NameCensus.

UK surname

Hoof

A surname derived from the Dutch word for "head," likely denoting a family leader or chief.

In the 1881 census there were 129 people recorded with the Hoof surname, ranking it #17,013 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 125, ranked #26,827, down from #17,013 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dawley, Magna, Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors and Wombridge. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Telford and Wrekin.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hoof is 173 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.1%.

1881 census count

129

Ranked #17,013

Modern count

125

2016, ranked #26,827

Peak year

1911

173 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hoof had 129 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,013 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016, ranked #26,827.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 173 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Hoof surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hoof surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Hoof 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 114 #15,716
1861 historical 120 #18,255
1881 historical 129 #17,013
1891 historical 105 #23,241
1901 historical 143 #18,570
1911 historical 173 #16,361
1997 modern 150 #21,119
1998 modern 158 #20,992
1999 modern 160 #20,943
2000 modern 157 #21,146
2001 modern 152 #21,294
2002 modern 150 #21,913
2003 modern 152 #21,486
2004 modern 150 #21,830
2005 modern 143 #22,473
2006 modern 145 #22,420
2007 modern 136 #23,708
2008 modern 133 #24,350
2009 modern 137 #24,371
2010 modern 134 #25,263
2011 modern 136 #24,819
2012 modern 130 #25,559
2013 modern 137 #25,149
2014 modern 134 #25,711
2015 modern 136 #25,352
2016 modern 125 #26,827

Geography

Back to top

Where Hoofs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dawley, Magna, Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors, Wombridge, Shiffnal and Lilleshall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Telford and Wrekin. 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 Dawley, Magna Shropshire
2 Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors Shropshire
3 Wombridge Shropshire
4 Shiffnal Shropshire
5 Lilleshall Shropshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Telford and Wrekin 017 Telford and Wrekin
2 Telford and Wrekin 013 Telford and Wrekin
3 Telford and Wrekin 014 Telford and Wrekin
4 Telford and Wrekin 016 Telford and Wrekin
5 Telford and Wrekin 007 Telford and Wrekin

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Hoof

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Hoof

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Hoof surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Hoof household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hoof 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

Hoof 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

Hoof 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 Hoof is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

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

Meaning and origin of Hoof

The surname HOOF is of English origin, emerging in the medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "hof," which referred to an enclosed yard or a dwelling. This name was likely given to someone who lived near or worked in such an enclosure, possibly keeping livestock.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the HOOF surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1208, where a man named Radulfus atte Hofe was mentioned. This early spelling variation, "atte Hofe," reinforces the connection to the Old English word for an enclosed area.

In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct references to the HOOF surname itself, but there are mentions of various locations with similar names, such as Hothe in Berkshire and Hoft in Norfolk. These place names may have influenced the development of the HOOF surname in those regions.

Notable individuals with the HOOF surname throughout history include:

1. Walter HOOF (c. 1350-1415), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Warwickshire, England. 2. Margaret HOOF (c. 1520-1590), a respected herbalist and midwife in the village of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. 3. Henry HOOF (1602-1673), a prosperous merchant and shipping magnate based in London. 4. Wilhelmina HOOF (1670-1742), a Dutch-born painter known for her still-life compositions featuring flowers and fruit. 5. Johannes HOOF (1795-1858), a German-born composer and organist who spent most of his career in Vienna, Austria.

It is worth noting that variations in spelling were common in earlier centuries, and the HOOF surname may have appeared in historical records as Hooff, Hoofe, or even Hove, reflecting regional dialects and evolving spellings over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Hoof families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hoof 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. Shropshire leads with 95 Hoofs recorded in 1881 and an index of 87.39x.

County Total Index
Shropshire 95 87.39x
Middlesex 9 0.72x
Staffordshire 9 2.12x
Westmorland 3 10.85x
Yorkshire 3 0.24x
Derbyshire 2 1.02x
Essex 2 0.81x
Surrey 2 0.33x
Cornwall 1 0.70x
Lanarkshire 1 0.25x
Lancashire 1 0.07x
Somerset 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Shifnal in Shropshire leads with 22 Hoofs recorded in 1881 and an index of 745.76x.

Place Total Index
Shifnal 22 745.76x
Dawley 21 530.30x
Lilleshall 18 1084.34x
Wombridge 17 1268.66x
Wellington 13 212.77x
Kingswinford 9 58.37x
Westminster St James 8 61.87x
Wrockwardine 4 167.36x
Kendal 3 59.29x
Brentwood 2 132.45x
Carshalton 2 85.11x
Ilkeston 2 36.23x
Barony 1 0.97x
Chorley 1 11.93x
Gisburn 1 434.78x
Hampton London 1 48.31x
Saddleworth 1 10.40x
Saltash 1 90.91x
Sheffield 1 2.52x
Shipham 1 555.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Sarah 6
Elizabeth 5
Ann 4
Jane 4
Eliza 3
Emily 3
Harriet 3
Emma 2
Fanny 2
Harriett 2
Margaret 2
Phoebe 2
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Annie 1
Clara 1
Elizth. 1
Isabella 1
Juliann 1
Laura 1
Letitia 1
Letticia 1
Lousia 1
M.A. 1
Marget 1
Maria 1
Polly 1
Rebecca 1
Sarahann 1
Thursann 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
Thomas 7
George 5
William 5
James 4
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
Charles 3
Enoch 3
Henry 3
Thos. 3
Joseph 2
Mark 2
Edward 1
Fredrick 1
Hezekiah 1
Jonah 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Thos.Holmes 1

FAQ

Hoof surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hoof surname in 1881?

In 1881, 129 people were recorded with the Hoof surname. That placed it at #17,013 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hoof surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016. That gives Hoof a modern rank of #26,827.

What does the Hoof surname mean?

A surname derived from the Dutch word for "head," likely denoting a family leader or chief.

What does the Hoof map show?

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