NameCensus.

UK surname

Hopewell

A habitational name denoting someone from any of several places in England named with Old English and Middle English words meaning "valley or hollow of hope".

In the 1881 census there were 718 people recorded with the Hopewell surname, ranking it #5,071 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,079, ranked #5,412, down from #5,071 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Basford, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Hinckley (incl. Hydes Pastures). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rotherham, Ashfield and Mansfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hopewell is 1,173 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.3%.

1881 census count

718

Ranked #5,071

Modern count

1,079

2016, ranked #5,412

Peak year

1999

1,173 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hopewell had 718 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,071 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,079 in 2016, ranked #5,412.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,059 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hopewell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hopewell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hopewell 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 444 #5,543
1861 historical 479 #5,449
1881 historical 718 #5,071
1891 historical 859 #4,770
1901 historical 1,005 #4,741
1911 historical 1,059 #4,362
1997 modern 1,112 #5,024
1998 modern 1,144 #5,087
1999 modern 1,173 #5,026
2000 modern 1,150 #5,077
2001 modern 1,125 #5,072
2002 modern 1,156 #5,075
2003 modern 1,124 #5,083
2004 modern 1,096 #5,202
2005 modern 1,073 #5,247
2006 modern 1,091 #5,174
2007 modern 1,101 #5,183
2008 modern 1,097 #5,230
2009 modern 1,113 #5,271
2010 modern 1,141 #5,269
2011 modern 1,116 #5,311
2012 modern 1,075 #5,391
2013 modern 1,099 #5,376
2014 modern 1,109 #5,361
2015 modern 1,096 #5,364
2016 modern 1,079 #5,412

Geography

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Where Hopewells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Basford, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Hinckley (incl. Hydes Pastures), Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rotherham, Ashfield, Mansfield, Leicester and Derbyshire Dales. 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 Basford Nottinghamshire
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 Hinckley (incl. Hydes Pastures) Leicestershire
4 Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton Nottinghamshire
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rotherham 016 Rotherham
2 Ashfield 013 Ashfield
3 Mansfield 010 Mansfield
4 Leicester 013 Leicester
5 Derbyshire Dales 010 Derbyshire Dales

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hopewell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hopewell

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Hopewell is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Hopewell is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hopewell 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 Hopewell 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Hopewell

The surname Hopewell has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hop" meaning "small valley" and "well" referring to a spring or stream, indicating that the name likely originated as a topographic name for someone who lived near a small valley with a stream.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Hopewell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hopewelle" in relation to a settlement in Nottinghamshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name Hopewell was most prevalent in the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire, where numerous place names containing the word "Hopewell" can be found, such as Hopewell Manor in Derbyshire and Hopewell Farm in Yorkshire.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Hopewell was Sir William Hopewell (c. 1290 - 1349), a prominent landowner and knight from Nottinghamshire who served in the armies of King Edward II and Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.

Another notable figure was John Hopewell (1516 - 1590), a clergyman from Derbyshire who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1578 until his death. He was known for his support of the Protestant Reformation and his efforts to promote education in his diocese.

In the 17th century, the surname Hopewell gained some prominence in colonial America, with the arrival of several families bearing the name. One such individual was Thomas Hopewell (c. 1620 - 1683), a Quaker from Yorkshire who settled in Maryland and became a prominent landowner and community leader.

Another notable American Hopewell was Raphael Hopewell (1754 - 1828), a soldier and politician from Pennsylvania who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later became a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate.

