NameCensus.

UK surname

Dowdeswell

In the 1881 census there were 377 people recorded with the Dowdeswell surname, ranking it #8,309 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 711, ranked #7,621, up from #8,309 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stroud, Gloucester and Wellingborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dowdeswell is 782 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 88.6%.

1881 census count

377

Ranked #8,309

Modern count

711

2016, ranked #7,621

Peak year

2002

782 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dowdeswell had 377 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,309 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 711 in 2016, ranked #7,621.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 660 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dowdeswell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dowdeswell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dowdeswell 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 215 #9,860
1861 historical 260 #9,516
1881 historical 377 #8,309
1891 historical 515 #7,249
1901 historical 577 #7,286
1911 historical 660 #6,361
1997 modern 734 #6,985
1998 modern 778 #6,912
1999 modern 767 #7,011
2000 modern 772 #6,962
2001 modern 762 #6,911
2002 modern 782 #6,904
2003 modern 773 #6,844
2004 modern 761 #6,948
2005 modern 720 #7,161
2006 modern 721 #7,196
2007 modern 730 #7,213
2008 modern 730 #7,258
2009 modern 757 #7,198
2010 modern 768 #7,260
2011 modern 755 #7,266
2012 modern 742 #7,288
2013 modern 753 #7,318
2014 modern 752 #7,361
2015 modern 725 #7,524
2016 modern 711 #7,621

Geography

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Where Dowdeswells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, London parishes, Maulden and Eastington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stroud, Gloucester and Wellingborough. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Maulden Bedfordshire
5 Eastington Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stroud 001 Stroud
2 Gloucester 015 Gloucester
3 Stroud 006 Stroud
4 Stroud 008 Stroud
5 Wellingborough 009 Wellingborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dowdeswell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dowdeswell

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dowdeswell, 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 Dowdeswell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Dowdeswell 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Dowdeswell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dowdeswell is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dowdeswell falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Dowdeswell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dowdeswell 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. Gloucestershire leads with 167 Dowdeswells recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.15x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 167 23.15x
Middlesex 37 1.01x
Warwickshire 36 3.88x
Worcestershire 27 5.62x
Surrey 19 1.06x
Glamorgan 18 2.81x
Wiltshire 13 4.00x
Bedfordshire 8 4.20x
Dorset 6 2.49x
Hertfordshire 6 2.37x
Brecknockshire 5 6.80x
Lancashire 5 0.11x
Derbyshire 4 0.69x
Essex 4 0.55x
Durham 3 0.27x
Monmouthshire 3 1.13x
Staffordshire 3 0.24x
Cheshire 2 0.25x
Flintshire 2 2.02x
Hampshire 2 0.27x
Somerset 2 0.34x
Sussex 2 0.32x
Berkshire 1 0.36x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.45x
Nottinghamshire 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. Haresfield in Gloucestershire leads with 26 Dowdeswells recorded in 1881 and an index of 3611.11x.

Place Total Index
Haresfield 26 3611.11x
Eastington 16 669.46x
Bisley 15 229.36x
Birmingham 14 4.53x
St George Hanover Square 12 18.52x
Cheltenham 11 19.77x
Horsley 11 344.83x
Rodborough 10 287.36x
Berkeley 9 224.44x
Coates 9 1525.42x
Prestbury 9 502.79x
Aston 8 3.13x
Islington London 8 2.24x
Maulden 8 484.85x
Merthyr Tydfil 8 13.00x
Southwark St George Martyr 8 10.81x
Tibberton 8 1818.18x
Alcester 7 228.76x
Hillingdon 7 59.73x
Loughor 7 205.88x
Tewkesbury 7 108.70x
Cricklade St Sampson 6 397.35x
Newent 6 163.49x
Standish 6 967.74x
Streatham 6 21.99x
Bretforton 5 704.23x
Didbrook 5 1724.14x
Gloucester Barton St 5 118.20x
Hackney London 5 2.43x
Llanddewir Cum 5 1000.00x
Rickmansworth 5 71.63x
West Derby 5 3.92x
Bushley 4 1142.86x
Chippenham 4 58.65x
Derby St Werburgh 4 12.03x
Kensington London 4 1.96x
Richmond 4 15.93x
Sutton Coldfield 4 41.03x
West Ham 4 2.50x
Hindlip 3 909.09x
Lapworth 3 344.83x
Lynesack Softley 3 101.35x
Minchinhampton 3 52.17x
Siddington 3 491.80x
Stonehouse 3 73.17x
Beaminster 2 74.63x
Birkenhead 2 3.09x
Bristol St George 2 6.00x
Broadway 2 96.62x
Castle Eaton 2 487.80x
Dudley 2 3.43x
Frampton 2 377.36x
Holywell 2 16.12x
Hove 2 7.35x
Littleworth 2 285.71x
Portsea 2 1.35x
Powick 2 60.06x
St Woollos 2 6.74x
Swansea Town 2 3.81x
Walcot 2 6.34x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 1.47x
Christchurch 1 12.17x
Gloucester St Michael 1 60.61x
Kidderminster Foreign 1 14.73x
Lyme Regis 1 34.60x
Malmesbury The Abbey 1 526.32x
Melcombe Regis 1 10.00x
North Cerney 1 126.58x
North Nibley 1 97.09x
Olveston 1 49.26x
Radford 1 3.97x
Stroud 1 7.12x
Temple Guiting 1 149.25x
Tettenhall 1 13.18x
Thatcham 1 23.53x
Walsall Foreign 1 1.56x
Watford 1 5.09x
West Bromwich 1 1.41x
Westminster St James 1 2.65x
Woking 1 9.26x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 23
Elizabeth 18
Eliza 11
Sarah 10
Ann 8
Alice 6
Emily 6
Emma 6
Hannah 6
Annie 5
Ellen 5
Fanny 5
Caroline 4
Frances 3
Harriett 3
Jane 3
Lucy 3
Clarinda 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Harriet 2
Helen 2
Julia 2
Lorenza 2
Lydia 2
Margaret 2
Martha 2
Minnie 2
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Daniel 1
E.A. 1
Elizabh. 1
Elizth. 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Gertie 1
Helena 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Lavinia 1
Leonora 1
Lousia 1
Maria 1
William 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 25
William 23
Thomas 16
James 12
Joseph 11
Charles 8
George 8
Albert 7
Henry 7
Samuel 7
Arthur 6
Robert 6
Edward 5
Alfred 4
Daniel 4
Frank 4
Edwin 3
Ernest 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Richard 3
Walter 3
Benjamin 2
Fredk. 2
Thos. 2
Wm. 2
Auther 1
B. 1
Calvin 1
Edmund 1
Enock 1
Fred 1
Fredk.F. 1
Geo.Hy. 1
Henery 1
Infant 1
Jonathan 1
Mary 1
Moses 1
Ralph 1
Robt. 1
Sam 1
Sidney 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Dowdeswell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dowdeswell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 377 people were recorded with the Dowdeswell surname. That placed it at #8,309 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dowdeswell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 711 in 2016. That gives Dowdeswell a modern rank of #7,621.

What does the Dowdeswell map show?

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