NameCensus.

UK surname

Hopper

An occupational surname referring to a dancer, acrobat, or one who transported hops for brewing beer.

In the 1881 census there were 4,274 people recorded with the Hopper surname, ranking it #1,050 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,051, ranked #1,343, down from #1,050 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Sunderland and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hopper is 5,493 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.2%.

1881 census count

4,274

Ranked #1,050

Modern count

5,051

2016, ranked #1,343

Peak year

1911

5,493 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hopper had 4,274 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,050 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,051 in 2016, ranked #1,343.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,493 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hopper surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hopper surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hopper 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 2,656 #1,113
1861 historical 2,593 #1,135
1881 historical 4,274 #1,050
1891 historical 4,453 #1,061
1901 historical 4,997 #1,127
1911 historical 5,493 #949
1997 modern 5,171 #1,262
1998 modern 5,303 #1,284
1999 modern 5,333 #1,287
2000 modern 5,235 #1,299
2001 modern 5,111 #1,297
2002 modern 5,254 #1,297
2003 modern 5,105 #1,299
2004 modern 5,101 #1,297
2005 modern 4,976 #1,314
2006 modern 4,984 #1,310
2007 modern 4,999 #1,321
2008 modern 4,988 #1,334
2009 modern 5,125 #1,328
2010 modern 5,208 #1,336
2011 modern 5,124 #1,337
2012 modern 5,049 #1,329
2013 modern 5,117 #1,334
2014 modern 5,119 #1,341
2015 modern 5,066 #1,343
2016 modern 5,051 #1,343

Geography

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Where Hoppers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Gateshead, Dover St James, Dover St Mary and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Sunderland and Northumberland. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 010 County Durham
2 Sunderland 004 Sunderland
3 County Durham 058 County Durham
4 County Durham 014 County Durham
5 Northumberland 005 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hopper

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hopper

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Hopper is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hopper 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

Hopper 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 Hopper 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 Hopper, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Hopper

The surname Hopper is of English origin, deriving from the occupational name for a maker or trader of hops, the plant used in brewing beer. The name dates back to the late 13th century, with the earliest known record being a Ralph le Hoppere listed in the Norfolk Hundred Rolls of 1275.

Hopper is believed to have originated from the Old English pre 7th Century word "hopp" or the Middle English "hopper", both referring to the hop plant. Variations in early spellings included Hoppere, Hopper, and Hoppar. The name was particularly prevalent in areas known for hop cultivation and brewing, such as Kent, Sussex, and the West Country regions of England.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Hopper, but there are several mentions of places with names derived from the word "hop", suggesting the plant's importance in medieval England. One example is the village of Hoppesford in Hampshire, recorded as "Hopesforde" in the Domesday survey.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Hopper was John Hopper, a vintner (wine merchant) from London, who is mentioned in records from the 1390s. In the 15th century, Robert Hopper was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich, serving as Mayor in 1452.

During the English Reformation, Edmund Hopper (c. 1500-1555) was a Catholic martyr who was executed for his religious beliefs under the reign of Queen Mary I. Another notable figure was Jeremiah Hopper (1717-1805), an American soldier who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

In the field of science, Grace Hopper (1906-1992) was a pioneering American computer scientist and naval officer. She was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer and is credited with coining the term "debugging" in reference to computer programming.

Other well-known individuals with the surname Hopper include Edward Hopper (1882-1967), the renowned American realist painter known for his iconic works depicting urban scenes and landscapes, and Dennis Hopper (1936-2010), the acclaimed American actor, filmmaker, and artist associated with the counterculture movement of the 1960s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hopper families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hopper 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. Durham leads with 1,012 Hoppers recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.15x.

County Total Index
Durham 1,012 8.15x
Yorkshire 704 1.70x
Kent 683 4.80x
Northumberland 272 4.38x
Middlesex 264 0.63x
Surrey 174 0.86x
Devon 168 1.93x
Lancashire 122 0.25x
Lincolnshire 116 1.74x
Sussex 92 1.31x
Cambridgeshire 70 2.65x
Essex 65 0.79x
Northamptonshire 44 1.12x
Warwickshire 41 0.39x
Hampshire 39 0.46x
Norfolk 39 0.61x
Staffordshire 33 0.23x
Midlothian 30 0.54x
Cornwall 28 0.59x
Gloucestershire 23 0.28x
Nottinghamshire 23 0.41x
Somerset 15 0.22x
Dumfriesshire 14 1.52x
Angus 13 0.34x
Berwickshire 13 2.57x
Cheshire 13 0.14x
Renfrewshire 13 0.40x
Buckinghamshire 12 0.48x
Glamorgan 12 0.17x
East Lothian 11 1.99x
Cumberland 10 0.28x
Dunbartonshire 10 0.89x
Dorset 9 0.33x
Lanarkshire 9 0.07x
Derbyshire 8 0.12x
Pembrokeshire 8 0.60x
Channel Islands 7 0.57x
Leicestershire 6 0.13x
Monmouthshire 6 0.20x
Oxfordshire 6 0.23x
Bedfordshire 5 0.23x
Berkshire 5 0.16x
Shropshire 5 0.14x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.10x
Sutherland 3 0.93x
Brecknockshire 2 0.24x
Roxburghshire 2 0.26x
Royal Navy 2 0.40x
Suffolk 2 0.04x
Westmorland 2 0.22x
Worcestershire 2 0.04x
Cardiganshire 1 0.10x
Denbighshire 1 0.06x
Hertfordshire 1 0.03x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.12x
Isle of Man 1 0.13x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.10x
Wiltshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishopwearmouth in Durham leads with 80 Hoppers recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.51x.

