NameCensus.

UK surname

Driscoll

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'hEidersceoil," meaning "descendant of the messenger or courier."

In the 1881 census there were 3,305 people recorded with the Driscoll surname, ranking it #1,371 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,424, ranked #1,538, down from #1,371 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George in the East, St Mary Whitechapel and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Merthyr Tydfil, The Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Driscoll is 4,543 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.9%.

1881 census count

3,305

Ranked #1,371

Modern count

4,424

2016, ranked #1,538

Peak year

1999

4,543 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Driscoll had 3,305 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,371 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,424 in 2016, ranked #1,538.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,472 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Driscoll surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Driscoll surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Driscoll 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 1,669 #1,724
1861 historical 1,761 #1,642
1881 historical 3,305 #1,371
1891 historical 2,896 #1,629
1901 historical 3,433 #1,618
1911 historical 3,472 #1,505
1997 modern 4,349 #1,502
1998 modern 4,511 #1,500
1999 modern 4,543 #1,506
2000 modern 4,513 #1,508
2001 modern 4,368 #1,517
2002 modern 4,440 #1,521
2003 modern 4,331 #1,523
2004 modern 4,354 #1,520
2005 modern 4,319 #1,514
2006 modern 4,258 #1,532
2007 modern 4,327 #1,529
2008 modern 4,292 #1,546
2009 modern 4,387 #1,551
2010 modern 4,514 #1,546
2011 modern 4,380 #1,566
2012 modern 4,353 #1,549
2013 modern 4,486 #1,528
2014 modern 4,533 #1,524
2015 modern 4,466 #1,529
2016 modern 4,424 #1,538

Geography

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Where Driscolls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St George in the East, St Mary Whitechapel, London parishes, St Giles-in-the-Fields and All Saints Poplar. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Merthyr Tydfil, The Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. 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 George in the East London (East Districts)
2 St Mary Whitechapel London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Giles-in-the-Fields London (Central Districts)
5 All Saints Poplar London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Merthyr Tydfil 002 Merthyr Tydfil
2 The Vale of Glamorgan 006 Vale of Glamorgan
3 Cardiff 046 Cardiff
4 Merthyr Tydfil 003 Merthyr Tydfil
5 Merthyr Tydfil 008 Merthyr Tydfil

Forenames

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First names often paired with Driscoll

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Driscoll

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Driscoll, 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 Driscoll surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Driscoll 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Driscoll 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

Driscoll is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Driscoll 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 Driscoll 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Driscoll

The surname Driscoll has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name O'Driscoll, derived from the Old Irish words 'dreis' meaning "bramble" and 'coll' meaning "young man" or "bright-headed". The progenitors of the Driscoll clan were likely known for their red or bright hair.

The Driscolls were part of the Ui Eidirsceoil, a powerful family from County Cork in the province of Munster. They held significant lands and influence in West Cork, particularly around the modern-day towns of Baltimore and Skibbereen. The name appears in several ancient Irish annals and manuscripts, such as the Annals of Inisfallen and the Book of Munster.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name was Conor O'Driscoll, who was the chief of the clan in the late 12th century. He is mentioned in the Annals of Inisfallen as having been involved in a conflict with the Anglo-Norman invaders in 1177.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Driscolls played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars and the Williamite War in Ireland. Sir Fineen O'Driscoll, who lived from 1580 to 1629, was a prominent figure in these conflicts and is recorded as having led his clan in battles against the English forces.

Another notable Driscoll was Florence Driscoll, a 17th-century Irish soldier and adventurer who served in the Spanish Army of Flanders and later became a pirate in the Caribbean. He was born around 1630 and is believed to have died sometime in the late 17th century.

In the 19th century, John Driscoll, born in 1815, was a notable Irish journalist and political activist who campaigned for tenant rights and land reform in Ireland. He was also a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a revolutionary organization dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish republic.

As the Driscoll family spread throughout the world, the name took on various spellings, including Driskel, Driskill, and Driskell. The name has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Driscoll's Demesne and Driscoll's Rock in County Cork.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Driscoll families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Driscoll 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. Middlesex leads with 1,265 Driscolls recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.89x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,265 3.89x
Surrey 449 2.83x
Glamorgan 405 7.15x
Kent 210 1.89x
Lancashire 130 0.34x
Monmouthshire 124 5.28x
Gloucestershire 98 1.54x
Devon 85 1.26x
Essex 78 1.22x
Yorkshire 76 0.24x
Sussex 53 0.97x
Cheshire 42 0.59x
Hampshire 39 0.59x
Cornwall 38 1.03x
Carmarthenshire 25 1.82x
Royal Navy 21 5.42x
Somerset 21 0.40x
Warwickshire 14 0.17x
Buckinghamshire 13 0.66x
Aberdeenshire 12 0.40x
Herefordshire 12 0.90x
Berkshire 11 0.45x
Pembrokeshire 11 1.06x
Channel Islands 9 0.93x
Hertfordshire 9 0.40x
Derbyshire 8 0.16x
Lanarkshire 7 0.07x
Worcestershire 7 0.16x
Brecknockshire 6 0.92x
Northumberland 6 0.12x
Staffordshire 6 0.05x
Cumberland 4 0.14x
Renfrewshire 4 0.16x
Suffolk 4 0.10x
Angus 3 0.10x
Bedfordshire 3 0.18x
Sutherland 3 1.20x
Dorset 2 0.09x
Inverness-shire 2 0.21x
Isle of Man 2 0.33x
Leicestershire 2 0.06x
Norfolk 2 0.04x
Oxfordshire 2 0.10x
Anglesey 1 0.17x
Cardiganshire 1 0.13x
Durham 1 0.01x
Flintshire 1 0.11x
Lincolnshire 1 0.02x
Midlothian 1 0.02x
Northamptonshire 1 0.03x
Roxburghshire 1 0.17x
Shropshire 1 0.04x
Wiltshire 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. Poplar London in Middlesex leads with 187 Driscolls recorded in 1881 and an index of 30.47x.

