NameCensus.

UK surname

Hopes

A surname derived from a Middle English word meaning "hope" or "expectation."

In the 1881 census there were 408 people recorded with the Hopes surname, ranking it #7,852 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 754, ranked #7,258, up from #7,852 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Raydon and St Philip and Jacob. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnsley, Blaenau Gwent and South Gloucestershire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hopes is 789 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 84.8%.

1881 census count

408

Ranked #7,852

Modern count

754

2016, ranked #7,258

Peak year

2010

789 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hopes had 408 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,852 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 754 in 2016, ranked #7,258.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 590 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hopes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hopes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hopes 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 302 #7,606
1861 historical 374 #6,826
1881 historical 408 #7,852
1891 historical 463 #7,902
1901 historical 555 #7,489
1911 historical 590 #6,929
1997 modern 742 #6,938
1998 modern 781 #6,890
1999 modern 780 #6,933
2000 modern 776 #6,942
2001 modern 767 #6,863
2002 modern 773 #6,966
2003 modern 735 #7,115
2004 modern 747 #7,040
2005 modern 710 #7,245
2006 modern 702 #7,332
2007 modern 710 #7,342
2008 modern 730 #7,258
2009 modern 766 #7,125
2010 modern 789 #7,107
2011 modern 781 #7,086
2012 modern 772 #7,066
2013 modern 775 #7,152
2014 modern 779 #7,153
2015 modern 764 #7,196
2016 modern 754 #7,258

Geography

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Where Hopes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Raydon, St Philip and Jacob, Avening and Minchinhampton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnsley, Blaenau Gwent, South Gloucestershire, Stroud and Bridgend. 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 Raydon Suffolk
3 St Philip and Jacob Gloucestershire
4 Avening Gloucestershire
5 Minchinhampton Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barnsley 014 Barnsley
2 Blaenau Gwent 009 Blaenau Gwent
3 South Gloucestershire 028 South Gloucestershire
4 Stroud 004 Stroud
5 Bridgend 002 Bridgend

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hopes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hopes

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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hopes 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

Hopes 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

Hopes falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hopes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hopes

The surname "HOPES" is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Middle English word "hoper," which referred to someone who made or sold hoops for barrels and casks. This occupation was an essential part of the cooperage trade, which involved the making and repairing of wooden casks and buckets.

The earliest known record of the surname "HOPES" can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, England, where a baptism entry for "John Hopes" was documented in 1587. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, indicating its regional roots.

One of the notable early references to the surname "HOPES" can be found in the "Visitation of Gloucestershire" of 1623, a historical record that documented the pedigrees and coats of arms of families in the county. The record mentions a "Thomas Hopes" who was a resident of Winchcombe, a town in Gloucestershire.

In the late 17th century, the "HOPES" surname began appearing in various parish records across England, suggesting the migration of families bearing this name. For instance, a baptism record from 1692 in the parish of St. Mary's in Islington, London, mentions a "William Hopes."

Throughout history, several individuals with the surname "HOPES" have achieved notability. One such figure was John Hopes (1767-1836), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Bradwell-juxta-Mare in Essex. Another notable bearer of the name was William Hopes (1803-1888), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the former Royal Naval Club on Regent Street.

In the 19th century, the "HOPES" surname gained prominence in the United States, with individuals such as Thomas Hopes (1816-1893), a prominent businessman and politician from Pennsylvania, and George Hopes (1848-1919), a Union Army veteran and lawyer from Illinois.

Other notable individuals with the surname "HOPES" include James Hopes (1870-1949), a Scottish professional footballer who played for several clubs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and John Hopes (1886-1961), a British Olympic athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hopes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hopes 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. Gloucestershire leads with 160 Hopes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.45x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 160 20.45x
Yorkshire 39 0.99x
Somerset 35 5.45x
Middlesex 18 0.45x
Worcestershire 18 3.45x
Suffolk 15 3.09x
Ayrshire 14 4.69x
Monmouthshire 14 4.85x
Oxfordshire 13 5.28x
Staffordshire 13 0.97x
Berkshire 11 3.67x
Glamorgan 11 1.58x
Cumberland 10 2.91x
Northumberland 5 0.84x
Surrey 5 0.26x
Devon 4 0.48x
Durham 4 0.34x
Westmorland 4 4.56x
Lancashire 3 0.06x
Midlothian 3 0.56x
Hampshire 2 0.24x
Hertfordshire 2 0.73x
Wiltshire 2 0.57x
Essex 1 0.13x
Lincolnshire 1 0.16x
Renfrewshire 1 0.32x
Warwickshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bristol St George in Gloucestershire leads with 41 Hopes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 113.29x.

