NameCensus.

UK surname

Bennell

In the 1881 census there were 261 people recorded with the Bennell surname, ranking it #10,752 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 360, ranked #12,867, down from #10,752 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Radnage, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sevenoaks, Eastbourne and Colchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bennell is 778 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.9%.

1881 census count

261

Ranked #10,752

Modern count

360

2016, ranked #12,867

Peak year

1891

778 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bennell had 261 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,752 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 360 in 2016, ranked #12,867.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 778 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Bennell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bennell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bennell 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 346 #6,798
1861 historical 513 #5,102
1881 historical 261 #10,752
1891 historical 778 #5,157
1901 historical 455 #8,641
1911 historical 588 #6,942
1997 modern 385 #11,314
1998 modern 421 #10,954
1999 modern 416 #11,110
2000 modern 415 #11,109
2001 modern 403 #11,163
2002 modern 415 #11,133
2003 modern 399 #11,284
2004 modern 395 #11,390
2005 modern 386 #11,493
2006 modern 377 #11,743
2007 modern 385 #11,698
2008 modern 392 #11,661
2009 modern 406 #11,586
2010 modern 406 #11,847
2011 modern 395 #11,966
2012 modern 371 #12,396
2013 modern 379 #12,399
2014 modern 378 #12,512
2015 modern 370 #12,596
2016 modern 360 #12,867

Geography

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Where Bennells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Radnage, London parishes, Gateshead, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a and St Pancras. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sevenoaks, Eastbourne, Colchester, Swindon and Canterbury. 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 Radnage Buckinghamshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a Essex
5 St Pancras London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sevenoaks 012 Sevenoaks
2 Eastbourne 006 Eastbourne
3 Colchester 001 Colchester
4 Swindon 019 Swindon
5 Canterbury 001 Canterbury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bennell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bennell

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bennell, 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 Bennell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bennell 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Bennell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bennell 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

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

1881 census detail

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Bennell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bennell 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. Essex leads with 40 Bennells recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.99x.

County Total Index
Essex 40 7.99x
Surrey 28 2.27x
Buckinghamshire 27 17.61x
Norfolk 19 4.87x
Oxfordshire 19 12.13x
Middlesex 18 0.71x
Kent 15 1.73x
Lancashire 15 0.50x
Warwickshire 13 2.03x
Hampshire 11 2.12x
Hertfordshire 9 5.15x
Herefordshire 8 7.69x
Northumberland 8 2.12x
Pembrokeshire 5 6.20x
Staffordshire 5 0.58x
Sussex 5 1.17x
Yorkshire 5 0.20x
Gloucestershire 4 0.80x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.98x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.62x
Monmouthshire 1 0.55x
Northamptonshire 1 0.42x
Somerset 1 0.25x
Suffolk 1 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Radnage in Buckinghamshire leads with 23 Bennells recorded in 1881 and an index of 6216.22x.

Place Total Index
Radnage 23 6216.22x
Stokenchurch 18 1285.71x
Colchester St Giles 15 303.03x
Middleton 10 2500.00x
Bermondsey 9 11.92x
Bushey 9 216.35x
Chelmsford 9 104.77x
Cramlington 8 160.32x
Deptford St Paul 8 11.99x
Battersea 7 7.50x
Camberwell 7 4.32x
Colchester St Botolph 7 164.32x
Hammersmith London 7 11.21x
Hereford St Peter 7 251.80x
Hulme 7 11.14x
Harpurhey 6 143.54x
Portsea 6 5.89x
South Lynn 6 136.36x
Barnham Broom 5 1282.05x
Colchester St James 5 246.31x
Pembroke St Mary 5 48.17x
Rushall 5 99.21x
Colchester Holy Trinity 4 360.36x
Hastings St Mary In The 4 43.86x
Idle 4 34.33x
South Stoneham 4 35.46x
Heigham 3 14.33x
Margate St John Baptist 3 18.94x
Ringstead 3 750.00x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.82x
Bledlow 2 215.05x
Bristol St James St Paul 2 12.06x
Hampstead London 2 5.06x
Lewisham 2 4.33x
Newington 2 2.13x
St George Bloomsbury 2 13.75x
Albury 1 88.50x
Altofts 1 36.10x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 1.52x
Beddington 1 20.92x
Birmingham 1 0.47x
Bristol St Augustine 1 12.45x
Brixworth 1 98.04x
Chiswick 1 7.22x
Conway 1 50.25x
Curdworth 1 169.49x
Elm 1 63.69x
Gravesend 1 13.64x
Great Yarmouth 1 3.10x
Harrow On The Hill 1 19.72x
Henley On Thames 1 31.15x
Ipswich St Mary Stoke 1 34.84x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 1 8.54x
Lambeth 1 0.45x
Lea Lower 1 1428.57x
Littleworth 1 208.33x
Malpas 1 357.14x
Newhaven 1 28.82x
North Meols 1 3.39x
Paddington London 1 1.07x
Princes Risborough 1 48.78x
Speldhurst 1 22.68x
St George Hanover Square 1 2.24x
St George Martyr London 1 19.46x
Sutton Coldfield 1 14.88x
Upton Cum Chalvey 1 16.37x
Whippingham 1 25.38x
White Lackington 1 400.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 15
John 13
George 10
James 8
Thomas 7
Charles 6
Edwin 5
Henry 5
Alfred 4
Joseph 4
Robert 4
Francis 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Arthur 2
Benjamin 2
Edmund 2
Edward 2
Frank 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Amos 1
Angelo 1
Daniel 1
Earnest 1
Fred.J. 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Jesse 1
Jonah 1
Laurence 1
Mark 1
Maurice 1
Philip 1
Phillip 1
Thos. 1
Thos.John 1
Vincent 1
W. 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Bennell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bennell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 261 people were recorded with the Bennell surname. That placed it at #10,752 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bennell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 360 in 2016. That gives Bennell a modern rank of #12,867.

What does the Bennell map show?

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