NameCensus.

UK surname

Horsnell

In the 1881 census there were 307 people recorded with the Horsnell surname, ranking it #9,568 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 377, ranked #12,415, down from #9,568 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Roxwell and Hatfield Broad Oak. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Norfolk, Brentwood and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Horsnell is 509 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.8%.

1881 census count

307

Ranked #9,568

Modern count

377

2016, ranked #12,415

Peak year

1911

509 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Horsnell had 307 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,568 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 377 in 2016, ranked #12,415.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 509 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Horsnell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Horsnell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Horsnell 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 197 #10,535
1861 historical 213 #11,419
1881 historical 307 #9,568
1891 historical 332 #10,251
1901 historical 409 #9,338
1911 historical 509 #7,732
1997 modern 412 #10,759
1998 modern 422 #10,928
1999 modern 437 #10,717
2000 modern 438 #10,669
2001 modern 440 #10,434
2002 modern 466 #10,151
2003 modern 443 #10,413
2004 modern 430 #10,697
2005 modern 413 #10,918
2006 modern 407 #11,087
2007 modern 400 #11,374
2008 modern 401 #11,441
2009 modern 416 #11,364
2010 modern 427 #11,379
2011 modern 403 #11,806
2012 modern 397 #11,780
2013 modern 391 #12,123
2014 modern 383 #12,390
2015 modern 378 #12,405
2016 modern 377 #12,415

Geography

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Where Horsnells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Roxwell, Hatfield Broad Oak and Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Norfolk, Brentwood, Waveney and Chelmsford. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Roxwell Essex
3 London parishes London 3
4 Hatfield Broad Oak Essex
5 Chelmsford, Broomfield, Writtle, Widford, Chignal St James, Chignal Smealy Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Norfolk 012 North Norfolk
2 Brentwood 006 Brentwood
3 Waveney 014 Waveney
4 Chelmsford 003 Chelmsford
5 Chelmsford 006 Chelmsford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Horsnell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Horsnell

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Horsnell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Horsnell is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Horsnell falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Horsnell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Horsnell 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. Essex leads with 156 Horsnells recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.30x.

County Total Index
Essex 156 26.30x
Middlesex 69 2.30x
Kent 28 2.73x
Surrey 28 1.91x
Yorkshire 8 0.27x
Hertfordshire 7 3.38x
Denbighshire 6 5.29x
Lancashire 4 0.11x
Leicestershire 1 0.30x
Norfolk 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Writtle in Essex leads with 22 Horsnells recorded in 1881 and an index of 909.09x.

Place Total Index
Writtle 22 909.09x
Willingale Doe 15 3409.09x
Islington London 12 4.12x
Bethnal Green London 11 8.43x
Chelmsford 10 98.33x
Hammersmith London 8 10.81x
Hatfield Broad Oak 8 400.00x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 8 75.26x
West Ham 8 6.11x
Barming 7 1000.00x
Great Dunmow 7 226.54x
Hatfield Peverel 7 546.88x
Roxwell 7 833.33x
Shellow Bowells 7 6363.64x
Beauchamp Roothing 6 2500.00x
Camberwell 6 3.13x
Fulham London 6 13.77x
Harlow 6 234.38x
Heston 6 60.12x
Ingatestone 6 631.58x
Rochester St Margaret 6 55.50x
St Pancras London 6 2.48x
Witham 6 196.72x
Wrexham Regis 6 71.17x
Ealing 5 18.62x
Hertford St John 5 161.81x
Southwark St Olave 5 218.34x
St Marylebone London 5 3.12x
Stanford Rivers 5 500.00x
Takeley 5 588.24x
Basildon 4 2500.00x
Bury 4 9.82x
Deptford St Paul 4 5.06x
Great Warley 4 298.51x
Greenwich 4 8.36x
Lambeth 4 1.53x
Mountnessing 4 444.44x
Southwark St Saviour 4 25.91x
Chelsea London 3 3.31x
Hempstead 3 461.54x
Newington 3 2.70x
Plumstead 3 8.78x
Springfield 3 115.38x
Croydon 2 2.46x
Epping 2 82.99x
Guildford St Mary 2 111.11x
Hockley 2 312.50x
Layston 2 181.82x
Little Baddow 2 357.14x
Paddington London 2 1.81x
South Weald 2 39.37x
Battersea 1 0.90x
Bures St Mary 1 181.82x
Chatham 1 3.55x
Gooderstone 1 200.00x
Goudhurst 1 35.21x
Hackney London 1 0.59x
Hampstead London 1 2.14x
Little Easton 1 333.33x
Little Laver 1 909.09x
Milton In Gravesend 1 6.51x
Northbourne 1 102.04x
Purleigh 1 112.36x
Putney 1 7.30x
St George Hanover Square 1 1.89x
St Giles In Fields London 1 6.78x
Stapleford 1 833.33x
Theydon Garnon 1 74.07x
Tottenham 1 2.09x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 23
Elizabeth 10
Sarah 10
Eliza 8
Alice 6
Emily 6
Louisa 6
Florence 5
Ellen 4
Jane 4
Susan 4
Ann 3
Annie 3
Emma 3
Fanny 3
Hannah 3
Rebecca 3
Charlotte 2
Jessie 2
Lizzie 2
Lucy 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Rose 2
Blanch 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Deborah 1
Dorthea 1
E. 1
Edith 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth. 1
Esther 1
Frances 1
Francesca 1
Francis 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Hester 1
Isabella 1
Kate 1
Lily 1
Louise 1
M. 1
Marg.Ann 1
Margaret 1
Margeret 1
Marian 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 19
Charles 17
John 15
George 12
James 9
Alfred 6
David 4
Frederick 4
Henry 4
Joseph 4
Thomas 4
Walter 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Ernest 3
Frank 3
Samuel 3
Stephen 3
Chas. 2
Fredk. 2
Herbert 2
Robert 2
Sydney 2
Archer 1
B. 1
Daniel 1
Edgar 1
Edwin 1
Eli 1
Francis 1
Frederic 1
Fredrick 1
Harold 1
Harrie 1
Harry 1
Hector 1
Hen. 1
Liberal 1
Meshach 1
Reuben 1
Saml. 1
Sampson 1
Shadrach 1
Sidney 1
Willie 1
Wm.Chas. 1
Wm.Francis 1

FAQ

Horsnell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Horsnell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 307 people were recorded with the Horsnell surname. That placed it at #9,568 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Horsnell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 377 in 2016. That gives Horsnell a modern rank of #12,415.

What does the Horsnell map show?

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