NameCensus.

UK surname

Averill

From the Old French "Avril," referring to someone born or baptized in April, or from a place name meaning "April town."

In the 1881 census there were 272 people recorded with the Averill surname, ranking it #10,409 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 498, ranked #10,010, up from #10,409 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Yardley, Wolstanton and Kings Norton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Norfolk, South Tyneside and Helensburgh Centre.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Averill is 522 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 83.1%.

1881 census count

272

Ranked #10,409

Modern count

498

2016, ranked #10,010

Peak year

2011

522 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Averill had 272 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,409 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 498 in 2016, ranked #10,010.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 418 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Averill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Averill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Averill 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 171 #11,730
1861 historical 180 #13,057
1881 historical 272 #10,409
1891 historical 320 #10,546
1901 historical 357 #10,280
1911 historical 418 #9,006
1997 modern 440 #10,247
1998 modern 501 #9,578
1999 modern 494 #9,752
2000 modern 498 #9,667
2001 modern 469 #9,927
2002 modern 481 #9,923
2003 modern 461 #10,072
2004 modern 488 #9,675
2005 modern 492 #9,553
2006 modern 485 #9,691
2007 modern 478 #9,891
2008 modern 499 #9,646
2009 modern 510 #9,699
2010 modern 521 #9,752
2011 modern 522 #9,645
2012 modern 499 #9,870
2013 modern 518 #9,755
2014 modern 522 #9,778
2015 modern 510 #9,875
2016 modern 498 #10,010

Geography

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Where Averills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Yardley, Wolstanton, Kings Norton, Ashley and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Norfolk, South Tyneside, Helensburgh Centre, Cornwall and East Staffordshire. 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 Yardley Warwickshire
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 Kings Norton Worcestershire
4 Ashley Shropshire
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Norfolk 006 South Norfolk
2 South Tyneside 009 South Tyneside
3 Helensburgh Centre Argyll and Bute
4 Cornwall 036 Cornwall
5 East Staffordshire 006 East Staffordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Averill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Averill

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Averill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Averill 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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, Averill 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

Averill is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Averill

The surname Averill is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "aefre" meaning "ever" and "rill" meaning "stream". It is believed to have originated in the 12th century and referred to someone who lived near a permanent or ever-flowing stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1195, which mention a Ralph Averill. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain a reference to a Walter de Averill from Oxfordshire.

The surname Averill is closely linked to various place names in England, such as Averill in Gloucestershire and Averill's Brook in Wiltshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling variations of the surname, including Averell, Averall, and Avrill.

During the 13th century, the name appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire, where a Roger Averill was recorded. In the 14th century, the Poll Tax returns of Yorkshire mentioned a Johannes Averill in 1379.

Notable individuals with the surname Averill throughout history include Thomas Averill (c.1550-1638), an English poet and clergyman, and William Averill (1720-1790), a loyalist during the American Revolutionary War who later became a Member of Parliament in Nova Scotia.

Other historical figures bearing the surname include George Averill (1789-1870), an American farmer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York, and John Thomas Averill (1825-1889), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, known for his role in the Battle of Gettysburg.

In the 19th century, John Averill (1808-1889) was a prominent Canadian merchant and entrepreneur, while Samuel Averill (1799-1859) was an American lawyer and judge who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Averill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Averill 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. Staffordshire leads with 115 Averills recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.84x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 115 12.84x
Worcestershire 43 12.41x
Warwickshire 34 5.08x
Lancashire 13 0.41x
Oxfordshire 13 7.93x
Gloucestershire 12 2.31x
Dumfriesshire 6 10.24x
Middlesex 6 0.23x
Nottinghamshire 5 1.40x
Cheshire 4 0.68x
Devon 4 0.72x
Sussex 4 0.89x
Durham 3 0.38x
Shropshire 3 1.31x
Glamorgan 2 0.43x
Berkshire 1 0.50x
Kent 1 0.11x
Monmouthshire 1 0.52x
Surrey 1 0.08x
Wiltshire 1 0.43x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kings Norton in Worcestershire leads with 22 Averills recorded in 1881 and an index of 70.81x.

Place Total Index
Kings Norton 22 70.81x
Stoke Upon Trent 16 16.85x
Aston 15 8.14x
Wolstanton 12 44.12x
Stone 11 95.99x
Kings Bromley 10 1960.78x
Castle Church 9 167.29x
Worsley 9 46.37x
Hopton Coton 8 629.92x
Kinver 8 310.08x
Bicester Market End 7 232.56x
Birmingham 7 3.14x
Alcester 6 271.49x
Berrow 6 1764.71x
Chipping Campden 6 355.03x
Stowe 6 1764.71x
Torthorwald 6 666.67x
Whitmore 6 2500.00x
Burslem 5 19.49x
Cannock 5 31.99x
Nottingham St Mary 5 5.41x
Oxford St Giles 5 63.94x
Cheadle 4 93.02x
Dymock 4 322.58x
Evesham St Lawrence 4 217.39x
Glynde 4 1538.46x
Monks Coppenhall 4 18.10x
Broadway 3 201.34x
Bromley London 3 5.14x
Checkley 3 128.76x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 3 8.77x
Kingsley 3 179.64x
Kirkdale 3 5.66x
St Bartholomew Great 3 124.48x
Whitchurch 3 67.42x
Ashley 2 273.97x
Austrey 2 606.06x
Cardiff St John 2 13.25x
Hallow 2 117.65x
Kenton 2 114.94x
Oldbury 2 11.73x
South Littleton 2 666.67x
Sutton Coldfield 2 28.45x
Whitgreave 2 1428.57x
Wolstanton Knutton 2 36.56x
Budbrooke 1 147.06x
Charlbury 1 54.35x
Cheltenham 1 2.49x
Clewer 1 12.25x
Evesham All Sts 1 62.11x
Kingston On Thames 1 3.22x
Little Tintern 1 333.33x
Liverpool 1 0.52x
Mickleton 1 147.06x
Newcastle Under Lyme 1 6.31x
Newton Regis 1 243.90x
Pershore St Andrew 1 52.36x
Plymouth Charles The 1 4.11x
Ramsgate 1 6.77x
Swindon 1 5.49x
Swynnerton 1 140.85x
West Teignmouth 1 23.70x
Whittington 1 54.64x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Thomas 21
George 11
William 11
John 10
Charles 9
Henry 8
Samuel 8
Alfred 6
Arthur 4
Frederick 3
James 3
Robert 3
Edward 2
Isaac 2
Joseph 2
Leonard 2
Morris 2
Stephen 2
Abraham 1
Albert 1
Alfd. 1
Allen 1
Cecil 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Godfrey 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Howard 1
Jas. 1
Jesse 1
Jno. 1
Josiah 1
Kenneth 1
Nathaniel 1
Richard 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Averill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Averill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 272 people were recorded with the Averill surname. That placed it at #10,409 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Averill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 498 in 2016. That gives Averill a modern rank of #10,010.

What does the Averill surname mean?

From the Old French "Avril," referring to someone born or baptized in April, or from a place name meaning "April town."

What does the Averill map show?

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