NameCensus.

UK surname

Hosford

Derived from a place name meaning "ford by a hill" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 83 people recorded with the Hosford surname, ranking it #21,808 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 250, ranked #16,792, up from #21,808 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Dunstan Stepney and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Dorset, Powys and Braintree.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hosford is 273 in 2009. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 201.2%.

1881 census count

83

Ranked #21,808

Modern count

250

2016, ranked #16,792

Peak year

2009

273 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hosford had 83 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,808 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 250 in 2016, ranked #16,792.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 130 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hosford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hosford surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Hosford 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 43 #25,518
1861 historical 60 #26,313
1881 historical 83 #21,808
1891 historical 103 #23,558
1901 historical 116 #20,933
1911 historical 130 #19,504
1997 modern 238 #15,760
1998 modern 248 #15,772
1999 modern 243 #16,094
2000 modern 265 #15,143
2001 modern 257 #15,236
2002 modern 266 #15,156
2003 modern 259 #15,254
2004 modern 255 #15,504
2005 modern 248 #15,721
2006 modern 252 #15,642
2007 modern 252 #15,815
2008 modern 259 #15,688
2009 modern 273 #15,436
2010 modern 267 #16,029
2011 modern 269 #15,800
2012 modern 257 #16,212
2013 modern 262 #16,273
2014 modern 257 #16,598
2015 modern 248 #16,905
2016 modern 250 #16,792

Geography

Back to top

Where Hosfords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Dunstan Stepney, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, St Matthew Bethnal Green and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Dorset, Powys, Braintree, West Dorset and Maidstone. 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 3
2 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)
3 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
4 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Dorset 005 North Dorset
2 Powys 021 Powys
3 Braintree 014 Braintree
4 West Dorset 004 West Dorset
5 Maidstone 017 Maidstone

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Hosford

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Hosford

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Hosford is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hosford is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hosford falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hosford

The surname "Hosford" is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the early medieval period in England. The name is a locational surname, derived from a place called Hosford or Hoseford in either Devon or Somerset, England.

The name "Hosford" is believed to have its roots in the Old English words "hos" meaning "a hosier" or "a maker of hose" and "ford" meaning "a shallow river crossing." This suggests that the name may have originated from a location where hosiers or makers of hose lived near a ford or a shallow river crossing.

The earliest known record of the name "Hosford" dates back to the 13th century in the Hundredorum Rolls of Devon, which were administrative records kept by the English government. In these rolls, the name appears as "Osebern de Hoseford."

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Hosford, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Devon in 1299. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, and they often included information about landowners and taxpayers.

Another notable figure with the surname "Hosford" was Sir George Hosford, a British naval officer who lived in the 17th century. He was born in 1623 and served as a captain in the Royal Navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.

In the 18th century, there was a notable artist named Thomas Hosford who was born in Exeter, Devon, in 1728. He was a landscape painter and is known for his works depicting rural scenes in Devon and Cornwall.

During the 19th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname "Hosford" was Sir Henry Hosford, a British diplomat and politician. He was born in 1824 and served as a Member of Parliament for several years, as well as holding diplomatic positions in various countries.

Another significant figure with the name "Hosford" was William Hosford, a British engineer and inventor who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in 1856 and is credited with several important inventions related to steam engines and agricultural machinery.

Over the centuries, the surname "Hosford" has undergone various spelling variations, such as Hoseforde, Hoseford, and Hossford, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal practices of different areas in England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Hosford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hosford 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 28 Hosfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.46x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 28 3.46x
Essex 18 11.26x
Surrey 8 2.03x
Hampshire 7 4.22x
Kent 6 2.17x
Northamptonshire 6 7.88x
Lancashire 5 0.52x
Dorset 2 3.76x
Devon 1 0.59x
Huntingdonshire 1 6.22x
Sussex 1 0.73x

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 13 Hosfords recorded in 1881 and an index of 36.85x.

Place Total Index
West Ham 13 36.85x
Islington London 8 10.20x
Lambeth 7 9.92x
Mile End New Town London 6 375.00x
Lewisham 5 33.94x
Mile End Old Town London 5 29.02x
Northampton St Sepulchre 5 129.20x
Radcliffe 5 107.99x
Thorley 5 10000.00x
Poplar London 4 26.18x
South Shoebury 4 625.00x
Broadmayne 2 1428.57x
St Luke London 2 15.41x
Bethnal Green London 1 2.84x
Carisbrooke 1 43.48x
Cheriton 1 88.50x
Colchester St Botolph 1 73.53x
Devonport 1 51.55x
Hove 1 16.69x
Reigate Borough 1 109.89x
Shoreditch London 1 2.85x
Spaldwick 1 1000.00x
St Giles In Fields London 1 25.19x
St Lawrence 1 1428.57x
Wellingborough 1 26.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Eliza 4
Alice 3
Jane 3
Annie 2
Elizabeth 2
Esther 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Caroline 1
Edith 1
Ellen 1
Elsie 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
Honer 1
Kate 1
Kathleen 1
Lena 1
Rosenia 1
Sarah 1
Selena 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 6
William 5
John 4
Edward 3
Henry 3
Joseph 3
Benjamin 2
Harry 2
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Douglas 1
Edwin 1
Fredk.Augustus 1
Fredrick 1
Isaac 1
James 1
Jno. 1
Jno.S. 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Thomas 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Hosford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hosford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 83 people were recorded with the Hosford surname. That placed it at #21,808 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hosford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 250 in 2016. That gives Hosford a modern rank of #16,792.

What does the Hosford surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "ford by a hill" in Old English.

What does the Hosford map show?

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