NameCensus.

UK surname

Bell

An occupational surname referring to a bell founder or bell ringer.

In the 1881 census there were 56,099 people recorded with the Bell surname, ranking it #48 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 78,858, ranked #50, down from #48 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carlisle and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bell is 80,932 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.6%.

1881 census count

56,099

Ranked #48

Modern count

78,858

2016, ranked #50

Peak year

2010

80,932 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bell had 56,099 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #48 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 78,858 in 2016, ranked #50.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 70,097 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Bell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bell surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Bell 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 38,371 #44
1861 historical 39,331 #44
1881 historical 56,099 #48
1891 historical 61,337 #48
1901 historical 70,097 #48
1911 historical 60,597 #54
1997 modern 77,569 #48
1998 modern 80,080 #48
1999 modern 80,631 #48
2000 modern 80,260 #48
2001 modern 77,962 #48
2002 modern 79,647 #48
2003 modern 77,368 #48
2004 modern 77,219 #48
2005 modern 76,520 #48
2006 modern 76,578 #48
2007 modern 77,066 #48
2008 modern 77,394 #49
2009 modern 79,207 #49
2010 modern 80,932 #49
2011 modern 79,630 #49
2012 modern 78,078 #49
2013 modern 79,469 #50
2014 modern 80,049 #50
2015 modern 79,138 #50
2016 modern 78,858 #50

Geography

Back to top

Where Bells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Gateshead and Govan Combination. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Carlisle and County Durham. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Govan Combination Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carlisle 010 Carlisle
2 County Durham 010 County Durham
3 Carlisle 013 Carlisle
4 County Durham 014 County Durham
5 Carlisle 009 Carlisle

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Bell

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Bell

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Bell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Bell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Bell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bell is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bell falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bell 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 Bell, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bell

The surname Bell is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word 'belle', which means 'bell'. It was originally an occupational surname given to those who worked as bell-ringers, either in churches or towns. The earliest records of the name date back to the late 12th century.

One of the earliest known records of the surname Bell is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where a man named William le Belleringe is mentioned. This suggests that the name was in use as an occupational surname by the late 12th century.

The surname Bell is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists several places with names that contain the element 'bell', such as Belchamp in Essex and Belford in Northumberland. These place names were likely derived from the Old English word 'belle', indicating the presence of bell-ringers or bell-makers in those areas.

In the 13th century, the surname Bell appears in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a man named Richard le Belleyetere is listed. The surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a man named Robert le Bell is recorded.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Bell was Sir Robert Bell, a Scottish clergyman who served as the Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1498 to 1500. Another notable person with this surname was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-born inventor who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone.

Other famous individuals with the surname Bell include John Bell (1797-1869), an American politician and Secretary of War under President William Henry Harrison, and Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), a British writer, traveler, and political officer who played a significant role in establishing the modern state of Iraq.

Ian Bell (born 1982) is a former English cricketer who played for the England national team and was part of the team that won the Ashes in 2005 and 2009. Joshua Bell (born 1967) is an American violinist and conductor who is widely recognized as one of the world's greatest classical musicians.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Bell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bell 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. Yorkshire leads with 6,796 Bells recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.25x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 6,796 1.25x
Durham 6,679 4.09x
Lancashire 4,960 0.76x
Northumberland 4,548 5.57x
Cumberland 3,625 7.67x
Middlesex 3,504 0.64x
Lanarkshire 3,104 1.75x
Dumfriesshire 1,698 14.00x
Lincolnshire 1,562 1.78x
Midlothian 1,381 1.88x
Surrey 1,304 0.49x
Norfolk 1,058 1.25x
Cheshire 883 0.73x
Angus 879 1.73x
Kent 837 0.45x
Nottinghamshire 757 1.02x
Fife 753 2.32x
Renfrewshire 639 1.50x
Hampshire 623 0.55x
Ayrshire 617 1.50x
Essex 585 0.54x
Roxburghshire 501 5.04x
Staffordshire 434 0.23x
Warwickshire 423 0.31x
Westmorland 382 3.17x
Argyllshire 377 2.47x
Stirlingshire 351 1.73x
Derbyshire 339 0.39x
Cambridgeshire 337 0.97x
Leicestershire 331 0.54x
Perthshire 330 1.34x
Somerset 327 0.37x
Sussex 292 0.32x
Northamptonshire 279 0.54x
Gloucestershire 272 0.25x
Worcestershire 260 0.36x
Kirkcudbrightshire 244 3.07x
Devon 238 0.21x
Dunbartonshire 233 1.58x
Isle of Man 231 2.27x
Berwickshire 215 3.23x
Wigtownshire 204 2.80x
Glamorgan 201 0.21x
Suffolk 198 0.30x
Aberdeenshire 197 0.39x
West Lothian 195 2.36x
Wiltshire 182 0.37x
East Lothian 178 2.45x
Hertfordshire 172 0.45x
Selkirkshire 159 3.20x
Bedfordshire 101 0.36x
Berkshire 100 0.24x
Buteshire 100 3.01x
Shropshire 89 0.19x
Buckinghamshire 87 0.26x
Dorset 81 0.22x
Monmouthshire 68 0.17x
Kincardineshire 59 0.88x
Rutland 59 1.46x
Flintshire 58 0.39x
Oxfordshire 54 0.16x
Inverness-shire 53 0.32x
Huntingdonshire 49 0.45x
Cornwall 46 0.07x
Royal Navy 45 0.69x
Clackmannanshire 33 0.73x
Channel Islands 32 0.20x
Brecknockshire 29 0.26x
Peeblesshire 29 1.12x
Ross-shire 29 0.19x
Kinross-shire 18 1.30x
Anglesey 17 0.17x
Banffshire 17 0.15x
Herefordshire 16 0.07x
Morayshire 16 0.19x
Denbighshire 14 0.07x
Carmarthenshire 13 0.06x
Merionethshire 13 0.13x
Sutherland 13 0.31x
Caernarfonshire 12 0.05x
Radnorshire 12 0.27x
Orkney 9 0.15x
Montgomeryshire 7 0.06x
Caithness 6 0.08x
Cardiganshire 6 0.04x
Nairnshire 6 0.36x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 760 Bells recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.73x.

