NameCensus.

UK surname

Capewell

An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "the cold spring".

In the 1881 census there were 822 people recorded with the Capewell surname, ranking it #4,569 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,622, ranked #3,836, up from #4,569 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Dudley, Colwich and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire and Walsall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Capewell is 1,669 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 97.3%.

1881 census count

822

Ranked #4,569

Modern count

1,622

2016, ranked #3,836

Peak year

2011

1,669 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Capewell had 822 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,569 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,622 in 2016, ranked #3,836.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,339 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Capewell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Capewell surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Capewell 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 457 #5,414
1861 historical 462 #5,621
1881 historical 822 #4,569
1891 historical 962 #4,297
1901 historical 1,144 #4,249
1911 historical 1,339 #3,572
1997 modern 1,416 #4,104
1998 modern 1,626 #3,781
1999 modern 1,645 #3,774
2000 modern 1,611 #3,827
2001 modern 1,577 #3,826
2002 modern 1,599 #3,853
2003 modern 1,592 #3,782
2004 modern 1,613 #3,751
2005 modern 1,630 #3,674
2006 modern 1,574 #3,782
2007 modern 1,609 #3,749
2008 modern 1,617 #3,759
2009 modern 1,639 #3,801
2010 modern 1,655 #3,848
2011 modern 1,669 #3,773
2012 modern 1,646 #3,746
2013 modern 1,663 #3,777
2014 modern 1,660 #3,810
2015 modern 1,625 #3,849
2016 modern 1,622 #3,836

Geography

Back to top

Where Capewells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Dudley, Colwich, Birmingham Town: Birmingham, Birmingham Town: Aston and Kingswinford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire and Walsall. 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 Dudley Staffordshire
2 Colwich Staffordshire
3 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
4 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire
5 Kingswinford Worcestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cannock Chase 007 Cannock Chase
2 East Staffordshire 002 East Staffordshire
3 Cannock Chase 012 Cannock Chase
4 Walsall 038 Walsall
5 East Staffordshire 006 East Staffordshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Capewell

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Capewell

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Capewell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Capewell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Capewell is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Capewell is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Capewell falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Capewell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Capewell

The surname Capewell is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "cap" and "well," which combined to refer to a spring or well located near a headland or promontory. This name likely originated in the county of Staffordshire, England, during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Capewell surname appears in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272, where a Richard de Capewell is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already established in the region by the 13th century.

In the late 16th century, records show a Nicholas Capewell residing in the parish of Norbury, Staffordshire. He was a landowner and is believed to have been a descendant of the earlier Capewells from the same area.

The Capewell name is also found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Staffordshire in the late 17th century, suggesting that the family had maintained a presence in the county over several centuries.

A notable figure bearing this surname was Sir William Capewell (1590-1649), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1639 to 1641. He was born in Shropshire and had connections to the Capewell family of Staffordshire.

Another individual of note was John Capewell (1714-1781), a British artist and engraver who specialized in portraiture and biblical scenes. He was born in Gloucestershire and is believed to have been a descendant of the Capewells from the west of England.

In the 19th century, a certain Henry Capewell (1825-1895) made a name for himself as a successful industrialist and inventor in Connecticut, United States. He had emigrated from England and founded the Capewell Horse Nail Company, which became a leading manufacturer of horse nails and other metalwork products.

The Capewell surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Capewell Hill in Staffordshire and Capewell Lane in Cheshire, further reinforcing its geographic origins and connections to the region.

