NameCensus.

UK surname

Hussey

An English occupational surname referring to someone who made hose or leggings.

In the 1881 census there were 3,013 people recorded with the Hussey surname, ranking it #1,489 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,975, ranked #1,704, down from #1,489 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Marylebone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Dorset, Herefordshire and Wokingham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hussey is 4,407 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 31.9%.

1881 census count

3,013

Ranked #1,489

Modern count

3,975

2016, ranked #1,704

Peak year

1999

4,407 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hussey had 3,013 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,489 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,975 in 2016, ranked #1,704.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,893 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Hussey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Hussey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hussey 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 1,912 #1,512
1861 historical 1,549 #1,835
1881 historical 3,013 #1,489
1891 historical 2,850 #1,667
1901 historical 3,495 #1,598
1911 historical 3,893 #1,321
1997 modern 4,163 #1,554
1998 modern 4,372 #1,541
1999 modern 4,407 #1,540
2000 modern 4,375 #1,543
2001 modern 4,245 #1,551
2002 modern 4,259 #1,572
2003 modern 4,130 #1,585
2004 modern 4,142 #1,587
2005 modern 4,003 #1,625
2006 modern 4,000 #1,623
2007 modern 4,033 #1,624
2008 modern 4,079 #1,623
2009 modern 4,167 #1,627
2010 modern 4,222 #1,638
2011 modern 4,171 #1,640
2012 modern 4,050 #1,656
2013 modern 4,166 #1,643
2014 modern 4,148 #1,658
2015 modern 4,042 #1,689
2016 modern 3,975 #1,704

Geography

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Where Husseys are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to West Dorset, Herefordshire, Wokingham, Monmouthshire and West 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 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Dorset 006 West Dorset
2 Herefordshire 006 Herefordshire, County of
3 Wokingham 013 Wokingham
4 Monmouthshire 010 Monmouthshire
5 West Devon 003 West Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hussey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hussey

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Hussey 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

Hussey is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hussey falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Hussey

The surname Hussey originated in Normandy, France, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "housseau," meaning "a little bush" or "a small thicket." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a dense growth of bushes or a wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hussey can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England compiled in 1086. The name appears as "Hosatus" and "Hosatus Normandus," indicating that the bearer was of Norman descent.

In the 12th century, the Hussey family established themselves in Lincolnshire, England, where they held significant landholdings. Sir Henry Hussey (c. 1265-1349) was a prominent member of this family and served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1329 to 1331.

During the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, Sir William Hussey (c. 1415-1495) was a staunch supporter of the House of Lancaster. He fought alongside King Henry VI and was rewarded with lands and titles for his loyalty.

Another notable figure was Sir James Hussey (c. 1470-1538), who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer under King Henry VIII. However, he fell out of favor with the monarch and was executed for his involvement in the Pilgrimage of Grace, a popular uprising against the king's policies.

In the 17th century, Giles Hussey (1610-1667) was an English merchant and politician who served as Sheriff of London in 1655. He was known for his involvement in the Virginia Company, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America.

Another notable bearer of the Hussey name was Thomas Hussey (1792-1877), an Irish mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was appointed as the first Andrews Professor of Astronomy at the University of Dublin.

The Hussey surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Hussey Tower in Lincolnshire, which was once the family's ancestral seat, and Hussey's Mill in Wiltshire, named after a prominent local family.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hussey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hussey 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. Middlesex leads with 479 Husseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.63x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 479 1.63x
Dorset 297 15.37x
Lancashire 248 0.71x
Surrey 209 1.46x
Devon 196 3.20x
Gloucestershire 153 2.65x
Kent 139 1.38x
Somerset 138 2.91x
Buckinghamshire 92 5.17x
Berkshire 91 4.12x
Hampshire 87 1.44x
Yorkshire 78 0.27x
Sussex 75 1.51x
Wiltshire 68 2.61x
Cheshire 67 1.03x
Hertfordshire 65 3.20x
Warwickshire 61 0.82x
Staffordshire 59 0.59x
Glamorgan 43 0.84x
Oxfordshire 41 2.25x
Shropshire 41 1.61x
Essex 38 0.65x
Nottinghamshire 25 0.63x
Worcestershire 25 0.65x
Durham 20 0.23x
Monmouthshire 20 0.94x
Northumberland 20 0.46x
Lincolnshire 17 0.36x
Lanarkshire 16 0.17x
Renfrewshire 14 0.61x
Carmarthenshire 12 0.97x
Norfolk 12 0.27x
Cambridgeshire 10 0.54x
Isle of Man 10 1.83x
Stirlingshire 9 0.83x
Suffolk 9 0.25x
Leicestershire 6 0.18x
Channel Islands 4 0.46x
Northamptonshire 4 0.14x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.32x
Anglesey 2 0.38x
Cornwall 2 0.06x
Derbyshire 2 0.04x
Fife 2 0.11x
Flintshire 2 0.25x
Bedfordshire 1 0.07x
Brecknockshire 1 0.17x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.08x
Herefordshire 1 0.08x
Midlothian 1 0.03x
Perthshire 1 0.08x
Royal Navy 1 0.28x
Wigtownshire 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bristol St Philip Jacob in Gloucestershire leads with 52 Husseys recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.56x.

