NameCensus.

UK surname

Hopping

A surname derived from the noun "hop," suggesting an association with hop farming or trade.

In the 1881 census there were 194 people recorded with the Hopping surname, ranking it #13,097 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 174, ranked #21,466, down from #13,097 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Edmonton, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Reading, Watford and Southwark.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hopping is 329 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 10.3%.

1881 census count

194

Ranked #13,097

Modern count

174

2016, ranked #21,466

Peak year

1911

329 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hopping had 194 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,097 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 174 in 2016, ranked #21,466.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 329 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Hopping surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hopping surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hopping 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 162 #12,215
1861 historical 144 #15,817
1881 historical 194 #13,097
1891 historical 223 #13,800
1901 historical 244 #13,329
1911 historical 329 #10,688
1997 modern 208 #17,219
1998 modern 204 #17,896
1999 modern 200 #18,237
2000 modern 199 #18,278
2001 modern 195 #18,215
2002 modern 203 #18,115
2003 modern 204 #17,909
2004 modern 194 #18,566
2005 modern 183 #19,194
2006 modern 189 #18,961
2007 modern 188 #19,204
2008 modern 185 #19,589
2009 modern 198 #19,145
2010 modern 201 #19,387
2011 modern 204 #19,040
2012 modern 182 #20,440
2013 modern 183 #20,722
2014 modern 184 #20,809
2015 modern 183 #20,786
2016 modern 174 #21,466

Geography

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Where Hoppings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Edmonton, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), London parishes, Fordham and Enfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Reading, Watford, Southwark, Sutton and Epping Forest. 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 Edmonton Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
3 London parishes London 3
4 Fordham Essex
5 Enfield Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Reading 001 Reading
2 Watford 002 Watford
3 Southwark 014 Southwark
4 Sutton 007 Sutton
5 Epping Forest 009 Epping Forest

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hopping

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hopping

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Hopping surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Hopping household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Hopping is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hopping is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hopping falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hopping

The surname Hopping originated in England in the late 13th century. It derives from the Old English words "hoppe" and "hoppian", which referred to someone who hopped, leaped, or danced. The name was likely given as a nickname to an energetic or lively person.

Early records show variations in spelling such as Hoppyn, Hoppyng, and Hoppynge. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Robert Hoppyng, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275.

In the 14th century, the Hopping surname appeared in various tax rolls and records across England. For instance, John Hopping was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, and William Hoppyng was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379.

The name also has a connection to place names. The village of Hopton in Staffordshire, mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Hopetune", may have influenced the surname's development.

Notable individuals with the Hopping surname include:

1. Thomas Hopping (c. 1590-1673), an English clergyman and author who wrote "The Renovvned History of Ireland" in 1633.

2. Ralph Hopping (1630-1699), an English politician who served as the Mayor of Liverpool in 1684.

3. Samuel Hopping (1764-1825), an English architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in London.

4. John Hopping (1804-1878), an English-born artist and painter who emigrated to the United States and became known for his landscape paintings of the American West.

5. William Hopping (1840-1912), a British-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1890 to 1901.

The Hopping surname continued to be found across England and other parts of the United Kingdom throughout the centuries, with various families contributing to the nation's history and legacy.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hopping families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hopping 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. Middlesex leads with 80 Hoppings recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.23x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 80 4.23x
Kent 30 4.65x
Devon 13 3.30x
Surrey 11 1.19x
Berkshire 8 5.63x
Essex 8 2.14x
Hertfordshire 8 6.13x
Gloucestershire 7 1.89x
Hampshire 7 1.80x
Cornwall 6 2.80x
Glamorgan 6 1.82x
Oxfordshire 4 3.42x
Somerset 4 1.31x
Lancashire 1 0.04x
Shropshire 1 0.61x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 20 Hoppings recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.91x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 20 10.91x
Edmonton 17 111.48x
Limehouse London 14 67.40x
Bexley 11 192.64x
Teynham 11 948.28x
Exeter St David 10 297.62x
Northaw 7 1842.11x
Tewkesbury 7 211.48x
Bethnal Green London 6 7.30x
Portsea 6 7.89x
Sittingbourne 6 117.65x
St Winnow 6 821.92x
Swansea St Thomas 6 181.27x
Barnes 5 128.21x
Enfield 5 40.26x
Fordham 5 1086.96x
Caversham 4 170.94x
Reading St Lawrence 4 131.58x
Reading St Mary 4 35.15x
Rotherhithe 4 17.11x
Hornsey 3 12.54x
Leyton 3 46.66x
Mile End Old Town London 3 7.45x
Paddington London 3 4.31x
St Andrew Holborn London 3 36.63x
Croydon 2 3.91x
Holy Trinity Less London 2 416.67x
Honiton 2 91.74x
Isleworth 2 23.78x
Swanscombe 2 68.97x
Walcot 2 12.33x
Bedminster 1 3.49x
Hopton Castle 1 1250.00x
Litherland 1 21.32x
Pirton 1 136.99x
Portsmouth 1 11.20x
Shute 1 263.16x
South Mimms 1 38.61x
St Marylebone London 1 0.99x
Weston Super Mare 1 13.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Sarah 9
Eliza 7
Annie 5
Jane 5
Ann 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Maria 3
Caroline 2
Catherine 2
Elizabeth 2
Ellen 2
Julia 2
Louisa 2
Anne 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Elizeabeth 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Henrietta 1
Isabella 1
Janet 1
Justine 1
M. 1
Matilda 1
Maude 1
Minnie 1
Nichala 1
Norah 1
Rose 1
Selina 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 16
George 10
John 9
Charles 8
Edward 7
Thomas 6
Frederick 5
James 5
Alfred 4
Joseph 4
Samuel 4
Walter 4
Edwin 3
Harry 3
Henry 3
Arthur 2
Daniel 2
Albert 1
Benjamin 1
Christopher 1
Donald 1
Ernest 1
Granthany 1
Herbert 1
Percy 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Saml. 1
Sydney 1

FAQ

Hopping surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hopping surname in 1881?

In 1881, 194 people were recorded with the Hopping surname. That placed it at #13,097 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hopping surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 174 in 2016. That gives Hopping a modern rank of #21,466.

What does the Hopping surname mean?

A surname derived from the noun "hop," suggesting an association with hop farming or trade.

What does the Hopping map show?

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