NameCensus.

UK surname

Duell

A surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near a tower or derived from the French word "duelle" meaning "quarrel."

In the 1881 census there were 187 people recorded with the Duell surname, ranking it #13,407 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 411, ranked #11,654, up from #13,407 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Breamore, London parishes and Eling. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include New Forest, Shropshire and Scarborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Duell is 444 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 119.8%.

1881 census count

187

Ranked #13,407

Modern count

411

2016, ranked #11,654

Peak year

2010

444 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Duell had 187 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,407 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 411 in 2016, ranked #11,654.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 237 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Duell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Duell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Duell 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 140 #13,593
1861 historical 144 #15,817
1881 historical 187 #13,407
1891 historical 218 #14,023
1901 historical 237 #13,574
1911 historical 236 #13,452
1997 modern 403 #10,955
1998 modern 420 #10,973
1999 modern 416 #11,110
2000 modern 420 #10,998
2001 modern 410 #11,016
2002 modern 426 #10,918
2003 modern 408 #11,115
2004 modern 416 #10,963
2005 modern 407 #11,041
2006 modern 416 #10,912
2007 modern 416 #11,020
2008 modern 422 #10,992
2009 modern 432 #11,048
2010 modern 444 #11,017
2011 modern 433 #11,116
2012 modern 399 #11,740
2013 modern 406 #11,790
2014 modern 405 #11,880
2015 modern 407 #11,760
2016 modern 411 #11,654

Geography

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Where Duells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Breamore, London parishes, Eling, St James and Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to New Forest, Shropshire, Scarborough, Sunderland and North Lincolnshire. 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 Breamore Hampshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Eling Hampshire
4 St James Suffolk
5 Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 New Forest 009 New Forest
2 Shropshire 010 Shropshire
3 Scarborough 002 Scarborough
4 Sunderland 016 Sunderland
5 North Lincolnshire 001 North Lincolnshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Duell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Duell

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

Duell is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Duell falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Duell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Duell

The surname Duell has its origins in the German states, emerging sometime in the late medieval period around the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "duellen", which means "to endure" or "to suffer". The name may have been given to someone who had endured hardship or adversity.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the historical records of the city of Frankfurt am Main, where a certain Johannes Duell was mentioned in a document from 1492. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from that era in other parts of Germany.

In the 16th century, the surname Duell began to spread beyond the German states. In England, a variant spelling, "Duell", can be found in parish records from the late 1500s, likely brought over by German immigrants or settlers. One notable bearer of this name was Sir Thomas Duell (1615-1687), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Great Marlow.

The name Duell has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. In the 18th century, a French military officer named Jean-Baptiste Duell (1726-1807) served in the Seven Years' War and later became a general under Napoleon Bonaparte. Another bearer of the name was the German-American painter and lithographer, Louis Duell (1816-1886), who was known for his landscape paintings of the American West.

In the 19th century, the name Duell gained prominence in the literary world with the British author and critic, Prentice Duell (1839-1902), who wrote extensively on poetry and literature. Around the same time, a German-American industrialist named Otto Duell (1848-1920) made his mark in the manufacturing sector, founding the Duell Manufacturing Company in Chicago.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname Duell was the American actor and comedian, Charles Duell (1899-1986), who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout the 20th century. He is perhaps best known for his role as the character Uncle Charlie in the popular sitcom "My Three Sons".

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Duell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Duell 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. Hampshire leads with 51 Duells recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.64x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 51 13.64x
Yorkshire 28 1.55x
Durham 18 3.32x
Middlesex 17 0.93x
Warwickshire 16 3.48x
Suffolk 13 5.85x
Staffordshire 12 1.95x
Surrey 11 1.24x
Lincolnshire 7 2.40x
Kent 4 0.64x
Berkshire 2 1.46x
Lancashire 2 0.09x
Worcestershire 2 0.84x
Cumberland 1 0.64x
Essex 1 0.28x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.41x
Wiltshire 1 0.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 16 Duells recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.63x.

Place Total Index
Aston 16 12.63x
Eling 16 422.16x
Southampton St Mary 12 51.04x
Breamore 10 2857.14x
Ugthorpe 9 6000.00x
Bury St Edmunds St James 8 134.91x
Great Grimsby 7 37.82x
Hinderwell 7 454.55x
Norton 7 351.76x
Wandsworth 7 39.86x
Crook Billy Row 6 86.33x
Lichfield St Mary 6 337.08x
Ottringham 6 1666.67x
Bishopwearmouth 5 10.73x
Fulham London 5 18.90x
Millbrook 5 53.08x
Alderton 3 909.09x
Chelsea London 3 5.46x
Feltham 3 164.84x
Rotherhithe 3 13.31x
Roxby 3 2500.00x
South Stoneham 3 36.99x
Bray 2 49.75x
Dover St Mary Virgin 2 33.22x
Kings Norton 2 9.36x
Lee 2 22.12x
Lichfield St Chad 2 144.93x
Southampton All Sts 2 31.15x
West Bromwich 2 5.67x
Westminster St Margaret 2 22.73x
Woodbridge 2 70.42x
Carisbrooke 1 19.27x
Chilwell 1 153.85x
Colchester All Sts 1 357.14x
Denny Lodge 1 555.56x
Everton 1 1.45x
Hackney London 1 0.98x
Holy Trinity 1 2.30x
Hopton Coton 1 114.94x
Kensington London 1 0.99x
Limehouse London 1 4.99x
Milford 1 116.28x
Newington 1 20.08x
Ryhill Camerton 1 588.24x
Southampton St Michael 1 81.30x
St Marylebone London 1 1.03x
Streatham 1 7.39x
Walsall Foreign 1 3.14x
West Derby 1 1.58x
Whitehaven 1 11.95x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Duell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Duell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 187 people were recorded with the Duell surname. That placed it at #13,407 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Duell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 411 in 2016. That gives Duell a modern rank of #11,654.

What does the Duell surname mean?

A surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near a tower or derived from the French word "duelle" meaning "quarrel."

What does the Duell map show?

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