NameCensus.

UK surname

Stell

An occupational surname for someone who manufactures or works with steel.

In the 1881 census there were 478 people recorded with the Stell surname, ranking it #7,000 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 369, ranked #12,617, down from #7,000 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, Bingley and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, Herefordshire and Bo'ness - Newtown.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stell is 731 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 22.8%.

1881 census count

478

Ranked #7,000

Modern count

369

2016, ranked #12,617

Peak year

1901

731 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stell had 478 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,000 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 369 in 2016, ranked #12,617.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 731 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Stell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stell 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 452 #5,452
1861 historical 420 #6,114
1881 historical 478 #7,000
1891 historical 693 #5,657
1901 historical 731 #6,055
1911 historical 712 #5,993
1997 modern 401 #10,989
1998 modern 404 #11,261
1999 modern 415 #11,136
2000 modern 415 #11,109
2001 modern 411 #11,003
2002 modern 402 #11,405
2003 modern 380 #11,689
2004 modern 369 #11,967
2005 modern 347 #12,436
2006 modern 339 #12,754
2007 modern 353 #12,521
2008 modern 360 #12,431
2009 modern 363 #12,602
2010 modern 381 #12,436
2011 modern 387 #12,142
2012 modern 376 #12,262
2013 modern 390 #12,151
2014 modern 385 #12,340
2015 modern 369 #12,627
2016 modern 369 #12,617

Geography

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Where Stells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, Bingley, Bradford, Keighley and Bolton-le-Moors. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, Herefordshire and Bo'ness - Newtown. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 009 Bradford
2 Bradford 008 Bradford
3 Herefordshire 004 Herefordshire, County of
4 Bradford 023 Bradford
5 Bo'ness - Newtown Falkirk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stell

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Stell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Stell 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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, Stell 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

Stell is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Stell falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Stell

The surname STELL is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "stal," meaning "steel" or "firm," suggesting a connection to metalworking or steadfastness.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical records from Saxony, where a certain Henricus Stell is mentioned in relation to a land transaction in the year 1189.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various records across Europe, including the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres in France, where a Johannes Stell is listed as a witness to a legal document in 1247.

As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and local variations. In England, for instance, the name was sometimes written as Stell, Stelle, or Stelles, as evidenced by records such as the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1310, which mentions a John Stelles.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname STELL include:

1. Christoph Stell (1568-1632), a German theologian and Lutheran minister who served as the court preacher to the Elector of Brandenburg.

2. Johann Christoph Stell (1627-1686), a German composer and organist known for his sacred vocal works.

3. Margrave Johann Friedrich von Stell (1658-1720), a German military leader who fought in the War of the Spanish Succession.

4. Sir Benjamin Stell (1672-1737), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1723.

5. Gottfried Stell (1718-1789), a German philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of calculus.

While the surname STELL can be traced back to its Germanic origins, it has since spread across Europe and beyond, with various branches and lineages emerging over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stell 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. Yorkshire leads with 270 Stells recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.87x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 270 5.87x
Lancashire 97 1.76x
Lincolnshire 19 2.56x
Middlesex 13 0.28x
Lanarkshire 12 0.80x
Durham 8 0.58x
Cumberland 6 1.50x
Hertfordshire 6 1.87x
Midlothian 5 0.80x
Warwickshire 5 0.43x
Kent 4 0.25x
Monmouthshire 4 1.19x
Norfolk 4 0.56x
Renfrewshire 4 1.11x
Surrey 4 0.18x
Worcestershire 4 0.66x
Glamorgan 3 0.37x
Ayrshire 2 0.58x
Cornwall 2 0.38x
Angus 1 0.23x
Essex 1 0.11x
Northumberland 1 0.14x
Sutherland 1 2.80x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Keighley in Yorkshire leads with 92 Stells recorded in 1881 and an index of 187.60x.

