NameCensus.

UK surname

Honeywill

In the 1881 census there were 185 people recorded with the Honeywill surname, ranking it #13,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 259, ranked #16,393, down from #13,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Tormoham with Torquay and Totnes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Teignbridge, Plymouth and South Hams.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Honeywill is 319 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.0%.

1881 census count

185

Ranked #13,506

Modern count

259

2016, ranked #16,393

Peak year

1911

319 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Honeywill had 185 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 259 in 2016, ranked #16,393.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 319 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Honeywill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Honeywill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Honeywill 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 119 #15,247
1861 historical 93 #22,009
1881 historical 185 #13,506
1891 historical 228 #13,582
1901 historical 239 #13,489
1911 historical 319 #10,967
1997 modern 301 #13,492
1998 modern 308 #13,661
1999 modern 291 #14,234
2000 modern 292 #14,165
2001 modern 284 #14,221
2002 modern 283 #14,559
2003 modern 270 #14,825
2004 modern 265 #15,110
2005 modern 263 #15,139
2006 modern 264 #15,170
2007 modern 265 #15,295
2008 modern 272 #15,152
2009 modern 279 #15,184
2010 modern 283 #15,363
2011 modern 278 #15,390
2012 modern 268 #15,745
2013 modern 269 #15,963
2014 modern 271 #15,986
2015 modern 262 #16,278
2016 modern 259 #16,393

Geography

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Where Honeywills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Tormoham with Torquay, Totnes, Ilsington and Buckfastleigh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Teignbridge, Plymouth and South Hams. 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 Tormoham with Torquay Devon
3 Totnes Devon
4 Ilsington Devon
5 Buckfastleigh Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Teignbridge 012 Teignbridge
2 Plymouth 029 Plymouth
3 South Hams 011 South Hams
4 Teignbridge 007 Teignbridge
5 South Hams 010 South Hams

Forenames

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First names often paired with Honeywill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Honeywill

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Honeywill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Honeywill household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Honeywill is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Honeywill is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Honeywill falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Honeywill is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Honeywill, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Honeywill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Honeywill 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. Devon leads with 148 Honeywills recorded in 1881 and an index of 38.56x.

County Total Index
Devon 148 38.56x
Middlesex 11 0.60x
Somerset 7 2.36x
Surrey 6 0.67x
Gloucestershire 5 1.38x
Kent 4 0.64x
Dorset 3 2.48x
Royal Navy 3 13.66x
Lancashire 1 0.05x
Suffolk 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ipplepen in Devon leads with 23 Honeywills recorded in 1881 and an index of 4423.08x.

Place Total Index
Ipplepen 23 4423.08x
Totnes 23 1026.79x
Ilsington 21 3134.33x
Buckfastleigh 12 677.97x
Tormoham 12 73.89x
Wolborough 8 164.95x
Bedminster 6 21.51x
Camberwell 6 5.09x
Exeter Heavitree 6 209.79x
Staverton 6 1276.60x
Ashburton 5 273.22x
Dartmouth St Petrox 5 909.09x
Paignton 5 171.23x
Alveston 4 784.31x
Bethnal Green London 4 4.99x
Lee 4 43.81x
Royal Navy 3 15.97x
Stokenham 3 277.78x
Tarrant Rushton 3 2727.27x
Bickington 2 1333.33x
Coffinswell 2 1666.67x
Cornworthy 2 769.23x
Denbury 2 952.38x
Devonport 2 45.35x
Kingsbridge 2 208.33x
Marldon 2 625.00x
Uxbridge 2 94.79x
Bildeston 1 204.08x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 8.29x
Dartmouth St Savior 1 217.39x
Dartmouth Townstall 1 64.10x
Hackney London 1 0.97x
Hampstead London 1 3.48x
Hillingdon 1 17.01x
Holcombe Burnell 1 714.29x
Hornsey 1 4.29x
Manaton 1 476.19x
Newton Abbot St Mary 1 31.06x
Portishead 1 45.25x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.08x
Toxteth Park 1 1.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 19
John 15
George 9
Alfred 6
Henry 5
Samuel 5
Thomas 4
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
James 2
Silas 2
Algernon 1
Carna 1
Charles 1
Constantine 1
Ed. 1
Fredrick 1
Jonas 1
Lindsay 1
Noah 1
Norman 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Philip 1
Phillip 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Sidney 1
Soloman 1
Thos.Wyatt 1
Tom 1
Wm.G. 1
Wm.Ross 1

FAQ

Honeywill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Honeywill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 185 people were recorded with the Honeywill surname. That placed it at #13,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Honeywill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 259 in 2016. That gives Honeywill a modern rank of #16,393.

What does the Honeywill map show?

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