NameCensus.

UK surname

Hopkins

An English occupational surname referring to the son of Hob or Hop, a nickname for Robert.

In the 1881 census there were 18,013 people recorded with the Hopkins surname, ranking it #212 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 26,332, ranked #213, down from #212 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes and Llanelly. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest of Dean, Powys and Swansea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hopkins is 26,868 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.2%.

1881 census count

18,013

Ranked #212

Modern count

26,332

2016, ranked #213

Peak year

1999

26,868 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hopkins had 18,013 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #212 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 26,332 in 2016, ranked #213.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 24,338 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hopkins surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hopkins surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hopkins 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 10,836 #232
1861 historical 11,684 #205
1881 historical 18,013 #212
1891 historical 19,496 #203
1901 historical 22,231 #215
1911 historical 24,338 #176
1997 modern 25,764 #211
1998 modern 26,677 #212
1999 modern 26,868 #211
2000 modern 26,684 #211
2001 modern 26,035 #213
2002 modern 26,508 #214
2003 modern 25,763 #216
2004 modern 25,697 #216
2005 modern 25,357 #217
2006 modern 25,402 #215
2007 modern 25,711 #212
2008 modern 25,793 #212
2009 modern 26,313 #213
2010 modern 26,749 #213
2011 modern 26,406 #214
2012 modern 25,906 #214
2013 modern 26,622 #212
2014 modern 26,772 #212
2015 modern 26,522 #212
2016 modern 26,332 #213

Geography

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Where Hopkins' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes, Llanelly and Swansea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest of Dean, Powys, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Llanelly Carmarthenshire
5 Swansea Glamorganshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest of Dean 004 Forest of Dean
2 Powys 021 Powys
3 Swansea 002 Swansea
4 Swansea 009 Swansea
5 Neath Port Talbot 002 Neath Port Talbot

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hopkins

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hopkins

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

Hopkins 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

Hopkins falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hopkins 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 Hopkins, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Hopkins

The Hopkins surname is believed to have originated in England, deriving from the Old English word "hop" meaning a small valley or hollow, and "cyn" meaning a family or kin. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a small hollow or valley.

The name first appeared in various early medieval records in different spellings, such as Hopcyn, Hopkyn, and Hopkyn. One of the earliest known references is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Hopcyn."

In the 13th century, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire as "Hopkin," referring to a landowner in the area. During this period, many surnames derived from geographical locations or features of the landscape where families lived.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Hopkins surname was William Hopkins, a merchant and member of the Guild of Corpus Christi in York, England, who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable early bearer of the name was John Hopkins, a wealthy landowner and benefactor from Coventry, England, who lived from around 1450 to 1516.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Hopkins name became more widespread across England, with records showing families in various counties, including Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Somerset. During this time, the surname was also sometimes spelled as "Hopkyns" or "Hopkines."

One of the most famous individuals with the Hopkins surname was Edward Hopkins, born in 1600, who was a successful merchant and later the governor of the Connecticut Colony in America. He played a significant role in the early development of the colony and founded the Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven, Connecticut.

Another notable Hopkins was Matthew Hopkins, known as the "Witch-Finder General," born in 1620 in Suffolk, England. He gained notoriety for his aggressive pursuit and prosecution of alleged witches during the English witch trials in the 1640s.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Hopkins surname continued to be prominent, with individuals such as Samuel Hopkins (1721-1803), a prominent Calvinist minister and theologian in New England, and Gerard Hopkins (1844-1889), a renowned English poet and Jesuit priest.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hopkins families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hopkins 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. Glamorgan leads with 2,562 Hopkins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.36x.

County Total Index
Glamorgan 2,562 8.36x
Middlesex 1,877 1.07x
Warwickshire 1,308 2.95x
Gloucestershire 1,157 3.35x
Surrey 1,053 1.23x
Lancashire 993 0.48x
Kent 901 1.50x
Staffordshire 622 1.05x
Monmouthshire 589 4.63x
Hampshire 523 1.45x
Yorkshire 507 0.29x
Worcestershire 482 2.10x
Somerset 422 1.49x
Carmarthenshire 402 5.42x
Cheshire 303 0.78x
Sussex 291 0.98x
Wiltshire 291 1.87x
Dorset 285 2.47x
Berkshire 257 1.95x
Leicestershire 250 1.28x
Oxfordshire 250 2.30x
Cambridgeshire 209 1.88x
Devon 199 0.54x
Bedfordshire 194 2.13x
Northamptonshire 156 0.94x
Essex 144 0.41x
Buckinghamshire 134 1.26x
Durham 128 0.24x
Nottinghamshire 126 0.53x
Derbyshire 125 0.45x
Lincolnshire 124 0.44x
Herefordshire 114 1.58x
Hertfordshire 110 0.91x
Lanarkshire 107 0.19x
Cardiganshire 105 2.45x
Brecknockshire 87 2.47x
Shropshire 85 0.56x
Norfolk 77 0.28x
Ayrshire 50 0.38x
Huntingdonshire 48 1.37x
Renfrewshire 38 0.28x
Aberdeenshire 36 0.22x
Flintshire 36 0.76x
Rutland 27 2.09x
Montgomeryshire 25 0.62x
Pembrokeshire 25 0.45x
Cornwall 24 0.12x
Cumberland 21 0.14x
Midlothian 21 0.09x
Stirlingshire 17 0.26x
Northumberland 16 0.06x
Royal Navy 14 0.67x
Channel Islands 13 0.25x
Angus 10 0.06x
Suffolk 9 0.04x
Dunbartonshire 8 0.17x
Isle of Man 8 0.24x
Denbighshire 6 0.09x
Nairnshire 6 1.12x
Wigtownshire 5 0.21x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.06x
Ross-shire 3 0.06x
Anglesey 2 0.06x
Fife 2 0.02x
Perthshire 2 0.03x
Radnorshire 2 0.14x
Selkirkshire 2 0.13x
East Lothian 1 0.04x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.04x
West Lothian 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. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 402 Hopkins' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.29x.

