NameCensus.

UK surname

Rothwell

Derived from a place name meaning "red spring or stream" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 5,489 people recorded with the Rothwell surname, ranking it #810 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,404, ranked #1,240, down from #810 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Bury and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolton, Bury and Rossendale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rothwell is 6,840 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.5%.

1881 census count

5,489

Ranked #810

Modern count

5,404

2016, ranked #1,240

Peak year

1911

6,840 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rothwell had 5,489 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #810 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,404 in 2016, ranked #1,240.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,840 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Rothwell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rothwell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rothwell 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 3,636 #780
1861 historical 3,593 #781
1881 historical 5,489 #810
1891 historical 5,760 #815
1901 historical 6,272 #883
1911 historical 6,840 #755
1997 modern 5,648 #1,154
1998 modern 5,787 #1,170
1999 modern 5,857 #1,162
2000 modern 5,760 #1,173
2001 modern 5,657 #1,169
2002 modern 5,776 #1,173
2003 modern 5,587 #1,178
2004 modern 5,528 #1,192
2005 modern 5,378 #1,211
2006 modern 5,398 #1,203
2007 modern 5,420 #1,208
2008 modern 5,410 #1,213
2009 modern 5,505 #1,227
2010 modern 5,636 #1,226
2011 modern 5,545 #1,230
2012 modern 5,406 #1,237
2013 modern 5,511 #1,236
2014 modern 5,514 #1,236
2015 modern 5,412 #1,248
2016 modern 5,404 #1,240

Geography

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Where Rothwells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Bury, Manchester, Bolton-le-Moors and Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolton, Bury, Rossendale and West Lancashire. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Bury Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire
5 Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolton 024 Bolton
2 Bury 001 Bury
3 Bolton 032 Bolton
4 Rossendale 002 Rossendale
5 West Lancashire 006 West Lancashire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rothwell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rothwell

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Rothwell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Rothwell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Rothwell 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

Rothwell is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rothwell falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Rothwell 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 Rothwell, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rothwell

The surname Rothwell is of English origin, derived from the place name Rothwell, which itself is composed of the Old English elements "rod" meaning "a clearing" and "well" meaning "a spring or stream." The name is thought to have originated in the 11th century or earlier, during the Anglo-Saxon period in England.

The name Rothwell is associated with various locations in England, particularly the towns of Rothwell in Northamptonshire, Rothwell in West Yorkshire, and Rothwell in Lincolnshire. These place names likely predate the surname and may have been the original sources from which the surname evolved as people began using the place name as a means of identification.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rothwell appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Rodewelle" in reference to the Rothwell manor in Northamptonshire.

In the 13th century, the surname Rothwell is found in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which documented landowners and their holdings. The name is also present in the Subsidy Rolls of the 14th century, which recorded taxpayers across England.

Notable individuals with the surname Rothwell throughout history include:

1. John Rothwell (c. 1470 - c. 1535), an English Benedictine monk and scholar who served as the Bishop of Elphin in Ireland.

2. Richard Rothwell (1563 - 1627), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

3. Edward Rothwell (1644 - 1688), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds.

4. John Rothwell (1667 - 1736), an English lawyer and antiquarian who published works on the history of Yorkshire.

5. Sir Percival Rothwell (1879 - 1957), a British businessman and philanthropist who served as the Lord Mayor of Liverpool from 1935 to 1936.

The surname Rothwell has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as Rothwell Haigh in West Yorkshire, Rothwell Woodlands in Northamptonshire, and Rothwell Green in Lincolnshire. These place names likely reflect the historical presence and influence of families bearing the Rothwell surname in these areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rothwell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rothwell 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. Lancashire leads with 4,463 Rothwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.00x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 4,463 7.00x
Yorkshire 239 0.45x
Cheshire 203 1.71x
Middlesex 122 0.23x
Surrey 80 0.31x
Kent 67 0.37x
Derbyshire 38 0.45x
Staffordshire 38 0.21x
Hampshire 33 0.30x
Isle of Man 29 2.91x
Warwickshire 21 0.16x
Midlothian 19 0.26x
Lincolnshire 16 0.19x
Durham 15 0.09x
Northumberland 15 0.19x
Oxfordshire 15 0.45x
Glamorgan 11 0.12x
Nottinghamshire 10 0.14x
Renfrewshire 9 0.22x
Sussex 8 0.09x
Lanarkshire 7 0.04x
Westmorland 7 0.59x
Flintshire 5 0.35x
Hertfordshire 5 0.14x
Dorset 4 0.11x
Berkshire 3 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.09x
Gloucestershire 3 0.03x
West Lothian 3 0.37x
Wiltshire 3 0.06x
Anglesey 2 0.21x
Devon 2 0.02x
Suffolk 2 0.03x
Argyllshire 1 0.07x
Denbighshire 1 0.05x
Essex 1 0.01x
Leicestershire 1 0.02x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bury in Lancashire leads with 210 Rothwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.85x.

