccer" meaning a crooked or bent person, referring to someone with a hunched back or stooped posture. It is believed to have first emerged in the 11th century in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia.

The earliest known record of the name HOCKEY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Hocca is listed as a landowner in Norfolk. This spelling variation is thought to be one of the earliest forms of the surname.

In the 13th century, the name appeared as "Hocky" in the Yorkshire Feet of Fines, an ancient legal document recording land transactions. This spelling reflects the pronunciation of the name at the time and highlights its regional variations.

By the 14th century, the surname had evolved to its more modern spelling of HOCKEY, as evidenced by records from the Poll Tax of 1379, which listed a William Hockey in Cambridgeshire.

Notable individuals with the surname HOCKEY throughout history include Sir Thomas Hockey (1545-1624), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Huntingdonshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was John Hockey (1703-1760), an English clergyman and author who served as a chaplain in the Royal Navy.

In the 19th century, William Hockey (1801-1873) was a renowned English architect responsible for designing several churches in the Gothic Revival style, including St. Peter's Church in Bournemouth.

During the 20th century, Arthur Hockey (1892-1959) was a British artist and etcher known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting rural scenes of the English countryside.

More recently, Michael Hockey (born 1936) has gained recognition as a British sculptor and artist, known for his abstract metal sculptures and public art installations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hockey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hockey 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. Somerset leads with 306 Hockeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.37x.

County Total Index
Somerset 306 21.37x
Gloucestershire 63 3.61x
Middlesex 63 0.71x
Surrey 63 1.45x
Hampshire 58 3.18x
Monmouthshire 55 8.55x
Devon 43 2.32x
Dorset 42 7.19x
Lancashire 40 0.38x
Kent 24 0.79x
Channel Islands 19 7.21x
Glamorgan 18 1.16x
Cheshire 16 0.81x
Durham 15 0.57x
Wiltshire 11 1.40x
Cornwall 8 0.79x
Nottinghamshire 8 0.67x
Suffolk 8 0.74x
Warwickshire 8 0.36x
Leicestershire 7 0.71x
Flintshire 6 2.51x
Caernarfonshire 5 1.39x
Essex 5 0.28x
Shropshire 5 0.65x
Royal Navy 3 2.83x
Hertfordshire 2 0.33x
Staffordshire 2 0.07x
Sussex 2 0.13x
Berkshire 1 0.15x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.19x
Derbyshire 1 0.07x
Herefordshire 1 0.27x
Norfolk 1 0.07x
Worcestershire 1 0.09x
Yorkshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Montacute in Somerset leads with 31 Hockeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1178.71x.

Place Total Index
Montacute 31 1178.71x
Shepton Mallet 24 149.35x
St Woollos 22 30.65x
Charlton Adam 19 1496.06x
Christchurch 18 90.50x
Fordingbridge 18 181.45x
Newington 18 5.48x
Westbury On Trym 15 25.38x
Deptford St Paul 14 5.98x
West Chinnock 14 1102.36x
Clifton 13 14.74x
Henstridge 13 328.28x
St Michaelinthe Vale 13 138.15x
Chard 12 69.16x
Ilchester 12 576.92x
Norton Sub Hamdon 12 731.71x
Southwark St George Martyr 12 6.70x
Uplyme 10 361.01x
Alverstoke 9 13.64x
Crawley 9 647.48x
Crewkerne 9 59.17x
Lambeth 9 1.16x
Poole St James 9 41.02x
Stockport 9 8.91x
Walcot 9 11.80x
Beccles 8 45.87x
Bristol St Paul In 8 17.21x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 8 4.87x
Friern Barnet 8 40.82x
Kensington London 8 1.62x
Liverpool 8 1.25x
Mynyddyslwyn 8 31.53x
Abbas Temple Coombe 7 945.95x
Aston 7 1.13x
Bristol St George 7 8.67x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 7 44.05x
Buckland St Mary 7 378.38x
Camberwell 7 1.23x
Evercreech 7 202.90x
Gorton 7 7.05x
Marston Magna 7 752.69x
Sunderland 7 14.98x
Weston Super Mare 7 19.36x
Yarcombe 7 328.64x
Bridport 6 49.92x
Chew Stoke 6 283.02x
Leicester St Margaret 6 2.49x
Limington 6 666.67x
Liscard 6 16.96x
Middle Chinnock 6 1304.35x
North Cadbury 6 218.98x
Plymouth St Andrew 6 4.21x
Rhuddlan 6 28.50x
Roath 6 8.53x
St Marylebone London 6 1.26x
Wookey 6 190.48x
Yeovil 6 20.62x
Aberystruth 5 8.82x
Alton 5 36.39x
Bermondsey 5 1.89x
Bow London 5 4.41x
Butleigh 5 212.77x
Denton 5 21.38x
Exeter St David 5 31.61x
Gateshead 5 2.52x
Glastonbury 5 42.77x
Great Bolton 5 3.58x
Islington London 5 0.58x
Kingsdon 5 467.29x
Llanbeblig 5 13.69x
Mile End Old Town London 5 2.64x
Nether Compton 5 423.73x
Southwark St Saviour 5 10.94x
St Helier 5 5.83x
Street 5 64.52x
Walton 5 304.88x
Wellow 5 446.43x
Westminster St John 5 4.62x
Wimborne Minster 5 52.97x
Ystradyfodwg 5 3.68x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 59
John 38
George 32
Thomas 28
James 24
Charles 23
Henry 21
Edwin 15
Robert 13
Albert 12
Frederick 11
Joseph 11
Samuel 9
Walter 9
Arthur 8
Edward 8
Wm. 8
Alfred 7
Fred 7
Francis 5
Frank 5
Harry 5
Ernest 4
Chas. 3
Edgar 3
Fredrick 3
Herbert 3
Oliver 3
Richard 3
Stephen 3
Sydney 3
Tom 3
Earnest 2
Edmund 2
Geo. 2
Giles 2
Harold 2
Hubert 2
Jesse 2
Leonard 2
Mathew 2
Matthw 2
Peter 2
Philip 2
Reginald 2
Bertie 1
David 1
Eanest 1
Fred.J. 1
Wyndham 1

FAQ

Hockey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hockey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 892 people were recorded with the Hockey surname. That placed it at #4,269 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hockey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,129 in 2016. That gives Hockey a modern rank of #5,219.

What does the Hockey surname mean?

A surname derived from a topographic name related to a hock, meaning a nook or corner of land.

What does the Hockey map show?

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