NameCensus.

UK surname

Hourston

In the 1881 census there were 214 people recorded with the Hourston surname, ranking it #12,284 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 248, ranked #16,910, down from #12,284 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kirkwall and St.Ola, Evie and Rendall and South Ronaldsay and Burray. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Mainland, Isles and West Kirkwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hourston is 248 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 15.9%.

1881 census count

214

Ranked #12,284

Modern count

248

2016, ranked #16,910

Peak year

2016

248 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hourston had 214 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,284 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 248 in 2016, ranked #16,910.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 234 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Hourston surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hourston surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hourston 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 233 #9,272
1861 historical 223 #10,942
1881 historical 214 #12,284
1891 historical 234 #13,352
1901 historical 232 #13,769
1911 historical 39 #29,025
1997 modern 213 #16,948
1998 modern 223 #16,936
1999 modern 215 #17,425
2000 modern 226 #16,840
2001 modern 224 #16,716
2002 modern 223 #17,099
2003 modern 208 #17,685
2004 modern 213 #17,492
2005 modern 219 #17,126
2006 modern 227 #16,842
2007 modern 224 #17,193
2008 modern 229 #17,092
2009 modern 235 #17,151
2010 modern 245 #17,013
2011 modern 233 #17,426
2012 modern 229 #17,537
2013 modern 243 #17,114
2014 modern 245 #17,140
2015 modern 246 #16,994
2016 modern 248 #16,910

Geography

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Where Hourstons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kirkwall and St.Ola, Evie and Rendall, South Ronaldsay and Burray, Westray and Papa Westray and Stromness. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Mainland, Isles, West Kirkwall, Stromness, Sandwick and Stenness and East Kirkwall. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Kirkwall and St.Ola Orkney
2 Evie and Rendall Orkney
3 South Ronaldsay and Burray Orkney
4 Westray and Papa Westray Orkney
5 Stromness Orkney

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Mainland Orkney Islands
2 Isles Orkney Islands
3 West Kirkwall Orkney Islands
4 Stromness, Sandwick and Stenness Orkney Islands
5 East Kirkwall Orkney Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hourston

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hourston

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Hourston surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Hourston household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Hourston is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hourston 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

Hourston falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Hourston families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hourston 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. Orkney leads with 177 Hourstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 796.58x.

County Total Index
Orkney 177 796.58x
Lanarkshire 10 1.53x
Durham 9 1.50x
Kent 5 0.73x
Midlothian 5 1.85x
Surrey 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kirkwall St Ola in Orkney leads with 29 Hourstons recorded in 1881 and an index of 870.87x.

Place Total Index
Kirkwall St Ola 29 870.87x
Evie Rendall 27 2872.34x
Firth Stenness 22 2315.79x
South Ronaldshay 18 782.61x
Westray Papa Westray 17 965.91x
St Andrews Deerness 15 1282.05x
Birsay Harray 14 869.57x
Sandwick 13 1566.27x
Govan 10 6.19x
Holm 9 1216.22x
Westoe 7 20.55x
Stromness 6 359.28x
Deptford St Paul 5 9.41x
Shapinshay 5 746.27x
South Leith 3 9.86x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 1.84x
Gateshead 2 4.45x
Stronsay Eday 2 137.93x
Long Ditton 1 62.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Isabella 2
Jane 2
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 2
Thomas 2
William 2
George 1
James 1
Joseph 1

FAQ

Hourston surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hourston surname in 1881?

In 1881, 214 people were recorded with the Hourston surname. That placed it at #12,284 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hourston surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 248 in 2016. That gives Hourston a modern rank of #16,910.

What does the Hourston map show?

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