NameCensus.

UK surname

Caddell

An Irish occupational surname referring to a person who built stone walls or fortifications.

In the 1881 census there were 89 people recorded with the Caddell surname, ranking it #21,091 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 272, ranked #15,832, up from #21,091 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, London parishes and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carmarthenshire, Cardonald South and East and Maldon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Caddell is 276 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 205.6%.

1881 census count

89

Ranked #21,091

Modern count

272

2016, ranked #15,832

Peak year

2014

276 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Caddell had 89 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,091 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 272 in 2016, ranked #15,832.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 170 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Caddell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Caddell surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Caddell 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 105 #16,618
1861 historical 97 #21,503
1881 historical 89 #21,091
1891 historical 156 #17,842
1901 historical 170 #16,762
1911 historical 63 #26,537
1997 modern 230 #16,109
1998 modern 246 #15,864
1999 modern 262 #15,308
2000 modern 264 #15,191
2001 modern 262 #15,034
2002 modern 256 #15,565
2003 modern 252 #15,530
2004 modern 247 #15,821
2005 modern 242 #15,987
2006 modern 231 #16,636
2007 modern 237 #16,571
2008 modern 241 #16,481
2009 modern 258 #16,050
2010 modern 259 #16,386
2011 modern 261 #16,145
2012 modern 262 #16,001
2013 modern 275 #15,719
2014 modern 276 #15,788
2015 modern 269 #15,955
2016 modern 272 #15,832

Geography

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Where Caddells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, London parishes, Edinburgh, Colchester St Peter and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Carmarthenshire, Cardonald South and East, Maldon, Braintree and Birkenshaw. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 London parishes London 3
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Colchester St Peter Essex
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carmarthenshire 010 Carmarthenshire
2 Cardonald South and East Glasgow City
3 Maldon 006 Maldon
4 Braintree 002 Braintree
5 Birkenshaw North Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Caddell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Caddell

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Caddell, 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 Caddell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Caddell 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Caddell 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

Caddell is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Caddell falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Caddell

The surname CADDELL is of Welsh origin, deriving from the Welsh word "caddell" which means "battle" or "conflict". This name likely originated in Wales during the medieval period, when surnames first came into use.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname CADDELL can be found in historical records and documents from Wales dating back to the 16th century. One notable example is a reference to a Thomas Caddell in the parish records of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, in 1587.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the CADDELL surname spread beyond Wales, with some bearers of the name settling in other parts of Britain, as well as in Ireland. The variant spelling "CADELL" also emerged during this time.

One of the earliest known individuals with the CADDELL surname was Evan Caddell, a Welsh soldier who fought in the English Civil War (1642-1651). He is mentioned in historical accounts of the siege of Pembroke Castle in 1648.

Another notable figure was John Caddell (1680-1735), a Welsh clergyman who served as the rector of Llanelli and was known for his scholarly works on Welsh history and literature.

In the 19th century, the surname CADDELL began to appear in records from North America, as Welsh and Irish immigrants bearing the name settled in various parts of the United States and Canada. One such individual was James Caddell (1810-1879), a Welsh-born American farmer who settled in Ohio and later fought in the American Civil War.

Other notable individuals with the CADDELL surname include:

1. William Cadell (1775-1838), a Scottish publisher and bookseller who co-founded the prestigious Constable and Cadell publishing firm in Edinburgh.

2. Jane Cadell (1837-1919), a Scottish novelist and author of several popular historical romances.

3. Henry Moubray Cadell (1860-1934), a Scottish geologist and explorer who conducted extensive surveys in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.

4. Patrick Cadell (1912-1997), a British-born Canadian actor and playwright who co-founded the prestigious Stratford Festival in Ontario.

5. William Caddell (born 1944), a renowned Scottish poet and academic, known for his works exploring Scottish culture and identity.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Caddell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Caddell 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. Lanarkshire leads with 37 Caddells recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.18x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 37 13.18x
Middlesex 9 1.04x
Essex 8 4.67x
Berkshire 7 10.74x
Devon 4 2.21x
Somerset 4 2.86x
Surrey 4 0.95x
Durham 3 1.16x
Hampshire 3 1.69x
Gloucestershire 2 1.17x
Kent 2 0.68x
Midlothian 2 1.72x
Cheshire 1 0.52x
Lancashire 1 0.10x
Northumberland 1 0.77x
Renfrewshire 1 1.49x

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 16 Caddells recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.05x.

Place Total Index
Govan 16 23.05x
Barony 9 12.67x
Colchester St Peter 7 1014.49x
Cadder 6 289.86x
Kensington London 6 12.43x
Wargrave 6 1071.43x
New Monkland 4 48.19x
Lambeth 3 3.96x
Portsea 3 8.60x
Tormoham 3 39.27x
Twerton 3 208.33x
Bothwell 2 26.28x
Clerkenwell London 2 9.76x
Deptford St Paul 2 8.76x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 4.28x
Great Rissington 2 1666.67x
Westoe 2 13.66x
Birkenhead 1 6.55x
Bishopsteignton 1 294.12x
Boldon 1 108.70x
Boreham 1 333.33x
Croydon 1 4.26x
Droylsden 1 29.76x
Eastwood 1 24.15x
Hexham 1 50.00x
Paddington London 1 3.13x
Reading St Mary 1 19.16x
Walcot 1 13.44x

Top female names

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

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 Caddell households.

FAQ

Caddell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Caddell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 89 people were recorded with the Caddell surname. That placed it at #21,091 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Caddell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 272 in 2016. That gives Caddell a modern rank of #15,832.

What does the Caddell surname mean?

An Irish occupational surname referring to a person who built stone walls or fortifications.

What does the Caddell map show?

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