Show ContentsHinchliffe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestry of the name Hinchliffe dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived at Hinchcliff, now named Hinchliffe Mill, a spot in the township of Austonley, close to Holmtorth in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The name was derived from the Old English phrase "henge-clif" meaning "steep cliff." 1 2

Early Origins of the Hinchliffe family

The surname Hinchliffe was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire where one of the first records of the name was John de Hengeclif who was listed in the Court Rolls of the Manor or Wakefield in 1324. Agnes de Hingeclif was listed in the same reference but a few years later in 1327. The Register of Freeman in York list William Hynsecliff in 1485 and Henry Hensceclyf in 1552. John Hyncheclyffe was listed in Sheffield in 1441 and so was John Hinchliffe in 1633. 3 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Johannes de Hyncheclyff; Willelmus de Hynchecliff; and Ricardus de Hynchecliff. 2

Early History of the Hinchliffe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hinchliffe research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1170 is included under the topic Early Hinchliffe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hinchliffe Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Hinchliffe have been found, including Hinchcliffe, Hinchliffe, Hinchcliff, Hincliffe, Henchcliff and many more.

Early Notables of the Hinchliffe family

More information is included under the topic Early Hinchliffe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Hinchliffe migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Hinchliffe, or a variant listed above:

Hinchliffe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Hinchliffe, aged 44, who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool, in 1897
Hinchliffe Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mary Hinchliffe, aged 32, who settled in America from Halifax, England, in 1904
  • Alfred Hinchliffe, aged 28, who landed in America from Plymouth, Devon, England, in 1907
  • Philip M. Hinchliffe, aged 5, who landed in America from Huddersfield, England, in 1909
  • Ronald G Hinchliffe, aged 7, who immigrated to the United States from Huddersfield, England, in 1909
  • Katherine Hinchliffe, aged 32, who landed in America from Huddersfield, England, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hinchliffe migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hinchliffe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Benjamin Hinchliffe, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
  • Mr. Elijah Hinchliffe, (b. 1817), aged 24, English farmer who was convicted in Knutsford, Cheshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1899 5
  • G. Hinchliffe, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Arab" in 1843 6
  • Martha Hinchliffe, aged 49, a cook, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Melbourne"

Contemporary Notables of the name Hinchliffe (post 1700) +

  • Brett Hinchliffe (b. 1974), American former Major League Baseball player
  • Stephen Leonard Hinchliffe (b. 1950), English businessman and founder of the former retail empire Facia group, which had up to 850 stores before it collapsed in 1996
  • Ben Hinchliffe (b. 1988), English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL League One club Stockport County
  • David Martin Hinchliffe (b. 1948), English politician, Labour Member of Parliament for Wakefield from 1987 to 2005
  • John Hinchliffe (1731-1794), English cleric, Bishop of Peterborough (1769–1794), Dean of Durham (1788-1794), Master of Trinity College, Cambridge (1768–1789)
  • Captain Walter George Raymond "Hinch" Hinchliffe DFC (1894-1928), English Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force flying ace in World War I, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross
  • Bishop John Hinchliffe (1731-1794), English churchman and college fellow
  • Craig Hinchliffe (b. 1972), Scottish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper
  • Louie Hinchliffe (b. 2002), British sprinter, winner of the 2024 NCAA Championships 100 metres title with a time of 9.95 seconds
  • Ian Hinchliffe (b. 1952), British physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ARAB 1843. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1843Arab.htm


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