NameCensus.

UK surname

Horswell

In the 1881 census there were 308 people recorded with the Horswell surname, ranking it #9,542 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 320, ranked #14,096, down from #9,542 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Topsham, Tormoham with Torquay and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Hams, Cornwall and Canterbury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Horswell is 359 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.9%.

1881 census count

308

Ranked #9,542

Modern count

320

2016, ranked #14,096

Peak year

1891

359 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Horswell had 308 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,542 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 320 in 2016, ranked #14,096.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 359 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Horswell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Horswell surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Horswell 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 191 #10,808
1861 historical 156 #14,813
1881 historical 308 #9,542
1891 historical 359 #9,635
1901 historical 353 #10,364
1911 historical 335 #10,584
1997 modern 321 #12,941
1998 modern 332 #12,990
1999 modern 329 #13,147
2000 modern 323 #13,268
2001 modern 314 #13,318
2002 modern 320 #13,414
2003 modern 316 #13,355
2004 modern 310 #13,589
2005 modern 317 #13,323
2006 modern 314 #13,474
2007 modern 321 #13,403
2008 modern 327 #13,350
2009 modern 331 #13,483
2010 modern 330 #13,786
2011 modern 346 #13,192
2012 modern 322 #13,799
2013 modern 319 #14,141
2014 modern 323 #14,081
2015 modern 325 #13,927
2016 modern 320 #14,096

Geography

Back to top

Where Horswells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Topsham, Tormoham with Torquay, London parishes, Totnes and Harberton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Hams, Cornwall, Canterbury and Plymouth. 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 Topsham Devon
2 Tormoham with Torquay Devon
3 London parishes London 3
4 Totnes Devon
5 Harberton Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Hams 009 South Hams
2 Cornwall 012 Cornwall
3 Canterbury 001 Canterbury
4 Plymouth 020 Plymouth
5 Plymouth 005 Plymouth

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Horswell

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Horswell

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

European Enclaves

Within London, Horswell is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Horswell 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

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Horswell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Horswell 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. Devon leads with 206 Horswells recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.31x.

County Total Index
Devon 206 32.31x
Middlesex 28 0.91x
Surrey 16 1.07x
Durham 9 0.99x
Dorset 8 3.98x
Gloucestershire 6 1.00x
Lancashire 6 0.17x
Cornwall 5 1.44x
Hampshire 5 0.80x
Royal Navy 5 13.70x
Cheshire 4 0.59x
Essex 4 0.66x
Somerset 4 0.81x
Kent 3 0.29x
Glamorgan 2 0.38x
Lanarkshire 1 0.10x
Midlothian 1 0.24x
Warwickshire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Plymouth St Andrew in Devon leads with 39 Horswells recorded in 1881 and an index of 79.41x.

Place Total Index
Plymouth St Andrew 39 79.41x
Harberton 33 2275.86x
Plymouth Charles The 32 113.92x
Stoke Damerel 21 47.06x
Milton Abbott 14 1521.74x
St Bride London 10 561.80x
Topsham 10 332.23x
Tormoham 10 37.06x
Camberwell 9 4.60x
Wyke Regis 7 243.06x
Kingston On Thames 6 16.74x
Newton Abbot St Mary 6 112.15x
Stapleton 6 52.63x
Toxteth Park 6 4.88x
Bigbury 5 1063.83x
Greencroft 5 299.40x
Kensington London 5 2.94x
Royal Navy 5 16.03x
St George In East London 5 17.36x
Brixton 4 555.56x
Chester St Oswald 4 32.68x
Clevedon 4 77.97x
Collierley 4 98.52x
East Stonehouse 4 31.85x
Dartmouth St Savior 3 394.74x
Exeter St Mary Steps 3 208.33x
Grays Thurrock 3 53.38x
Rockbeare 3 612.24x
Southampton St Mary 3 7.60x
St George Hanover Square 3 5.56x
Buckfastleigh 2 68.03x
Compton 2 476.19x
Devonport 2 27.29x
Exeter St Thomas The 2 30.77x
Forrabury 2 645.16x
Islington London 2 0.67x
St Pancras London 2 0.81x
St Thomas Apostle 2 186.92x
Stokeinteignhead 2 289.86x
Titchfield 2 42.28x
Awliscombe 1 178.57x
Barony 1 0.40x
Battersea 1 0.89x
Blackawton 1 90.09x
Charlton Next Woolwich 1 9.17x
Compton Gifford 1 50.00x
Deptford St Paul 1 1.24x
Dodbrooke 1 78.74x
Halwell 1 142.86x
Leamington Priors 1 5.26x
Mawgan In Pyder 1 135.14x
Newton Ferrers 1 135.14x
North Weald Bassett 1 95.24x
Paddington London 1 0.89x
Portland 1 9.25x
Queensferry 1 238.10x
Roath 1 4.13x
St Andrew Minor 1 10000.00x
Stonehouse East 1 30.96x
Tavistock 1 13.77x
Thurlestone 1 263.16x
Tonbridge 1 2.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Sarah 13
Elizabeth 10
Emma 9
Annie 6
Eliza 6
Emily 6
Ann 5
Harriett 5
Jane 5
Alice 4
Ellen 4
Grace 4
Louisa 4
Bessie 3
Esther 3
Eva 3
Harriet 3
Blanche 2
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Edith 2
Elizth. 2
Mabel 2
Martha 2
Matilda 2
Rhoda 2
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Catherine 1
Cathleen 1
Christiana 1
Elizebeth 1
Emmie 1
Eth.A. 1
Eveline 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Hilda 1
Ida 1
Jamina 1
Jemima 1
Jessie 1
Johanna 1
Kate 1
Keturah 1
Laura 1
Letitia 1
Lucia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 23
John 22
George 11
James 9
Henry 7
Samuel 7
Charles 6
Edward 4
Richard 4
Robert 4
Alfred 3
Harry 3
Ernest 2
Frederick 2
Philip 2
Roger 2
Thomas 2
Wm. 2
Alexander 1
Arthur 1
Chas.T. 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Ebenezer 1
Ed.C. 1
Edmund 1
Elisha 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Fredk.W. 1
Fredk.Wm. 1
Geo. 1
Herbert 1
Hubert 1
Hy. 1
Joseph 1
Margaret 1
Mathew 1
Sarah 1
Simon 1
Stanley 1
Stephen 1
Timothy 1
Wallace 1
Walter 1
Willm. 1
Wm.John 1

FAQ

Horswell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Horswell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 308 people were recorded with the Horswell surname. That placed it at #9,542 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Horswell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 320 in 2016. That gives Horswell a modern rank of #14,096.

What does the Horswell map show?

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