NameCensus.

UK surname

Orwell

In the 1881 census there were 127 people recorded with the Orwell surname, ranking it #17,166 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 182, ranked #20,890, down from #17,166 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Trentham, Redruth and Edgmond (Edgmond), Chetwynd, Cheswardine, Hinstock. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Camden and Redbridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Orwell is 192 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.3%.

1881 census count

127

Ranked #17,166

Modern count

182

2016, ranked #20,890

Peak year

2014

192 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Orwell had 127 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,166 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 182 in 2016, ranked #20,890.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 142 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Orwell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Orwell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Orwell 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 75 #20,268
1861 historical 99 #21,294
1881 historical 127 #17,166
1891 historical 142 #18,995
1901 historical 110 #21,604
1911 historical 117 #20,757
1997 modern 149 #21,214
1998 modern 166 #20,329
1999 modern 156 #21,290
2000 modern 162 #20,735
2001 modern 159 #20,710
2002 modern 167 #20,457
2003 modern 157 #21,026
2004 modern 167 #20,367
2005 modern 162 #20,716
2006 modern 155 #21,477
2007 modern 165 #20,893
2008 modern 166 #20,966
2009 modern 176 #20,632
2010 modern 185 #20,453
2011 modern 173 #21,172
2012 modern 181 #20,531
2013 modern 190 #20,201
2014 modern 192 #20,230
2015 modern 183 #20,786
2016 modern 182 #20,890

Geography

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Where Orwells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Trentham, Redruth, Edgmond (Edgmond), Chetwynd, Cheswardine, Hinstock, Ashley and St Leonard Bromley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, Camden, Redbridge, Wandsworth and Neath Port Talbot. 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 Trentham Staffordshire
2 Redruth Cornwall
3 Edgmond (Edgmond), Chetwynd, Cheswardine, Hinstock Shropshire
4 Ashley Shropshire
5 St Leonard Bromley London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 005 Shropshire
2 Camden 004 Camden
3 Redbridge 019 Redbridge
4 Wandsworth 001 Wandsworth
5 Neath Port Talbot 020 Neath Port Talbot

Forenames

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First names often paired with Orwell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Orwell

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

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Orwell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Orwell 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 includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Orwell is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

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

Orwell 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

Orwell 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 Orwell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Orwell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Orwell 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. Staffordshire leads with 37 Orwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.85x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 37 8.85x
Middlesex 20 1.61x
Shropshire 16 14.95x
Lancashire 13 0.88x
Warwickshire 10 3.20x
Glamorgan 5 2.32x
Angus 4 3.49x
Cambridgeshire 4 5.10x
Cheshire 4 1.46x
Cornwall 4 2.85x
Lanarkshire 2 0.50x
Northamptonshire 2 1.72x
Dorset 1 1.23x
Essex 1 0.41x
Kent 1 0.24x
Leicestershire 1 0.73x
Lincolnshire 1 0.50x
Surrey 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Poplar London in Middlesex leads with 11 Orwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 47.05x.

Place Total Index
Poplar London 11 47.05x
Rusholme 10 255.10x
Stoke Upon Trent 9 20.30x
Cheswardine 8 1739.13x
Ashley 7 2058.82x
Bromley London 7 25.69x
Drayton In Hales 7 316.74x
Willenhall 6 76.63x
Aston 5 5.81x
Birmingham 5 4.80x
Newton Nottage 5 847.46x
Trentham 5 140.45x
Congleton 4 84.75x
Dundee 4 9.34x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 4 116.96x
Sandon 4 1818.18x
Redruth 3 75.57x
Tyrley 3 937.50x
Eccleshall 2 125.79x
Glasgow 2 2.81x
Northampton Priory St 2 28.61x
Wuerdle Wardle 2 44.84x
Adbaston 1 434.78x
Chelsfield 1 250.00x
Chipping Ongar 1 238.10x
Clapham 1 6.46x
Illogan 1 26.95x
Irby On Humber 1 1111.11x
Leicester St Mary 1 9.01x
Manchester 1 1.51x
Paddington London 1 2.20x
Portland 1 22.88x
Shifnal 1 34.36x
St Pancras London 1 1.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Ann 5
Emma 5
Alice 4
Ellen 4
Eliza 3
Elizabeth 2
Fanny 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Clementina 1
E.J. 1
Elizth. 1
Elza 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Jane 1
Johanna 1
Lucy 1
Margeret 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Nancy 1
Sarah 1
Sicley 1
Susan 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
George 6
James 6
Benjamin 4
William 4
Henry 3
Joseph 3
Samuel 3
Charles 2
Patrick 2
Thomas 2
Albert 1
D.R. 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Jacob 1
Robert 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
W.R. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Orwell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Orwell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 127 people were recorded with the Orwell surname. That placed it at #17,166 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Orwell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 182 in 2016. That gives Orwell a modern rank of #20,890.

What does the Orwell map show?

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