NameCensus.

UK surname

Horry

A topographic name for someone living near an area of pollarded trees.

In the 1881 census there were 175 people recorded with the Horry surname, ranking it #13,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 222, ranked #18,277, down from #13,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Boston (incl. Boston allotments) and Gainsborough, Paddocks. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Lindsey and Boston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Horry is 247 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 26.9%.

1881 census count

175

Ranked #13,982

Modern count

222

2016, ranked #18,277

Peak year

1998

247 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Horry had 175 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 222 in 2016, ranked #18,277.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 244 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Horry surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Horry surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Horry 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 60 #22,584
1861 historical 90 #22,312
1881 historical 175 #13,982
1891 historical 198 #15,033
1901 historical 209 #14,712
1911 historical 244 #13,127
1997 modern 233 #15,975
1998 modern 247 #15,813
1999 modern 246 #15,974
2000 modern 228 #16,743
2001 modern 226 #16,620
2002 modern 241 #16,243
2003 modern 221 #16,987
2004 modern 228 #16,723
2005 modern 220 #17,078
2006 modern 220 #17,204
2007 modern 215 #17,633
2008 modern 207 #18,243
2009 modern 215 #18,179
2010 modern 213 #18,660
2011 modern 217 #18,271
2012 modern 223 #17,852
2013 modern 230 #17,756
2014 modern 231 #17,813
2015 modern 231 #17,733
2016 modern 222 #18,277

Geography

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Where Horrys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Boston (incl. Boston allotments), Gainsborough, Paddocks, Stickney, Mid Ville, East Ville and Skirbeck (incl. Skirbeck Allotments). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Lindsey and Boston. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
2 Boston (incl. Boston allotments) Lincolnshire
3 Gainsborough, Paddocks Lincolnshire
4 Stickney, Mid Ville, East Ville Lincolnshire
5 Skirbeck (incl. Skirbeck Allotments) Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Lindsey 018 East Lindsey
2 Boston 007 Boston
3 Boston 008 Boston
4 Boston 001 Boston
5 Boston 003 Boston

Forenames

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First names often paired with Horry

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Horry

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Horry surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Horry household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Horry 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

Horry is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Horry falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Horry

The surname Horry originated in the county of Lancashire, England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "hore", meaning mud or dirt, combined with the suffix "-y" denoting a place name. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a muddy area or marsh.

One of the earliest recorded references to the Horry name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1246, where a Adam de Hori is mentioned. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 also list a Richard de Hory residing in the township of Osbaldeston in Lancashire.

By the 16th century, various spellings of the name began to emerge, including Hory, Horie, and Horrie. In 1586, the Lancashire Church records mention the baptism of a James Horie in Whalley parish. The Horry spelling itself first appears in the Bury parish registers from 1614 with the marriage of John Horry and Elizabeth Haworth.

A notable early bearer of the Horry name was Thomas Horry, born around 1593 in Lancashire. He was a Puritan clergyman who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and served as the minister of Charlestown until his death in 1649.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, several Horry families were recorded as landowners and yeomen farmers in the Lancashire parishes of Bury, Whalley, and Blackburn. One prominent figure was Peter Horry, born in 1743, who was a cavalry officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and served under General Francis Marion, earning the nickname "Marion's Horry".

Other individuals of note include Joseph Horry (1773-1834), an English painter and engraver, and Christopher Horry (1778-1830), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became Governor of Gibraltar from 1828 until his death.

In the 19th century, the Horry surname spread beyond Lancashire as families migrated to other parts of England and abroad to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, the name remained relatively uncommon compared to many other English surnames.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Horry families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Horry 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. Lincolnshire leads with 102 Horrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 37.37x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 102 37.37x
Essex 19 5.64x
Yorkshire 15 0.89x
Nottinghamshire 14 6.08x
Lancashire 6 0.30x
Leicestershire 5 2.64x
Middlesex 5 0.29x
Bedfordshire 4 4.53x
Cumberland 3 2.04x
Hampshire 1 0.29x
Warwickshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Boston in Lincolnshire leads with 26 Horrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 314.01x.

Place Total Index
Boston 26 314.01x
Eastville 14 6666.67x
Nottingham St Mary 11 18.48x
Romford 11 206.38x
Brightside Bierlow 9 27.12x
Holbeach 9 296.05x
Leyton 8 137.93x
Leake 7 560.00x
Skirbeck 7 457.52x
Nether Hallam 6 26.22x
Salford 6 10.07x
Gainsborough 5 77.76x
Leicester St Margaret 5 10.83x
Navenby 5 892.86x
Bicker 4 952.38x
Biggleswade 4 138.41x
Kexby 4 2105.26x
Boston Hall Hills 3 652.17x
Clerkenwell London 3 7.45x
Dearham 3 154.64x
Dunsby 2 1538.46x
Nottingham St Peter 2 77.82x
Spalding 2 36.90x
Swineshead 2 222.22x
Aldershot 1 8.53x
Carrington 1 588.24x
Clee With Weelsby 1 16.72x
Croft 1 227.27x
Frampton 1 192.31x
Friskney 1 114.94x
Hampstead London 1 3.76x
Hayton 1 666.67x
Kirkby La Thorpe 1 666.67x
Leamington Priors 1 9.44x
Mile End Old Town London 1 2.75x
Scamblesby 1 476.19x
Sibsey 1 161.29x
Silk Willoughby 1 625.00x
Spittlegate 1 26.46x
Surfleet 1 175.44x
Thornton Le Fen 1 500.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Elizabeth 9
Sarah 6
Eliza 5
Hannah 4
Jane 4
Edith 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Fanny 3
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Ellen 2
Frances 2
Huntorina 2
Judith 2
Louisa 2
Margaret 2
Maria 2
Matilda 2
Susan 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Amy 1
Bertha 1
Catherine 1
Charles 1
Charlotte 1
Diborah 1
Dora 1
Eliz 1
Elizth. 1
Georgeana 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Isabella 1
Lilly 1
Lizzie 1
Margaretta 1
May 1
Olive 1
Rachel 1
Susannah 1
Tossy 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
John 10
George 8
Alfred 6
James 5
Thomas 5
Joseph 4
Robert 4
Henry 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
David 2
Amos 1
Christopher 1
Cutler 1
Enoch 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Isaac 1
Jonas 1
Miles 1
Percival 1
Percy 1
Sidney 1
Stanton 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1
W. 1
W.J. 1

FAQ

Horry surname: questions and answers

How common was the Horry surname in 1881?

In 1881, 175 people were recorded with the Horry surname. That placed it at #13,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Horry surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 222 in 2016. That gives Horry a modern rank of #18,277.

What does the Horry surname mean?

A topographic name for someone living near an area of pollarded trees.

What does the Horry map show?

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