NameCensus.

UK surname

Horwood

A locational surname originating from places named with the Old English words 'horu' (mud or dirt) and 'wudu' (wood).

In the 1881 census there were 1,418 people recorded with the Horwood surname, ranking it #2,929 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,068, ranked #3,125, down from #2,929 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Mary Islington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Three Rivers, Aylesbury Vale and The Vale of Glamorgan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Horwood is 2,295 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.8%.

1881 census count

1,418

Ranked #2,929

Modern count

2,068

2016, ranked #3,125

Peak year

1911

2,295 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Horwood had 1,418 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,929 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,068 in 2016, ranked #3,125.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,295 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Horwood surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Horwood surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Horwood 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 1,125 #2,504
1861 historical 995 #2,801
1881 historical 1,418 #2,929
1891 historical 1,688 #2,673
1901 historical 2,073 #2,586
1911 historical 2,295 #2,210
1997 modern 2,027 #3,027
1998 modern 2,186 #2,932
1999 modern 2,215 #2,926
2000 modern 2,217 #2,906
2001 modern 2,178 #2,891
2002 modern 2,199 #2,922
2003 modern 2,134 #2,941
2004 modern 2,148 #2,927
2005 modern 2,106 #2,941
2006 modern 2,099 #2,954
2007 modern 2,105 #2,982
2008 modern 2,086 #3,022
2009 modern 2,166 #2,998
2010 modern 2,205 #3,006
2011 modern 2,163 #3,021
2012 modern 2,093 #3,057
2013 modern 2,132 #3,056
2014 modern 2,130 #3,082
2015 modern 2,095 #3,100
2016 modern 2,068 #3,125

Geography

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Where Horwoods are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Mary Islington and Luton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Three Rivers, Aylesbury Vale and The Vale of Glamorgan. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)
5 Luton Bedfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Three Rivers 009 Three Rivers
2 Three Rivers 007 Three Rivers
3 Aylesbury Vale 021 Aylesbury Vale
4 Aylesbury Vale 004 Aylesbury Vale
5 The Vale of Glamorgan 004 Vale of Glamorgan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Horwood

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Horwood

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Horwood 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

Horwood is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Horwood falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Horwood

The surname Horwood is of English origin, derived from a geographical place name. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "horu," meaning dirt or mud, and "wudu," meaning wood, indicating a person who lived near a muddy or dirty wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Horwood can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire, dated around 1273, where it appears as "de Horwode." This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time.

In the 16th century, the surname appeared in various records, including parish registers and tax rolls. For example, a John Horwood was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1545. Additionally, the Horwood name was mentioned in the Visitation of Oxfordshire in 1574, indicating the presence of families bearing this surname in that county.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their holdings compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the surname Horwood. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Horwood in Buckinghamshire and Horwood in Staffordshire, suggesting that the name may have originated from these locations.

Historically, the Horwood surname has been associated with notable individuals across various fields. One such person was Sir John Horwood (1546-1624), an English judge and Member of Parliament who served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Another was William Horwood (1530-1573), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

In the literary world, Francis Horwood (1776-1857) was an English antiquarian and author who wrote several works on local history and topography. Michael Horwood (1927-2017) was a British novelist and playwright known for his works exploring social and political issues.

A more recent figure with the Horwood surname was William Horwood (born 1944), an English author best known for his children's fantasy series "The Duncton Chronicles," which follows the lives of a community of moles.

While the surname Horwood has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and the dissemination of English culture and language.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Horwood families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Horwood 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. Middlesex leads with 294 Horwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.12x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 294 2.12x
Buckinghamshire 189 22.57x
Oxfordshire 131 15.31x
Gloucestershire 121 4.45x
Hertfordshire 106 11.10x
Somerset 82 3.68x
Surrey 70 1.04x
Bedfordshire 64 8.92x
Berkshire 49 4.71x
Kent 44 0.93x
Essex 38 1.39x
Warwickshire 29 0.83x
Dorset 25 2.75x
Cornwall 23 1.47x
Glamorgan 22 0.91x
Staffordshire 17 0.36x
Durham 16 0.39x
Northamptonshire 16 1.23x
Yorkshire 15 0.11x
Hampshire 11 0.39x
Lancashire 10 0.06x
Morayshire 9 4.18x
Devon 8 0.28x
Lincolnshire 7 0.32x
Midlothian 6 0.32x
Cheshire 5 0.16x
Sussex 4 0.17x
Leicestershire 2 0.13x
Channel Islands 1 0.24x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.36x
Monmouthshire 1 0.10x
Royal Navy 1 0.61x
Shropshire 1 0.08x
Wiltshire 1 0.08x
Worcestershire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Headington in Oxfordshire leads with 49 Horwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 368.98x.

