NameCensus.

UK surname

Dunworth

A surname derived from a place name meaning "hill near the fort or fortification."

In the 1881 census there were 54 people recorded with the Dunworth surname, ranking it #26,009 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 215, ranked #18,670, up from #26,009 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gateshead, East Lindsey and Boston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dunworth is 229 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 298.1%.

1881 census count

54

Ranked #26,009

Modern count

215

2016, ranked #18,670

Peak year

2010

229 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dunworth had 54 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #26,009 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 215 in 2016, ranked #18,670.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 96 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Dunworth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dunworth surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dunworth 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 36 #26,838
1861 historical 92 #22,112
1881 historical 54 #26,009
1891 historical 96 #24,559
1901 historical 84 #24,759
1911 historical 83 #24,531
1997 modern 203 #17,457
1998 modern 206 #17,796
1999 modern 205 #17,960
2000 modern 203 #18,043
2001 modern 199 #17,996
2002 modern 212 #17,651
2003 modern 214 #17,343
2004 modern 212 #17,540
2005 modern 216 #17,283
2006 modern 201 #18,226
2007 modern 201 #18,428
2008 modern 209 #18,114
2009 modern 223 #17,735
2010 modern 229 #17,805
2011 modern 223 #17,940
2012 modern 216 #18,251
2013 modern 220 #18,324
2014 modern 218 #18,583
2015 modern 210 #18,958
2016 modern 215 #18,670

Geography

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Where Dunworths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gateshead, East Lindsey, Boston, Southwark 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gateshead 004 Gateshead
2 East Lindsey 016 East Lindsey
3 Boston 002 Boston
4 Southwark 017 Southwark
5 Bradford 061 Bradford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dunworth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dunworth

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Dunworth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Dunworth household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Dunworth 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

Dunworth is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dunworth falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Dunworth

The surname Dunworth is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "dun" meaning hill or down, and "worth" meaning an enclosed homestead or farm. It is believed to have originated in the 13th century in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, where people with this name were likely residents of a homestead or farm located on or near a hill or down.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dunworth can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John de Dunword is mentioned as a landowner in Lancashire. The Hundred Rolls were a census-like survey of landowners and their holdings conducted during the reign of King Edward I.

Another early reference to the name can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which lists a Thomas Dunworth as a taxpayer in the village of Baildon, near Bradford.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records and court documents in the north of England. For example, a William Dunworth is recorded as a witness in a legal case in the Yorkshire Quarter Sessions of 1587.

One notable bearer of the Dunworth name was Robert Dunworth, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Halifax, Yorkshire, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in 1662 and died in 1727.

Another noteworthy individual was John Dunworth, a successful industrialist and philanthropist from Huddersfield, Yorkshire, who lived from 1788 to 1864. He made his fortune in the textile industry and founded several schools and charitable institutions in his hometown.

In the 19th century, the Dunworth name can be found in various directories and census records across the north of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. One example is James Dunworth, a prominent Baptist minister who served in Manchester from 1825 to 1867.

The name also appears in some historical records in North America, likely carried by English settlers and immigrants. For instance, a James Dunworth is listed as a resident of Philadelphia in the 1790 census of the United States.

While the Dunworth surname is not among the most common in England, it has a long and well-documented history, particularly in the northern counties where it originated. Its roots can be traced back to the medieval period, and it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, industrialists, clergymen, and landowners.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dunworth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dunworth 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 25 Dunworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.75x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 25 4.75x
Lancashire 10 1.60x
Durham 9 5.74x
Surrey 5 1.95x
Glamorgan 2 2.18x
Hertfordshire 1 2.75x
Suffolk 1 1.56x
Yorkshire 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gateshead in Durham leads with 7 Dunworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 59.68x.

Place Total Index
Gateshead 7 59.68x
St Pancras London 7 16.51x
St Luke London 6 71.01x
Moss Side 4 121.58x
Beswick 3 187.50x
Camberwell 3 8.92x
Bromley London 2 17.26x
Houghton Le Spring 2 185.19x
Llantrisant 2 86.58x
Paddington London 2 10.33x
St George Bloomsbury 2 66.23x
St George Martyr London 2 186.92x
West Derby 2 10.93x
Westminster St John 2 31.20x
Battersea 1 5.16x
Chipping Barnet 1 156.25x
Croydon 1 7.02x
Ecclesfield 1 26.11x
Liverpool 1 2.63x
Lowestoft 1 33.00x
St Giles In Fields London 1 38.76x
St Gilesin Fields London 1 222.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Alice 3
Clara 2
Ellen 2
Ada 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Catherine 1
Elizabeth 1
Emily 1
Ester 1
Helen 1
Margt.Jane 1
Marion 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 6
George 3
David 2
Henry 2
John 2
Robert 2
William 2
Andrew 1
Arthur 1
Edward 1
Harriet 1
Joseph 1
Josph. 1
Matthew 1
Michael 1
Richard 1
Robt. 1
Timothy 1

FAQ

Dunworth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dunworth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 54 people were recorded with the Dunworth surname. That placed it at #26,009 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dunworth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 215 in 2016. That gives Dunworth a modern rank of #18,670.

What does the Dunworth surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name meaning "hill near the fort or fortification."

What does the Dunworth map show?

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