NameCensus.

UK surname

Hodgkins

A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a small farming plot or pasture.

In the 1881 census there were 1,347 people recorded with the Hodgkins surname, ranking it #3,040 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,132, ranked #3,030, up from #3,040 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wyre Forest, Cheshire East and North Warwickshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hodgkins is 2,242 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 58.3%.

1881 census count

1,347

Ranked #3,040

Modern count

2,132

2016, ranked #3,030

Peak year

1999

2,242 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hodgkins had 1,347 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,040 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,132 in 2016, ranked #3,030.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,070 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hodgkins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hodgkins surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hodgkins 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 883 #3,098
1861 historical 875 #3,175
1881 historical 1,347 #3,040
1891 historical 1,513 #2,918
1901 historical 1,743 #2,975
1911 historical 2,070 #2,415
1997 modern 2,117 #2,916
1998 modern 2,229 #2,889
1999 modern 2,242 #2,894
2000 modern 2,237 #2,877
2001 modern 2,175 #2,896
2002 modern 2,204 #2,914
2003 modern 2,176 #2,892
2004 modern 2,144 #2,932
2005 modern 2,121 #2,922
2006 modern 2,084 #2,971
2007 modern 2,113 #2,971
2008 modern 2,093 #3,011
2009 modern 2,160 #3,005
2010 modern 2,235 #2,976
2011 modern 2,192 #2,982
2012 modern 2,122 #3,016
2013 modern 2,152 #3,028
2014 modern 2,171 #3,018
2015 modern 2,144 #3,023
2016 modern 2,132 #3,030

Geography

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Where Hodgkins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire), London parishes, 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 Wyre Forest, Cheshire East, North Warwickshire and Stafford. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) Staffordshire
3 London parishes London 2
4 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
5 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wyre Forest 009 Wyre Forest
2 Cheshire East 051 Cheshire East
3 Wyre Forest 013 Wyre Forest
4 North Warwickshire 005 North Warwickshire
5 Stafford 015 Stafford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hodgkins

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hodgkins

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Hodgkins is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Hodgkins is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Hodgkins

The surname Hodgkins has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hoc" meaning hook and "ing" meaning meadow or pasture, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a hooked-shaped meadow or pasture.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire from the year 1196, where it was spelled as "Hogekyn." This indicates that the name was present in the county of Cambridgeshire during the late 12th century.

The Hodgkins surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from the year 1273, where it was recorded as "Hogekyn de Staunton." This entry suggests that there was a family or individual bearing the name living in Staunton, Oxfordshire, during the 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from the year 1327, where it was recorded as "Hogekyn." This demonstrates the presence of the surname in the county of Worcestershire during that time period.

One notable individual with the surname Hodgkins was John Hodgkins, a English clergyman who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Warwickshire around 1510 and served as the Rector of Merton College, Oxford, from 1559 until his death in 1578.

Another significant figure was Thomas Hodgkins, an English physician and pathologist who lived from 1798 to 1866. He is best known for describing and naming the disease now known as Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, where a William Hodgkins was recorded as being baptized in 1632. This suggests that the surname was well-established in the town of Warwick during that period.

The 18th century saw the birth of Samuel Hodgkins, a British architect and surveyor who lived from 1749 to 1821. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the West India Docks and the Regent's Canal.

In the 19th century, the surname is associated with George Hodgkins, a British artist and engraver who was born in 1808 and died in 1881. He was known for his landscape paintings and etchings, particularly those depicting scenes from the English countryside.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hodgkins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hodgkins 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. Staffordshire leads with 351 Hodgkins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.92x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 351 7.92x
Warwickshire 203 6.13x
Worcestershire 136 7.93x
Middlesex 108 0.82x
Oxfordshire 74 9.13x
Gloucestershire 46 1.79x
Lancashire 46 0.30x
Surrey 39 0.61x
Yorkshire 39 0.30x
Derbyshire 35 1.70x
Leicestershire 34 2.34x
Buckinghamshire 27 3.40x
Hampshire 27 1.00x
Shropshire 23 2.03x
Kent 19 0.42x
Berkshire 17 1.72x
Bedfordshire 13 1.91x
Denbighshire 13 2.62x
Northamptonshire 13 1.05x
Cambridgeshire 12 1.44x
Essex 11 0.42x
Sussex 10 0.45x
Cheshire 9 0.31x
Suffolk 9 0.56x
Devon 8 0.29x
Glamorgan 7 0.31x
Flintshire 4 1.13x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.23x
Lanarkshire 3 0.07x
Dorset 2 0.23x
Anglesey 1 0.43x
Herefordshire 1 0.19x
Isle of Man 1 0.41x
Somerset 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 70 Hodgkins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.68x.