Place Total Index
Aston 402 3.29x
Birmingham 293 1.98x
Llanelly 266 15.93x
Lambeth 255 1.66x
Swansea Town 240 9.56x
Islington London 192 1.13x
Bedwellty 158 7.04x
Camberwell 150 1.33x
St Pancras London 150 1.06x
Aberdare 135 6.42x
Portsea 130 1.84x
Ystradyfodwg 123 4.58x
Kensington London 120 1.23x
St Marylebone London 120 1.28x
Neath 115 18.45x
Newington 105 1.62x
Llanguick 99 18.04x
Shoreditch London 96 1.26x
Merthyr Tydfil 94 3.19x
Paddington London 94 1.45x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 91 2.80x
Bethnal Green London 90 1.18x
Swansea Higher 89 27.90x
Chelsea London 87 1.64x
Cheltenham 87 3.27x
Manchester 78 0.83x
Roath 78 5.61x
Liverpool 77 0.61x
Trevethin 77 6.41x
Stoke Upon Trent 75 1.19x
West Ham 75 0.98x
Battersea 71 1.10x
Cardiff St Mary 71 4.21x
Hawkesbury 69 58.76x
Leighton Buzzard 69 17.61x
Llantrisant 65 8.42x
Llantwit Lower 65 24.14x
Llandaff 64 6.28x
Leeds 62 0.63x
Leicester St Margaret 62 1.30x
Lewisham 62 1.94x
Preston 62 1.11x
Hackney London 61 0.62x
Llandilo Talybont 60 37.31x
Blaenhonddan 58 40.68x
Clase 57 5.00x
Kings Norton 57 2.77x
Aberavon 56 19.87x
Bedminster 56 2.10x
Deptford St Paul 55 1.19x
Kidderminster Borough 55 4.09x
Nottingham St Mary 55 0.90x
Reading St Giles 53 4.09x
St George Hanover Square 53 1.71x
St John Near Swansea 52 13.73x
Wolverhampton 52 1.14x
Bermondsey 50 0.95x
Coventry St Michael 49 3.44x
Newport 49 8.08x
Eglwysilan 48 9.03x
Hammersmith London 48 1.11x
Llanwonno 48 4.36x
Swindon 48 3.98x
Warrington 47 1.90x
West Bromwich 47 1.38x
Edgbaston 46 3.34x
Stockport 46 2.30x
Swansea St Thomas 46 14.95x
Brighton 45 0.75x
Clerkenwell London 45 1.08x
Leicester St Mary 45 2.86x
Llanedy 44 31.51x
Mynyddyslwyn 44 8.77x
Croydon 43 0.90x
Greenwich 43 1.54x
Mile End Old Town London 43 1.15x
Poplar London 43 1.30x
Fulham London 42 1.65x
Gelligaer 42 6.00x
Walcot 42 2.79x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,271
Elizabeth 658
Sarah 615
Ann 374
Jane 301
Alice 257
Emma 253
Eliza 246
Margaret 237
Ellen 231
Annie 226
Emily 208
Hannah 164
Catherine 159
Martha 140
Louisa 134
Fanny 119
Florence 116
Harriet 115
Edith 109
Kate 107
Maria 104
Anne 101
Charlotte 96
Caroline 95
Clara 89
Ada 77
Lucy 65
Agnes 64
Esther 60
Harriett 59
Susan 54
Amelia 49
Frances 49
Rachel 45
Julia 44
Amy 43
Matilda 43
Rose 43
Sophia 42
Rebecca 41
Bridget 37
Minnie 36
Elizth. 35
Ruth 32
Beatrice 29
Susannah 28
Eleanor 27
Jessie 27
Laura 27

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 1,137
John 1,031
Thomas 704
George 519
James 453
Henry 354
Charles 343
David 284
Joseph 273
Edward 229
Alfred 176
Frederick 144
Arthur 142
Richard 141
Robert 139
Albert 123
Samuel 106
Walter 104
Harry 91
Frank 82
Evan 73
Ernest 60
Daniel 57
Wm. 55
Herbert 52
Michael 52
Francis 50
Edwin 49
Rees 46
Benjamin 42
Patrick 36
Thos. 35
Hopkin 34
Stephen 29
Fred 27
Isaac 26
Lewis 24
Peter 22
Tom 22
Phillip 20
Geo. 19
Morgan 19
Jesse 17
Percy 16
Chas. 15
Fredk. 15
Fredrick 15
Philip 15
Abraham 14
Edmund 14

FAQ

Hopkins surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hopkins surname in 1881?

In 1881, 18,013 people were recorded with the Hopkins surname. That placed it at #212 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hopkins surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 26,332 in 2016. That gives Hopkins a modern rank of #213.

What does the Hopkins surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to the son of Hob or Hop, a nickname for Robert.

What does the Hopkins map show?

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