Place Total Index
Bristol St George 41 113.29x
Avening 39 1413.04x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 27 36.65x
Bitton 19 279.00x
Barnsley 18 44.14x
Raydon 14 1917.81x
Bitton Oldland 12 150.00x
Riccarton Hurlford 12 229.01x
Blockley 10 338.98x
Downhead 9 3750.00x
Stoke Upon Trent 8 5.60x
Weston 8 161.94x
Camerton 7 374.33x
Neath 7 49.54x
Pucklechurch 7 397.73x
St Cuthbert W O 7 41.82x
Walcot 7 20.47x
St Marylebone London 6 2.82x
Hexham 5 54.41x
Hunslet 5 8.11x
Whitchurch 5 406.50x
Bedwellty 4 7.86x
Hoyland Nether 4 41.24x
Lower Llanvrechva 4 141.34x
Minchinhampton 4 64.21x
Mynyddyslwyn 4 35.15x
Newnham 4 199.01x
Plymouth St Andrew 4 6.25x
Reading St Mary 4 16.67x
Streatham 4 13.51x
Westcote Barton 4 1250.00x
Ystradyfodwg 4 6.56x
Abberley 3 361.45x
Duddingston 3 27.96x
Gt Tew 3 461.54x
Hatfield In Thorne 3 121.46x
Headingley Cum Burley 3 11.79x
Holwell 3 1764.71x
Keighley 3 7.12x
Paddington London 3 2.05x
Shipston On Stour 3 126.58x
St Ann Blackfriars London 3 405.41x
Westbury On Severn East 3 16.96x
Wolverhampton 3 2.90x
Aberystruth 2 7.87x
Brough 2 232.56x
Charlbury 2 72.20x
Feckenham 2 33.56x
Frome 2 13.02x
Hampstead London 2 3.22x
Handsworth 2 6.03x
Long Marton 2 204.08x
Loudoun 2 27.86x
Penrith 2 15.76x
West Auckland 2 46.08x
Aiskew 1 88.50x
Alston 1 15.80x
Appleton 1 128.21x
Braintree 1 14.14x
Bruern 1 1666.67x
Caterham 1 11.64x
Christchurch 1 5.64x
Crook Billy Row 1 6.58x
Greenock Oldor West 1 117.65x
Honington 1 322.58x
Horfield 1 12.71x
Islington London 1 0.26x
Keynsham 1 21.69x
Kirton In Lindsey 1 39.53x
North Meols 1 2.16x
Penton Mewsey 1 256.41x
Preston 1 0.79x
Shoreditch London 1 0.58x
Siston 1 71.43x
Sonning 1 30.21x
St Paul Covent Garden 1 25.06x
Trowbridge 1 6.41x
Warrington 1 1.78x
Willesden 1 2.66x
Wotton Under Edge 1 21.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 29
Sarah 13
Elizabeth 11
Jane 10
Ann 9
Annie 8
Emily 7
Emma 7
Alice 6
Eliza 6
Ellen 4
Hannah 4
Louisa 4
Lucy 4
Margaret 4
Clara 3
Edith 3
Julia 3
Sophia 3
Ada 2
Anne 2
Caroline 2
Esther 2
Harriet 2
Helena 2
Hester 2
Kate 2
Lily 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Matilda 2
Rose 2
Annice 1
Charlotte 1
Demarias 1
Dorcas 1
Elizth. 1
Emelia 1
Erama 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Flory 1
Hariet 1
Laura 1
Lena 1
Lesia 1
Lilley 1
Lilly 1
Lousa 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 25
John 19
George 16
Thomas 13
Henry 10
James 10
Charles 6
Albert 5
Edward 5
Isaac 5
Joseph 5
Frederick 4
Robert 4
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
Ernest 3
Robt. 3
Silas 3
Walter 3
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Herbert 2
Oliver 2
Richard 2
Samuel 2
Benjamin 1
Bertie 1
Emmanuel 1
Farancis 1
Francis 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Geo.H. 1
Jabez 1
Jasper 1
Jno.Geo.B. 1
Louis 1
Luther 1
Morley 1
Richd. 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
Stephn 1
Victor 1
Walace 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1
Worthy 1

FAQ

Hopes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hopes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 408 people were recorded with the Hopes surname. That placed it at #7,852 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hopes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 754 in 2016. That gives Hopes a modern rank of #7,258.

What does the Hopes surname mean?

A surname derived from a Middle English word meaning "hope" or "expectation."

What does the Hopes map show?

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