NameCensus.

UK surname

Humphry

An English surname derived from the personal name Humphrey, meaning "peaceful warrior."

In the 1881 census there were 921 people recorded with the Humphry surname, ranking it #4,167 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 314, ranked #14,291, down from #4,167 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Hadlow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Devon, Cardiff and South Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Humphry is 1,214 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 65.9%.

1881 census count

921

Ranked #4,167

Modern count

314

2016, ranked #14,291

Peak year

1851

1,214 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Humphry had 921 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,167 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 314 in 2016, ranked #14,291.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,214 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Humphry surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Humphry surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Humphry 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 1,214 #2,348
1861 historical 792 #3,479
1881 historical 921 #4,167
1891 historical 732 #5,422
1901 historical 789 #5,707
1911 historical 596 #6,875
1997 modern 321 #12,941
1998 modern 321 #13,275
1999 modern 311 #13,642
2000 modern 312 #13,561
2001 modern 305 #13,594
2002 modern 311 #13,666
2003 modern 286 #14,259
2004 modern 277 #14,644
2005 modern 264 #15,085
2006 modern 266 #15,076
2007 modern 272 #14,994
2008 modern 267 #15,349
2009 modern 275 #15,349
2010 modern 287 #15,195
2011 modern 290 #14,933
2012 modern 288 #14,934
2013 modern 308 #14,482
2014 modern 309 #14,533
2015 modern 311 #14,369
2016 modern 314 #14,291

Geography

Back to top

Where Humphrys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to West Devon, Cardiff, South Somerset, Wycombe and East Devon. 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 Hadlow Kent
5 Polstead Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Devon 004 West Devon
2 Cardiff 041 Cardiff
3 South Somerset 007 South Somerset
4 Wycombe 020 Wycombe
5 East Devon 007 East Devon

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Humphry

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Humphry

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

Humphry is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Humphry

The surname HUMPHRY is of English origin, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the given name Humphrey, which itself comes from the Old German personal name Hunfrid, meaning "peaceful traveler" or "peaceful journey."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HUMPHRY can be found in the celebrated Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and property holdings in England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book lists several individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Hunfridus and Hunfrid.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname HUMPHRY was predominantly concentrated in the counties of Staffordshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England. During this period, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Humphry, Humphrey, Humfrey, and Humfry, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.

One notable bearer of the surname HUMPHRY was Sir Humphry Stafford (c. 1399-1460), a prominent English nobleman and military commander during the Wars of the Roses. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire and was a staunch supporter of the House of Lancaster.

Another historical figure with the surname HUMPHRY was Laurence Humphry (c. 1527-1590), an English Protestant reformer and President of Magdalen College, Oxford. He played a pivotal role in the religious and intellectual debates of the Reformation era.

In the realm of literature, Ozias Humphry (1742-1810) was an esteemed English painter and founding member of the Royal Academy. His portraits of notable figures, including Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith, earned him widespread acclaim during the Georgian era.

The surname HUMPHRY also has a connection to the field of science through the life of Sir William Humphry (1567-1611), an English mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of navigation and authored several works on the subject.

Finally, a more modern figure bearing the surname HUMPHRY was Sir John Humphry (1857-1941), a British civil servant and colonial administrator. He served as Governor of Southern Nigeria from 1904 to 1912 and played a crucial role in the development of the region during the colonial era.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Humphry families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Humphry 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. Surrey leads with 117 Humphrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.65x.

