NameCensus.

UK surname

Holdsworth

Derived from a place name meaning "Hōld's enclosure" in Old English, referring to a person who lived there.

In the 1881 census there were 5,042 people recorded with the Holdsworth surname, ranking it #884 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,866, ranked #1,390, down from #884 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bradford, Halifax and Leeds. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Calderdale, Bradford and Leeds.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Holdsworth is 5,924 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.5%.

1881 census count

5,042

Ranked #884

Modern count

4,866

2016, ranked #1,390

Peak year

1911

5,924 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Holdsworth had 5,042 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #884 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,866 in 2016, ranked #1,390.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,924 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Holdsworth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Holdsworth surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Holdsworth 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 3,377 #849
1861 historical 3,178 #907
1881 historical 5,042 #884
1891 historical 5,021 #932
1901 historical 5,577 #1,002
1911 historical 5,924 #876
1997 modern 4,970 #1,322
1998 modern 5,120 #1,328
1999 modern 5,194 #1,315
2000 modern 5,134 #1,323
2001 modern 5,040 #1,314
2002 modern 5,151 #1,313
2003 modern 4,945 #1,336
2004 modern 4,958 #1,327
2005 modern 4,861 #1,340
2006 modern 4,800 #1,362
2007 modern 4,837 #1,365
2008 modern 4,820 #1,380
2009 modern 4,937 #1,378
2010 modern 5,064 #1,375
2011 modern 5,045 #1,355
2012 modern 4,941 #1,358
2013 modern 4,978 #1,372
2014 modern 4,961 #1,388
2015 modern 4,889 #1,392
2016 modern 4,866 #1,390

Geography

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Where Holdsworths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bradford, Halifax and Leeds. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Calderdale, Bradford and Leeds. 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 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Calderdale 024 Calderdale
2 Calderdale 019 Calderdale
3 Bradford 059 Bradford
4 Bradford 022 Bradford
5 Leeds 078 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Holdsworth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Holdsworth

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Holdsworth, 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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Holdsworth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Holdsworth household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Holdsworth 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

Holdsworth is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Holdsworth

The surname Holdsworth is of English origin, derived from a place name in the West Yorkshire region of England. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

The name Holdsworth is a combination of two Old English words: "holh," meaning a hollow or valley, and "worth," meaning an enclosed settlement or farm. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived in or came from a settlement located in a small valley or hollow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Holdsworth can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, which mention a John de Holdsworth. The name also appears in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, indicating its presence in the region during that time.

In the 16th century, the name Holdsworth was sometimes spelled variations like Holdesworth or Houldsworth, reflecting the fluid nature of spelling conventions in earlier centuries.

Notable individuals with the surname Holdsworth throughout history include:

1. Richard Holdsworth (1590-1649), an English theologian and academic who served as the Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

2. Arthur Holdsworth (1798-1886), a British politician and member of Parliament for the rotten borough of Dartmouth from 1847 to 1857.

3. Sir William Holdsworth (1871-1944), an English legal historian and Vinerian Professor of English Law at Oxford University.

4. Sir William Arthur Holdsworth (1833-1907), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the British Virgin Islands from 1896 to 1901.

5. Sir William Wort Holdsworth (1853-1924), a British lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements from 1911 to 1915.

The name Holdsworth is also associated with several place names in England, such as Holdsworth in West Yorkshire, which likely took its name from the original settlers or landowners in the area.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Holdsworth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Holdsworth 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 3,804 Holdsworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.80x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 3,804 7.80x
Lancashire 372 0.64x
Middlesex 229 0.47x
Surrey 140 0.58x
Lincolnshire 68 0.86x
Kent 66 0.39x
Durham 53 0.36x
Staffordshire 42 0.25x
Nottinghamshire 35 0.53x
Derbyshire 33 0.43x
Norfolk 29 0.38x
Essex 25 0.26x
Cheshire 22 0.20x
Hertfordshire 14 0.41x
Hampshire 13 0.13x
Northumberland 12 0.16x
Gloucestershire 10 0.10x
Worcestershire 10 0.16x
Leicestershire 9 0.16x
Devon 7 0.07x
Warwickshire 7 0.06x
Flintshire 6 0.45x
Sussex 6 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.13x
Royal Navy 4 0.68x
Wiltshire 4 0.09x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.10x
Northamptonshire 3 0.06x
Suffolk 3 0.05x
Westmorland 3 0.28x
Ayrshire 2 0.05x
Lanarkshire 2 0.01x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.05x
Dorset 1 0.03x
Herefordshire 1 0.05x
Isle of Man 1 0.11x
Monmouthshire 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. Horton In Bradford in Yorkshire leads with 380 Holdsworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 49.90x.