Place Total Index
Bishopwearmouth 80 7.51x
Westoe 70 9.95x
West Ham 51 2.80x
Elvet 45 50.21x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 40 7.44x
Gateshead 38 4.09x
Milton In Gravesend 35 16.39x
East Langdon Oxney 33 700.64x
Hackney London 33 1.41x
Holy Trinity 33 3.32x
Rochester St Margaret 33 21.98x
Elswick 32 6.46x
Whittlesey St Mary St 29 31.41x
Bedlington 28 13.51x
March 28 31.63x
Whickham 28 24.51x
Darlington 27 5.63x
Lambeth 27 0.74x
Plymouth Charles The 27 7.06x
West Derby 27 1.86x
Crook Billy Row 26 16.35x
Hetton Le Hole 26 16.53x
Wolsingham 26 22.98x
Blackburn 25 1.90x
Middlesbrough 25 4.64x
St Pancras London 25 0.74x
Conside Knitsley 23 23.82x
Eastry 23 116.51x
Grainthorpe 23 229.77x
Heworth 23 9.40x
Scarborough 23 6.12x
Stranton 23 5.50x
Tudhoe 23 21.17x
Camberwell 22 0.83x
Hougham 22 25.98x
Northbourne 22 162.24x
Brandon Byshottles 21 13.50x
Charlton 21 22.21x
Clapham 21 4.03x
Deal 21 17.29x
Dover St Mary Virgin 21 15.24x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 21 5.66x
Plumstead 21 4.42x
Ringwould 20 164.07x
Aston 19 0.66x
Great Driffield 19 22.39x
St Giles 19 24.52x
Chatham 18 4.60x
Deptford St Paul 18 1.64x
Helmington Row 18 31.13x
Kensington London 18 0.78x
Pitsford 18 225.28x
Sutton Stoneferry 18 15.21x
Tunstall 18 29.12x
Bromley London 17 1.85x
Canterbury St Mary 17 17.79x
Crossgate 17 31.32x
Eythorne 17 254.11x
Islington London 17 0.42x
Kingston On Thames 17 3.48x
Newbottle 17 25.07x
Plymouth St Andrew 17 2.54x
Rowley 17 188.26x
Sculcoates 17 2.59x
Tynemouth 17 5.11x
Westgate 17 4.42x
Winlaton 17 14.27x
Beverley St Mary 16 26.49x
Byker 16 5.21x
Clifton 16 3.87x
Brompton In Scarborough 15 152.44x
Buckland In Dover 15 31.79x
Croydon 15 1.33x
Ewell Lydden 15 135.26x
Lynesack Softley 15 44.72x
Scrayingham 15 728.16x
St Giles In Fields London 15 7.33x
Gillingham 14 4.77x
Hurworth 14 64.40x
West Langdon 14 933.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 289
Elizabeth 180
Sarah 160
Jane 111
Ann 93
Margaret 79
Emily 59
Eliza 58
Emma 52
Annie 51
Ellen 50
Hannah 44
Alice 38
Isabella 35
Martha 31
Charlotte 25
Edith 23
Maria 22
Anne 20
Florence 20
Frances 19
Lucy 19
Catherine 18
Harriet 18
Louisa 18
Ada 17
Clara 16
Fanny 16
Harriett 15
Caroline 14
Grace 13
Agnes 12
Eleanor 11
Rachel 11
Rose 11
Dorothy 10
Jessie 10
Kate 10
Minnie 10
Susannah 10
Rebecca 9
Amelia 8
Elizth. 8
Esther 8
Henrietta 8
Julia 8
Matilda 7
Susan 7
Georgina 6
Maud 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 287
William 264
Thomas 181
George 177
James 99
Henry 98
Robert 85
Charles 73
Joseph 72
Edward 66
Richard 41
Alfred 39
Frederick 27
Arthur 25
David 24
Albert 19
Walter 16
Frank 15
Stephen 15
Francis 14
Herbert 14
Harry 13
Samuel 13
Benjamin 12
Christopher 12
Andrew 11
Edmund 9
Ernest 9
Thos. 9
Edwin 8
Percy 8
Tom 8
Wm. 8
Fredk. 7
Luke 7
Michael 7
Ralph 7
Humphrey 6
Mark 6
Peter 6
Robt. 6
Fred 5
Adam 4
Chas. 4
Cuthbert 4
Fewson 4
Geo. 4
Isaac 4
Martin 4
Matthew 4

FAQ

Hopper surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hopper surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,274 people were recorded with the Hopper surname. That placed it at #1,050 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hopper surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,051 in 2016. That gives Hopper a modern rank of #1,343.

What does the Hopper surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a dancer, acrobat, or one who transported hops for brewing beer.

What does the Hopper map show?

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