NameCensus.

UK surname

Mowles

A surname referring to someone who lived near a small hill or mound.

In the 1881 census there were 22 people recorded with the Mowles surname, ranking it #30,464 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 204, ranked #19,320, up from #30,464 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hadleigh, London parishes and Birstall. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Babergh, Dunterlie, East Arthurlie and Dovecothall and Cotswold.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mowles is 216 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 827.3%.

1881 census count

22

Ranked #30,464

Modern count

204

2016, ranked #19,320

Peak year

2013

216 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mowles had 22 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30,464 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 204 in 2016, ranked #19,320.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 168 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Mowles surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mowles surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mowles 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 28 #28,274
1861 historical 31 #30,058
1881 historical 22 #30,464
1891 historical 124 #20,818
1901 historical 129 #19,735
1911 historical 168 #16,620
1997 modern 173 #19,295
1998 modern 177 #19,523
1999 modern 184 #19,178
2000 modern 167 #20,332
2001 modern 166 #20,129
2002 modern 161 #20,925
2003 modern 170 #20,023
2004 modern 169 #20,206
2005 modern 166 #20,379
2006 modern 174 #19,921
2007 modern 176 #20,028
2008 modern 181 #19,875
2009 modern 190 #19,656
2010 modern 198 #19,577
2011 modern 203 #19,098
2012 modern 200 #19,207
2013 modern 216 #18,543
2014 modern 209 #19,128
2015 modern 204 #19,331
2016 modern 204 #19,320

Geography

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Where Mowles' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hadleigh, London parishes, Birstall, Polstead and Houghton Regis. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Babergh, Dunterlie, East Arthurlie and Dovecothall, Cotswold, Castle Point and Auchenback. 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 Hadleigh Suffolk
2 London parishes London 3
3 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Polstead Suffolk
5 Houghton Regis Bedfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Babergh 004 Babergh
2 Dunterlie, East Arthurlie and Dovecothall East Renfrewshire
3 Cotswold 011 Cotswold
4 Castle Point 011 Castle Point
5 Auchenback East Renfrewshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mowles

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mowles

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Mowles is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mowles 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

Mowles 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 Mowles is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Mowles

The surname Mowles has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English word "mull," which means a bare hill or a promontory. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where it was likely derived from a place name referring to a settlement or dwelling near a prominent hill or cliff.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England, there are several entries that may be related to the Mowles surname, such as "Moles" and "Molis." These early spellings suggest that the name had already evolved from its Old English origins by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Mowles surname was John Mowles, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191. Another early reference is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, which lists a Richard de Moles.

Throughout the centuries, the Mowles name has undergone various spelling variations, including Moulls, Mowlls, Moulles, and Mowles. These variations were common due to inconsistent record-keeping practices and the lack of standardized spelling rules in earlier times.

Mowles is also associated with several place names in England, such as Moulesmere (Shropshire) and Moulton (Norfolk), which may have influenced the surname's development and spread across different regions.

Notable individuals with the Mowles surname include:

1. Richard Mowles (c. 1560 - c. 1620), an English composer and organist during the late Renaissance period. 2. John Mowles (1784 - 1868), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London. 3. Elizabeth Mowles (1832 - 1905), a British philanthropist and social reformer who advocated for the education of women. 4. George Mowles (1867 - 1945), a British illustrator and artist known for his book illustrations and watercolor paintings. 5. Henry Mowles (1902 - 1982), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Mowles Trust, a charitable organization supporting education and medical research.

While the Mowles surname has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and the expansion of the British Empire. However, its origins remain firmly linked to the Old English word "mull" and the locational names derived from it.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mowles families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mowles 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. Bedfordshire leads with 10 Mowles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 86.06x.

County Total Index
Bedfordshire 10 86.06x
Middlesex 5 2.23x
Suffolk 3 10.98x
Kent 2 2.61x
Essex 1 2.26x
Royal Navy 1 37.45x
Surrey 1 0.91x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Houghton Regis in Bedfordshire leads with 10 Mowles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 5263.16x.

Place Total Index
Houghton Regis 10 5263.16x
Ipswich St Mathew 3 389.61x
Hillingdon 2 277.78x
St Pancras London 2 11.07x
Cheriton 1 322.58x
Dedham 1 769.23x
Lambeth 1 5.11x
Royal Navy 1 43.67x
St Marylebone London 1 8.35x
Woolwich 1 35.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Hannah 1
Jane 1
Lillia 1
Lucy 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 3
Arthur 2
Samuel 2
Charles 1
Edward 1
Herbert 1
James 1
John 1
Robert 1
Rowland 1
Walter 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Mowles households.

FAQ

Mowles surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mowles surname in 1881?

In 1881, 22 people were recorded with the Mowles surname. That placed it at #30,464 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mowles surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 204 in 2016. That gives Mowles a modern rank of #19,320.

What does the Mowles surname mean?

A surname referring to someone who lived near a small hill or mound.

What does the Mowles map show?

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