NameCensus.

UK surname

Chiswell

In the 1881 census there were 367 people recorded with the Chiswell surname, ranking it #8,475 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 449, ranked #10,816, down from #8,475 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Ibstock and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest of Dean and Plymouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Chiswell is 504 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.3%.

1881 census count

367

Ranked #8,475

Modern count

449

2016, ranked #10,816

Peak year

1911

504 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Chiswell had 367 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,475 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 449 in 2016, ranked #10,816.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 504 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Chiswell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Chiswell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Chiswell 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 242 #9,001
1861 historical 256 #9,667
1881 historical 367 #8,475
1891 historical 417 #8,579
1901 historical 458 #8,593
1911 historical 504 #7,787
1997 modern 476 #9,665
1998 modern 502 #9,562
1999 modern 485 #9,900
2000 modern 473 #10,049
2001 modern 457 #10,113
2002 modern 446 #10,521
2003 modern 457 #10,156
2004 modern 459 #10,137
2005 modern 431 #10,558
2006 modern 435 #10,525
2007 modern 430 #10,729
2008 modern 435 #10,735
2009 modern 452 #10,629
2010 modern 450 #10,915
2011 modern 445 #10,880
2012 modern 452 #10,619
2013 modern 451 #10,814
2014 modern 448 #10,946
2015 modern 444 #10,935
2016 modern 449 #10,816

Geography

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Where Chiswells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Ibstock, London parishes, Birmingham Town: Birmingham and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest of Dean and Plymouth. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Ibstock Leicestershire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest of Dean 009 Forest of Dean
2 Forest of Dean 007 Forest of Dean
3 Forest of Dean 008 Forest of Dean
4 Plymouth 002 Plymouth
5 Plymouth 030 Plymouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Chiswell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Chiswell

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Chiswell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Chiswell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Chiswell is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Chiswell 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

Chiswell falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Chiswell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Chiswell 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. Devon leads with 67 Chiswells recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.92x.

County Total Index
Devon 67 8.92x
Leicestershire 55 13.74x
Middlesex 51 1.41x
Somerset 39 6.71x
Cornwall 36 8.81x
Lancashire 29 0.68x
Warwickshire 25 2.75x
Surrey 21 1.19x
Gloucestershire 12 1.70x
Hampshire 7 0.95x
Kirkcudbrightshire 7 13.40x
Essex 4 0.56x
Nottinghamshire 4 0.82x
Staffordshire 4 0.33x
Norfolk 2 0.36x
Royal Navy 2 4.65x
Bedfordshire 1 0.54x
Berkshire 1 0.37x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.46x
Monmouthshire 1 0.38x
Yorkshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Damerel in Devon leads with 32 Chiswells recorded in 1881 and an index of 60.86x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Damerel 32 60.86x
Hugglescote 20 339.56x
Birmingham 18 5.93x
Hackney London 14 6.92x
Bedminster 10 18.32x
Antony 9 227.85x
Bagworth 9 1200.00x
Heap 9 39.63x
Newington 9 6.75x
Plymouth St Andrew 9 15.55x
St Germans 9 315.79x
Compton Dando 8 1951.22x
Landrake 8 879.12x
Camberwell 7 3.04x
Chew Magna 7 343.14x
Leicester Black Friars 7 269.23x
Paddington London 7 5.28x
Urr 7 102.94x
Ashburton 6 167.13x
Leicester St Leonard 6 158.31x
New Brentford 6 315.79x
St Martins 6 1363.64x
Bishops Tawton 5 213.68x
Bristol St James St Paul 5 21.19x
Broughton In Salford 5 12.77x
Easton In Gordano 5 213.68x
Edgbaston 5 17.72x
Fazakerley 5 757.58x
Ide 5 609.76x
Islington London 5 1.43x
Leicester All Sts 5 63.61x
Weston Super Mare 5 34.08x
Clerkenwell London 4 4.70x
Devonport 4 46.35x
Everton 4 2.93x
Nottingham St Mary 4 3.18x
Southampton All Sts 4 31.52x
Wells St Cuthbert 4 101.01x
Battersea 3 2.26x
Bethnal Green London 3 1.91x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 3 4.50x
Chelsea London 3 2.76x
Ratby 3 149.25x
Royton 3 22.90x
Thorrington 3 666.67x
Burton Extra 2 28.65x
Clifton 2 5.59x
Ealing 2 6.20x
Ibstock 2 68.73x
Ilfracombe 2 25.87x
Norwich St Michael At 2 62.11x
Portsea 2 1.38x
Royal Navy 2 5.44x
Shoreditch London 2 1.28x
Talland 2 208.33x
Whitwick 2 39.29x
Adlington 1 24.94x
Aston 1 0.40x
Barnsley 1 2.71x
Blackawton 1 76.34x
Bodmin 1 14.79x
Bristol St George 1 3.05x
Burntwood Edial 1 12.85x
Coleshill 1 34.25x
East Stonehouse 1 6.76x
Exeter St Paul 1 67.11x
Mile End Old Town London 1 1.30x
Putney 1 6.08x
Ryde 1 6.29x
Shenstone 1 32.26x
Southill 1 66.23x
St Martin In Fields 1 4.63x
St Minver 1 80.00x
St Woollos 1 3.43x
Staverton 1 108.70x
Stoke Goldington 1 100.00x
West Derby 1 0.80x
West Thurrock 1 42.19x
Willesden 1 2.94x
Woking 1 9.43x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 25
John 24
George 16
Thomas 15
James 11
Henry 8
Samuel 7
Alfred 6
Richard 6
Edward 5
Frederick 4
Joseph 4
Robert 4
Albert 3
Charles 3
Lawrence 3
Mark 3
Wm. 3
Ernest 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Michael 2
Arthur 1
Clarence 1
David 1
Enoch 1
Geo.Hy. 1
Hardie 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Horatio 1
Inkerman 1
Lionel 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Wallace 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Chiswell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Chiswell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 367 people were recorded with the Chiswell surname. That placed it at #8,475 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Chiswell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 449 in 2016. That gives Chiswell a modern rank of #10,816.

What does the Chiswell map show?

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