NameCensus.

UK surname

Stiles

A topographic surname for someone who lived by a stile, a series of steps allowing passage over a fence.

In the 1881 census there were 1,651 people recorded with the Stiles surname, ranking it #2,598 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,590, ranked #3,906, down from #2,598 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Hammersmith. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Winchester, Wiltshire and Richmondshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Stiles is 2,033 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.7%.

1881 census count

1,651

Ranked #2,598

Modern count

1,590

2016, ranked #3,906

Peak year

1911

2,033 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Stiles had 1,651 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,598 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,590 in 2016, ranked #3,906.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,033 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Stiles surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Stiles surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Stiles 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 1,598 #1,798
1861 historical 1,016 #2,757
1881 historical 1,651 #2,598
1891 historical 1,537 #2,870
1901 historical 1,817 #2,886
1911 historical 2,033 #2,453
1997 modern 1,713 #3,478
1998 modern 1,770 #3,503
1999 modern 1,811 #3,457
2000 modern 1,791 #3,474
2001 modern 1,753 #3,469
2002 modern 1,760 #3,541
2003 modern 1,705 #3,571
2004 modern 1,684 #3,611
2005 modern 1,639 #3,656
2006 modern 1,624 #3,698
2007 modern 1,629 #3,712
2008 modern 1,633 #3,732
2009 modern 1,667 #3,746
2010 modern 1,659 #3,840
2011 modern 1,662 #3,791
2012 modern 1,606 #3,835
2013 modern 1,647 #3,812
2014 modern 1,643 #3,853
2015 modern 1,604 #3,895
2016 modern 1,590 #3,906

Geography

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Where Stiles' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Hammersmith and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Winchester, Wiltshire, Richmondshire and Cornwall. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Hammersmith London (West Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Winchester 011 Winchester
2 Wiltshire 050 Wiltshire
3 Richmondshire 004 Richmondshire
4 Cornwall 063 Cornwall
5 Wiltshire 028 Wiltshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Stiles

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Stiles

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Stiles surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Stiles 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Stiles is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Stiles 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

Stiles falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Stiles

The surname Stiles is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "stigol," which means a "stile" or a set of steps allowing passage over a fence or wall. The name likely originated in the Middle Ages and was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near a stile, or possibly worked as a stile-maker.

The earliest known recorded spelling of the name Stiles is found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273, where it appears as "Godrich de la Stile." This suggests that the name was already in use by the 13th century.

In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with names derived from the Old English word "stigol," such as Stile in Cambridgeshire and Stile in Norfolk. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname Stiles in those areas.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Stiles was Sir John Stiles, a prominent English judge and legal writer who lived from 1505 to 1592. He served as a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas and authored several legal treatises.

Another notable figure with the surname Stiles was Ezra Stiles (1727-1795), an American academic and theologian who served as the president of Yale College from 1778 until his death. He was a prominent figure in the American Enlightenment and a strong supporter of the American Revolution.

In the 17th century, the name Stiles was also found in the New World, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in colonial Massachusetts and Connecticut. One such individual was Robert Stiles (1612-1676), an early settler in Windsor, Connecticut, and a prominent landowner and militiaman.

Other notable figures with the surname Stiles include William Stiles (1689-1769), an English botanist and author of "The Professed Cook," one of the earliest printed cookbooks in English, and Sir John Stiles (1633-1704), an English baronet and member of Parliament.

