NameCensus.

UK surname

Humfrey

In the 1881 census there were 209 people recorded with the Humfrey surname, ranking it #12,475 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 98, ranked #31,470, down from #12,475 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Erith, Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas and Ashbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pembrokeshire, Merton and Luton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Humfrey is 209 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 53.1%.

1881 census count

209

Ranked #12,475

Modern count

98

2016, ranked #31,470

Peak year

1881

209 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2006

Key insights

  • Humfrey had 209 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,475 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016, ranked #31,470.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 209 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Humfrey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Humfrey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Humfrey 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 199 #10,441
1861 historical 142 #15,982
1881 historical 209 #12,475
1891 historical 142 #18,995
1901 historical 194 #15,425
1911 historical 141 #18,571
1997 modern 101 #26,774
1998 modern 97 #28,054
1999 modern 96 #28,326
2000 modern 105 #27,001
2001 modern 105 #26,620
2002 modern 100 #27,944
2003 modern 103 #27,234
2004 modern 109 #26,607
2005 modern 104 #27,369
2006 modern 100 #28,283
2007 modern 100 #28,669
2008 modern 94 #29,950
2009 modern 98 #29,906
2010 modern 100 #30,225
2011 modern 92 #31,301
2012 modern 96 #30,949
2013 modern 98 #31,078
2014 modern 96 #31,667
2015 modern 97 #31,499
2016 modern 98 #31,470

Geography

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Where Humfreys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Erith, Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, Ashbury, London parishes and Blewberry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pembrokeshire, Merton, Luton and Central Bedfordshire. 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 Erith Kent
2 Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas Berkshire
3 Ashbury Berkshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Blewberry Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pembrokeshire 002 Pembrokeshire
2 Pembrokeshire 001 Pembrokeshire
3 Merton 004 Merton
4 Luton 008 Luton
5 Central Bedfordshire 017 Central Bedfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Humfrey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Humfrey

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Humfrey, 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 Humfrey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Humfrey 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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Humfrey is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Humfrey 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

Humfrey falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Humfrey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Humfrey 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. Berkshire leads with 28 Humfreys recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.30x.

County Total Index
Berkshire 28 18.30x
Northamptonshire 19 9.91x
Cheshire 14 3.11x
Buckinghamshire 13 10.55x
Hampshire 12 2.87x
Oxfordshire 11 8.74x
Essex 10 2.49x
Middlesex 10 0.49x
Hertfordshire 9 6.41x
Nottinghamshire 9 3.28x
Renfrewshire 9 5.70x
Surrey 9 0.91x
Yorkshire 9 0.45x
Lancashire 8 0.33x
Norfolk 7 2.23x
Suffolk 7 2.82x
Leicestershire 6 2.65x
Warwickshire 6 1.17x
Durham 3 0.49x
Lincolnshire 3 0.92x
Monmouthshire 3 2.04x
Devon 2 0.47x
Sussex 2 0.58x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Buckingham in Buckinghamshire leads with 13 Humfreys recorded in 1881 and an index of 517.93x.

Place Total Index
Buckingham 13 517.93x
Chester St Mary On Hill 10 259.07x
Abbey 9 37.34x
Hatfield 9 315.79x
Portsea 9 10.99x
Ashbury 8 1666.67x
Walthamstow 8 55.25x
Banbury 7 277.78x
Gorleston 7 110.94x
Mansfield 7 73.61x
Desborough 6 416.67x
Upton 6 2068.97x
White Waltham 6 1052.63x
Wigan 6 17.75x
Hoyland Nether 5 101.01x
Warkworth 5 289.02x
Windlesham 5 267.38x
Camberwell 4 3.07x
Chelsea London 4 6.51x
Countesthorpe 4 519.48x
Erpingham 4 1600.00x
Liscard 4 49.32x
Thorpe Mandeville 4 2666.67x
Aldbrough 3 2500.00x
Clipston 3 612.24x
Lighthorne 3 1200.00x
Llanwenarth Ultra 3 277.78x
Nether Wallop 3 545.45x
Northorpe 3 2307.69x
Abingdon St Helen 2 44.74x
Birmingham 2 1.17x
Birtley 2 80.65x
Blewbury 2 384.62x
Cotgrave 2 350.88x
Hammersmith London 2 3.98x
Lt Tew 2 1052.63x
St George Hanover Square 2 5.57x
St Marylebone London 2 1.84x
West Ham 2 2.25x
Wolborough 2 37.31x
Wroxham 2 769.23x
Belgrave 1 19.61x
Bray 1 22.22x
Great Creaton 1 454.55x
Heigham 1 5.95x
Hilderthorpe 1 98.04x
Hove 1 6.63x
Leicester All Sts 1 22.52x
Liverpool 1 0.68x
Long Wittenham 1 256.41x
Monks Kirby 1 88.50x
Neithrop 1 23.64x
New Shoreham 1 48.54x
Sandhurst 1 33.78x
Stranton 1 4.90x
Trawden 1 66.23x
Wantage 1 40.98x
Watlington 1 77.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Sarah 8
Alice 6
Elizabeth 4
Anne 3
Catherine 3
Ellen 3
Harriet 3
Kate 3
Caroline 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Florence 2
Gertrude 2
Hannah 2
Jane 2
Louisa 2
Maria 2
Mercy 2
Annie 1
Blanche 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Coline 1
Doris 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Flora 1
H. 1
Harriot 1
Hellen 1
Hermine 1
Jemmia 1
Jennie 1
Jessie 1
Kezia 1
Lilian 1
Lucie 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
Mabel 1
Marey 1
Mariam 1
Marian 1
Marianne 1
Marion 1
Maud 1
May 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 16
John 9
Joseph 7
Richard 5
Charles 4
Francis 4
James 4
Arthur 3
Robert 3
Albert 2
Frank 2
George 2
Henry 2
Raphael 2
Thomas 2
A. 1
Adam 1
Alfred 1
Algernon 1
Anthony 1
Aurther 1
Bernard 1
Byron 1
Celia 1
Christofer 1
Cicel 1
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Frederick 1
Harold 1
Heber 1
Herbert 1
Horrace 1
Hosea 1
L.Chas. 1
Lorn 1
Martin 1
Nathaniel 1
Oscar 1
Philip 1
Sidney 1
Thos.Horton 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Humfrey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Humfrey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 209 people were recorded with the Humfrey surname. That placed it at #12,475 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Humfrey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016. That gives Humfrey a modern rank of #31,470.

What does the Humfrey map show?

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