NameCensus.

UK surname

Morell

A toponymic surname derived from places in England and France, likely referring to someone from a town called Morell.

In the 1881 census there were 83 people recorded with the Morell surname, ranking it #21,808 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 144, ranked #24,390, down from #21,808 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stockbridge, Wiltshire and Springburn.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Morell is 175 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 73.5%.

1881 census count

83

Ranked #21,808

Modern count

144

2016, ranked #24,390

Peak year

1861

175 bearers

Map years

6

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Morell had 83 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,808 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016, ranked #24,390.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 175 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Morell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Morell surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Morell 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 81 #19,457
1861 historical 175 #13,409
1881 historical 83 #21,808
1891 historical 166 #17,077
1901 historical 149 #18,146
1911 historical 90 #23,797
1997 modern 125 #23,567
1998 modern 127 #23,940
1999 modern 132 #23,602
2000 modern 131 #23,672
2001 modern 131 #23,343
2002 modern 139 #22,991
2003 modern 146 #22,069
2004 modern 141 #22,689
2005 modern 142 #22,577
2006 modern 133 #23,711
2007 modern 143 #22,924
2008 modern 143 #23,160
2009 modern 148 #23,141
2010 modern 144 #24,147
2011 modern 144 #23,962
2012 modern 135 #24,952
2013 modern 145 #24,207
2014 modern 143 #24,621
2015 modern 143 #24,481
2016 modern 144 #24,390

Geography

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Where Morells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, St Pancras and St Giles-in-the-Fields. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stockbridge, Wiltshire, Springburn and Gateshead. 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 1
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 St Giles-in-the-Fields London (Central Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stockbridge City of Edinburgh
2 Wiltshire 041 Wiltshire
3 Springburn Glasgow City
4 Gateshead 021 Gateshead
5 Wiltshire 029 Wiltshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Morell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Morell

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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Morell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Morell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Morell 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

Morell is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Morell 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 Morell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Morell, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Morell

The surname Morell originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Spanish word 'morel', which referred to a person with a dark complexion or dark hair. This name is closely related to the Spanish word 'moreno', meaning dark-skinned or brunette.

Morell is believed to have first appeared in the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain, where it was used as a descriptive nickname for individuals with darker features. Some early records of the name can be found in medieval Catalan documents and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Morell appears in the 1283 census records of Barcelona, where a certain Guillem Morell is mentioned. Another notable early bearer of the name was Ramon Morell, a prominent merchant and landowner from the city of Girona in the late 14th century.

As the surname spread beyond Catalonia, it also took on various spellings and variations, such as Morelli, Morello, and Morel. In the 15th century, the name can be found in records from Valencia and Aragon, indicating its spread throughout the regions of eastern Spain.

One of the most famous historical figures with the surname Morell was Baltasar Morell (1619-1688), a renowned Spanish painter and engraver from the Baroque period. He is known for his religious paintings and etchings, many of which can be found in churches and museums throughout Spain.

Another notable individual with this surname was Miguel Morell (1841-1906), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Spain for a brief period in 1905.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Morell began to appear in various parts of Europe, likely carried by Spanish emigrants and traders. For example, there are records of individuals named Morell in France, Italy, and even as far as England during this time period.

One such individual was John Morell (1625-1694), an English philosopher and mathematician who was a fellow of the Royal Society and made significant contributions to the fields of optics and mechanics.

Throughout its history, the surname Morell has maintained its connection to its Spanish roots and its meaning related to physical appearance, particularly darker complexions and hair color.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Morell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Morell 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. Middlesex leads with 26 Morells recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.17x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 26 3.17x
Devon 16 9.38x
Glamorgan 6 4.21x
Kent 5 1.79x
Lancashire 5 0.51x
Yorkshire 5 0.62x
Cambridgeshire 4 7.71x
Berkshire 3 4.88x
Durham 3 1.23x
Hampshire 3 1.79x
Caernarfonshire 1 3.02x
Channel Islands 1 4.12x
Essex 1 0.62x
Lanarkshire 1 0.38x
Northumberland 1 0.82x
Surrey 1 0.25x
Sussex 1 0.72x
Warwickshire 1 0.48x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Damerel in Devon leads with 12 Morells recorded in 1881 and an index of 100.59x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Damerel 12 100.59x
Shoreditch London 7 19.71x
St Giles In Fields 7 247.35x
Hackney London 5 10.89x
Chesterton 4 250.00x
West Derby 4 14.06x
Cardiff St Mary 3 38.17x
Colton 3 10000.00x
Folkestone 3 55.35x
Roath 3 46.30x
Southampton All Sts 3 104.17x
Tamerton Foliott 3 909.09x
Binfield 2 425.53x
Bishop Auckland 2 61.16x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 4.71x
Bangor 1 31.35x
Bethnal Green London 1 2.81x
Birmingham 1 1.45x
Broadwater 1 31.55x
Byker 1 16.61x
Colchester St Botolph 1 72.46x
East Ilsley 1 625.00x
Farnham 1 32.26x
Glasgow 1 2.13x
Holbeck 1 18.59x
Islington London 1 1.26x
Kensington London 1 2.20x
Londesborough Cum 1 1000.00x
Lynesack Softley 1 151.52x
Paddington London 1 3.32x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 7.61x
Ramsgate 1 21.93x
Sevenoaks 1 44.05x
St George Hanover 1 9.35x
St Pancras London 1 1.52x
St Peter 1 142.86x
Westminster St James 1 11.88x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 5
Emma 3
Annie 2
Charlotte 2
Jane 2
Mary 2
Ann 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Augusta 1
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Helena 1
Henrietta 1
Infant 1
Jeanne 1
Kate 1
Leah 1
Letitia 1
Louise 1
M.I. 1
Rebecca 1
Rhoda 1
Ruth 1
Susan 1
Veronica 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 6
James 3
Joseph 3
William 3
Charles 2
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Samuel 2
Thomas 2
Arthur 1
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Ellen 1
Frederick 1
George 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Job 1
Jonas 1
Joshua 1
Joshure 1
Lewis 1
N. 1
Reginald 1
Ritchard 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Morell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Morell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 83 people were recorded with the Morell surname. That placed it at #21,808 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Morell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 144 in 2016. That gives Morell a modern rank of #24,390.

What does the Morell surname mean?

A toponymic surname derived from places in England and France, likely referring to someone from a town called Morell.

What does the Morell map show?

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