Place Total Index
Govan 760 1.73x
Barony 714 1.59x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 602 2.03x
Gateshead 496 4.06x
Glasgow 474 1.50x
Bishopwearmouth 470 3.35x
Islington London 432 0.81x
Westoe 367 3.96x
Leeds 342 1.11x
Dundee 337 1.78x
Elswick 333 5.11x
Liverpool 330 0.83x
St Pancras London 303 0.69x
Everton 286 1.38x
Lambeth 284 0.59x
Toxteth Park 282 1.28x
Westgate 269 5.32x
Darlington 248 3.93x
Sheffield 232 1.34x
Hackney London 231 0.75x
Newcastle On Tyne St 226 5.34x
Heworth 224 6.96x
Barrow In Furness 216 2.44x
St Cuthbert W O 216 9.38x
Manchester 213 0.73x
Caldewgate 212 8.19x
Bradford 204 1.55x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 204 4.18x
West Derby 200 1.05x
St Marylebone London 198 0.68x
Byker 197 4.88x
Preston 197 1.13x
Old Monkland 193 2.74x
Blackburn 192 1.11x
Camberwell 190 0.54x
Sculcoates 190 2.20x
Wallsend 184 7.10x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 181 2.56x
Birmingham 177 0.38x
Kensington London 173 0.57x
Stockton On Tees 171 2.17x
Holy Trinity 168 1.28x
Langholm 168 19.28x
Annan 165 15.84x
West Ham 160 0.67x
Hexham 157 12.42x
Hawick 156 7.01x
Tynemouth 156 3.57x
Hammersmith London 152 1.12x
Shoreditch London 150 0.63x
Workington 149 5.51x
Hulme 148 1.09x
Nottingham St Mary 145 0.76x
Stranton 145 2.64x
Bedlington 143 5.24x
Middlesbrough 140 1.98x
Hamilton 139 2.81x
Leicester St Margaret 139 0.94x
South Leith 138 1.67x
Brampton 137 21.14x
New Monkland 134 2.55x
Penrith 134 7.67x
Thornaby 133 6.54x
Paddington London 132 0.65x
Dryfesdale 129 23.08x
Brightside Bierlow 126 1.18x
Kirkdale 125 1.14x
Abbey 124 1.91x
Whitehaven 123 4.88x
Liff Benvie 122 1.58x
Cockermouth 121 12.16x
Longbenton 119 3.44x
West Greenock 117 1.53x
Battersea 116 0.57x
Haltwhistle 116 29.27x
St George Hanover Square 116 1.20x
Salford 114 0.60x
Portsea 113 0.51x
Stanhope 113 6.70x
Arthuret 112 22.72x
Ecclesall Bierlow 108 0.98x
Bermondsey 106 0.65x
Brandon Byshottles 106 5.18x
Dunfermline 105 2.10x
Chelsea London 102 0.62x
Nether Hallam 102 1.39x
Bothwell 101 2.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3,253
Elizabeth 1,965
Sarah 1,422
Jane 1,341
Margaret 1,018
Ann 932
Annie 658
Hannah 558
Alice 469
Eliza 464
Ellen 446
Isabella 444
Emma 440
Martha 367
Emily 328
Catherine 252
Maria 227
Louisa 219
Florence 213
Agnes 207
Edith 205
Harriet 205
Ada 201
Charlotte 196
Frances 174
Fanny 167
Clara 157
Anne 145
Eleanor 145
Caroline 140
Kate 132
Lucy 117
Susan 107
Dorothy 100
Jessie 100
Rebecca 99
Elizth. 95
Esther 95
Susannah 93
Rose 86
Amelia 85
Minnie 76
Harriett 72
Ruth 71
Gertrude 69
Janet 69
Ethel 66
Amy 65
Sophia 59
Matilda 58

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 3,193
William 2,793
Thomas 1,687
George 1,623
James 1,414
Robert 1,098
Joseph 959
Henry 719
Charles 638
Edward 433
Richard 360
Arthur 307
Alfred 292
Samuel 250
Walter 244
Frederick 240
David 202
Herbert 165
Albert 154
Matthew 153
Francis 150
Harry 147
Wm. 141
Frank 135
Ernest 123
Andrew 101
Alexander 97
Isaac 95
Fred 93
Benjamin 87
Thos. 77
Edwin 75
Ralph 75
Christopher 73
Tom 71
Peter 68
Geo. 62
Jonathan 61
Robt. 57
Adam 52
Stephen 46
Mark 43
Anthony 41
Daniel 39
Michael 38
Hugh 37
Jacob 37
Mathew 37
Joshua 36
Percy 36

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Bell households.

FAQ

Bell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 56,099 people were recorded with the Bell surname. That placed it at #48 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 78,858 in 2016. That gives Bell a modern rank of #50.

What does the Bell surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a bell founder or bell ringer.

What does the Bell map show?

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