NameCensus.

UK surname

Seels

In the 1881 census there were 60 people recorded with the Seels surname, ranking it #25,133 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 109, ranked #29,402, down from #25,133 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Binham, Hooton Pagnall and Marnham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Dorset, Newark and Sherwood and Barnsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Seels is 109 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 81.7%.

1881 census count

60

Ranked #25,133

Modern count

109

2016, ranked #29,402

Peak year

2016

109 bearers

Map years

2

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Seels had 60 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,133 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 109 in 2016, ranked #29,402.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 101 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Seels surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Seels surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Seels 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 29 #28,082
1861 historical 44 #28,433
1881 historical 60 #25,133
1891 historical 77 #27,169
1901 historical 90 #24,021
1911 historical 101 #22,589
1997 modern 91 #28,215
1998 modern 94 #28,435
1999 modern 99 #27,906
2000 modern 106 #26,848
2001 modern 102 #27,093
2002 modern 97 #28,383
2003 modern 96 #28,381
2004 modern 93 #29,065
2005 modern 89 #29,683
2006 modern 91 #29,725
2007 modern 92 #29,929
2008 modern 97 #29,527
2009 modern 103 #29,127
2010 modern 103 #29,780
2011 modern 91 #31,442
2012 modern 94 #31,258
2013 modern 99 #30,934
2014 modern 103 #30,539
2015 modern 106 #29,895
2016 modern 109 #29,402

Geography

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Where Seels' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Binham, Hooton Pagnall, Marnham, London parishes and Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Dorset, Newark and Sherwood, Barnsley, Epping Forest and Selby. 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 Binham Norfolk
2 Hooton Pagnall Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Marnham Nottinghamshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Dorset 008 East Dorset
2 Newark and Sherwood 003 Newark and Sherwood
3 Barnsley 022 Barnsley
4 Epping Forest 010 Epping Forest
5 Selby 008 Selby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Seels

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Seels

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Seels surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Seels household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Seels is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Seels is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Seels 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 Seels is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 20-25 mbit/s.

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

4
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Seels families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Seels 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 24 Seels' recorded in 1881 and an index of 30.94x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 24 30.94x
Yorkshire 16 2.81x
Kent 4 2.04x
Lancashire 3 0.44x
Middlesex 3 0.52x
Essex 2 1.76x
Cheshire 1 0.79x
Hertfordshire 1 2.52x
Lincolnshire 1 1.09x
Norfolk 1 1.13x
Suffolk 1 1.43x
Surrey 1 0.36x
Sussex 1 1.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newark Upon Trent in Nottinghamshire leads with 16 Seels' recorded in 1881 and an index of 573.48x.

Place Total Index
Newark Upon Trent 16 573.48x
Grassthorpe 7 70000.00x
Hooton Pagnell 5 8333.33x
Beckenham 4 155.64x
Sheffield 4 22.03x
Sculcoates 3 33.19x
Goole 2 208.33x
Hillingdon 2 109.29x
Liverpool 2 4.82x
Barsham 1 1666.67x
Doncaster 1 23.98x
Great Grimsby 1 17.12x
Harpenden 1 166.67x
Hastings St Mary 1 41.49x
Heaton 1 344.83x
Kensington London 1 3.13x
Macclesfield 1 17.70x
Marske In Guisbrough 1 99.01x
Spalford 1 5000.00x
Tooting Graveney 1 128.21x
West Ham 1 3.99x
Wighton 1 1000.00x
Witham 1 169.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Elizabeth 5
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Sarah 2
Annie 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Emila 1
Jane 1
Martha 1
Minie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 4
William 4
Thomas 3
Benjamin 2
John 2
Joseph 2
Albert 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Jos. 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Thos. 1
Valentine 1
Vincent 1
Walter 1
Wm. 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 Seels households.

FAQ

Seels surname: questions and answers

How common was the Seels surname in 1881?

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

How common is the Seels surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 109 in 2016. That gives Seels a modern rank of #29,402.

What does the Seels map show?

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