Place Total Index
Bristol St Philip Jacob 52 9.56x
Kensington London 50 3.05x
St Marylebone London 47 2.99x
Thorncombe 47 423.04x
Birmingham 44 1.78x
St Pancras London 38 1.60x
Brighton 35 3.49x
Wycombe 33 24.86x
Bushey 31 64.14x
Newington 31 2.85x
Honiton 30 88.44x
Poplar London 29 5.22x
Bridport 26 65.34x
Manchester 26 1.65x
Paddington London 26 2.40x
Plumstead 26 7.76x
Bethnal Green London 25 1.95x
Lambeth 25 0.97x
Camberwell 24 1.28x
Clerkenwell London 24 3.45x
St Luke London 23 4.87x
Toxteth Park 23 1.94x
West Ham 21 1.64x
Battersea 20 1.85x
Chard 20 34.83x
Islington London 20 0.70x
Bristol St George 19 7.11x
Symondsbury 19 154.35x
Wargrave 19 100.05x
Allington 18 104.41x
Kirkdale 18 3.06x
Bedminster 17 3.82x
Hackney London 17 1.03x
West Derby 17 1.66x
Southwark St George Martyr 16 2.70x
Weymouth 16 43.70x
Clifton 15 5.14x
Leeds 15 0.91x
Liverpool 15 0.71x
Nottingham St Mary 15 1.46x
Oldham 15 1.33x
Shoreditch London 15 1.18x
Weston Super Mare 15 12.53x
Croydon 14 1.76x
Exeter St David 14 26.73x
Broadwinsor 13 102.69x
Carrington 13 294.12x
Deptford St Paul 13 1.68x
Reading St Giles 13 5.99x
Salford 13 1.26x
Tiverton 13 12.31x
Winterborne St Martin 13 300.23x
Beaminster 12 55.87x
Bromley London 12 1.85x
Exeter St Sidwell 12 8.55x
Kidderminster Borough 12 5.33x
Loders 12 124.87x
Mitcham 12 13.23x
St Martin In Fields 12 6.81x
Caversham 11 30.24x
Chelsea London 11 1.24x
Chideock 11 161.76x
Chorlton On Medlock 11 1.98x
Fulham London 11 2.58x
Kingswinford 11 3.05x
Netherbury 11 68.84x
Rotherhithe 11 3.02x
Stoke Abbott 11 198.20x
Stroud 11 9.79x
Trowbridge 11 9.56x
Wooburn 11 44.82x
Basingstoke 10 14.40x
Birkenhead 10 1.93x
Chertsey 10 10.79x
Chiswick 10 6.21x
Hawkchurch 10 166.39x
Itchingswell 10 222.22x
Newtown Nr Newbury 10 436.68x
Onchan 10 6.35x
Plymtree 10 227.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 215
Elizabeth 117
Sarah 100
Ann 59
Jane 55
Ellen 52
Eliza 49
Annie 47
Emma 46
Alice 38
Emily 32
Margaret 26
Martha 26
Catherine 25
Louisa 24
Susan 20
Charlotte 19
Ada 18
Hannah 18
Kate 16
Caroline 15
Agnes 14
Rose 14
Clara 13
Fanny 13
Florence 13
Rebecca 13
Harriet 12
Harriett 12
Maria 12
Amelia 11
Anne 11
Edith 11
Elizth. 10
Frances 10
Matilda 9
Jessie 8
Laura 8
Lucy 8
Julia 7
Anna 6
Minnie 6
Susannah 6
Bessie 5
Ethel 5
Flora 5
Gertrude 5
Henrietta 5
Maud 5
Phoebe 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 178
William 163
Thomas 123
George 107
James 107
Henry 92
Charles 62
Robert 48
Alfred 35
Joseph 35
Edward 31
Samuel 27
Albert 23
Frederick 23
Walter 22
Herbert 19
Francis 15
Frank 14
Arthur 13
Harry 13
Patrick 12
Edwin 11
Richard 11
Michael 10
Peter 9
Tom 7
Chas. 6
David 6
Ernest 6
Benjamin 5
Daniel 5
Edmund 5
Fredrick 5
Martin 5
Sidney 5
Earnest 4
Fredk. 4
Geo. 4
Isaac 4
Percy 4
Wm. 4
Andrew 3
Christopher 3
Ed. 3
Fred 3
Henery 3
Luke 3
Reginald 3
Timothy 3
Willie 3

FAQ

Hussey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hussey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,013 people were recorded with the Hussey surname. That placed it at #1,489 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hussey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,975 in 2016. That gives Hussey a modern rank of #1,704.

What does the Hussey surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to someone who made hose or leggings.

What does the Hussey map show?

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