NameCensus.

UK surname

Horswill

A surname possibly derived from a place name in England.

In the 1881 census there were 123 people recorded with the Horswill surname, ranking it #17,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 184, ranked #20,731, down from #17,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Huish, North, Totnes and Diptford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Hams, County Durham and Torbay.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Horswill is 239 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 49.6%.

1881 census count

123

Ranked #17,506

Modern count

184

2016, ranked #20,731

Peak year

1911

239 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Horswill had 123 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 184 in 2016, ranked #20,731.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 239 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Horswill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Horswill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Horswill 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 125 #14,700
1861 historical 147 #15,539
1881 historical 123 #17,506
1891 historical 137 #19,501
1901 historical 226 #14,006
1911 historical 239 #13,321
1997 modern 222 #16,508
1998 modern 223 #16,936
1999 modern 229 #16,744
2000 modern 222 #17,032
2001 modern 215 #17,159
2002 modern 214 #17,545
2003 modern 208 #17,685
2004 modern 206 #17,883
2005 modern 220 #17,078
2006 modern 199 #18,357
2007 modern 204 #18,251
2008 modern 214 #17,854
2009 modern 212 #18,328
2010 modern 208 #18,956
2011 modern 212 #18,575
2012 modern 201 #19,147
2013 modern 202 #19,389
2014 modern 201 #19,641
2015 modern 197 #19,774
2016 modern 184 #20,731

Geography

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Where Horswills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Huish, North, Totnes, Diptford, Harberton and Plymouth St Charles the Martyr. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Hams, County Durham and Torbay. 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 Huish, North Devon
2 Totnes Devon
3 Diptford Devon
4 Harberton Devon
5 Plymouth St Charles the Martyr Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Hams 003 South Hams
2 South Hams 005 South Hams
3 South Hams 010 South Hams
4 County Durham 009 County Durham
5 Torbay 014 Torbay

Forenames

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First names often paired with Horswill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Horswill

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Horswill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Horswill household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Horswill is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Horswill is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Horswill falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Horswill

The surname Horswill is an English locational name derived from Horswell, a small settlement near Evesham in Worcestershire. The name is believed to have originated in the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Horswell likely comes from the Old English words 'hors' meaning horse and 'well' meaning a spring or stream, suggesting it was once a place where horses were watered.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landholder named Richard de Horswelle is listed as holding lands in Oxfordshire. This indicates that the name had already become established as a surname by this time.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms such as Horswelle, Horswell, and Horsewell, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common in medieval times. Records from this period include Robert de Horsewell, who is mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Worcestershire in 1221, and Symon de Horswell, recorded in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1286.

Notable individuals with the surname Horswill include Sir Thomas Horswill (1558-1624), an English politician who served as Member of Parliament for Gloucester in 1597 and 1604. John Horswill (1660-1711) was a respected English clergyman and author of several theological works.

In the 18th century, we find William Horswill (1714-1786), a prosperous merchant and landowner in Somerset, whose estate later became the site of the town of Horswill. Another notable figure is Sir Samuel Horswill (1753-1829), a British naval officer who distinguished himself in the Napoleonic Wars and was knighted for his services.

Moving into the 19th century, Mary Ann Horswill (1819-1892) was a British artist and painter known for her portraits and landscapes. Her contemporary, Charles Horswill (1827-1898), was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.

While the surname Horswill is not among the most common in Britain today, it has a rich history spanning over nine centuries, with many individuals making valuable contributions to various fields throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Horswill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Horswill 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 73 Horswills recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.23x.

County Total Index
Devon 73 29.23x
Warwickshire 18 5.95x
Essex 11 4.64x
Cheshire 8 3.02x
Surrey 4 0.68x
Cornwall 3 2.21x
Glamorgan 3 1.44x
Durham 1 0.28x
Midlothian 1 0.62x
Pembrokeshire 1 2.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leamington Priors in Warwickshire leads with 11 Horswills recorded in 1881 and an index of 147.65x.

Place Total Index
Leamington Priors 11 147.65x
West Ham 11 21.04x
Plymouth Charles The 10 90.91x
Ipplepen 9 2647.06x
Totnes 9 616.44x
Chester St John Baptist 7 147.06x
Coventry Holy Trinity 7 77.52x
Littleham 7 382.51x
Harberton 6 1052.63x
Plymouth St Andrew 6 31.19x
Tormoham 5 47.30x
Camberwell 4 5.22x
Diptford 4 1481.48x
Exeter St Edmund 4 740.74x
Malborough 4 404.04x
Brixton 3 1071.43x
Calstock 3 112.78x
Cardiff St Mary 3 26.06x
Stoke Damerel 2 11.44x
Wolborough 2 63.29x
Chester St Michael 1 322.58x
Devonport 1 34.84x
East Stonehouse 1 20.33x
Edinburgh Canongate 1 24.45x
Hubberston 1 178.57x
Westoe 1 4.94x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Amy 3
Ann 3
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Alice 2
Amelia 2
Catherine 2
Elizabeth 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Harriet 2
Margaret 2
Sarah 2
Anna 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Bessie 1
Blanche 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Emmaleen 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Hariett 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Lilian 1
Lizzie 1
Lucy 1
Marion 1
May 1
Oliven 1
Olivia 1
Rhoda 1
Rosanna 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 9
John 5
Albert 4
Alfred 3
Charles 3
Ernest 3
James 3
Robert 3
Thomas 3
Henry 2
Philip 2
Roger 2
Andrew 1
Edmund 1
Edward 1
Ethelbert 1
Fred 1
Fredr. 1
George 1
Herbert 1
Louis 1
Richard 1
Samuel 1
Sydney 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Horswill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Horswill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 123 people were recorded with the Horswill surname. That placed it at #17,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Horswill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 184 in 2016. That gives Horswill a modern rank of #20,731.

What does the Horswill surname mean?

A surname possibly derived from a place name in England.

What does the Horswill map show?

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