NameCensus.

UK surname

Canwell

In the 1881 census there were 84 people recorded with the Canwell surname, ranking it #21,690 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 147, ranked #24,071, down from #21,690 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Yelling, Upleatham and Stokesby with Herringby. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Redcar and Cleveland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Canwell is 160 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 75.0%.

1881 census count

84

Ranked #21,690

Modern count

147

2016, ranked #24,071

Peak year

2010

160 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Canwell had 84 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,690 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 147 in 2016, ranked #24,071.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 141 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Canwell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Canwell surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Canwell 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 74 #20,443
1861 historical 141 #16,072
1881 historical 84 #21,690
1891 historical 139 #19,311
1901 historical 101 #22,726
1911 historical 141 #18,571
1997 modern 150 #21,119
1998 modern 152 #21,481
1999 modern 154 #21,455
2000 modern 148 #21,971
2001 modern 141 #22,344
2002 modern 145 #22,392
2003 modern 134 #23,260
2004 modern 141 #22,689
2005 modern 137 #23,110
2006 modern 135 #23,486
2007 modern 141 #23,137
2008 modern 151 #22,323
2009 modern 158 #22,168
2010 modern 160 #22,487
2011 modern 160 #22,282
2012 modern 155 #22,762
2013 modern 152 #23,438
2014 modern 153 #23,537
2015 modern 150 #23,718
2016 modern 147 #24,071

Geography

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Where Canwells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Yelling, Upleatham, Stokesby with Herringby, Eltisley and Chesterfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Redcar and Cleveland. 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 Yelling Cambridgeshire
2 Upleatham Yorkshire, North Riding
3 Stokesby with Herringby Norfolk
4 Eltisley Cambridgeshire
5 Chesterfield Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Redcar and Cleveland 009 Redcar and Cleveland
2 Redcar and Cleveland 002 Redcar and Cleveland
3 Redcar and Cleveland 004 Redcar and Cleveland
4 Redcar and Cleveland 022 Redcar and Cleveland
5 Redcar and Cleveland 005 Redcar and Cleveland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Canwell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Canwell

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Canwell is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

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

Canwell 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

Canwell 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 Canwell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Canwell, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Canwell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Canwell 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. Middlesex leads with 17 Canwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.08x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 17 2.08x
Cambridgeshire 14 26.99x
Huntingdonshire 10 61.50x
Northamptonshire 8 10.38x
Staffordshire 8 2.89x
Norfolk 7 5.56x
Yorkshire 6 0.74x
Essex 4 2.47x
Lancashire 2 0.21x
Surrey 2 0.50x
Warwickshire 2 0.97x
Lincolnshire 1 0.76x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.91x
Sussex 1 0.72x
Worcestershire 1 0.93x

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 8 Canwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.48x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 8 22.48x
Yelling 8 8888.89x
Eltisley 7 5384.62x
Stokesby With Herringby 7 7777.78x
Clerkenwell London 6 31.02x
Croxden 6 12000.00x
Castor 4 1212.12x
St Clement Cambridge 4 1904.76x
Leyton 3 107.53x
Middlesbrough 3 28.38x
Redcar 3 468.75x
Standground 3 810.81x
Coventry St Michael 2 30.12x
Heap 2 38.76x
Wolverhampton 2 9.41x
Woodstone 2 769.23x
Beddington 1 64.94x
Fulham London 1 8.42x
Great Malvern 1 44.84x
Kensington London 1 2.20x
Nottingham St Mary 1 3.50x
Papworth Everard 1 2500.00x
Peterborough 1 17.92x
Pyecombe 1 1000.00x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 6.07x
St Andrewthe Less 1 16.86x
St Pancras London 1 1.52x
Thorney 1 172.41x
Washingborough 1 500.00x
West Ham 1 2.80x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Elizabeth 5
Eliza 3
Ellen 3
Emma 3
Jane 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Harriet 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Fanny 1
Gertrude 1
Keziah 1
Margeret 1
Maria 1
Minnie 1
Rebecca 1
Susan 1
Suszan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 6
John 5
William 4
James 3
Thomas 3
Charles 2
Frederick 2
Samuel 2
Alfred 1
David 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fredrick 1
Henry 1
Isaac 1
Joseph 1
Leonard 1
Percy 1
Thos.G. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Canwell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Canwell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 84 people were recorded with the Canwell surname. That placed it at #21,690 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Canwell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 147 in 2016. That gives Canwell a modern rank of #24,071.

What does the Canwell map show?

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