NameCensus.

UK surname

Hover

An occupational surname for someone who made or used hoops, such as for barrels or wagon wheels.

In the 1881 census there were 92 people recorded with the Hover surname, ranking it #20,709 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 255, ranked #16,576, up from #20,709 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Dover St James, Dover St Mary and Eccles. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ashford, Wyre and Solihull.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hover is 256 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 177.2%.

1881 census count

92

Ranked #20,709

Modern count

255

2016, ranked #16,576

Peak year

1998

256 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hover had 92 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,709 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 255 in 2016, ranked #16,576.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 151 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hover surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hover surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hover 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 25 #28,853
1861 historical 117 #18,635
1881 historical 92 #20,709
1891 historical 131 #20,073
1901 historical 107 #21,955
1911 historical 151 #17,797
1997 modern 247 #15,399
1998 modern 256 #15,436
1999 modern 245 #16,012
2000 modern 236 #16,380
2001 modern 239 #15,963
2002 modern 242 #16,186
2003 modern 239 #16,093
2004 modern 239 #16,193
2005 modern 221 #17,028
2006 modern 236 #16,384
2007 modern 246 #16,086
2008 modern 250 #16,065
2009 modern 249 #16,466
2010 modern 242 #17,138
2011 modern 244 #16,922
2012 modern 247 #16,661
2013 modern 244 #17,072
2014 modern 248 #16,991
2015 modern 251 #16,756
2016 modern 255 #16,576

Geography

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Where Hovers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Dover St James, Dover St Mary, Eccles, Ashford and Hawkhurst, Etchingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ashford, Wyre, Solihull, East Hampshire and Hackney. 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 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent
3 Eccles Lancashire
4 Ashford Kent
5 Hawkhurst, Etchingham Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ashford 004 Ashford
2 Wyre 001 Wyre
3 Solihull 025 Solihull
4 East Hampshire 007 East Hampshire
5 Hackney 022 Hackney

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hover

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hover

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

Hover is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hover 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 Hover 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 Hover, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Hover

The surname Hover is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "hover," which means "small landowner" or "farmer." The name first emerged in the 12th century in the region of Bavaria, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire.

In medieval Germany, the Hover name was associated with landowners who held small estates or farms. The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in a document from 1247, which mentions a Johannes Hover from the town of Augsburg.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Hover family spread across various parts of southern Germany, including the regions of Swabia and Franconia. They were often identified by their place of origin, leading to variations such as Hoferhof and Hoverhausen.

The Hover name gained prominence in the 15th century when Hans Hover (1435-1498), a renowned architect and stonemason, designed several churches and public buildings in Nuremberg and other cities in Franconia. His works are considered significant examples of late Gothic architecture in Germany.

Another notable figure was Johann Hover (1564-1628), a German theologian and reformer who played a crucial role in the Protestant Reformation. He served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg and was involved in the drafting of the Heidelberg Catechism, a seminal document of the Reformed tradition.

In the 17th century, the Hover family spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England is found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, which mention the marriage of William Hover in 1632.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, several Hover families emigrated to North America, contributing to the spread of the name across the United States and Canada. Notable individuals include William Hover (1779-1859), a farmer and politician who served in the Vermont House of Representatives, and John Hover (1825-1896), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hover families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hover 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. Kent leads with 31 Hovers recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.24x.

County Total Index
Kent 31 10.24x
Middlesex 17 1.92x
Surrey 11 2.54x
Lancashire 9 0.85x
Renfrewshire 5 7.27x
Staffordshire 5 1.67x
Worcestershire 4 3.45x
Hampshire 3 1.65x
Warwickshire 2 0.89x
Angus 1 1.22x
Essex 1 0.57x
Fife 1 1.90x
Sussex 1 0.67x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 9 Hovers recorded in 1881 and an index of 31.94x.

Place Total Index
Preston 9 31.94x
Willesborough 9 1111.11x
Ashford 8 271.19x
Dover St Mary Virgin 6 204.78x
Hackney London 6 12.06x
Long Ditton 6 845.07x
Cathcart 5 134.41x
Hammerwich 5 1162.79x
Bethnal Green London 4 10.38x
Chelsea London 4 14.96x
Whistones 4 476.19x
Kennington 3 1304.35x
Margate St John Baptist 3 54.15x
Wandsworth 3 35.13x
Aston 2 3.25x
Millbrook 2 43.67x
Westminster St John 2 18.50x
Brechin 1 30.96x
Canterbury St Mary 1 49.26x
Chartham 1 133.33x
Croydon 1 4.16x
Cuddington 1 588.24x
Dunfermline 1 12.38x
Grays Thurrock 1 61.35x
St Marylebone London 1 2.11x
St Thomas Winchester 1 78.13x
Subdeanery 1 87.72x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 6
Charles 5
John 5
George 3
Arthur 2
William 2
Albert 1
Caleb 1
Edward 1
Elisha 1
Ernest 1
Evans 1
Frances 1
Frank 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Hulbet 1
Isaac 1
Jabez 1
Josiah 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Sinden 1
Sindon 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Hover surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hover surname in 1881?

In 1881, 92 people were recorded with the Hover surname. That placed it at #20,709 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hover surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 255 in 2016. That gives Hover a modern rank of #16,576.

What does the Hover surname mean?

An occupational surname for someone who made or used hoops, such as for barrels or wagon wheels.

What does the Hover map show?

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