NameCensus.

UK surname

Holroyd

A locational name for someone from a place pronounced "Rodewood" in West Yorkshire.

In the 1881 census there were 3,334 people recorded with the Holroyd surname, ranking it #1,362 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,146, ranked #2,154, down from #1,362 in 1881.

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

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Holroyd is 3,938 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 5.6%.

1881 census count

3,334

Ranked #1,362

Modern count

3,146

2016, ranked #2,154

Peak year

1901

3,938 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Holroyd had 3,334 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,362 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,146 in 2016, ranked #2,154.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,938 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Holroyd surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Holroyd surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Holroyd 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 2,034 #1,428
1861 historical 2,088 #1,387
1881 historical 3,334 #1,362
1891 historical 3,690 #1,295
1901 historical 3,938 #1,434
1911 historical 3,871 #1,337
1997 modern 3,212 #2,008
1998 modern 3,258 #2,059
1999 modern 3,319 #2,041
2000 modern 3,359 #2,009
2001 modern 3,284 #2,010
2002 modern 3,315 #2,034
2003 modern 3,218 #2,040
2004 modern 3,172 #2,067
2005 modern 3,078 #2,098
2006 modern 3,106 #2,084
2007 modern 3,118 #2,100
2008 modern 3,156 #2,090
2009 modern 3,240 #2,093
2010 modern 3,293 #2,108
2011 modern 3,265 #2,095
2012 modern 3,196 #2,107
2013 modern 3,209 #2,135
2014 modern 3,203 #2,150
2015 modern 3,171 #2,149
2016 modern 3,146 #2,154

Geography

Back to top

Where Holroyds are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, Bradford, Huddersfield, Prestwich 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 and Kirklees. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Huddersfield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Prestwich Lancashire
5 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Calderdale 026 Calderdale
2 Calderdale 025 Calderdale
3 Kirklees 055 Kirklees
4 Kirklees 052 Kirklees
5 Kirklees 053 Kirklees

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Holroyd

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Holroyd

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Holroyd, 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 Holroyd surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Holroyd 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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Holroyd 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

Holroyd is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Holroyd

The surname Holroyd is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Holrode in Yorkshire, which itself comes from the Old English words 'holh' meaning 'hollow' and 'rod' meaning 'clearing'.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where a person named Helias de Holrode is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the area by the mid-12th century.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there is a reference to a place called 'Holrode' in the West Riding of Yorkshire, which is likely the origin of the surname. The name is also recorded in various other medieval records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, where a William de Holrode is listed.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir John Holroyd, who lived in the 14th century and was a member of the gentry in Yorkshire. Another notable figure was Sir Samuel Holroyd (1615-1681), a lawyer and politician who served as a judge in the Court of King's Bench during the reign of Charles II.

In the 17th century, the name was also found in Lancashire, where a branch of the family settled. One of the most prominent individuals from this line was Isaac Holroyd (1676-1737), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who founded a school in Leeds.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, several members of the Holroyd family achieved prominence. These include John Baker Holroyd, 1st Earl of Sheffield (1735-1821), a noted writer and politician, and Sarah Holroyd (1781-1861), a diarist and socialite who was acquainted with many famous literary figures of her time.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Charles Holroyd (1809-1887), a British judge and politician who served as a member of parliament and held various legal positions, including that of a judge in the Court of Common Pleas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Holroyd families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Holroyd 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 2,541 Holroyds recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.89x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2,541 7.89x
Lancashire 444 1.15x
Nottinghamshire 66 1.51x
Middlesex 55 0.17x
Cheshire 46 0.64x
Surrey 27 0.17x
Somerset 15 0.29x
Durham 14 0.14x
Norfolk 14 0.28x
Sussex 14 0.26x
Warwickshire 14 0.17x
Worcestershire 14 0.33x
Derbyshire 13 0.26x
Berkshire 7 0.29x
Lincolnshire 7 0.13x
Suffolk 7 0.18x
Hampshire 6 0.09x
Montgomeryshire 5 0.67x
Staffordshire 4 0.04x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.15x
Isle of Man 3 0.50x
Leicestershire 3 0.08x
Essex 2 0.03x
Dorset 1 0.05x
Gloucestershire 1 0.02x
Midlothian 1 0.02x
Northamptonshire 1 0.03x
Northumberland 1 0.02x
Shropshire 1 0.04x

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 176 Holroyds recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.01x.