Place Total Index
Aston 70 7.68x
West Bromwich 53 20.89x
Birmingham 44 3.99x
Wolverhampton 36 10.56x
Walsall Foreign 29 12.67x
Halesowen 28 186.05x
Cowley 23 90.87x
Leicester St Margaret 23 6.48x
Shenstone 23 204.08x
Shoreditch London 21 3.69x
St Pancras London 19 1.80x
Dudley 18 8.64x
Haughton 17 755.56x
Evesham St Lawrence 16 175.63x
Aylesbury 15 42.65x
Tipton 15 11.05x
Burton Upon Trent 14 13.50x
Camberwell 14 1.67x
Evesham All Sts 14 175.22x
Portsea 13 2.46x
Stratford On Avon 13 70.81x
Wednesbury 13 11.74x
Whittington 13 143.33x
Burntwood Edial 12 42.39x
Walsall Borough 12 34.87x
Oxford St Thomas 11 29.07x
Wood Ditton 11 158.27x
Bradford 10 3.17x
Chipping Norton 10 53.33x
Kensington London 10 1.37x
St Anne Soho London 10 13.34x
Stoke Upon Trent 10 2.13x
Upton Snodsbury 10 609.76x
Crowfield 9 562.50x
Hawn 9 280.37x
Liverpool 9 0.95x
St Marylebone London 9 1.28x
Stretton 9 318.02x
Thurnby 9 865.38x
Ashow 8 1000.00x
Bersham 8 37.81x
Catsfield 8 251.57x
Croydon 8 2.25x
Greenwich 8 3.83x
Oxford St Clement 8 39.10x
West Ham 8 1.40x
Wootton Wawen 8 76.70x
Aldershot 7 7.76x
Allesley 7 160.55x
Audley 7 15.96x
Bedford St Paul 7 15.01x
Chalfont St Peter 7 107.03x
Derby St Werburgh 7 5.90x
Great Wyrley 7 145.53x
Havant 7 51.36x
Hopwood 7 34.36x
Ilkestonderbypart 7 116.47x
Ladbrooke 7 625.00x
Linton 7 129.39x
Northallerton 7 42.14x
Roath 7 6.74x
Sedgley 7 4.25x
Shrewsbury St Chad 7 17.58x
Sutton Coldfield 7 20.11x
Alrewas Hays Orgreave 6 588.24x
Amblecote 6 47.51x
Calverley Cum Farsley 6 16.24x
Chaddesley Corbett 6 93.31x
Fulham London 6 3.15x
Handsworth 6 5.49x
Islington London 6 0.47x
Reading St Mary 6 7.60x
Rushock 6 722.89x
Tettenhall 6 22.14x
Warkworth 6 54.01x
Hammersmith London 5 1.55x
Kirkdale 5 1.91x
Rowley Regis 5 4.05x
St Botolph Aldersgate 5 33.20x
Wednesfield 5 7.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 96
John 68
George 45
Henry 40
Thomas 35
Charles 31
James 30
Joseph 29
Edward 22
Alfred 21
Samuel 20
Frederick 18
Arthur 17
Harry 15
Robert 12
Richard 9
Francis 8
Walter 8
David 6
Edwin 6
Albert 4
Enoch 4
Herbert 4
Benjamin 3
Ernest 3
Frank 3
Fredk. 3
Josiah 3
Roland 3
Sidney 3
Stephen 3
Abraham 2
Chas. 2
Cornelius 2
Daniel 2
Earnest 2
Edmund 2
Harold 2
Thos. 2
Will. 2
Willie 2
Wm. 2
Archie 1
Christopher 1
Elijah 1
Elisha 1
Fred. 1
Infant 1
Isaac 1
Wm.John 1

FAQ

Hodgkins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hodgkins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,347 people were recorded with the Hodgkins surname. That placed it at #3,040 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hodgkins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,132 in 2016. That gives Hodgkins a modern rank of #3,030.

What does the Hodgkins surname mean?

A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a small farming plot or pasture.

What does the Hodgkins map show?

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