NameCensus.

UK surname

Spofforth

In the 1881 census there were 94 people recorded with the Spofforth surname, ranking it #20,467 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 167, ranked #22,055, down from #20,467 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, Bulmer and Leeds. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sefton, Mid Suffolk and Kensington and Chelsea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Spofforth is 194 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 77.7%.

1881 census count

94

Ranked #20,467

Modern count

167

2016, ranked #22,055

Peak year

2002

194 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Spofforth had 94 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,467 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 167 in 2016, ranked #22,055.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 137 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Spofforth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Spofforth surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Spofforth 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 69 #21,148
1861 historical 82 #23,321
1881 historical 94 #20,467
1891 historical 117 #21,658
1901 historical 137 #19,032
1911 historical 134 #19,131
1997 modern 165 #19,861
1998 modern 175 #19,658
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 179 #19,494
2001 modern 185 #18,840
2002 modern 194 #18,651
2003 modern 185 #18,999
2004 modern 191 #18,723
2005 modern 182 #19,259
2006 modern 181 #19,466
2007 modern 180 #19,745
2008 modern 176 #20,224
2009 modern 182 #20,201
2010 modern 177 #21,034
2011 modern 171 #21,337
2012 modern 163 #21,989
2013 modern 163 #22,342
2014 modern 163 #22,547
2015 modern 163 #22,407
2016 modern 167 #22,055

Geography

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Where Spofforths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, Bulmer, Leeds, Pontefract and St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sefton, Mid Suffolk and Kensington and Chelsea. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Bulmer Yorkshire, North Riding
3 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Pontefract Yorkshire, West Riding
5 St Michael-le-Belfry, St Giles Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sefton 023 Sefton
2 Mid Suffolk 002 Mid Suffolk
3 Kensington and Chelsea 018 Kensington and Chelsea
4 Sefton 010 Sefton
5 Sefton 031 Sefton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Spofforth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Spofforth

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Spofforth, 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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Spofforth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Spofforth 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Spofforth is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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 very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Spofforth 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

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

1881 census detail

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Spofforth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Spofforth 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. Yorkshire leads with 58 Spofforths recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.38x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 58 6.38x
Lancashire 8 0.74x
Durham 7 2.57x
Lincolnshire 6 4.09x
Middlesex 5 0.55x
Staffordshire 3 0.97x
Channel Islands 2 7.36x
Derbyshire 2 1.39x
Worcestershire 2 1.67x
Gloucestershire 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Knottingley in Yorkshire leads with 13 Spofforths recorded in 1881 and an index of 812.50x.

Place Total Index
Knottingley 13 812.50x
Hartlepool 7 180.41x
Liverpool 6 9.08x
York St Helen Stonegate 5 3571.43x
York St Mary 5 132.98x
Anlaby 4 2000.00x
Henderskelf 4 10000.00x
Wrawby 4 1000.00x
York Marygate St Olave 4 1142.86x
York St Maurice 4 233.92x
Batley 3 34.76x
Holy Trinity 3 13.73x
Lichfield St Chad 3 428.57x
Paddington London 3 8.90x
Clifton In York 2 105.26x
Hampstead London 2 14.01x
Kidderminster Borough 2 28.53x
Leeds 2 3.90x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 2 87.34x
Newbold Dunston 2 147.06x
Owston 2 476.19x
St Clement 2 487.80x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 16.67x
Dewsbury 1 10.73x
Etton 1 625.00x
Great Crosby 1 33.67x
Killinghall 1 476.19x
Leven 1 370.37x
West Derby 1 3.14x
Yeadon 1 48.78x
York Holy Trinity 1 128.21x
York St Giles In 1 116.28x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Ann 4
Annie 3
Frances 3
Catherine 2
Fanny 2
Helen 2
Margaret 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Demaris 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Henriette 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Rose 1
Rosey 1
Teresa 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 7
James 4
Thomas 4
William 4
Charles 3
George 3
Jno. 2
Markham 2
Robert 2
Walter 2
Albinus 1
Christopher 1
Edward 1
Fairfax 1
Francis 1
Franick 1
Henry 1
Jas. 1
Ralph 1
Samuel 1

FAQ

Spofforth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Spofforth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 94 people were recorded with the Spofforth surname. That placed it at #20,467 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Spofforth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 167 in 2016. That gives Spofforth a modern rank of #22,055.

What does the Spofforth map show?

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