Throughout its history, the surname Stiles has been found in various spellings, including Stile, Styl, Styll, and Stylle, reflecting the phonetic variations and regional dialects of different areas in England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Stiles families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Stiles 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. Middlesex leads with 353 Stiles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.18x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 353 2.18x
Surrey 152 1.93x
Wiltshire 120 8.39x
Kent 110 1.99x
Warwickshire 110 2.70x
Worcestershire 110 5.21x
Somerset 82 3.15x
Oxfordshire 61 6.11x
Sussex 60 2.20x
Gloucestershire 51 1.61x
Buckinghamshire 39 3.99x
Hampshire 36 1.09x
Leicestershire 36 2.01x
Lancashire 35 0.18x
Lincolnshire 35 1.35x
Yorkshire 35 0.22x
Northamptonshire 29 1.91x
Norfolk 26 1.05x
Essex 23 0.72x
Nottinghamshire 21 0.96x
Berkshire 19 1.57x
Devon 12 0.36x
Staffordshire 12 0.22x
Durham 9 0.19x
Hertfordshire 8 0.72x
Suffolk 8 0.41x
Channel Islands 7 1.46x
Glamorgan 7 0.25x
Shropshire 7 0.50x
Cheshire 6 0.17x
Huntingdonshire 6 1.87x
Herefordshire 5 0.75x
Banffshire 4 1.19x
Cornwall 4 0.22x
Dorset 4 0.38x
Angus 3 0.20x
Bedfordshire 3 0.36x
Carmarthenshire 3 0.44x
Derbyshire 2 0.08x
Royal Navy 2 1.04x
Cardiganshire 1 0.25x
Northumberland 1 0.04x
Renfrewshire 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. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 61 Stiles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.89x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 61 3.89x
Hammersmith London 46 11.55x
Lambeth 40 2.84x
Birmingham 28 2.06x
Bromsgrove 27 37.98x
Westbury 21 62.91x
Battersea 20 3.36x
Bengeworth 20 275.10x
Wycombe 20 27.44x
Bethnal Green London 19 2.70x
Fulham London 19 8.10x
Walcot 19 13.70x
Hackney London 18 1.99x
Wootton 18 301.00x
Westbury On Trym 17 15.82x
Alcester 16 118.96x
Kempsey 16 199.75x
Camberwell 15 1.45x
Peterborough 15 13.62x
Bedminster 14 5.72x
Newington 14 2.34x
West Hoathly 14 163.55x
Enfield 13 12.25x
Leicester St Mary 13 8.97x
Lyncombe Widcombe 13 19.07x
Shoreditch London 13 1.85x
St Pancras London 13 1.00x
Tottenham 13 5.05x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 12 4.02x
Cobham 12 235.76x
St Maryle Wigford 12 59.73x
Brighton 11 2.00x
Devizes St Mary 11 76.07x
Rosedale West Side 11 643.27x
Rowde 11 166.67x
Belgrave 10 24.71x
Croydon 10 2.29x
Kensington London 10 1.11x
Norwich St Mary At Coslany 10 140.65x
Sherston Magna 10 116.01x
St Martin In Fields 10 10.33x
Wootton St Lawrence 10 181.49x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 9 6.03x
Butlers Marston 9 616.44x
Dorking 9 17.01x
Froxfield 9 373.44x
Horningsham 9 200.00x
Kirkby In Ashfield 9 38.59x
Milton In Gravesend 9 10.88x
Norwich St Peter 9 55.15x
Ollerton 9 198.68x
Powick 9 61.52x
Spalding 9 17.54x
St Martin Ludgate 9 1636.36x
Swindon 9 8.11x
Wandsworth 9 5.78x
Warwick St Mary 9 25.42x
Wrotham 9 49.23x
Aston 8 0.71x
Bromley London 8 2.25x
Greenwich 8 3.11x
Headington 8 51.58x
Leigh 8 31.20x
Lewisham 8 2.72x
Orpington 8 47.34x
Wells St Andrew 8 341.88x
Whitfield 8 454.55x
Worcester St Nicholas 8 80.00x
Bexhill 7 51.51x
Chippenham 7 23.33x
Edgbaston 7 5.53x
Handborough 7 130.60x
Leyton 7 12.73x
Mile End Old Town 7 2.74x
Monckton Combe 7 84.13x
Ratcliffe London 7 7.84x
Rushton 7 255.47x
St Giles In Fields 7 12.55x
Westminster St John 7 3.55x
Wombridge 7 40.58x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 103
John 89
George 59
Henry 56
James 49
Thomas 41
Charles 34
Edward 33
Walter 25
Alfred 24
Arthur 19
Richard 19
Albert 17
Joseph 16
Frederick 15
Robert 15
Herbert 14
Harry 12
Ernest 10
Frank 9
Stephen 9
Edmund 8
Edwin 8
Samuel 8
Francis 6
Sidney 4
Christopher 3
Daniel 3
Joshua 3
Percy 3
Roland 3
Andrew 2
Chas. 2
Ezekiel 2
Horace 2
Hy. 2
Infant 2
Jesse 2
Leonard 2
Mark 2
Mason 2
Peter 2
Philip 2
Sydney 2
Willm. 2
Constance 1
Eli 1
Fred 1
Hubert 1
Hurbet 1

FAQ

Stiles surname: questions and answers

How common was the Stiles surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,651 people were recorded with the Stiles surname. That placed it at #2,598 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Stiles surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,590 in 2016. That gives Stiles a modern rank of #3,906.

What does the Stiles surname mean?

A topographic surname for someone who lived by a stile, a series of steps allowing passage over a fence.

What does the Stiles map show?

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