Place Total Index
Headington 49 368.98x
Luton 47 37.85x
Islington London 44 3.28x
Aston Clinton 36 507.04x
St Pancras London 33 2.96x
Hammersmith London 30 8.79x
Watford 24 32.42x
Kensington London 22 2.86x
Bierton With Broughton 21 545.45x
Newland 20 87.60x
Bromley London 18 5.91x
Frome 17 31.88x
Lewisham 17 6.75x
St Thomas Apostle 16 331.26x
Tingewick 16 425.53x
Bristol St George 15 11.94x
Newington 15 2.93x
St George Hanover Square 15 6.15x
Waltham St Lawrence 15 368.55x
Woodchester 15 349.65x
Ealing 14 11.31x
West Bromwich 14 5.23x
Canford Magna 13 247.62x
Roath 13 11.87x
Hendon 12 24.08x
Hitcham 11 578.95x
Lambeth 11 0.91x
St Marylebone London 11 1.49x
Wellow 11 167.68x
West Ham 11 1.82x
Willesden 11 8.42x
Berkhampstead 10 46.58x
Chetwode 10 1369.86x
East Ham 10 19.71x
Leighton Buzzard 10 32.41x
Rickmansworth 10 38.04x
Rotherhithe 10 5.84x
St Andrew Holborn London 10 16.68x
Bristol St Augustine 9 20.53x
Leamington Priors 9 10.47x
Rothes 9 85.71x
Stroud 9 17.02x
Bedminster 8 3.82x
Bethnal Green London 8 1.33x
Bicester Market End 8 50.92x
Brimpton 8 396.04x
Shoreditch London 8 1.33x
Tetbury 8 51.95x
Wycombe 8 12.81x
Aylesbury 7 18.86x
Barton Hartshorn 7 1320.75x
Chigwell 7 27.12x
Croydon 7 1.87x
Drayton Beauchamp 7 707.07x
Finmere 7 507.25x
Framwellgate 7 28.68x
Fulham London 7 3.48x
Hackney London 7 0.90x
Holton 7 625.00x
Linslade 7 85.37x
Northchurch 7 68.69x
Olney 7 60.45x
Oxford St Clement 7 32.42x
Reading St Giles 7 6.86x
Somerton 7 429.45x
Birmingham 6 0.52x
Bristol St Paul In 6 8.29x
Bushey 6 26.40x
Exford 6 277.78x
Hawkesbury 6 64.86x
Iver 6 55.61x
Little Munden 6 270.27x
Lyncombe Widcombe 6 10.28x
Newnham Murren 6 508.47x
Piddington 6 451.13x
Sutton St Mary 6 28.65x
Swansea Town 6 3.03x
Taunton St Mary 6 14.66x
West Wycombe 6 52.82x
Witton Le Wear 6 51.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 75
Mary 70
Sarah 47
Emily 28
Alice 27
Jane 26
Annie 25
Eliza 25
Ellen 25
Emma 24
Ann 21
Louisa 21
Catherine 12
Susan 12
Caroline 11
Fanny 11
Hannah 11
Harriet 10
Martha 10
Ada 9
Charlotte 9
Agnes 8
Elizth. 8
Florence 8
Maria 8
Clara 7
Kate 7
Amy 6
Harriett 6
Margaret 6
Sophia 6
Anna 5
Frances 5
Helen 5
Lizzie 5
Lucy 5
Rose 5
Anne 4
Edith 4
Georgina 4
Jessie 4
Laura 4
Rosa 4
Ethel 3
Mabel 3
Matilda 3
Maud 3
Minnie 3
Rebecca 3
Eleanor 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 89
Thomas 55
George 53
Henry 48
John 45
James 42
Charles 36
Joseph 30
Alfred 22
Arthur 18
Frederick 17
Edward 15
Albert 14
Edwin 12
Richard 10
Harry 9
Herbert 9
Robert 9
Ernest 6
Sidney 6
Francis 5
Samuel 5
Benjamin 4
Chas. 4
David 4
Walter 4
Abel 2
Daniel 2
Edgar 2
Emmanuel 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Frederic 2
Fredk. 2
Fredrick 2
Gilbert 2
Hector 2
Job 2
Mark 2
Percival 2
Stephen 2
Sydney 2
Willie 2
Wm. 2
Benj. 1
Cuthbert 1
Cyril 1
Enos 1
Faulkner 1
Frances 1

FAQ

Horwood surname: questions and answers

How common was the Horwood surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,418 people were recorded with the Horwood surname. That placed it at #2,929 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Horwood surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,068 in 2016. That gives Horwood a modern rank of #3,125.

What does the Horwood surname mean?

A locational surname originating from places named with the Old English words 'horu' (mud or dirt) and 'wudu' (wood).

What does the Horwood map show?

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