NameCensus.

UK surname

Atwill

A locational surname referring to someone living near a whirlpool or eddy.

In the 1881 census there were 151 people recorded with the Atwill surname, ranking it #15,419 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 249, ranked #16,847, down from #15,419 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Plymouth St Charles the Martyr, London parishes and Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bristol, Test Valley and Sunderland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Atwill is 280 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 64.9%.

1881 census count

151

Ranked #15,419

Modern count

249

2016, ranked #16,847

Peak year

1911

280 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Atwill had 151 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,419 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 249 in 2016, ranked #16,847.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 280 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Atwill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Atwill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Atwill 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 135 #13,964
1861 historical 104 #20,477
1881 historical 151 #15,419
1891 historical 179 #16,198
1901 historical 254 #13,005
1911 historical 280 #11,982
1997 modern 248 #15,363
1998 modern 245 #15,903
1999 modern 246 #15,974
2000 modern 257 #15,468
2001 modern 246 #15,684
2002 modern 253 #15,677
2003 modern 249 #15,653
2004 modern 254 #15,540
2005 modern 240 #16,092
2006 modern 238 #16,288
2007 modern 246 #16,086
2008 modern 251 #16,026
2009 modern 251 #16,368
2010 modern 261 #16,294
2011 modern 258 #16,284
2012 modern 238 #17,092
2013 modern 258 #16,421
2014 modern 256 #16,643
2015 modern 254 #16,608
2016 modern 249 #16,847

Geography

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Where Atwills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Plymouth St Charles the Martyr, London parishes, Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841), Holbeton and Buckland Monachorum. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bristol, Test Valley, Sunderland, Purbeck and Babergh. 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 Plymouth St Charles the Martyr Devon
2 London parishes London 2
3 Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841) Devon
4 Holbeton Devon
5 Buckland Monachorum Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bristol 002 Bristol, City of
2 Test Valley 015 Test Valley
3 Sunderland 032 Sunderland
4 Purbeck 002 Purbeck
5 Babergh 009 Babergh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Atwill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Atwill

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Atwill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Atwill household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Atwill is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Atwill is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Atwill 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 Atwill is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Atwill

The surname Atwill is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "aet" meaning "at" and "willa" meaning "a spring or stream." It was likely first used as a locational name for someone who lived near a stream or well.

The name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Atuille" and "Atewelle." These early spellings suggest the name originated in the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, or Wiltshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is William Atwill, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. Another early record is that of John Atwyll, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

The Atwill family was well-established in the county of Warwickshire by the 16th century. Notable members include Richard Atwill (1540-1621), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist who founded a charity school in Bedworth, and John Atwill (1594-1668), a Member of Parliament for Warwick during the English Civil War.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England, suggesting early immigration to the American colonies. One of the first recorded Atwills in America was John Atwill (1640-1711), who settled in Newbury, Massachusetts in the 1660s.

Other notable individuals with the surname Atwill include William Atwill (1762-1846), an English architect who designed several churches and country houses, and William Townsend Atwill (1800-1867), a British naval officer and explorer who surveyed parts of the Pacific Ocean.

In the 19th century, the name was borne by several members of the British military, including Major-General Clarence Atwill (1838-1909), who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Atwill (1840-1904), who fought in the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Atwill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Atwill 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. Devon leads with 106 Atwills recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.57x.

County Total Index
Devon 106 34.57x
Middlesex 13 0.88x
Hampshire 8 2.65x
Dorset 7 7.24x
Glamorgan 6 2.34x
Surrey 4 0.56x
Kent 3 0.60x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.12x
Cornwall 1 0.60x
Lincolnshire 1 0.42x
Sussex 1 0.40x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Broadhempston in Devon leads with 19 Atwills recorded in 1881 and an index of 6551.72x.

Place Total Index
Broadhempston 19 6551.72x
Plymouth Charles The 15 111.03x
Plymouth St Andrew 10 42.34x
Bickleigh 9 3000.00x
Meavy 9 6428.57x
Christchurch 8 122.14x
Plympton St Mary 8 451.98x
Modbury 7 897.44x
Hackney London 6 7.27x
Roath 6 51.50x
Tamerton Foliott 6 1016.95x
Holbeton 5 892.86x
St Budeaux 5 526.32x
Tarrant Hinton 5 5000.00x
Camberwell 3 3.19x
Foots Cray 3 312.50x
Shoreditch London 3 4.70x
St Pancras London 3 2.53x
Wolborough 3 77.32x
East Stonehouse 2 33.11x
Ermington 2 178.57x
Malborough 2 163.93x
Parkstone 2 176.99x
Bethnal Green London 1 1.56x
Cornwood 1 169.49x
Eastbourne 1 8.75x
Exeter St Sidwell 1 14.25x
Great Grimsby 1 6.69x
Langley Marish 1 91.74x
Lidford 1 72.46x
Saltash 1 77.52x
Stoke Damerel 1 4.66x
Wimbledon 1 12.41x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 18
George 7
John 7
Thomas 7
Henry 5
James 5
Robert 5
Mark 4
Richard 4
Alfred 3
Samuel 3
Albert 2
Edward 2
Allen 1
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Owen 1
Robt.T.L. 1
Saml. 1

FAQ

Atwill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Atwill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 151 people were recorded with the Atwill surname. That placed it at #15,419 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Atwill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 249 in 2016. That gives Atwill a modern rank of #16,847.

What does the Atwill surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone living near a whirlpool or eddy.

What does the Atwill map show?

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