In more recent times, the name Hopewell has been associated with several distinguished individuals, such as Sir Geoffrey Hopewell (1909 - 1996), a British diplomat and ambassador to the United States from 1960 to 1965, and Sarah Hopewell (1926 - 2018), an American archaeologist renowned for her work on the Hopewell culture of ancient Native Americans.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hopewell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hopewell 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 328 Hopewells recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.70x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 328 34.70x
Leicestershire 93 11.96x
Yorkshire 54 0.78x
Derbyshire 45 4.10x
Middlesex 36 0.51x
Lancashire 31 0.37x
Lincolnshire 21 1.87x
Cornwall 12 1.51x
Northamptonshire 11 1.67x
Surrey 11 0.32x
Cheshire 9 0.58x
Shropshire 9 1.49x
Durham 7 0.34x
Essex 7 0.51x
Sussex 7 0.59x
Warwickshire 7 0.40x
Devon 6 0.41x
Lanarkshire 6 0.26x
Bedfordshire 3 0.83x
Hampshire 3 0.21x
Cumberland 2 0.33x
Somerset 2 0.18x
Staffordshire 2 0.08x
Argyllshire 1 0.51x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.35x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.23x
Renfrewshire 1 0.18x
Royal Navy 1 1.20x
Wiltshire 1 0.16x
Worcestershire 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 128 Hopewells recorded in 1881 and an index of 52.35x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 128 52.35x
Hinckley 27 146.34x
Basford 24 55.08x
Newark Upon Trent 23 67.69x
Radford 20 41.64x
Snenton 18 48.47x
Mansfield 16 48.91x
Leicester St Margaret 15 7.91x
Loughborough 15 42.51x
Cotgrave 14 710.66x
Ratcliffe Upon Trent 13 548.52x
Greasley 12 56.26x
Salford 12 4.90x
Brightside Bierlow 11 8.07x
Handsworth 11 59.88x
Leicester All Sts 11 72.04x
Arnold 10 72.46x
Bromley London 10 6.48x
Calstock 10 64.23x
Leicester St Mary 10 15.92x
Nottingham St Peter 10 94.88x
Stanton By Dale 10 666.67x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 9 13.90x
Derby St Peter 9 25.74x
Dukinfield 9 12.58x
St Swithin Lincoln 9 51.05x
Upton 9 520.23x
Hope Baggot 8 4210.53x
Lenton 8 35.92x
Belgrave 7 39.89x
Broughton In Salford 7 9.20x
Darley 7 157.66x
Eastwood 7 82.84x
Fulham London 7 6.88x
Litchurch 7 15.84x
Selston 7 66.29x
Staveley 7 35.92x
Govan 6 1.07x
Kegworth 6 116.05x
Lambeth 6 0.98x
Nottingham St Nicholas 6 46.58x
Rugby 6 25.07x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 6 18.58x
Topsham 6 87.08x
Walthamstow 6 12.04x
Brighton 5 2.10x
Gateshead 5 3.20x
Great Grimsby 5 7.02x
Hulme 5 2.88x
Sheffield 5 2.26x
Clerkenwell London 4 2.42x
Doncaster 4 7.88x
St Pancras London 4 0.71x
Beswick 3 14.10x
Boston 3 8.82x
Croydon 3 1.58x
Granby Sutton 3 315.79x
Hackney London 3 0.76x
Keighley 3 4.05x
Sculcoates 3 2.72x
Sutton Bonnington 3 123.97x
Beeston 2 18.42x
Bury 2 2.10x
Chard 2 14.63x
Darlington 2 2.48x
Farnworth 2 4.01x
Luton 2 3.18x
Madron 2 31.20x
Rickergate 2 15.65x
Ripley 2 14.74x
Shelford Saxondale 2 156.25x
Subdeanery 2 22.30x
Barton Under Needwood 1 23.26x
Bilton 1 24.51x
Derby St Alkmund 1 3.04x
Eling 1 6.87x
Great Bedwin 1 22.68x
Lutterworth 1 21.10x
Scarborough 1 1.58x
Southampton All Sts 1 4.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 47
Elizabeth 40
Ann 24
Emma 19
Sarah 15
Eliza 14
Ellen 13
Annie 12
Harriet 9
Jane 9
Lucy 8
Martha 8
Alice 7
Clara 7
Ada 6
Caroline 6
Florence 6
Hannah 6
Eleanor 5
Fanny 5
Anne 4
Catherine 4
Edith 4
Emily 4
Margaret 4
Susan 4
Charlotte 3
Kate 3
Louisa 3
Maria 3
Maud 3
Ruth 3
Agnes 2
Amy 2
Esther 2
Gertrude 2
Lilly 2
Rebecca 2
Anna 1
Blances 1
E.M. 1
Effie 1
Eleanore 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizth. 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
H.Ann 1
Harriett 1
Harriott 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 49
William 40
George 29
Thomas 25
Henry 24
Charles 17
James 17
Joseph 15
Arthur 14
Samuel 12
Robert 9
Edward 7
Alfred 6
Frank 6
Albert 5
Walter 5
Harry 4
Edwin 3
Herbert 3
Benjamin 2
Christopher 2
Earnest 2
Edmund 2
Edwd. 2
Ernest 2
Fred 2
Frederick 2
Isaac 2
Matthew 2
Noah 2
Philip 2
Tom 2
Bertram 1
Danial 1
E.E. 1
E.G. 1
Edgar 1
Fredk. 1
Fredk.Jas. 1
H. 1
Hiram 1
Kate 1
Levi 1
Minra 1
Pharaoh 1
Richard 1
Sam 1
Septime 1
Stephen 1
Zear 1

FAQ

Hopewell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hopewell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 718 people were recorded with the Hopewell surname. That placed it at #5,071 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hopewell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,079 in 2016. That gives Hopewell a modern rank of #5,412.

What does the Hopewell surname mean?

A habitational name denoting someone from any of several places in England named with Old English and Middle English words meaning "valley or hollow of hope".

What does the Hopewell map show?

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