NameCensus.

UK surname

Hurl

An English surname derived from the Old English word "hyrlan", meaning "to throw or hurl".

In the 1881 census there were 102 people recorded with the Hurl surname, ranking it #19,518 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 104, ranked #30,317, down from #19,518 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Mary, Woking and St Ives. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cannock Chase, Sutton and New Forest.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hurl is 138 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.0%.

1881 census count

102

Ranked #19,518

Modern count

104

2016, ranked #30,317

Peak year

2002

138 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hurl had 102 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,518 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 104 in 2016, ranked #30,317.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 105 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Hurl surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hurl surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hurl 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 60 #22,584
1861 historical 72 #24,643
1881 historical 102 #19,518
1891 historical 85 #26,080
1901 historical 105 #22,179
1911 historical 105 #22,064
1997 modern 133 #22,705
1998 modern 130 #23,603
1999 modern 129 #23,907
2000 modern 133 #23,462
2001 modern 132 #23,230
2002 modern 138 #23,094
2003 modern 126 #24,146
2004 modern 120 #25,078
2005 modern 110 #26,430
2006 modern 109 #26,872
2007 modern 112 #26,800
2008 modern 108 #27,684
2009 modern 110 #27,991
2010 modern 112 #28,336
2011 modern 117 #27,334
2012 modern 111 #28,332
2013 modern 108 #29,379
2014 modern 112 #28,934
2015 modern 114 #28,478
2016 modern 104 #30,317

Geography

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Where Hurls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Mary, Woking, St Ives, Llanhilleth and New Forest (Lady Cross Walk, Whitley Ridge Walk, Rhinefield Walk, Wilverley Walk, Holmesley Walk, Br. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cannock Chase, Sutton, New Forest, Richmond upon Thames and Bradford. 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 St Mary Pembrokeshire
2 Woking Surrey
3 St Ives Huntingdonshire
4 Llanhilleth Monmouthshire
5 New Forest (Lady Cross Walk, Whitley Ridge Walk, Rhinefield Walk, Wilverley Walk, Holmesley Walk, Br Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cannock Chase 013 Cannock Chase
2 Sutton 014 Sutton
3 New Forest 019 New Forest
4 Richmond upon Thames 018 Richmond upon Thames
5 Bradford 036 Bradford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hurl

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hurl

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Hurl is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hurl is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hurl 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 Hurl is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 40-50 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

7
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Hurl, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Hurl

The surname Hurl is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name such as Hurlford in Ayrshire, Scotland, or from the Old English words "hyrl" meaning "hill" or "hyrne" meaning "corner or nook." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a hill or in a small enclosed area.

One of the earliest recorded references to the Hurl surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hurleston" in Cheshire. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears as "Hurle" in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. This variation in spelling was common during this period, as standardized spelling had not yet been established.

Notable individuals with the surname Hurl include John Hurl, who was born in 1598 in Wiltshire, England, and served as a member of the Virginia Company, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown.

Another prominent figure was Sir Walter Hurl, born in 1620 in Somerset, England. He was a successful merchant and served as Lord Mayor of London in 1689.

In the 18th century, Thomas Hurl, born in 1732 in Gloucestershire, was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

The name Hurl also appears in literary works, such as the novel "The Hurl Family" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, published in 1865, which details the lives of a family with this surname.

In the United States, one of the earliest records of the Hurl surname dates back to 1638 when Richard Hurl, born in 1612 in Somerset, England, arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony.

While the surname Hurl is not among the most common surnames today, it has a rich history stretching back to medieval England, with roots in various regions of the country and a diverse array of notable individuals who have borne this name over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hurl families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hurl 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. Hampshire leads with 17 Hurls recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.50x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 17 8.50x
Somerset 12 7.64x
Surrey 12 2.52x
Huntingdonshire 9 46.46x
Lanarkshire 9 2.85x
Pembrokeshire 9 29.03x
Dorset 7 10.93x
Middlesex 6 0.62x
Kent 5 1.50x
Lancashire 4 0.35x
Cumberland 3 3.57x
Northumberland 3 2.07x
Argyllshire 2 7.37x
Norfolk 2 1.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Boldre in Hampshire leads with 11 Hurls recorded in 1881 and an index of 1527.78x.

Place Total Index
Boldre 11 1527.78x
Pembroke St Mary 9 225.56x
Kinson 7 560.00x
St Ives 7 700.00x
Woking 7 244.76x
East Cranmore 6 15000.00x
Govan 6 7.69x
Islington London 6 6.35x
Stone In Dartford 5 588.24x
West Cranmore 5 5000.00x
Toxteth Park 4 10.21x
Elswick 3 25.91x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 15.28x
Whitehaven 3 66.96x
Cadder 2 85.84x
Dunoon 2 357.14x
Lymington 2 136.05x
Millbrook 2 39.68x
Norwich St Saviour 2 377.36x
Eling 1 49.26x
Fen Stanton 1 277.78x
Frome 1 26.60x
Glasgow 1 1.79x
Hartford 1 769.23x
Holdenhurst 1 19.08x
Lambeth 1 1.18x
Windlesham 1 112.36x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 7
Alfred 4
John 4
Charles 3
George 3
Thomas 3
Arthur 2
Albert 1
Dennis 1
Elijah 1
Ernest 1
Havaland 1
Henry 1
Isaac 1
Richd. 1
Robert 1
Walter 1
Waring 1
Wm.Edward 1

FAQ

Hurl surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hurl surname in 1881?

In 1881, 102 people were recorded with the Hurl surname. That placed it at #19,518 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hurl surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 104 in 2016. That gives Hurl a modern rank of #30,317.

What does the Hurl surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English word "hyrlan", meaning "to throw or hurl".

What does the Hurl map show?

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