Overall, the surname Capewell has a rich history rooted in the English counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, and Cheshire, with traceable records dating back to the 13th century. It has been borne by notable individuals in fields ranging from law and art to industry and manufacturing.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Capewell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Capewell 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. Staffordshire leads with 447 Capewells recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.51x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 447 16.51x
Warwickshire 127 6.28x
Derbyshire 50 3.98x
Yorkshire 44 0.55x
Worcestershire 38 3.63x
Lancashire 20 0.21x
Nottinghamshire 20 1.85x
Durham 13 0.55x
Leicestershire 13 1.46x
Lincolnshire 10 0.78x
Surrey 10 0.26x
Herefordshire 8 2.43x
Gloucestershire 7 0.45x
Cheshire 6 0.34x
Shropshire 3 0.43x
Kent 2 0.07x
Devon 1 0.06x
Hampshire 1 0.06x
Middlesex 1 0.01x
Oxfordshire 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 92 Capewells recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.05x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 92 32.05x
Aston 56 10.06x
Birmingham 52 7.72x
Kingswinford 49 49.86x
Fradswell 28 5090.91x
Dudley 26 20.42x
West Bromwich 25 16.13x
Milwich 24 1600.00x
Rowley Regis 19 25.19x
Caverswall 17 120.82x
Leigh Field 17 2207.79x
Walsall Foreign 17 12.16x
Derby St Alkmund 16 42.53x
Radford 15 27.32x
Cheddleton 14 246.91x
Leicester St Margaret 13 6.00x
Burslem 12 15.48x
Sheffield 12 4.74x
Bilston 11 20.97x
Ecclesfield 11 18.88x
Clapham 10 9.98x
Darlaston 9 24.06x
Hett 9 957.45x
Altofts 8 91.22x
Derby St Peter 8 20.01x
Heckington 8 163.93x
Uttoxeter 8 57.72x
Checkley 7 99.57x
Colwich 7 108.86x
Hampton Charles 7 2592.59x
Pebworth 7 368.42x
Derby St Werburgh 6 8.28x
Leek Lowe 6 16.66x
Middleton 6 468.75x
Newcastle Under Lyme 6 12.53x
Staveley 6 26.93x
Sutton Coldfield 6 28.24x
Wolstanton Chesterton 6 43.38x
Yoxall 6 168.07x
Audley 5 18.67x
Broughton In Salford 5 5.75x
Doveridge 5 261.78x
Fairfield 5 59.52x
Harborne 5 5.76x
Manchester 5 1.17x
Stourbridge 5 18.56x
Tatenhill 5 273.22x
Whitwood 5 44.29x
Darlington 4 4.34x
Hunslet 4 3.23x
Kinver 4 51.28x
Lea Marston 4 476.19x
Litchurch 4 7.92x
Moss Side 4 7.99x
Stone 4 11.55x
Burton Upon Trent 3 4.74x
Hulme 3 1.51x
Kingston 3 389.61x
Penkridge 3 42.98x
Tamworth 3 20.73x
Willenhall 3 5.92x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 3 19.05x
Wolstanton Chatterly 3 107.91x
Woore 3 163.93x
Alrewas 2 76.34x
Bedworth 2 13.55x
Berrow 2 196.08x
Branstone 2 73.53x
Draycott In Moors 2 178.57x
Kirkby In Ashfield 2 17.30x
Lenton 2 7.86x
Middlesbrough 2 1.93x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 2 9.82x
Woolwich 2 1.98x
Abbots Bromley 1 24.94x
Ingestre 1 263.16x
Liverpool 1 0.17x
Ombersley 1 17.15x
Whittingham 1 23.87x
Wombourn 1 19.92x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 50
Sarah 41
Elizabeth 24
Emma 21
Eliza 19
Jane 19
Ellen 17
Ann 14
Annie 13
Emily 10
Hannah 10
Harriet 10
Louisa 10
Clara 8
Alice 7
Ada 6
Fanny 6
Lucy 6
Maria 6
Margaret 5
Caroline 4
Isabella 4
Lydia 4
Martha 4
Agnes 3
Allice 3
Amelia 3
Anne 3
Florence 3
Harriett 3
Julia 3
Kate 3
Myra 3
Amy 2
Betsy 2
Charlotte 2
Elizebeth 2
Esther 2
Frances 2
Helen 2
Laura 2
Lily 2
Margret 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2
Rosanna 2
Rose 2
Sophia 2
Elizia 1
Emely 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 62
John 48
James 33
George 30
Thomas 22
Charles 20
Henry 20
Joseph 15
Alfred 13
Edward 11
Samuel 10
Albert 8
David 8
Arthur 7
Edwin 6
Frederick 6
Walter 5
Benjamin 4
Ernest 4
Eli 3
Elias 3
Henery 3
Brian 2
Colin 2
Daniel 2
Earnest 2
Ephraim 2
Frank 2
Frederic 2
Herbert 2
Jacob 2
Noah 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Thos 2
Thos. 2
Andel 1
Annie 1
Brien 1
Chas. 1
Elijah 1
Ezram 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Jace 1
Jhon 1
Josh 1
Josh. 1
Levi 1
Lucy 1

FAQ

Capewell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Capewell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 822 people were recorded with the Capewell surname. That placed it at #4,569 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Capewell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,622 in 2016. That gives Capewell a modern rank of #3,836.

What does the Capewell surname mean?

An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "the cold spring".

What does the Capewell map show?

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