NameCensus.

UK surname

Letch

In the 1881 census there were 294 people recorded with the Letch surname, ranking it #9,859 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 408, ranked #11,711, down from #9,859 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hedingham, Sible, Great and Little Bardfield and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Huntingdonshire, Braintree and East Hertfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Letch is 480 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.8%.

1881 census count

294

Ranked #9,859

Modern count

408

2016, ranked #11,711

Peak year

1998

480 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Letch had 294 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,859 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 408 in 2016, ranked #11,711.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 432 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Letch surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Letch surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Letch 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 148 #13,028
1861 historical 173 #13,553
1881 historical 294 #9,859
1891 historical 334 #10,198
1901 historical 354 #10,347
1911 historical 432 #8,779
1997 modern 455 #9,985
1998 modern 480 #9,909
1999 modern 465 #10,202
2000 modern 457 #10,300
2001 modern 449 #10,254
2002 modern 452 #10,408
2003 modern 440 #10,475
2004 modern 435 #10,600
2005 modern 438 #10,422
2006 modern 417 #10,886
2007 modern 422 #10,904
2008 modern 413 #11,185
2009 modern 426 #11,146
2010 modern 429 #11,324
2011 modern 431 #11,155
2012 modern 417 #11,346
2013 modern 420 #11,489
2014 modern 417 #11,632
2015 modern 410 #11,686
2016 modern 408 #11,711

Geography

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Where Letchs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hedingham, Sible, Great and Little Bardfield, London parishes and St John Hackney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Huntingdonshire, Braintree, East Hertfordshire and Peterborough. 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 Hedingham, Sible Essex
2 Great and Little Bardfield Essex
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 St John Hackney London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Huntingdonshire 001 Huntingdonshire
2 Braintree 004 Braintree
3 East Hertfordshire 011 East Hertfordshire
4 Peterborough 021 Peterborough
5 Braintree 003 Braintree

Forenames

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First names often paired with Letch

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Letch

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

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Letch is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Letch 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

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

1881 census detail

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Letch families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Letch 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. Essex leads with 182 Letchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.15x.

County Total Index
Essex 182 32.15x
Middlesex 53 1.85x
Surrey 13 0.93x
Yorkshire 9 0.32x
Durham 7 0.82x
Lancashire 6 0.18x
Kent 5 0.51x
Northamptonshire 5 1.85x
Worcestershire 3 0.80x
Angus 2 0.75x
Lanarkshire 2 0.22x
Berkshire 1 0.46x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.55x
Cheshire 1 0.16x
Devon 1 0.17x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.26x
Suffolk 1 0.29x
Sussex 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sible Hedingham in Essex leads with 51 Letchs recorded in 1881 and an index of 2698.41x.

Place Total Index
Sible Hedingham 51 2698.41x
Great Bardfield 23 2473.12x
Great Dunmow 11 372.88x
Little Bardfield 11 3235.29x
Nevendon 10 7692.31x
St Pancras London 10 4.33x
Mile End New Town London 9 158.73x
Stisted 9 1232.88x
Hackney London 8 4.98x
High Ongar 8 769.23x
Wickford 8 2000.00x
Camberwell 7 3.82x
Ecclesall Bierlow 7 12.11x
Halstead 7 106.06x
West Ham 7 5.60x
Braintree 6 118.11x
Hornchurch 6 215.83x
Manchester 6 3.92x
Bromley London 5 7.92x
Colchester St Giles 5 89.45x
Toppesfield 5 588.24x
Whitechapel London 5 17.69x
Islington London 4 1.44x
Newington 4 3.78x
Westminster St John 4 11.45x
Chester Le Street 3 45.80x
Finchingfield 3 169.49x
Grays Thurrock 3 57.03x
Peterborough 3 15.36x
Worcester St Peter 3 42.31x
Barony 2 0.85x
Birtley 2 57.47x
Colchester St Botolph 2 41.49x
Liff Benvie 2 4.96x
Margate St John Baptist 2 11.16x
Penshaw 2 78.13x
Sheffield 2 2.21x
St Mary Cray 2 106.95x
Thaxted 2 106.38x
Tichmarsh 2 219.78x
Battersea 1 0.95x
Bethnal Green London 1 0.80x
Bocking 1 29.41x
Chelmsford 1 10.30x
Chislehurst 1 19.05x
Clerkenwell London 1 1.48x
Dunham Massey 1 51.55x
Fletching 1 46.30x
Hampstead London 1 2.24x
Isleworth 1 7.84x
Kensington London 1 0.63x
Milton 1 185.19x
Nottingham St Mary 1 1.00x
Putney 1 7.65x
Southchurch 1 192.31x
St George Bloomsbury 1 6.08x
St George Martyr London 1 17.21x
St Martin In Fields 1 5.82x
Stebbing 1 90.91x
Sudbury St Gregory 1 35.71x
Tormoham 1 3.96x
Wantage 1 29.15x
West Bergholt 1 94.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Sarah 11
Alice 9
Emma 8
Emily 6
Jane 6
Ada 5
Ann 4
Edith 4
Harriet 4
Kitty 4
Agnes 3
Elizabeth 3
Ellen 3
Hannah 3
Kate 3
Martha 3
Minnie 3
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Florence 2
Laura 2
Louisa 2
Margaret 2
Maryann 2
Maud 2
Rebecca 2
Rose 2
Clara 1
Constance 1
Dora 1
Dorothy 1
Eleanor 1
Emeline 1
Esther 1
Georgianna 1
Gertrude 1
Ida 1
Julia 1
Latica 1
Letilla 1
Liley 1
Lilian 1
Lizzie 1
Margrett 1
Maria 1
May 1
Nellie 1
Pheobe 1
Susyana 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 13
Thomas 12
George 11
John 11
Walter 7
Harry 6
Arthur 5
Charles 5
Robert 5
Samuel 5
Andrew 4
Frederick 4
Henry 4
Alfred 3
Frank 3
James 3
Joseph 3
Aaron 2
Albert 2
Edward 2
Fredk. 2
Isaac 2
Richard 2
Ambrose 1
Augustus 1
Bertie 1
Daniel 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Ethelbert 1
Fred. 1
Golden 1
Herbert 1
Jabez 1
Leonard 1
Louis 1
Luke 1
Markwell 1
Marsh 1
Robt. 1
Roger 1
Solomon 1
Wm. 1
Wm.H. 1
Wm.Jas. 1

FAQ

Letch surname: questions and answers

How common was the Letch surname in 1881?

In 1881, 294 people were recorded with the Letch surname. That placed it at #9,859 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Letch surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 408 in 2016. That gives Letch a modern rank of #11,711.

What does the Letch map show?

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