NameCensus.

UK surname

Bowhill

In the 1881 census there were 170 people recorded with the Bowhill surname, ranking it #14,265 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 110, ranked #29,225, down from #14,265 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St John Hackney and St Matthew Bethnal Green. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Winchester, Medway and Daventry.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bowhill is 235 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 35.3%.

1881 census count

170

Ranked #14,265

Modern count

110

2016, ranked #29,225

Peak year

1901

235 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bowhill had 170 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,265 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016, ranked #29,225.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 235 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Bowhill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bowhill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bowhill 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 108 #16,308
1861 historical 175 #13,409
1881 historical 170 #14,265
1891 historical 213 #14,269
1901 historical 235 #13,662
1911 historical 207 #14,635
1997 modern 128 #23,238
1998 modern 141 #22,517
1999 modern 139 #22,884
2000 modern 152 #21,603
2001 modern 149 #21,568
2002 modern 140 #22,876
2003 modern 140 #22,634
2004 modern 132 #23,625
2005 modern 129 #23,963
2006 modern 128 #24,267
2007 modern 132 #24,166
2008 modern 125 #25,249
2009 modern 130 #25,176
2010 modern 134 #25,263
2011 modern 128 #25,793
2012 modern 111 #28,332
2013 modern 108 #29,379
2014 modern 110 #29,294
2015 modern 107 #29,708
2016 modern 110 #29,225

Geography

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Where Bowhills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St John Hackney, St Matthew Bethnal Green, Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John and Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Winchester, Medway, Daventry, Breckland and Leeds. 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 London parishes London 3
2 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
3 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
4 Lakenham , Eaton St Andrew, Town Close, St Stephen, St Peter Mancroft, St Giles, St Andrew, St John Norfolk
5 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Winchester 011 Winchester
2 Medway 003 Medway
3 Daventry 007 Daventry
4 Breckland 011 Breckland
5 Leeds 020 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bowhill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bowhill

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

Bowhill 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

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

1881 census detail

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Bowhill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bowhill 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. Norfolk leads with 55 Bowhills recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.45x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 55 21.45x
Middlesex 49 2.94x
Surrey 18 2.21x
Kent 8 1.41x
Lancashire 8 0.40x
Durham 6 1.21x
Midlothian 6 2.69x
Berwickshire 5 24.75x
East Lothian 5 22.63x
Essex 3 0.91x
Fife 2 2.03x
Berkshire 1 0.80x
Channel Islands 1 2.02x
Hampshire 1 0.29x
Northumberland 1 0.40x
Perthshire 1 1.34x
Sussex 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 13 Bowhills recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.94x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 13 17.94x
Heigham 10 72.67x
Hackney London 9 9.62x
Rotherhithe 9 43.67x
Wymondham 8 305.34x
Failsworth 7 154.53x
Norwich St Michael At Plea 7 7000.00x
Hawkhurst 6 338.98x
Poplar London 6 19.06x
Shoreditch London 6 8.30x
St George Hanover Square 6 20.42x
Mile End Old Town London 5 14.08x
Bishopwearmouth 4 9.39x
Camberwell 4 3.75x
Carleton Forehoe 4 5000.00x
Dunbar 4 129.03x
Wramplingham 4 3636.36x
Bunkle Preston 3 714.29x
Norwich St Giles 3 365.85x
Reigate Foreign 3 34.09x
Romford 3 57.69x
South Leith 3 11.93x
South Lopham 3 967.74x
Thorpe Next Norwich 3 110.29x
Ayton 2 170.94x
Bixley 2 2222.22x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 2.22x
Great Yarmouth 2 9.42x
Norwich St Martin At Oak 2 128.21x
Roydon In Guiltcross 2 571.43x
Scoonie 2 93.46x
St George In East London 2 12.75x
Sunderland 2 22.83x
Barford 1 555.56x
Berwick Upon Tweed 1 19.01x
Crieff 1 35.97x
Eaton St Andrew 1 140.85x
Hastings St Leonards 1 24.21x
Kingston On Thames 1 5.12x
Lambeth 1 0.69x
Lower Booths 1 28.17x
Mereworth 1 217.39x
Milton In Milton 1 41.32x
North Leith 1 9.67x
Norwich Liberty Of Town 1 588.24x
Norwich St Augustine 1 97.09x
Portsea 1 1.49x
Runhall 1 909.09x
Shadwell London 1 21.41x
Shrivenham 1 161.29x
St Helier 1 6.22x
St Luke London 1 3.74x
Whitekirk Tynninghame 1 166.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 5
Alice 4
Eliza 4
Sarah 4
Charlotte 3
Emily 3
Isabella 3
Jane 3
Ann 2
Ellen 2
Frances 2
Harriet 2
Louisa 2
Susan 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Catherine 1
Eliz. 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Eve 1
Evelyn 1
Fanny 1
Fany 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Jemima 1
Maria 1
Miria 1
Rebecca 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 11
Thomas 9
George 8
William 8
James 7
Henry 5
Arthur 3
Joseph 3
Albert 2
Andrew 2
Jacob 2
Obadiah 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Charles 1
Daniel 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Infant 1
Jno. 1
Richardson 1
Robert 1
Thompson 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Bowhill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bowhill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 170 people were recorded with the Bowhill surname. That placed it at #14,265 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bowhill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016. That gives Bowhill a modern rank of #29,225.

What does the Bowhill map show?

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