NameCensus.

UK surname

Horsfall

An English surname derived from the Old English words "hors" meaning horse and "fall" meaning meadow or pasture.

In the 1881 census there were 3,023 people recorded with the Horsfall surname, ranking it #1,483 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,341, ranked #2,788, down from #1,483 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Halifax and Almondbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Calderdale and North Lincolnshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Horsfall is 3,236 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 22.6%.

1881 census count

3,023

Ranked #1,483

Modern count

2,341

2016, ranked #2,788

Peak year

1911

3,236 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Horsfall had 3,023 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,483 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,341 in 2016, ranked #2,788.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,236 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Horsfall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Horsfall surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Horsfall 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 2,058 #1,410
1861 historical 2,067 #1,402
1881 historical 3,023 #1,483
1891 historical 3,070 #1,533
1901 historical 3,192 #1,757
1911 historical 3,236 #1,608
1997 modern 2,369 #2,637
1998 modern 2,467 #2,649
1999 modern 2,488 #2,645
2000 modern 2,460 #2,654
2001 modern 2,421 #2,637
2002 modern 2,445 #2,675
2003 modern 2,401 #2,657
2004 modern 2,388 #2,670
2005 modern 2,349 #2,674
2006 modern 2,288 #2,733
2007 modern 2,324 #2,726
2008 modern 2,317 #2,750
2009 modern 2,393 #2,742
2010 modern 2,442 #2,745
2011 modern 2,403 #2,755
2012 modern 2,381 #2,730
2013 modern 2,393 #2,766
2014 modern 2,390 #2,779
2015 modern 2,351 #2,788
2016 modern 2,341 #2,788

Geography

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Where Horsfalls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Halifax, Almondbury, Bradford and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Calderdale and North Lincolnshire. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Almondbury Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Calderdale 013 Calderdale
2 Calderdale 008 Calderdale
3 Calderdale 022 Calderdale
4 Calderdale 007 Calderdale
5 North Lincolnshire 001 North Lincolnshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Horsfall

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Horsfall

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Horsfall, 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 Horsfall surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Horsfall 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, Horsfall 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

Horsfall is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Horsfall

The surname Horsfall is of English origin, deriving from a locational name that refers to a horse farm or stud farm in hilly terrain. It is believed to have originated in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, during the late medieval period.

The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "hors," meaning horse, and "fall," meaning a hill or rising ground. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely resided in an area known for its horse breeding activities situated on hilly terrain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Horsfall surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, where it appears as "Horsfal." The variant spelling "Horsfall" is documented in the Wakefield Court Rolls of 1558.

While the Horsfall name does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, it is possible that some of the earliest known bearers of this surname were descendants of the Norman landowners listed in that record.

Notable historical figures with the Horsfall surname include:

1. John Horsfall (1580-1654), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Yorkshire during the reign of King Charles I. 2. William Horsfall (1642-1718), an English merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches and schools in Yorkshire. 3. Thomas Berry Horsfall (1805-1878), a British industrialist and Member of Parliament who owned several cotton mills in Lancashire. 4. John Henry Horsfall (1835-1910), a British architect and author who designed numerous churches and public buildings in the Victorian era. 5. Thomas Cyril Horsfall (1868-1932), a British businessman and politician who served as Lord Mayor of Leeds from 1927 to 1928.

The Horsfall surname has been well-established in various regions of northern England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire, where it has been associated with families involved in agriculture, industry, and commerce over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Horsfall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Horsfall 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 2,107 Horsfalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.22x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2,107 7.22x
Lancashire 579 1.66x
Cheshire 83 1.28x
Warwickshire 67 0.90x
Middlesex 34 0.12x
Derbyshire 20 0.43x
Worcestershire 19 0.49x
Westmorland 17 2.63x
Northamptonshire 11 0.40x
Surrey 11 0.08x
Staffordshire 9 0.09x
Hampshire 8 0.13x
Cumberland 7 0.28x
Gloucestershire 7 0.12x
Lincolnshire 7 0.15x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.18x
Essex 6 0.10x
Durham 4 0.05x
Norfolk 4 0.09x
Dorset 2 0.10x
Kent 2 0.02x
Leicestershire 2 0.06x
Royal Navy 2 0.57x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.06x
Inverness-shire 1 0.11x
Isle of Man 1 0.18x
Perthshire 1 0.08x
Rutland 1 0.46x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stansfield in Yorkshire leads with 162 Horsfalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 150.80x.

