NameCensus.

UK surname

Aspell

A spelling variant of the English habitational surname Aspel or Aspill.

In the 1881 census there were 71 people recorded with the Aspell surname, ranking it #23,517 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 166, ranked #22,140, up from #23,517 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Luton, Cheshire East and Swansea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Aspell is 180 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 133.8%.

1881 census count

71

Ranked #23,517

Modern count

166

2016, ranked #22,140

Peak year

1999

180 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Aspell had 71 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,517 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 166 in 2016, ranked #22,140.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 99 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Aspell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Aspell surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Aspell 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 55 #23,413
1861 historical 42 #28,691
1881 historical 71 #23,517
1891 historical 62 #28,991
1901 historical 79 #25,363
1911 historical 99 #22,850
1997 modern 167 #19,722
1998 modern 173 #19,821
1999 modern 180 #19,454
2000 modern 175 #19,764
2001 modern 174 #19,562
2002 modern 169 #20,307
2003 modern 164 #20,483
2004 modern 172 #20,008
2005 modern 162 #20,716
2006 modern 157 #21,322
2007 modern 156 #21,650
2008 modern 158 #21,690
2009 modern 157 #22,271
2010 modern 159 #22,577
2011 modern 168 #21,563
2012 modern 162 #22,078
2013 modern 164 #22,236
2014 modern 168 #22,075
2015 modern 172 #21,649
2016 modern 166 #22,140

Geography

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Where Aspells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Luton, Cheshire East, Swansea and Manchester. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Luton 016 Luton
2 Cheshire East 027 Cheshire East
3 Swansea 019 Swansea
4 Manchester 002 Manchester
5 Luton 007 Luton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Aspell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Aspell

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Aspell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Aspell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Aspell is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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 residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Aspell 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

Aspell 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 Aspell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Aspell, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Aspell

The surname Aspell has its origins in England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "æspe" and "hyll," which together translate to "aspen hill" or "hill where aspen trees grow." This suggests that the name may have initially been a topographic descriptor, referring to a specific location or landmark associated with aspen trees.

Aspell is a variant spelling of the more common surname Aspall, which is found in historical records from as early as the 13th century. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk, dated 1327, where it is recorded as "Aspehull."

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror, there is a mention of a place called "Aspeleia" in Norfolk, which may have been the ancestral home of the Aspell family.

The surname Aspell can be traced back to various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex, where several families bearing this name were established in the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable example is William Aspell (1549-1624), a prominent landowner and local magistrate in Suffolk.

Another early recorded instance of the name is found in the parish registers of Bildeston, Suffolk, where the marriage of Thomas Aspell and Agnes Cobb was recorded in 1589.

In the 18th century, the Aspell surname appeared in various records from the county of Essex. One notable individual was John Aspell (1713-1786), a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as a churchwarden in the parish of Sible Hedingham.

The 19th century saw the Aspell name spread across different regions of England, with families recorded in places like Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and London. One notable bearer of the name was William Aspell (1820-1892), a prominent figure in the early labor movement and a founding member of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers.

As the Aspell surname continued to spread and evolve, it has been subject to various spelling variations over the centuries, including Aspill, Aspyll, and Aspel. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects, scribal errors, or personal preferences in spelling.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Aspell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Aspell 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. Lancashire leads with 23 Aspells recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.72x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 23 2.72x
Leicestershire 19 24.07x
Durham 7 3.30x
Cheshire 5 3.18x
Middlesex 4 0.56x
Derbyshire 3 2.69x
Gloucestershire 3 2.15x
Glamorgan 2 1.61x
Isle of Man 2 15.13x
Roxburghshire 2 15.50x
Kent 1 0.41x
Midlothian 1 1.05x
Worcestershire 1 1.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leicester St Mary in Leicestershire leads with 7 Aspells recorded in 1881 and an index of 109.72x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Mary 7 109.72x
Lutterworth 7 1458.33x
Manchester 7 18.43x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 6 65.43x
Salford 6 24.14x
Middleton In Oldham 5 197.63x
Tottenham 4 35.27x
Birkenhead 3 23.94x
Cirencester 3 158.73x
Derby St Werburgh 3 46.58x
Ratby 3 750.00x
Stretford 3 64.52x
Hawick 2 69.20x
Oldham 2 7.33x
Onchan 2 52.49x
Acton In Northwich 1 666.67x
Alfrick 1 909.09x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 2.61x
Gillingham 1 19.96x
Harton 1 119.05x
Leicester Newarke 1 243.90x
Penarth 1 82.64x
Stockport Etchells 1 303.03x
Swansea Town 1 9.84x
Whitwick 1 100.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Ann 3
Annie 2
Elizabeth 2
Lucy 2
Susannah 2
Cealia 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Hannah 1
Jane 1
Lizzie 1
Maria 1
Prescilla 1
Ruth 1
Sarah 1
Winterhalder 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 7
John 5
Thomas 5
William 5
Samuel 4
Arthur 1
Edward 1
Fred 1
Fred. 1
George 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Infant 1
Joseph 1
Joshua 1
Ruben 1
Sam 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Aspell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Aspell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 71 people were recorded with the Aspell surname. That placed it at #23,517 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Aspell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 166 in 2016. That gives Aspell a modern rank of #22,140.

What does the Aspell surname mean?

A spelling variant of the English habitational surname Aspel or Aspill.

What does the Aspell map show?

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