NameCensus.

UK surname

Dowthwaite

In the 1881 census there were 267 people recorded with the Dowthwaite surname, ranking it #10,573 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 299, ranked #14,770, down from #10,573 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lancaster Borough, London parishes and Westward. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lancaster, Windsor and Maidenhead and Preston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dowthwaite is 433 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 12.0%.

1881 census count

267

Ranked #10,573

Modern count

299

2016, ranked #14,770

Peak year

1911

433 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dowthwaite had 267 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,573 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 299 in 2016, ranked #14,770.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 433 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Dowthwaite surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dowthwaite surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dowthwaite 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 166 #11,986
1861 historical 229 #10,660
1881 historical 267 #10,573
1891 historical 373 #9,367
1901 historical 416 #9,220
1911 historical 433 #8,762
1997 modern 290 #13,832
1998 modern 294 #14,060
1999 modern 297 #14,053
2000 modern 297 #14,008
2001 modern 287 #14,131
2002 modern 293 #14,203
2003 modern 298 #13,886
2004 modern 293 #14,082
2005 modern 292 #14,072
2006 modern 293 #14,116
2007 modern 297 #14,135
2008 modern 294 #14,327
2009 modern 296 #14,557
2010 modern 310 #14,378
2011 modern 291 #14,903
2012 modern 298 #14,565
2013 modern 302 #14,690
2014 modern 309 #14,533
2015 modern 306 #14,536
2016 modern 299 #14,770

Geography

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Where Dowthwaites are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lancaster Borough, London parishes, Westward, Lancaster and Sebergham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lancaster, Windsor and Maidenhead, Preston, Northumberland and Bradford. 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 Lancaster Borough Lancashire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Westward Cumberland
4 Lancaster Lancashire
5 Sebergham Cumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lancaster 020 Lancaster
2 Windsor and Maidenhead 018 Windsor and Maidenhead
3 Preston 001 Preston
4 Northumberland 037 Northumberland
5 Bradford 009 Bradford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dowthwaite

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dowthwaite

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Dowthwaite 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

Dowthwaite 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

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

1881 census detail

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Dowthwaite families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dowthwaite 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. Lancashire leads with 88 Dowthwaites recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.86x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 88 2.86x
Cumberland 82 36.71x
Westmorland 36 63.12x
Yorkshire 27 1.05x
Middlesex 10 0.39x
Durham 6 0.78x
Essex 5 0.98x
Surrey 3 0.24x
Dumfriesshire 2 3.49x
Northamptonshire 2 0.82x
Sussex 2 0.46x
Montgomeryshire 1 1.68x
Morayshire 1 2.48x
Northumberland 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lancaster in Lancashire leads with 32 Dowthwaites recorded in 1881 and an index of 174.67x.

Place Total Index
Lancaster 32 174.67x
Long Sleddale 12 10000.00x
Barrow In Furness 11 26.27x
Everton 10 10.19x
Heysham 10 1785.71x
Sebergham 10 2040.82x
St Cuthbert W O 10 91.83x
Westward 9 967.74x
Keswick 8 279.72x
Middlesbrough 8 23.89x
Priest Hutton 7 3684.21x
West Derby 7 7.77x
Kirkbampton 6 1621.62x
Strickland Roger 6 1538.46x
Watermillock 6 1463.41x
Appleby St Michael 5 390.63x
Auckland St Andrew 5 245.10x
Caldbeck 5 476.19x
Caton 5 520.83x
Crosscanonby 5 67.66x
Hutton Soil 5 1470.59x
West Ham 5 4.42x
Wythburn 5 2777.78x
Leeds 4 2.76x
Norton In Malton 4 128.21x
Scagglethorpe 4 1739.13x
St Cuthbert W O Brisco 4 1600.00x
St Luke London 4 9.61x
Bradford 3 4.82x
Castleford 3 32.05x
Dillicar 3 2727.27x
Heversham With Milnthorpe 3 218.98x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 5.75x
St George Hanover Square 3 6.56x
Hoddam 2 144.93x
Islington London 2 0.80x
Kendal 2 19.16x
Northampton Priory St 2 13.66x
Thursby 2 425.53x
West Hoathly 2 145.99x
Appleby St Lawrence 1 76.92x
Carnforth 1 59.17x
Clitheroe 1 11.04x
Dalston 1 57.80x
Dringhoe Upton Brough 1 714.29x
Farleton 1 1428.57x
Forres 1 23.58x
Guilsfield 1 46.30x
Haltwhistle 1 53.48x
Pennington In Leigh 1 16.92x
Poulton Barre 1 28.57x
Renwick 1 434.78x
Sedgwick 1 454.55x
Skirwith 1 400.00x
South Mimms 1 28.09x
Stockton On Tees 1 2.69x
Stretford 1 5.90x
Strickland Kettle 1 185.19x
Uldale 1 434.78x
Wavertree 1 10.14x
Wetheral 1 33.78x
Whinfell 1 666.67x
Woodside Quarter 1 192.31x
Wreay 1 625.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Jane 12
Margaret 12
Sarah 10
Ann 8
Elizabeth 7
Hannah 5
Annie 4
Emma 4
Ada 3
Ellen 3
Maria 3
Nancy 3
Agnes 2
Alice 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Isabella 2
Martha 2
Susannah 2
Betsy 1
Caroline 1
D. 1
Deborah 1
Dorothy 1
Easet 1
Eleanor 1
Frank 1
Harriet 1
Jessie 1
Lydia 1
Margret 1
Rhoda 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 20
Robert 16
William 15
Thomas 11
George 10
Joseph 10
James 6
Henry 5
Richard 3
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Edmund 2
Edwin 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Gerard 2
Jno. 2
Matthew 2
Samuel 2
Thos. 2
Aberham 1
Edmond 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Jes. 1
Jos. 1
Levi 1
Mathew 1
Michael 1
Thompson 1
Wilfred 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Dowthwaite surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dowthwaite surname in 1881?

In 1881, 267 people were recorded with the Dowthwaite surname. That placed it at #10,573 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dowthwaite surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 299 in 2016. That gives Dowthwaite a modern rank of #14,770.

What does the Dowthwaite map show?

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