Place Total Index
Keighley 92 187.60x
Bingley 23 78.50x
Habergham Eaves 18 35.74x
Glusburn 14 538.46x
Burnley 12 25.86x
Friskney 12 508.47x
Shipley 11 46.06x
Skipton 11 75.97x
Sutton In Keighley 11 421.46x
Bradford 10 8.98x
Spotland 9 14.69x
Bothwell 8 19.65x
Horton In Bradford 8 11.13x
Layton With Warbreck 8 39.56x
Leeds 8 3.08x
Cheetham 7 17.03x
Drighlington 7 104.48x
Halifax 7 10.36x
Middle Hulton 7 214.72x
Morton In Keighley 7 193.91x
Wortley In Bramley 7 19.21x
Heptonstall 6 92.88x
St Albans St Peter 6 55.56x
Todmorden Walsden 6 40.65x
Whitehaven 6 28.16x
Wistow 6 491.80x
Birmingham 5 1.28x
Hackney London 5 1.92x
Midgley 5 102.04x
South Leith 5 7.14x
Stansfield 5 29.53x
Tong 5 56.24x
Bowling 4 8.78x
Caldicot 4 179.37x
Gateshead 4 3.87x
Kings Norton 4 7.36x
Paisley High Church 4 13.96x
Shipbourne 4 493.83x
Skircoat 4 22.05x
St George In East 4 12.67x
Worstead 4 327.87x
Almondbury 3 13.48x
Bury 3 4.77x
Cardiff St Mary 3 6.74x
Colne 3 18.28x
Govan 3 0.81x
Haswell 3 30.30x
Leake 3 88.24x
Little Bolton 3 4.23x
Prestwich 3 21.82x
Baildon 2 23.09x
Battersea 2 1.17x
Blackburn 2 1.36x
Crumpsall 2 15.40x
Girvan 2 22.94x
Headingley Cum Burley 2 6.75x
Hulme 2 1.74x
Islington London 2 0.44x
Langfield 2 24.84x
Manningham 2 3.53x
Rawdon 2 36.90x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 2.14x
Stretford 2 6.60x
Sutterton 2 135.14x
Wadsworth 2 26.70x
Wardleworth 2 6.35x
Week St Mary 2 240.96x
Barony 1 0.26x
Basildon 1 400.00x
Boston 1 4.44x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 1.14x
Cliviger 1 32.26x
Great Bolton 1 1.37x
Kensington London 1 0.39x
Morley 1 4.18x
Newchurch 1 2.22x
Paddington London 1 0.59x
Tanfield 1 6.09x
Thirsk 1 18.83x
Whalley 1 12.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 35
Sarah 19
Elizabeth 14
Ann 12
Martha 11
Jane 9
Emma 8
Eliza 7
Ellen 7
Annie 6
Alice 5
Clara 5
Isabella 5
Hannah 4
Maria 4
Ada 3
Amelia 3
Margaret 3
Rebecca 3
Ruth 3
Agnes 2
Anne 2
Edith 2
Emily 2
Grace 2
Harriet 2
Lucy 2
Rhoda 2
Catherine 1
Christiny 1
Dinah 1
Eliz. 1
Everilda 1
Fanny 1
Florance 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Gracie 1
Lavinia 1
Leah 1
Louisa 1
Maggie 1
Margery 1
Margt. 1
Melita 1
Nancy 1
Olive 1
Phoebe 1
Ucilla 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 37
William 26
Joseph 20
George 17
James 15
Thomas 8
Benjamin 7
Walter 7
Alfred 6
Harry 5
Abraham 4
Richard 4
Samuel 4
Wm. 4
Arthur 3
Fred 3
Frederick 3
Jacob 3
Robert 3
Stephen 3
Charles 2
Daniel 2
David 2
Ernest 2
Frederic 2
Greenwood 2
Henry 2
Herbert 2
Isiac 2
Jno. 2
Lister 2
Tom 2
Willie 2
Alexander 1
Caleb 1
Christmas 1
Christopher 1
Fredk.L. 1
Hiram 1
Hugh 1
Jabez 1
Michael 1
Nathan 1
Northrop 1
Parker 1
Ralph 1
Reuben 1
Sarah 1
Sauel 1
Silas 1

FAQ

Stell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 478 people were recorded with the Stell surname. That placed it at #7,000 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 369 in 2016. That gives Stell a modern rank of #12,617.

What does the Stell surname mean?

An occupational surname for someone who manufactures or works with steel.

What does the Stell map show?

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