Place Total Index
Poplar London 187 30.47x
Cardiff St Mary 162 51.95x
St George In East London 135 44.15x
Ratcliffe London 84 46.78x
St Giles In Fields London 74 46.39x
Rotherhithe 66 16.43x
Limehouse London 57 15.97x
Southwark St George Martyr 55 8.41x
Bermondsey 51 5.27x
Bromley London 49 6.85x
West Ham 45 3.18x
Whitechapel London 45 14.04x
Southwark St Saviour 44 26.33x
Merthyr Tydfil 43 7.90x
Shoreditch London 42 2.98x
Liverpool 40 1.71x
Swansea Town 40 8.62x
Croydon 38 4.32x
Islington London 38 1.21x
Brighton 36 3.26x
St Andrew Holborn London 36 25.58x
St Pancras London 34 1.30x
Westminster St John 31 7.83x
Leeds 30 1.65x
Lambeth 29 1.02x
St Woollos 29 11.06x
Camberwell 28 1.35x
Roath 28 10.89x
Plymouth St Andrew 27 5.18x
Cardiff St John 26 14.06x
Deptford St Paul 26 3.04x
Mile End Old Town London 25 3.61x
Wapping London 25 100.68x
Woolwich 25 6.10x
Southwark St Olave 24 96.70x
Llandaff 23 12.21x
Bristol St Paul In 22 12.95x
Chelsea London 21 2.14x
Gravesend 21 22.36x
St Clement Danes London 21 31.21x
Royal Navy 20 6.04x
St George Hanover Square 20 3.49x
Kensington London 19 1.05x
Newport 19 16.94x
Bedwellty 18 4.34x
St Anne Soho London 18 9.69x
Stoke Damerel 18 3.80x
Southwark St John 17 17.10x
Battersea 16 1.34x
Penarth 16 28.92x
Portsea 16 1.23x
Birkenhead 15 2.62x
East Ham 15 12.59x
St Gilesin Fields London 15 54.53x
Westminster St Margaret 15 9.56x
Bethnal Green London 14 0.99x
Birmingham 14 0.51x
Devonport 14 18.00x
Southwark Christchurch 14 9.19x
Spitalfields London 14 5.72x
St Botolph Aldgate London 14 20.91x
Tottenham 14 2.70x
Bow London 13 3.14x
Hammersmith London 13 1.62x
Mile End New Town London 13 20.24x
St Martin In Fields 13 6.68x
Abernant 12 146.34x
Cheltenham 12 2.44x
Fulham London 12 2.54x
Shadwell London 12 13.19x
St Botolph Bishopsgate 12 26.08x
St Luke London 12 2.30x
Trevethin 12 5.41x
Beddington 11 17.95x
Charlton 11 14.93x
Clerkenwell London 11 1.43x
Eastbourne 11 4.36x
Folkestone 11 5.11x
Heston 11 10.19x
Llantwit Vairdre 11 17.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 383
Ellen 173
Margaret 124
Catherine 115
Elizabeth 73
Ann 59
Julia 48
Bridget 43
Kate 39
Annie 34
Hannah 31
Jane 31
Sarah 31
Eliza 26
Anne 22
Johanna 22
Alice 15
Maria 15
Norah 14
Emma 13
Martha 13
Elizth. 12
Margt. 11
Matilda 10
Agnes 8
Caroline 8
Johannah 8
Katherine 8
Louisa 8
Emily 7
Honorah 7
Cathrine 6
Florence 6
Anna 5
Charlotte 5
Eleanor 5
Frances 5
Helen 5
Honora 5
Rose 5
Catharine 4
Clara 4
Fanny 4
Isabel 4
Margeret 4
Rebecca 4
Ruth 4
Cath. 3
Jemima 3
Joanna 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 294
William 134
James 109
Michael 101
Daniel 96
Patrick 90
Timothy 75
Dennis 73
Jeremiah 72
Cornelius 64
Thomas 60
Denis 36
Edward 30
Joseph 30
Charles 24
George 16
David 14
Henry 13
Frederick 11
Francis 9
Wm. 8
J. 7
Peter 7
Richard 7
Thos. 7
Albert 6
Florence 6
Jno. 6
Walter 6
Alexander 5
Alfred 5
Eugene 5
Michel 5
Andrew 4
D. 4
Dan 4
Danl. 4
Humphrey 4
Mike 4
Owen 4
Robert 4
Bartholomew 3
Jerimiah 3
Lawrence 3
Mathew 3
Micheal 3
Arthur 2
Christopher 2
Frank 2
Maurice 2

FAQ

Driscoll surname: questions and answers

How common was the Driscoll surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,305 people were recorded with the Driscoll surname. That placed it at #1,371 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Driscoll surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,424 in 2016. That gives Driscoll a modern rank of #1,538.

What does the Driscoll surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'hEidersceoil," meaning "descendant of the messenger or courier."

What does the Driscoll map show?

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