NameCensus.

UK surname

Odriscoll

Irish surname derived from Ó Dríseóil meaning "descendant of the bitterly violent one".

In the 1881 census there were 60 people recorded with the Odriscoll surname, ranking it #25,133 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,361, ranked #2,776, up from #25,133 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Eccles. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hammersmith and Fulham, South Gloucestershire and Bristol.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Odriscoll is 2,403 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 3835.0%.

1881 census count

60

Ranked #25,133

Modern count

2,361

2016, ranked #2,776

Peak year

2014

2,403 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Odriscoll had 60 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,133 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,361 in 2016, ranked #2,776.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 124 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Odriscoll surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Odriscoll surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Odriscoll 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 13 #30,970
1861 historical 19 #31,470
1881 historical 60 #25,133
1891 historical 44 #30,838
1901 historical 99 #22,999
1911 historical 124 #20,023
1997 modern 2,008 #3,042
1998 modern 2,120 #3,015
1999 modern 2,169 #2,976
2000 modern 2,163 #2,965
2001 modern 2,133 #2,945
2002 modern 2,189 #2,932
2003 modern 2,137 #2,937
2004 modern 2,153 #2,919
2005 modern 2,116 #2,928
2006 modern 2,131 #2,913
2007 modern 2,183 #2,872
2008 modern 2,186 #2,896
2009 modern 2,231 #2,915
2010 modern 2,319 #2,872
2011 modern 2,325 #2,831
2012 modern 2,296 #2,816
2013 modern 2,373 #2,779
2014 modern 2,403 #2,765
2015 modern 2,370 #2,774
2016 modern 2,361 #2,776

Geography

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Where Odriscolls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Eccles, St Giles-in-the-Fields and Cardiff St John and St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hammersmith and Fulham, South Gloucestershire, Bristol, Thurrock and Brent. 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 St Pancras London (North Districts)
3 Eccles Lancashire
4 St Giles-in-the-Fields London (Central Districts)
5 Cardiff St John and St Mary Glamorganshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hammersmith and Fulham 013 Hammersmith and Fulham
2 South Gloucestershire 016 South Gloucestershire
3 Bristol 001 Bristol, City of
4 Thurrock 020 Thurrock
5 Brent 034 Brent

Forenames

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First names often paired with Odriscoll

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Odriscoll

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

Challenged Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Odriscoll 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

Odriscoll 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

Odriscoll falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Odriscoll is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Odriscoll

The surname ODRISCOLL is of Irish origin, originating from the Gaelic Ó Driscoll, meaning "descendant of Driscoll". The name is derived from the old Gaelic personal name Driscoll, which is possibly a combination of the elements "driss" meaning "blackthorn" or "bramble" and "coll" meaning "mighty".

This surname first appeared in records in the 12th century, referring to an influential family from County Cork in the province of Munster, Ireland. The ODRISCOLLs were lords of the territory of Corca Laidhe, located in the western part of County Cork.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Innisfallen, which mention Cormac ODRISCOLL in 1151. This medieval Irish chronicle also references the death of Diarmiut ODRISCOLL in 1207.

The ODRISCOLL name is associated with several historical figures, including Conor ODRISCOLL (c. 1347-1426), who served as Lord of Corca Laidhe and played a significant role in the Irish struggles against English rule. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Fineen ODRISCOLL (c. 1560-1629), a prominent Irish landowner and soldier who fought for the Spanish against the English.

In the 16th century, the ODRISCOLL family's power and influence declined due to their involvement in the Desmond Rebellions against the English crown. However, the name continued to be prominent in County Cork and other parts of Ireland.

Other notable ODRISCOLLs throughout history include Admiral William Lewis ODRISCOLL (1786-1847), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars, and John ODRISCOLL (1733-1808), an Irish-born British soldier and politician who served as a member of the British Parliament.

The ODRISCOLL surname has also been recorded with various spellings over time, such as O'Driscoll, O'Driscolh, and O'Driscole, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations within Ireland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Odriscoll families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Odriscoll 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. Glamorgan leads with 8 Odriscolls recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.86x.

County Total Index
Glamorgan 8 18.86x
Middlesex 6 2.46x
Yorkshire 4 1.66x
Royal Navy 2 68.97x
Devon 1 1.97x
Hampshire 1 2.00x
Kent 1 1.20x
Lancashire 1 0.35x
Montgomeryshire 1 17.92x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cardiff St Mary in Glamorgan leads with 7 Odriscolls recorded in 1881 and an index of 299.15x.

Place Total Index
Cardiff St Mary 7 299.15x
Horton In Bradford 4 106.10x
St Pancras London 4 20.40x
Kerry 1 588.24x
Merthyr Tydfil 1 24.51x
Milton In Gravesend 1 80.00x
Oswaldtwistle 1 98.04x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 25.58x
Portsmouth 1 86.96x
Royal Navy 1 40.32x
St George Hanover Square 1 23.31x
St Marylebone London 1 7.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ellen 3
Ann 1
Catherine 1
Elizabeth 1
Jessie 1
Johanna 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Michael 3
Denis 2
Timothy 2
Dan 1
Daniel 1
Edward 1
John 1
Joseph 1
Patrick 1
Richard 1
William 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 Odriscoll households.

FAQ

Odriscoll surname: questions and answers

How common was the Odriscoll surname in 1881?

In 1881, 60 people were recorded with the Odriscoll surname. That placed it at #25,133 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Odriscoll surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,361 in 2016. That gives Odriscoll a modern rank of #2,776.

What does the Odriscoll surname mean?

Irish surname derived from Ó Dríseóil meaning "descendant of the bitterly violent one".

What does the Odriscoll map show?

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