NameCensus.

UK surname

Horth

A surname likely deriving from the Old English word "horð" meaning treasure or hoard.

In the 1881 census there were 153 people recorded with the Horth surname, ranking it #15,320 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 235, ranked #17,530, down from #15,320 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Caistor next Yarmouth, Gorleston and St Paul, St Saviour, St Edmund, St Simon and Jude, St Peter Hungate, St Michael at Plea, St Martin a. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Norwich, Doncaster and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Horth is 257 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 53.6%.

1881 census count

153

Ranked #15,320

Modern count

235

2016, ranked #17,530

Peak year

1911

257 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Horth had 153 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,320 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 235 in 2016, ranked #17,530.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 257 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Horth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Horth surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Horth 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 161 #12,288
1861 historical 251 #9,830
1881 historical 153 #15,320
1891 historical 240 #13,123
1901 historical 197 #15,272
1911 historical 257 #12,658
1997 modern 228 #16,211
1998 modern 220 #17,074
1999 modern 222 #17,080
2000 modern 225 #16,891
2001 modern 224 #16,716
2002 modern 236 #16,455
2003 modern 215 #17,286
2004 modern 216 #17,331
2005 modern 211 #17,520
2006 modern 226 #16,891
2007 modern 225 #17,154
2008 modern 239 #16,583
2009 modern 238 #17,002
2010 modern 245 #17,013
2011 modern 236 #17,279
2012 modern 221 #17,979
2013 modern 232 #17,663
2014 modern 233 #17,707
2015 modern 227 #17,941
2016 modern 235 #17,530

Geography

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Where Horths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Caistor next Yarmouth, Gorleston, St Paul, St Saviour, St Edmund, St Simon and Jude, St Peter Hungate, St Michael at Plea, St Martin a, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Norwich, Doncaster and Waveney. 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 Caistor next Yarmouth Norfolk
2 Gorleston Suffolk
3 St Paul, St Saviour, St Edmund, St Simon and Jude, St Peter Hungate, St Michael at Plea, St Martin a Norfolk
4 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Norwich 002 Norwich
2 Doncaster 002 Doncaster
3 Waveney 012 Waveney
4 Norwich 003 Norwich
5 Norwich 001 Norwich

Forenames

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First names often paired with Horth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Horth

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Horth is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Horth 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

Horth falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Horth is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Horth, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Horth

The surname Horth is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old High German word "hort," which means "treasure" or "hoard," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who was a guardian or keeper of valuables.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Horth name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, where a certain "Henricus Horth" is mentioned in a document dated 1275.

In the 14th century, the Horth surname appeared in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. A notable example is Johann Horth, a merchant and landowner who lived in Nuremberg from around 1330 to 1395.

During the 16th century, the Horth name gained prominence in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia (now part of Poland and the Czech Republic). One of the most notable figures from this period was Caspar Horth, a Protestant reformer and theologian who lived from 1516 to 1583.

As the Horth family spread across Europe, the name underwent various spellings and adaptations. In the Netherlands, for instance, it was sometimes written as "Hoort" or "Hoordt," while in England, it could be found as "Horde" or "Horde."

Among the notable individuals bearing the Horth surname in more recent history is Johann Horth, a German-born American architect who lived from 1834 to 1907 and designed several notable buildings in Chicago, including the Old Colony Building and the Rookery Building.

Another notable figure was Wilhelm Horth, a German philologist and linguist who lived from 1866 to 1925 and made significant contributions to the study of Germanic languages.

In the 20th century, Max Horth, a German painter and graphic artist, gained recognition for his expressive and avant-garde works, particularly his woodcuts and etchings, between 1900 and his death in 1935.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Horth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Horth 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. Norfolk leads with 52 Horths recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.12x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 52 23.12x
Essex 29 10.04x
Suffolk 14 7.86x
Yorkshire 12 0.83x
Staffordshire 9 1.82x
Lincolnshire 6 2.56x
Herefordshire 5 8.33x
Warwickshire 5 1.36x
Derbyshire 4 1.75x
Lancashire 4 0.23x
Middlesex 4 0.27x
Midlothian 3 1.53x
Cumberland 1 0.79x
Dorset 1 1.04x
Hampshire 1 0.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Ham in Essex leads with 21 Horths recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.94x.

Place Total Index
West Ham 21 32.94x
Caistor Next Yarmouth 16 2025.32x
Gorleston 10 220.75x
Norwich St Saviour 10 1265.82x
Caverswall 6 233.46x
Great Grimsby 6 40.40x
Holy Trinity 6 17.21x
Little Baddow 6 2222.22x
Norwich St Giles 6 833.33x
Norwich St Michael At 6 458.02x
Aston 5 4.92x
Hereford St Owen 5 252.53x
Great Yarmouth 4 21.47x
Manchester 4 5.12x
Normanton 4 207.25x
Norwich St Clement 4 153.26x
Northowram 3 29.50x
Norwich St Peter 3 202.70x
Scarborough 3 22.78x
St Pancras London 3 2.55x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 5.73x
Carlton Colville 2 307.69x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 2.54x
Great Baddow 2 194.17x
Lowestoft 2 23.75x
Norwich St Paul 2 148.15x
Bere Regis 1 156.25x
Edinburgh St Georges 1 24.57x
Hillingdon 1 21.46x
Norwich St Stephen 1 48.54x
St Cuthbert Within 1 68.49x
St Mary Extra 1 41.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Emma 5
Mary 5
Annie 4
Emily 4
Alice 3
Ann 3
Elizabeth 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Amelia 2
Charlotte 2
Eleanor 2
Eliza 2
Hephzibah 2
Isabel 2
Jessy 2
Susan 2
Agnes 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Clary 1
Elizabth. 1
Ellen 1
Emmaline 1
Evelina 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Helen 1
Janet 1
Maria 1
Rachel 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Sarah 1
Sophia 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 9
George 8
William 8
John 7
Charles 4
Frederick 4
Thomas 4
Walter 4
Benjamin 2
Christmas 2
Edward 2
Frederic 2
Henry 2
Herbert 2
Isaac 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Arthur 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Harry 1
Infant 1
Joseph 1
Philip 1
Robt. 1
Tom 1
Wm.Geo. 1

FAQ

Horth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Horth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 153 people were recorded with the Horth surname. That placed it at #15,320 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Horth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 235 in 2016. That gives Horth a modern rank of #17,530.

What does the Horth surname mean?

A surname likely deriving from the Old English word "horð" meaning treasure or hoard.

What does the Horth map show?

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