Place Total Index
Horton In Bradford 380 49.90x
Leeds 232 8.42x
Bradford 226 19.14x
Halifax 158 22.07x
Manningham 134 22.30x
North Bierley 115 43.68x
Bowling 111 22.98x
Northowram 100 29.24x
Armley 95 44.17x
Hunslet 95 12.49x
Wyke In Bradford 67 76.83x
Allerton 61 98.13x
Clayton 61 51.11x
Gomersal 60 26.36x
Keighley 57 10.97x
Calverley Cum Farsley 55 39.72x
Eccleshill 53 44.66x
Hackney London 50 1.81x
Wortley In Bramley 48 12.43x
Headingley Cum Burley 47 14.97x
Southowram 46 30.90x
Huddersfield 45 6.33x
Habergham Eaves 44 8.24x
Tong 44 46.71x
Wakefield 44 11.75x
Shipley 43 16.99x
Cleckheaton 41 22.82x
Pudsey 41 15.73x
Rotherham 39 14.19x
Bramley In Bramley 36 19.28x
Hipperholme Cum 36 16.80x
Shelf 36 77.29x
Islington London 34 0.71x
Batley 30 6.47x
Thornton In Bradford 30 18.48x
High Low Bishopside 29 67.04x
Holbeck 29 8.98x
Idle 29 12.83x
Haworth 28 24.15x
Hucknall Torkard 27 16.05x
Hunsworth 27 105.51x
Manchester 27 1.03x
Lambeth 25 0.58x
Bethnal Green London 24 1.12x
Barnoldswick 23 33.79x
Gildersome 23 39.24x
Holy Trinity 23 1.96x
Reigate Borough 23 41.58x
Sculcoates 23 2.97x
Clifton In Halifax 22 75.50x
Doncaster 21 5.89x
Elland Cum Greetland 21 9.56x
Liversedge 21 9.67x
Oldham 21 1.11x
Oswaldtwistle 21 10.18x
Bermondsey 20 1.37x
Deptford St Paul 20 1.54x
Ecclesall Bierlow 20 2.02x
Skipton 20 13.03x
Barnsley 19 3.78x
Burnley 19 3.86x
Camberwell 19 0.60x
Heckmondwike 19 12.11x
Kirton In Lindsey 19 60.94x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 18 10.79x
Dewsbury 18 3.60x
Farnley In Bramley 18 29.57x
St Pancras London 18 0.45x
Bingley 17 5.47x
Bradfield 17 9.04x
Hepworth 17 86.34x
Rastrick 17 12.55x
Croydon 16 1.20x
Drighlington 16 22.52x
Barrow In Furness 15 1.89x
Colne 15 8.62x
Hulme 15 1.23x
Kensington London 15 0.55x
Almondbury 14 5.94x
Thornhill 14 9.84x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 334
Sarah 223
Elizabeth 190
Hannah 132
Ann 108
Annie 98
Jane 96
Emma 92
Martha 88
Emily 74
Alice 70
Ellen 59
Eliza 51
Ada 40
Margaret 39
Harriet 36
Clara 35
Charlotte 25
Florence 25
Edith 23
Louisa 20
Maria 20
Lucy 19
Grace 16
Kate 16
Esther 15
Fanny 15
Lydia 15
Eleanor 14
Susannah 14
Amy 13
Nancy 13
Ruth 13
Anne 12
Caroline 12
Frances 12
Minnie 12
Rebecca 12
Agnes 11
Rose 11
Susan 11
Catherine 10
Betty 9
Harriett 9
Isabella 9
Jessie 9
Sophia 9
Elizth. 8
Ethel 8
Rachel 8

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 287
William 232
Joseph 135
George 133
James 127
Thomas 117
Henry 66
Samuel 65
Charles 61
Arthur 60
Fred 54
Albert 53
Walter 45
Alfred 41
Harry 38
Edward 36
Herbert 34
Frederick 31
Richard 30
Robert 27
David 22
Sam 21
Ernest 20
Wm. 20
Thos. 19
Benjamin 18
Willie 18
Tom 17
Edwin 16
Isaac 15
Jonas 14
Frank 13
Jonathan 13
Abraham 11
Geo. 10
Joe 10
Jacob 9
Ben 8
Chas. 8
Edmund 8
Squire 8
Stephen 7
Francis 6
Harold 6
Percy 6
Smith 6
Jeremiah 5
Jesse 5
Jno. 5
Matthew 5

FAQ

Holdsworth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Holdsworth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,042 people were recorded with the Holdsworth surname. That placed it at #884 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Holdsworth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,866 in 2016. That gives Holdsworth a modern rank of #1,390.

What does the Holdsworth surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "Hōld's enclosure" in Old English, referring to a person who lived there.

What does the Holdsworth map show?

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