The Underhill surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,839 people carried this name — #5,119 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 43,100 people counted. That is up 1% from 6,747 in 2000.

See Underhill on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Underhill surname

From under + hill, a topographic surname for someone who lived at the foot of a hill.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Underhill» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘under the hill’.

An early record he cites: William Underhill, Bedfordshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 776 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Underhill was found among the farmers of Devon: 10 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Devon 10

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

88 families named Underhill, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 560 people lived in those households, 6.4 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Underhill, Underhil, Undrill. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 63
New Hampshire 9
Maryland 5
Vermont 3
North Carolina 3
Pennsylvania 2
Virginia 2
Connecticut 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 266 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Underhill in American newspapers,
1889–1908.

Newspaper page from The Beatrice Daily Express carrying the name Underhill
The Beatrice Daily Express 1904-11-23
Newspaper page from The Denison Review carrying the name Underhill
The Denison Review 1908-01-29
Newspaper page from San Antonio Daily Light carrying the name Underhill
San Antonio Daily Light 1889-02-15

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 50,002 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Underhill in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1980s.

4,920 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Underhill. The most, 1,221, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 2.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,513
Queensland 494
Victoria 423
Western Australia 159
South Australia 113
Tasmania 112
ACT (Canberra) 87
Northern Territory 11

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Underhill.

Who carried it

People named Underhill,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Underhill
    John Underhill 1597–1672 · magistrate
  • John Underhill
    John Underhill 1609–1672 · magistrate
  • Sir William Underhill
    Sir William Underhill 1624–1710
  • Edward Underhill 1512– · politician
  • George Underhill 1573–1624
  • Samuel Underhill 1674–1754

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Underhill,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,066 records

1,066 records of the Underhill name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 475
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 219
  • Other U.S. records 372
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Chester M. Underhill

    Born 1910 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; porter from Westchester County. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1959, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Underhill

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of Rome from Glasgow and Moville, aged 45; tourist. From Glasgow; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Virgil E. Underhill

    Born 1930; from Charlotte County, Florida. U.S. Army, fire direction and liaison operator; declared dead 1950 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,066 records for Underhill in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia168 records

168 records of the Underhill name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 66
  • Tasmanian Names Index 37
  • Other Australian records 65
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Rebecca Underhill

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Emma Eugenia, sailing from London in 1843. Native of Devon. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robert Underhill

    Arrived in Victoria in 1887 aboard the Austral, aged 30; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Benjamin Underhill

    Engine driver of Richmond, Victoria; died 1936.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 168 records for Underhill in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada62 records

62 records of the Underhill name in Canada
  • City of Niagara Falls (Ontario) cemetery records 24
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 13
  • Other Canadian records 25
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Arnold George Underhill

    Buried in 1966 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 47.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record George Holton Underhill

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record James Underhill

    Listed at Horton, Kings, Nova Scotia in the census and tax rolls of 1791.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 62 records for Underhill in Canada.

Counts: City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom20 records

20 records of the Underhill name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 18
  • Stirling Council burial records 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Daniel Taylor Underhill

    Buried in 1977 at Callander Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 21.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Underhill

    Bedfordshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Underhill

    Coldstream Guards. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 20 records for Underhill in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Underhill name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Francis Underhill

    Buried in 1889 at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury, aged 77.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Underhill name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Francis Jay Underhill

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1863 in Chelsea.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Underhill.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Underhill is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Underhill volume
Scroll to Top