Place Total Index
Bury 210 28.85x
Little Bolton 168 20.51x
Great Bolton 144 17.06x
Blackburn 123 7.26x
Tottington Lower End 117 38.64x
Manchester 116 4.05x
Haslingden 110 41.69x
Spotland 110 15.53x
Salford 109 5.82x
Castleton 100 15.71x
Newchurch 89 17.07x
Oldham 86 4.18x
Radcliffe 86 28.00x
Elton 77 34.97x
Clifton 72 150.60x
Ormskirk 71 58.23x
Hindley 67 24.66x
Newton 65 13.23x
Lower Booths 63 55.18x
Kearsley 62 46.24x
Ashton Under Lyne 60 4.31x
Heap 57 16.87x
Worsley 55 14.00x
Liverpool 51 1.32x
Rainford 48 69.66x
North Meols 47 7.53x
Crompton 44 24.25x
Farnworth 44 11.52x
Hulme 41 3.08x
Little Lever 40 49.09x
Wigan 40 4.49x
Tonge With Haulgh 37 29.83x
Wardleworth 37 10.16x
Pilkington 36 14.87x
Walmersley Cum 36 35.36x
Turton 35 33.54x
Stainland Cum Old 34 37.34x
Chorley 33 9.23x
Chadderton 31 9.95x
Everton 31 1.53x
Aughton 30 47.54x
Dukinfield 30 5.48x
Lathom 30 38.99x
Bedford 29 21.76x
Rumworth 29 31.85x
Stockport 28 4.59x
Toxteth Park 28 1.30x
Chorlton On Medlock 26 2.57x
Oswaldtwistle 26 11.55x
Pemberton 26 10.23x
Accrington 25 4.32x
Blatchinworth 25 17.23x
Tranmere 25 5.74x
Butterworth 24 15.46x
Kirkdale 24 2.24x
Broughton In Salford 23 3.95x
Cowpe Lench Newhall Hey 23 33.78x
Denton 23 16.29x
Harpurhey 23 26.01x
Northfleet 23 14.25x
Westleigh 23 15.90x
Ainsworth 22 89.18x
Leeds 22 0.73x
Little Hulton 22 20.85x
Tottington Higher End 22 30.33x
Great Crosby 21 12.09x
Holy Trinity 21 1.64x
Hopwood 21 25.21x
Pendlebury 21 15.61x
Pendleton In Salford 21 2.77x
Preston 21 1.23x
Prestwich 21 13.21x
Ardwick 20 3.48x
Pennington In Leigh 20 16.36x
Skelmersdale 20 18.83x
Westhoughton 20 11.76x
Atherton 19 8.19x
Droylsden 19 9.14x
Bickerstaffe 18 43.16x
Great Lever 18 26.62x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 460
Elizabeth 257
Sarah 231
Alice 157
Ann 142
Jane 124
Ellen 116
Margaret 97
Annie 74
Martha 72
Hannah 70
Eliza 57
Emma 51
Betty 35
Emily 31
Maria 29
Betsy 28
Nancy 26
Ada 25
Fanny 24
Isabella 24
Harriet 23
Esther 21
Catherine 20
Amelia 19
Louisa 19
Anne 17
Clara 17
Edith 17
Florence 17
Rachel 17
Bertha 14
Charlotte 14
Eleanor 13
Elizth. 11
Susannah 11
Agnes 10
Matilda 10
Kate 9
Ruth 9
Susan 9
Margret 8
Sophia 8
Amy 7
Ethel 7
Frances 7
Margt. 7
Rebecca 7
Rose 7
Grace 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 386
James 300
William 297
Thomas 201
George 116
Joseph 106
Richard 100
Henry 94
Charles 60
Robert 60
Samuel 55
Peter 53
Edward 45
Herbert 32
Alfred 31
Walter 31
Albert 28
Frederick 25
Edwin 24
Fred 22
Harry 22
David 19
Wm. 19
Arthur 18
Frank 15
Abraham 13
Ernest 13
Thos. 11
Ellis 10
Jonathan 10
Richd. 10
Daniel 9
Benjamin 8
Francis 8
Jesse 8
Andrew 7
Christopher 7
Isaac 7
Mark 7
Philip 7
Stephen 7
Anthony 6
Jacob 6
Levi 6
Percy 6
Edmund 5
Eli 5
Jas. 5
Lewis 5
Robt. 5

FAQ

Rothwell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rothwell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,489 people were recorded with the Rothwell surname. That placed it at #810 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rothwell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,404 in 2016. That gives Rothwell a modern rank of #1,240.

What does the Rothwell surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "red spring or stream" in Old English.

What does the Rothwell map show?

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