NameCensus.

UK surname

Madle

A locational name denoting someone from a place called Madeley or Madle.

In the 1881 census there were 113 people recorded with the Madle surname, ranking it #18,412 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 179, ranked #21,086, down from #18,412 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, South Weald and Ongar, High. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Thurrock, South Oxfordshire and Chelmsford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Madle is 198 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 58.4%.

1881 census count

113

Ranked #18,412

Modern count

179

2016, ranked #21,086

Peak year

1999

198 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Madle had 113 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,412 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 179 in 2016, ranked #21,086.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 186 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Madle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Madle surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Madle 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 70 #21,020
1861 historical 103 #20,650
1881 historical 113 #18,412
1891 historical 131 #20,073
1901 historical 156 #17,638
1911 historical 186 #15,643
1997 modern 182 #18,693
1998 modern 195 #18,397
1999 modern 198 #18,343
2000 modern 185 #19,118
2001 modern 185 #18,840
2002 modern 183 #19,354
2003 modern 175 #19,690
2004 modern 180 #19,424
2005 modern 177 #19,598
2006 modern 174 #19,921
2007 modern 173 #20,243
2008 modern 167 #20,901
2009 modern 171 #21,024
2010 modern 182 #20,662
2011 modern 172 #21,248
2012 modern 166 #21,683
2013 modern 175 #21,320
2014 modern 177 #21,340
2015 modern 176 #21,291
2016 modern 179 #21,086

Geography

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Where Madles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, South Weald, Ongar, High, Doddinghurst and Chatham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Thurrock, South Oxfordshire, Chelmsford, Tower Hamlets and Isle of Wight. 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 South Weald Essex
3 Ongar, High Essex
4 Doddinghurst Essex
5 Chatham Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Thurrock 015 Thurrock
2 South Oxfordshire 007 South Oxfordshire
3 Chelmsford 006 Chelmsford
4 Tower Hamlets 013 Tower Hamlets
5 Isle of Wight 012 Isle of Wight

Forenames

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First names often paired with Madle

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Madle

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Madle 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

Madle is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Madle

The surname Madle is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest documented use dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Middle German word "madel," meaning a young maiden or girl. This likely indicates that the name was initially a descriptive nickname for someone who was unmarried or youthful in appearance.

In the early 1500s, the name Madle can be found recorded in various German church records and municipal documents, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One of the earliest known references is to a Konrad Madle, a landowner in the village of Großolbersdorf, near Chemnitz, in 1521.

The Madle surname also appears in some of the earliest German-language genealogical records, such as the "Stammbuch" (family book) of the Madle family from Nuremberg, which traces the lineage back to the late 15th century. This suggests that the name had already become established as a hereditary surname by that time.

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the Madle name continued to spread across various parts of Germany, as evidenced by records of individuals bearing the surname in cities like Berlin, Leipzig, and Cologne. One notable figure from this period was Hans Madle (1540-1612), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Nuremberg.

As German settlers began to migrate to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Madle surname traveled with them. Johann Georg Madle (1701-1782), a Lutheran pastor from Saxony, was among the first known Madles to settle in Pennsylvania in the 1730s.

Other notable individuals with the Madle surname include Karl Madle (1807-1873), a German-American journalist and publisher who founded the Cincinnati Volksblatt newspaper, and Friedrich Madle (1875-1942), an Austrian painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life.

While the Madle name has maintained a presence in various parts of Germany and across German-American communities, it remains a relatively uncommon surname globally. However, its origins as a descriptive nickname for a young woman serve as a reminder of the rich history and cultural significance often embedded within surnames.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Madle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Madle 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. Essex leads with 59 Madles recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.88x.

County Total Index
Essex 59 26.88x
Middlesex 32 2.88x
Kent 11 2.90x
Surrey 7 1.29x
Sussex 3 1.60x
Bedfordshire 1 1.74x
Royal Navy 1 7.55x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Doddinghurst in Essex leads with 14 Madles recorded in 1881 and an index of 8750.00x.

Place Total Index
Doddinghurst 14 8750.00x
Fyfield 11 6111.11x
West Ham 11 22.70x
Strood 9 416.67x
St Pancras London 7 7.82x
Stock 6 2608.70x
Tottenham 5 28.23x
Kensington London 4 6.47x
Langford 4 4444.44x
Westminster St John 4 29.54x
Battersea 3 7.33x
Hackney London 3 4.81x
Hove 3 36.45x
Lexden 3 340.91x
Bethnal Green London 2 4.14x
High Ongar 2 500.00x
Lambeth 2 2.06x
South Weald 2 106.38x
St George Hanover 2 13.78x
Willingale Spain 2 2500.00x
Bedford St Paul 1 25.32x
Deptford St Paul 1 3.42x
Epping 1 112.36x
Hampstead London 1 5.77x
Kelvedon Hatch 1 714.29x
Mile End Old Town 1 5.70x
Rochester St Nicholas 1 84.75x
Royal Navy 1 8.83x
Shoreditch London 1 2.07x
St Anne Soho London 1 15.75x
Stanford Rivers 1 270.27x
Theydon Garnon 1 200.00x
Wandsworth 1 9.35x
Westminster St 1 24.39x
Wimbledon 1 16.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Eliza 4
Elizabeth 4
Ann 3
Fanny 3
Louisa 3
Anne 2
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Emma 2
Kate 2
Rohda 2
Sarah 2
Susan 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Amelia 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Elcey 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.M. 1
Ellen 1
Frances 1
Hannah 1
Maria 1
Maud 1
Mercy 1
Minnie 1
Rebecca 1
Rhoda 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Madle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Madle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 113 people were recorded with the Madle surname. That placed it at #18,412 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Madle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 179 in 2016. That gives Madle a modern rank of #21,086.

What does the Madle surname mean?

A locational name denoting someone from a place called Madeley or Madle.

What does the Madle map show?

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