NameCensus.

UK surname

Haswell

An English habitational surname referring to someone from Haswell, County Durham.

In the 1881 census there were 966 people recorded with the Haswell surname, ranking it #4,019 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,418, ranked #4,301, down from #4,019 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Hartlepool and Sunderland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Haswell is 1,531 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.8%.

1881 census count

966

Ranked #4,019

Modern count

1,418

2016, ranked #4,301

Peak year

1999

1,531 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Haswell had 966 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,019 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,418 in 2016, ranked #4,301.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,406 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Haswell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Haswell surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Haswell 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 722 #3,629
1861 historical 627 #4,272
1881 historical 966 #4,019
1891 historical 1,052 #3,988
1901 historical 1,351 #3,712
1911 historical 1,406 #3,430
1997 modern 1,476 #3,969
1998 modern 1,512 #4,017
1999 modern 1,531 #4,007
2000 modern 1,483 #4,102
2001 modern 1,461 #4,076
2002 modern 1,467 #4,141
2003 modern 1,403 #4,223
2004 modern 1,386 #4,261
2005 modern 1,336 #4,341
2006 modern 1,332 #4,366
2007 modern 1,343 #4,372
2008 modern 1,343 #4,397
2009 modern 1,394 #4,346
2010 modern 1,438 #4,320
2011 modern 1,415 #4,328
2012 modern 1,375 #4,363
2013 modern 1,422 #4,314
2014 modern 1,428 #4,328
2015 modern 1,436 #4,275
2016 modern 1,418 #4,301

Geography

Back to top

Where Haswells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity, Edinburgh and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Hartlepool and Sunderland. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Chester St Oswald, Little St John, Cathedral Church, St Peter, St Bridget, St Martin, Holy Trinity Cheshire
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 021 County Durham
2 County Durham 018 County Durham
3 Hartlepool 002 Hartlepool
4 Sunderland 021 Sunderland
5 County Durham 015 County Durham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Haswell

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Haswell

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Haswell, 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 Haswell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Haswell 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Haswell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Haswell is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Haswell

The surname Haswell originates from England, with its earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from a place name, either the village of Hazlewood or Hazelwell in Yorkshire, or the area known as Hazlewood near Tadcaster, Yorkshire. These place names are thought to be derived from the Old English words "hæsel" meaning hazel tree, and "wella" meaning a spring or stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a William de Haselwelle from Oxfordshire. In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Hasylwelle, Hasilwell, and Haselwell.

The Haswell name is also mentioned in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which was a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a landowner named Radulfus de Hasewelle in Lincolnshire.

Notable individuals with the Haswell surname include Sir Edward Haswell (1552-1624), an English Member of Parliament and landowner from Northamptonshire. Another prominent figure was John Haswell (1608-1684), an English Puritan clergyman and author from Warwickshire.

In the 18th century, John Haswell (1726-1795) was a renowned English surveyor and cartographer who produced maps of various counties in England. His works were highly regarded and widely used during that time.

Moving into the 19th century, we have William Haswell (1805-1883), an English artist and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural illustrations. He was also a member of the Society of Painters in Water Colours.

In the field of science, Cyrus Haswell (1859-1934) was an American zoologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin. He made significant contributions to the study of invertebrate anatomy and embryology.

While the Haswell name has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where descendants of English immigrants can be found.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Haswell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Haswell 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. Durham leads with 310 Haswells recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.03x.

County Total Index
Durham 310 11.03x
Middlesex 120 1.27x
Northumberland 80 5.69x
Yorkshire 74 0.79x
Cheshire 72 3.45x
Surrey 47 1.02x
Warwickshire 32 1.34x
Lancashire 30 0.27x
Kent 22 0.68x
Wigtownshire 19 15.15x
Midlothian 17 1.34x
Hampshire 16 0.83x
Leicestershire 15 1.43x
Ayrshire 14 1.98x
Lanarkshire 12 0.39x
Cumberland 9 1.11x
Devon 8 0.41x
Essex 8 0.43x
East Lothian 6 4.80x
Staffordshire 6 0.19x
Derbyshire 5 0.34x
Wiltshire 5 0.60x
Royal Navy 4 3.55x
Somerset 4 0.26x
Sussex 4 0.25x
Berwickshire 3 2.62x
Cornwall 3 0.28x
Dorset 3 0.48x
Worcestershire 3 0.24x
Bedfordshire 2 0.41x
Fife 2 0.36x
Hertfordshire 2 0.31x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 1.46x
West Lothian 2 1.41x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.17x
Gloucestershire 1 0.05x
Lincolnshire 1 0.07x
Monmouthshire 1 0.15x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.33x
Roxburghshire 1 0.58x
Rutland 1 1.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bishopwearmouth in Durham leads with 80 Haswells recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.18x.

