NameCensus.

UK surname

Cawdell

In the 1881 census there were 93 people recorded with the Cawdell surname, ranking it #20,593 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 133, ranked #25,765, down from #20,593 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes and Baldock, Willian, Weston, Clothall, Bygrave, Norton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Northamptonshire, Derby and Luton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cawdell is 152 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.0%.

1881 census count

93

Ranked #20,593

Modern count

133

2016, ranked #25,765

Peak year

1998

152 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cawdell had 93 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,593 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 133 in 2016, ranked #25,765.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 117 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Cawdell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cawdell surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cawdell 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 53 #23,739
1861 historical 81 #23,431
1881 historical 93 #20,593
1891 historical 89 #25,542
1901 historical 107 #21,955
1911 historical 117 #20,757
1997 modern 141 #21,941
1998 modern 152 #21,481
1999 modern 148 #22,020
2000 modern 143 #22,457
2001 modern 143 #22,133
2002 modern 146 #22,302
2003 modern 134 #23,260
2004 modern 130 #23,902
2005 modern 127 #24,178
2006 modern 139 #23,044
2007 modern 131 #24,282
2008 modern 134 #24,249
2009 modern 131 #25,056
2010 modern 132 #25,519
2011 modern 137 #24,716
2012 modern 129 #25,705
2013 modern 128 #26,336
2014 modern 129 #26,352
2015 modern 130 #26,093
2016 modern 133 #25,765

Geography

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Where Cawdells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes, Baldock, Willian, Weston, Clothall, Bygrave, Norton, Manchester and St Marylebone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Northamptonshire, Derby and Luton. 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 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
2 London parishes London 3
3 Baldock, Willian, Weston, Clothall, Bygrave, Norton Hertfordshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 St Marylebone London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Northamptonshire 002 East Northamptonshire
2 East Northamptonshire 003 East Northamptonshire
3 Derby 025 Derby
4 Luton 003 Luton
5 East Northamptonshire 005 East Northamptonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cawdell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cawdell

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Cawdell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Cawdell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Cawdell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cawdell is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Cawdell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cawdell 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. Bedfordshire leads with 39 Cawdells recorded in 1881 and an index of 84.86x.

County Total Index
Bedfordshire 39 84.86x
Middlesex 20 2.25x
Leicestershire 11 11.18x
Hertfordshire 8 13.08x
Derbyshire 4 2.88x
Cambridgeshire 2 3.56x
Hampshire 1 0.55x
Kent 1 0.33x
Lancashire 1 0.10x
Shropshire 1 1.30x
Somerset 1 0.70x
Surrey 1 0.23x
Warwickshire 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Luton in Bedfordshire leads with 39 Cawdells recorded in 1881 and an index of 489.95x.

Place Total Index
Luton 39 489.95x
Kegworth 10 1538.46x
Shoreditch London 7 18.20x
Bishop Stortford 6 294.12x
Wensley Snitterton 4 1904.76x
Hackney London 2 4.02x
Paddington London 2 6.13x
St Marylebone London 2 4.22x
Westminster St James 2 21.93x
Wisbech St Peter 2 70.92x
Baldock 1 172.41x
Belton 1 769.23x
Birmingham 1 1.34x
Carshalton 1 60.61x
Cleobury Mortimer 1 208.33x
Hornsey 1 8.91x
Oldham 1 2.94x
Pitney 1 1000.00x
Seal 1 204.08x
Southampton St Mary 1 8.74x
St Faith Under St Pauls 1 1428.57x
St Pancras London 1 1.40x
St Paul Covent Garden 1 112.36x
St Stephen Coleman Street 1 322.58x
Standon 1 158.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
James 5
Charles 4
John 4
William 4
Thomas 3
Arthur 2
George 2
Herbert 2
Joseph 2
Ernest 1
Fredk.Joseph 1
Harry 1
Isaac 1
Percy 1
Sidney 1
Thos.Goddond 1
Wm.George 1

FAQ

Cawdell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cawdell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 93 people were recorded with the Cawdell surname. That placed it at #20,593 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cawdell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 133 in 2016. That gives Cawdell a modern rank of #25,765.

What does the Cawdell map show?

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