NameCensus.

UK surname

Horncastle

In the 1881 census there were 243 people recorded with the Horncastle surname, ranking it #11,294 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 424, ranked #11,328, down from #11,294 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wragby, St Dunstan Stepney and Ackworth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Breckland, Northumberland and East Cambridgeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Horncastle is 428 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 74.5%.

1881 census count

243

Ranked #11,294

Modern count

424

2016, ranked #11,328

Peak year

1999

428 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Horncastle had 243 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,294 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 424 in 2016, ranked #11,328.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 392 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Horncastle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Horncastle surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Horncastle 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 171 #11,730
1861 historical 171 #13,692
1881 historical 243 #11,294
1891 historical 263 #12,261
1901 historical 340 #10,647
1911 historical 392 #9,421
1997 modern 392 #11,178
1998 modern 416 #11,037
1999 modern 428 #10,898
2000 modern 426 #10,878
2001 modern 409 #11,032
2002 modern 422 #11,002
2003 modern 413 #11,006
2004 modern 375 #11,820
2005 modern 380 #11,639
2006 modern 382 #11,626
2007 modern 408 #11,203
2008 modern 415 #11,145
2009 modern 413 #11,436
2010 modern 423 #11,470
2011 modern 407 #11,709
2012 modern 412 #11,479
2013 modern 426 #11,350
2014 modern 428 #11,371
2015 modern 427 #11,292
2016 modern 424 #11,328

Geography

Back to top

Where Horncastles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wragby, St Dunstan Stepney, Ackworth, St John Hackney and St Matthew Bethnal Green. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Breckland, Northumberland, East Cambridgeshire, Kirklees and Scarborough. 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 Wragby Yorkshire, West Riding
2 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)
3 Ackworth Yorkshire, West Riding
4 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
5 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Breckland 001 Breckland
2 Northumberland 040 Northumberland
3 East Cambridgeshire 011 East Cambridgeshire
4 Kirklees 052 Kirklees
5 Scarborough 010 Scarborough

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Horncastle

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Horncastle

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Horncastle surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Horncastle household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Horncastle 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

Horncastle 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

Horncastle falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Horncastle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Horncastle 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. Yorkshire leads with 106 Horncastles recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.51x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 106 4.51x
Middlesex 86 3.63x
Surrey 10 0.87x
Cumberland 9 4.41x
Kent 9 1.11x
Essex 7 1.50x
Durham 3 0.43x
Warwickshire 3 0.50x
Berkshire 2 1.12x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.63x
Cornwall 1 0.37x
Hertfordshire 1 0.61x
Lancashire 1 0.04x
Monmouthshire 1 0.58x
Staffordshire 1 0.13x
Sussex 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Mile End Old Town London in Middlesex leads with 25 Horncastles recorded in 1881 and an index of 49.55x.

Place Total Index
Mile End Old Town London 25 49.55x
Hunslet 18 49.14x
Hill Top 17 21250.00x
Poplar London 13 29.06x
Bethnal Green London 9 8.74x
Gamblesby 9 4090.91x
Knottingley 8 193.70x
Bromley London 7 13.42x
St Marylebone London 7 5.53x
Stoke Newington London 7 37.92x
Grays Thurrock 6 137.93x
Hessle In Sculcoates 6 289.86x
Sheffield 6 8.02x
Snaith Cowick 6 428.57x
St Pancras London 6 3.14x
Hackney London 5 3.76x
Leeds 5 3.77x
Sculcoates 5 13.43x
Streatham 5 28.43x
Batley 4 17.92x
Lewisham 4 9.27x
Netherthong 4 526.32x
Warmfield Cum Heath 4 506.33x
Deptford St Paul 3 4.81x
Goole 3 76.14x
Lambeth 3 1.45x
Leamington Priors 3 20.39x
Paddington London 3 3.44x
Wortley In Bramley 3 16.13x
Barlow 2 1176.47x
Bishopwearmouth 2 3.30x
Bray 2 38.24x
Ecclesall Bierlow 2 4.19x
Kirkburton 2 72.20x
Perlethorpe 2 1818.18x
West Haddlesey 2 1666.67x
Wimbledon 2 15.42x
Brampton Bierlow 1 33.22x
Brighton 1 1.24x
Burton Upon Trent 1 5.34x
Clerkenwell London 1 1.79x
Eggbrough 1 400.00x
Falmouth 1 10.53x
Gateshead 1 1.89x
Greenwich 1 2.65x
Hemel Hempstead 1 13.59x
Hemsworth 1 74.07x
Heptonstall 1 30.30x
Hessle In Hemsworth 1 1000.00x
Little Bolton 1 2.77x
Sandal Magna 1 28.82x
Shelley 1 72.99x
Sittingbourne 1 15.65x
St Bartholomew Great 1 46.30x
St Botolph Aldersgate 1 36.76x
St George In East London 1 4.48x
St Woollos 1 5.23x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 1 9.17x
Warley 1 14.73x
West Ham 1 0.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Sarah 11
Elizabeth 10
Ann 5
Jane 4
Annie 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Ethel 3
Frances 3
Louisa 3
Alicia 2
Amelia 2
Eleanor 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Esther 2
Florence 2
Henrietta 2
Julia 2
Laura 2
Minnie 2
Alice 1
Charlotte 1
Cicely 1
Clyde 1
Eliz. 1
Elizabth. 1
Elizbth. 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizth. 1
Ellinor 1
Florance 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Ida 1
Jeanie 1
Lucy 1
Mabel 1
Marian 1
Marion 1
Martha 1
Maryan 1
Olive 1
Priscilia 1
Rachael 1
Rebecca 1
Rosetta 1
Voilet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 19
William 15
Charles 10
James 10
Frederick 7
George 6
Henry 6
Thomas 6
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Edward 4
Frank 3
Joseph 3
Walter 3
Albert 2
David 2
Wm. 2
Alexander 1
Benjamin 1
Cecil 1
Chas. 1
Chas.Fredk. 1
Clement 1
Conard 1
Edgar 1
Francis 1
Geo. 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Hurbert 1
Jack 1
Jas. 1
Jno.Hy. 1
Percy 1
Robert 1
S.E. 1
Samuel 1
Sydney 1
Ths. 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Horncastle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Horncastle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 243 people were recorded with the Horncastle surname. That placed it at #11,294 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Horncastle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 424 in 2016. That gives Horncastle a modern rank of #11,328.

What does the Horncastle map show?

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