NameCensus.

UK surname

Gowling

In the 1881 census there were 153 people recorded with the Gowling surname, ranking it #15,320 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 340, ranked #13,456, up from #15,320 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kirkby Thore, Carlisle St Cuthbert and Darlington. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Daventry, Eden and East Lindsey.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gowling is 348 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 122.2%.

1881 census count

153

Ranked #15,320

Modern count

340

2016, ranked #13,456

Peak year

1998

348 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gowling had 153 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,320 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 340 in 2016, ranked #13,456.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 293 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Gowling surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gowling surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gowling 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 119 #15,247
1861 historical 97 #21,503
1881 historical 153 #15,320
1891 historical 215 #14,155
1901 historical 236 #13,616
1911 historical 293 #11,650
1997 modern 333 #12,615
1998 modern 348 #12,585
1999 modern 333 #13,049
2000 modern 339 #12,857
2001 modern 324 #13,062
2002 modern 336 #12,992
2003 modern 342 #12,627
2004 modern 333 #12,927
2005 modern 317 #13,323
2006 modern 307 #13,695
2007 modern 310 #13,730
2008 modern 322 #13,487
2009 modern 329 #13,548
2010 modern 335 #13,645
2011 modern 329 #13,694
2012 modern 332 #13,501
2013 modern 336 #13,574
2014 modern 334 #13,749
2015 modern 336 #13,593
2016 modern 340 #13,456

Geography

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Where Gowlings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kirkby Thore, Carlisle St Cuthbert, Darlington, Kirkby Stephen and Bongate or Appleby St Michael. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Daventry, Eden, East Lindsey, County Durham and Darlington. 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 Kirkby Thore Westmorland
2 Carlisle St Cuthbert Cumberland
3 Darlington Durham
4 Kirkby Stephen Westmorland
5 Bongate or Appleby St Michael Westmorland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Daventry 001 Daventry
2 Eden 006 Eden
3 East Lindsey 014 East Lindsey
4 County Durham 066 County Durham
5 Darlington 004 Darlington

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gowling

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gowling

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Gowling is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gowling is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gowling falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Gowling families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gowling 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. Westmorland leads with 61 Gowlings recorded in 1881 and an index of 185.98x.

County Total Index
Westmorland 61 185.98x
Durham 36 8.11x
Lancashire 25 1.41x
Cumberland 10 7.78x
Norfolk 9 3.92x
Yorkshire 5 0.34x
Middlesex 3 0.20x
Cheshire 1 0.30x
Leicestershire 1 0.60x
Suffolk 1 0.55x
Sussex 1 0.40x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Middleton In Teesdale in Durham leads with 15 Gowlings recorded in 1881 and an index of 1282.05x.

Place Total Index
Middleton In Teesdale 15 1282.05x
Salford 14 26.88x
Appleby St Michael 10 1351.35x
Hellesdon 9 2142.86x
Barnard Castle 8 365.30x
Hulme 8 21.64x
Little Musgrave 8 20000.00x
Appleby St Lawrence 7 933.33x
Brough 7 2187.50x
Kirkby Thore 7 2592.59x
Wharton 6 20000.00x
Darlington 5 29.17x
Embleton 5 2777.78x
Kirkby Stephen 5 588.24x
Penrith 5 105.26x
Cornforth 4 305.34x
Ravenstonedale 4 869.57x
Newbiggin 3 4285.71x
Pendleton In Salford 3 14.22x
Temple Sowerby 3 1428.57x
Bow London 2 10.53x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 2 10.40x
Holwick 2 1666.67x
Middleton Tyas 2 714.29x
East Thickley 1 111.11x
Gateshead 1 3.01x
Great Musgrave 1 1111.11x
Halstead 1 625.00x
Hampstead London 1 4.30x
Knottingley 1 38.46x
Knutsford Nether 1 50.25x
Ringsfield 1 666.67x
Uckfield 1 90.91x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 8
Sarah 8
Jane 4
Hannah 3
Margaret 3
Ann 2
Barbara 2
Emma 2
Frances 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Annie 1
Bridget 1
Dora 1
Elizbeth 1
Elizth. 1
Euphemie 1
Florence 1
Harriet 1
Isabella 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Lituey 1
Lucy 1
Marion 1
Minnie 1
Rachel 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 17
John 11
Thomas 11
George 8
Joseph 8
James 7
Robert 4
Albert 2
Alfred 1
Charles 1
Christopher 1
Fisher 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Harrison 1
Harry 1
Isaac 1
Joshua 1
Matthew 1
Robt. 1
Septimus 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Gowling surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gowling surname in 1881?

In 1881, 153 people were recorded with the Gowling surname. That placed it at #15,320 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gowling surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 340 in 2016. That gives Gowling a modern rank of #13,456.

What does the Gowling map show?

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