Place Total Index
Horton In Bradford 176 35.01x
Elland Cum Greetland 171 117.92x
Leeds 133 7.32x
Oldham 120 9.65x
Stainland Cum Old 117 212.38x
Bradford 99 12.70x
Huddersfield 83 17.70x
Barkisland 81 346.60x
Halifax 72 15.24x
Bowling 61 19.13x
Marsden In Almondbury 61 208.26x
Manningham 58 14.63x
Manchester 52 3.00x
Morley 47 28.08x
Fixby 44 785.71x
Northowram 44 19.49x
Skircoat 43 33.87x
Castleton 41 10.65x
Linthwaite 39 57.65x
Soyland 39 100.98x
Rishworth 38 307.69x
Marsden In Huddersfield 35 458.72x
Clayton 34 43.16x
Hunslet 34 6.77x
Saddleworth 34 13.69x
Batley 32 10.46x
Nottingham St Mary 32 2.83x
Rawmarsh 32 28.14x
Cleckheaton 31 26.14x
Spotland 31 7.23x
Almondbury 30 19.27x
Rastrick 30 33.55x
Sheffield 30 2.93x
Shelf 30 97.56x
North Bierley 27 15.54x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 26 8.67x
Basford 26 12.88x
Brightside Bierlow 26 4.12x
Dalton In Huddersfield 25 34.67x
Lepton 23 68.39x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 22 27.10x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 21 17.96x
Sculcoates 21 4.11x
Wakefield 21 8.50x
Ovenden 20 13.96x
Lofthouse Cum Carlton 19 48.43x
Meltham 19 37.95x
Wyke In Bradford 19 33.00x
Byfleet 17 120.65x
Dukinfield 17 5.13x
Thornton In Bradford 17 15.86x
Golcar 15 17.62x
Heaton 15 43.38x
Keighley 15 4.37x
Middlesbrough 15 3.58x
Sowerby In Halifax 15 14.25x
Nether Hallam 14 3.21x
Headingley Cum Burley 13 6.27x
Lockwood 13 11.23x
Potter Newton 13 22.89x
Southowram 13 13.23x
Longwood 12 23.13x
Pontefract 12 17.31x
Blatchinworth 11 12.53x
Eccleshill 11 14.04x
Frome 11 8.80x
Hipperholme Cum 11 7.78x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 11 7.36x
Westminster St John 11 2.78x
Bingley 10 4.88x
Gomersal 10 6.66x
Habergham Eaves 10 2.84x
Todmorden Walsden 10 9.68x
Adlington 9 93.75x
Ashton Under Lyne 9 1.07x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 9 8.18x
Holbeck 9 4.22x
Holy Trinity 9 1.16x
Lingards 9 92.59x
Rotherham 9 4.96x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 238
Sarah 163
Elizabeth 98
Hannah 97
Jane 61
Martha 59
Ann 58
Eliza 58
Annie 55
Emma 54
Emily 50
Alice 49
Ellen 45
Harriet 33
Ada 25
Clara 25
Charlotte 19
Louisa 18
Maria 17
Florence 16
Ethel 15
Edith 14
Lucy 14
Margaret 14
Betty 13
Nancy 13
Fanny 12
Ruth 12
Caroline 11
Susannah 11
Amy 8
Laura 8
Rebecca 8
Anne 7
Elizth. 7
Esther 7
Julia 7
Lilly 7
Rachel 7
Frances 6
Gertrude 6
Kate 6
Nanny 6
Agnes 5
Betsy 5
Christiana 5
Eleanor 5
Helen 5
Lydia 5
Rose 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 202
William 136
James 110
Joseph 105
George 75
Thomas 70
Fred 43
Henry 35
Charles 33
Harry 32
Benjamin 30
Samuel 29
Arthur 28
Albert 27
Walter 26
Herbert 25
Alfred 20
Edward 19
Robert 18
David 16
Richard 16
Ernest 15
Frank 15
Joe 14
Frederick 12
Sam 12
Tom 12
Abraham 11
Edmund 10
Stephen 9
Thos. 9
Ben 8
Edwin 8
Isaac 8
Wm. 7
Chas. 5
Geo. 5
Hiram 5
Jonas 5
Levi 5
Lewis 5
Moses 5
Enoch 4
Fredk. 4
Humphrey 4
Jonathan 4
Reuben 4
Saml. 4
Willie 4
Jno. 3

FAQ

Holroyd surname: questions and answers

How common was the Holroyd surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,334 people were recorded with the Holroyd surname. That placed it at #1,362 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Holroyd surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,146 in 2016. That gives Holroyd a modern rank of #2,154.

What does the Holroyd surname mean?

A locational name for someone from a place pronounced "Rodewood" in West Yorkshire.

What does the Holroyd map show?

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