County Total Index
Surrey 117 2.65x
Middlesex 106 1.17x
Kent 105 3.40x
Sussex 97 6.35x
Northamptonshire 45 5.28x
Somerset 35 2.40x
Hampshire 31 1.67x
Suffolk 31 2.81x
Norfolk 28 2.01x
Buckinghamshire 25 4.56x
Essex 25 1.40x
Cambridgeshire 22 3.83x
Durham 22 0.82x
Gloucestershire 19 1.07x
Hertfordshire 19 3.04x
Caernarfonshire 16 4.37x
Yorkshire 16 0.18x
Wiltshire 15 1.87x
Staffordshire 13 0.43x
Bedfordshire 12 2.56x
Nottinghamshire 11 0.90x
Warwickshire 10 0.44x
Glamorgan 9 0.57x
Channel Islands 8 2.98x
Lincolnshire 8 0.55x
Devon 7 0.37x
Huntingdonshire 7 3.89x
Lancashire 7 0.07x
Stirlingshire 7 2.09x
Worcestershire 7 0.59x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.71x
Cornwall 6 0.58x
Leicestershire 6 0.60x
Monmouthshire 5 0.76x
Berkshire 4 0.59x
Cheshire 4 0.20x
Derbyshire 4 0.28x
Northumberland 3 0.22x
Ayrshire 2 0.29x
East Lothian 2 1.67x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.96x
Anglesey 1 0.62x
Angus 1 0.12x
Banffshire 1 0.53x
Midlothian 1 0.08x
Oxfordshire 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 35 Humphrys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.43x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 35 4.43x
Brighton 25 8.11x
Irchester 19 359.17x
Polstead 19 739.30x
Whitstable 19 125.25x
Newington 18 5.38x
Hove 17 25.36x
Weedon Loys 17 1214.29x
Brenchley 15 135.62x
Camberwell 15 2.59x
Hampstead London 14 9.92x
Banham 13 366.20x
Deptford St Paul 13 5.45x
Islington London 13 1.48x
Tonbridge 13 11.66x
Ynyscynhaiarn 13 76.20x
Bishopwearmouth 12 5.19x
Chelsea London 12 4.39x
Kensington London 12 2.38x
Comberton 11 614.53x
Hackney London 10 1.97x
Houghton Regis 10 133.69x
Little Wratting 10 1204.82x
St Marythe Less 10 286.53x
West Hatch 10 769.23x
Wingrave 10 355.87x
Great Coggeshall 9 96.77x
St Mary Bourne 9 267.06x
Westbury On Trym 9 14.95x
Birmingham 8 1.05x
Chertsey 8 28.04x
Fernhurst 8 236.69x
Harpenden 8 83.95x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 8 6.85x
Sevenoaks 8 31.91x
Trowbridge 8 22.59x
Barcombe 7 190.74x
Chelsfield 7 237.29x
Chichester St 7 693.07x
Falkirk 7 8.95x
Stoke Upon Trent 7 2.16x
Wandsworth 7 8.02x
Westham 7 225.08x
Bedminster 6 4.38x
Eynesbury 6 143.88x
Hambleden 6 128.21x
Kings Norton 6 5.65x
Leigh 6 148.51x
Paddington London 6 1.80x
Pattiswick 6 571.43x
Rotherhithe 6 5.36x
St Just In Penwith 6 30.14x
Westminster St James 6 6.44x
Battersea 5 1.50x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 5 2.99x
Gretton 5 193.05x
Honiton 5 47.89x
Hucknall Torkard 5 16.14x
Mile End Old Town London 5 2.59x
Portsea 5 1.37x
Roath 5 6.98x
St Maryde Castro 5 75.76x
St Marylebone London 5 1.03x
Stone 5 117.65x
West Torrington 5 1000.00x
Winford 5 170.07x
Andover 4 22.79x
Birkenhead 4 2.51x
Buckland 4 314.96x
Hawkhurst 4 41.62x
Horninglow 4 27.76x
Isle Abbotts 4 370.37x
Kippax 4 50.63x
Mentmore 4 408.16x
Penton Grafton 4 277.78x
Southampton St Mary 4 3.42x
Southwark St George Martyr 4 2.19x
Tillington 4 145.45x
Walpole St Peter 4 113.31x
West Tilbury 4 366.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 41
Elizabeth 35
Sarah 25
Alice 22
Eliza 20
Ann 14
Annie 12
Charlotte 12
Emma 12
Florence 12
Jane 12
Kate 12
Louisa 11
Hannah 10
Edith 9
Emily 8
Caroline 7
Ellen 7
Harriet 7
Fanny 6
Harriett 6
Margaret 6
Martha 6
Elizth. 5
Frances 5
Rebecca 5
Susan 5
Ada 4
Clara 4
Maria 4
Sophia 4
Amelia 3
Anne 3
Beatrice 3
Esther 3
Isabella 3
Maud 3
Susannah 3
Agnes 2
Catherine 2
Constance 2
Ethel 2
Flora 2
Helen 2
Laura 2
Margret 2
Marion 2
Rose 2
Ruth 2
Winifred 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 69
John 39
George 37
Thomas 27
James 24
Charles 22
Edward 20
Henry 15
Albert 11
Walter 11
Frederick 10
Joseph 10
Alfred 9
Harry 9
Robert 8
Samuel 7
Arthur 6
Richard 6
Francis 5
Herbert 5
Ernest 3
Frank 3
Hugh 3
Mark 3
Stephen 3
Auther 2
Clark 2
Owen 2
Tom 2
Arther 1
Benjiman 1
Bernard 1
Ch. 1
Charley 1
E.G. 1
Ebenezer 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Ellis 1
Eugene 1
Evan 1
Felix 1
Griffith 1
H. 1
Hamilton 1
Humphrey 1
Hy. 1
Hy.E. 1
Infant 1
Wm.J.F. 1

FAQ

Humphry surname: questions and answers

How common was the Humphry surname in 1881?

In 1881, 921 people were recorded with the Humphry surname. That placed it at #4,167 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Humphry surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 314 in 2016. That gives Humphry a modern rank of #14,291.

What does the Humphry surname mean?

An English surname derived from the personal name Humphrey, meaning "peaceful warrior."

What does the Humphry map show?

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