Place Total Index
Stansfield 162 150.80x
Halifax 144 33.60x
Leeds 141 8.55x
Almondbury 84 59.51x
Great Little Marsden 78 48.71x
Thornton In Bradford 74 76.15x
Spotland 72 18.53x
Huddersfield 69 16.22x
Wadsworth 63 132.58x
Horton In Bradford 55 12.06x
Warley 52 61.63x
Keighley 51 16.39x
Langfield 49 95.93x
Shipley 49 32.35x
Northowram 46 22.47x
Heptonstall 41 100.10x
Todmorden Walsden 41 43.78x
Bradford 40 5.66x
Elland Cum Greetland 39 29.66x
Lockwood 38 36.18x
Bowling 33 11.41x
Southowram 33 37.04x
Rastrick 32 39.46x
Marsden In Almondbury 29 109.19x
Morley 29 19.11x
Saddleworth 29 12.88x
Golcar 28 36.28x
Newchurch 28 9.79x
Liversedge 25 19.24x
Oldham 25 2.22x
Midgley 24 77.15x
Pudsey 24 15.38x
Castleton 23 6.59x
Skircoat 23 19.98x
Ovenden 20 15.39x
Longwood 19 40.38x
Manningham 19 5.28x
Birmingham 18 0.73x
Dewsbury 18 6.01x
Bingley 17 9.14x
Erringden 17 90.14x
Hipperholme Cum 17 13.25x
Liverpool 17 0.80x
Batley 15 5.41x
Brightside Bierlow 15 2.62x
Colne 15 14.40x
Dukinfield 15 4.99x
Burnley 14 4.76x
Coventry Holy Trinity 14 6.31x
Dalton In Huddersfield 14 21.41x
Headingley Cum Burley 14 7.45x
Preston 14 1.50x
Blackburn 13 1.40x
Clayton 12 16.80x
Coventry St Michael 12 5.03x
Mirfield 12 7.49x
Sowerby In Halifax 12 12.57x
Soyland 12 34.27x
Tottington Lower End 12 7.22x
Derby St Alkmund 11 7.96x
Habergham Eaves 11 3.44x
Honley 11 21.53x
Idle 11 8.13x
Linthwaite 11 17.93x
Manchester 11 0.70x
Yardley 11 11.18x
Accrington 10 3.15x
Aston 10 0.49x
Farnworth 10 4.77x
Hunslet 10 2.20x
Lytham 10 18.74x
Masham 10 92.59x
Orton 10 51.68x
Wuerdle Wardle 10 9.42x
Birkenhead 9 1.74x
Blatchinworth 9 11.31x
Huntwick Cum Nostell 9 155.17x
Slaithwaite 9 29.62x
Armley 8 6.21x
Hartshead 8 61.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 251
Sarah 171
Elizabeth 98
Hannah 65
Jane 61
Annie 57
Ann 56
Martha 55
Emma 52
Alice 45
Ellen 40
Emily 37
Ada 31
Clara 29
Eliza 26
Margaret 24
Edith 23
Betty 15
Florence 15
Maria 15
Susannah 15
Ruth 14
Charlotte 12
Harriet 11
Betsy 10
Louisa 10
Lucy 10
Sophia 10
Anne 9
Frances 9
Grace 9
Caroline 7
Ethel 7
Gertrude 7
Julia 7
Lydia 7
Agnes 6
Fanny 6
Kate 6
Rebecca 6
Harriett 5
Lizzie 5
Maud 5
Nancy 5
Rachel 5
Sally 5
Selina 5
Helen 4
Henrietta 4
Rose 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 184
William 112
James 102
Thomas 92
Joseph 64
George 50
Henry 46
Charles 35
Arthur 33
Richard 31
Robert 27
Samuel 26
Alfred 22
Fred 21
Tom 21
Albert 20
Wm. 20
Harry 19
Herbert 19
Abraham 18
Ernest 15
Frederick 15
Walter 15
Edward 14
Frank 14
Edwin 12
David 11
Benjamin 10
Luke 10
Thos. 9
Jonas 8
Allen 7
Joe 7
Jonathan 6
Percy 6
Sam 6
Timothy 6
Ben 5
Eli 5
Francis 5
Greenwood 5
Jesse 5
Hartley 4
Hiram 4
Josiah 4
Willie 4
Amos 3
Jacob 3
Jas. 3
Young 3

FAQ

Horsfall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Horsfall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,023 people were recorded with the Horsfall surname. That placed it at #1,483 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Horsfall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,341 in 2016. That gives Horsfall a modern rank of #2,788.

What does the Horsfall surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English words "hors" meaning horse and "fall" meaning meadow or pasture.

What does the Horsfall map show?

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