Place Total Index
Bishopwearmouth 80 33.18x
Gateshead 29 13.79x
Leeds 25 4.73x
Islington London 24 2.62x
Birkenhead 23 13.84x
Chester St John Baptist 21 56.04x
Houghton Le Spring 20 102.99x
St Luke London 16 10.56x
Camberwell 15 2.49x
Chester St Oswald 15 39.75x
Burbage 14 255.94x
Bedlington 13 27.71x
Dawdon 13 37.63x
Portsea 13 3.43x
Berwick Upon Tweed 12 40.31x
Edmonton 12 15.77x
Stoke 11 234.54x
Bermondsey 10 3.56x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 9 1.77x
Morpeth 9 54.48x
Sculcoates 9 6.07x
Shadforth 9 165.14x
Shoreditch London 9 2.20x
Southwark Christchurch 9 20.34x
Westgate 9 10.34x
Woodland 9 481.28x
Bootle Cum Linacre 8 8.99x
Elswick 8 7.13x
Govan 8 1.06x
Newbottle 8 52.15x
Preston In Tynemouth 8 144.93x
Bow London 7 5.82x
Coventry St Michael 7 9.15x
Edinburgh Tron Church 7 118.04x
Finchley 7 19.34x
Maidstone 7 7.29x
Monk Hesleden 7 89.40x
Ouston 7 170.73x
Seghill 7 101.60x
Shildon 7 31.01x
Stoke Damerel 7 5.09x
West Ham 7 1.70x
Whitechapel London 7 7.52x
Wingate 7 36.34x
Birmingham 6 0.76x
Deptford St Paul 6 2.41x
East Rainton 6 110.29x
Great Ayton 6 104.71x
Guisbrough 6 29.34x
Hartlepool 6 15.03x
Hetton Le Hole 6 16.85x
Kilmarnock 6 7.13x
Newington 6 1.72x
Normanton 6 21.34x
Penninghame 6 46.91x
St Cuthbert W O 6 15.14x
Stockton On Tees 6 4.43x
Sunderland 6 12.09x
Tonbridge 6 5.16x
Tranent 6 35.50x
Bournmoor 5 113.38x
Chester St Bridget 5 140.06x
Clerkenwell London 5 2.24x
Easington 5 122.55x
Hemsworth 5 92.94x
Holy Trinity 5 2.22x
Little Meolse 5 167.79x
Morton Grange 5 793.65x
Rugby 5 15.52x
Ryhope 5 25.64x
Shotton 5 71.94x
Stranraer 5 43.59x
Stranton 5 5.29x
West Derby 5 1.53x
Westoe 5 3.14x
Wirksworth 5 37.20x
Wolviston 5 255.10x
Bradford On Avon 4 14.96x
Seaham 4 39.06x
Walcot 4 4.94x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 59
Elizabeth 48
Margaret 29
Jane 25
Ann 23
Annie 19
Isabella 19
Sarah 18
Emily 17
Hannah 13
Ellen 12
Eliza 11
Emma 8
Ada 6
Catherine 6
Agnes 5
Clara 5
Kate 5
Alice 4
Caroline 4
Edith 4
Louisa 4
Maria 4
Dorothy 3
Eleanor 3
Florence 3
Harriet 3
Jessie 3
Laura 3
Martha 3
Sophia 3
Amelia 2
Anne 2
Beatrice 2
Bessie 2
Charlotte 2
Elenaor 2
Esther 2
Evelyn 2
Grace 2
Helen 2
Isabela 2
Lottie 2
M. 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2
Susan 2
Amy 1
Blanch 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 59
John 54
George 33
Robert 28
Thomas 27
James 24
Charles 23
Henry 20
Edward 10
Richard 10
Arthur 9
Frederick 9
Joseph 9
Nicholas 7
Alfred 6
David 6
Christopher 5
Harry 5
Benjamin 4
Edwin 4
Ralph 4
Albert 3
Alexander 3
Frank 3
Geo. 3
Johnson 3
Walter 3
Wm. 3
Alexandra 2
Benjn. 2
Francis 2
Frederic 2
Fredrick 2
Henery 2
Herbert 2
Mathew 2
Samuel 2
Chas.C. 1
Emund 1
Ernest 1
Ethelbert 1
Frances 1
Fredk.B. 1
Jacob 1
Jas 1
Jas. 1
Jas.E. 1
Jas.Wm. 1
Jno. 1
Wm.Wale 1

FAQ

Haswell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Haswell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 966 people were recorded with the Haswell surname. That placed it at #4,019 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Haswell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,418 in 2016. That gives Haswell a modern rank of #4,301.

What does the Haswell surname mean?

An English habitational surname referring to someone from Haswell, County Durham.

What does the Haswell map show?

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