NameCensus.

UK surname

Swadling

A surname referring to someone involved in the textile trade, particularly swaddling cloth.

In the 1881 census there were 252 people recorded with the Swadling surname, ranking it #11,012 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 376, ranked #12,437, down from #11,012 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Henley-on-Thames, Englefield and Wokingham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Vale of White Horse, Wycombe and Slough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Swadling is 425 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 49.2%.

1881 census count

252

Ranked #11,012

Modern count

376

2016, ranked #12,437

Peak year

1999

425 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Swadling had 252 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,012 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 376 in 2016, ranked #12,437.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 403 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Outer Suburbs.

Swadling surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Swadling surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Swadling 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 137 #13,812
1861 historical 187 #12,690
1881 historical 252 #11,012
1891 historical 310 #10,812
1901 historical 353 #10,364
1911 historical 403 #9,238
1997 modern 376 #11,533
1998 modern 409 #11,172
1999 modern 425 #10,954
2000 modern 404 #11,306
2001 modern 392 #11,384
2002 modern 408 #11,272
2003 modern 386 #11,544
2004 modern 397 #11,345
2005 modern 374 #11,778
2006 modern 375 #11,796
2007 modern 384 #11,726
2008 modern 387 #11,767
2009 modern 393 #11,886
2010 modern 410 #11,754
2011 modern 411 #11,617
2012 modern 403 #11,662
2013 modern 409 #11,714
2014 modern 409 #11,808
2015 modern 396 #11,994
2016 modern 376 #12,437

Geography

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Where Swadlings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Henley-on-Thames, Englefield, Wokingham, Sutton Courtney (Sutton Courtney), East Hendred and Brightwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Vale of White Horse, Wycombe, Slough and Boston. 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 Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire
2 Englefield Berkshire
3 Wokingham Berkshire
4 Sutton Courtney (Sutton Courtney), East Hendred Berkshire
5 Brightwell Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Vale of White Horse 007 Vale of White Horse
2 Wycombe 022 Wycombe
3 Slough 001 Slough
4 Boston 002 Boston
5 Wycombe 023 Wycombe

Forenames

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First names often paired with Swadling

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Swadling

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Outer Suburbs

Nationally, the Swadling surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Outer Suburbs, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Swadling household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods are found on the outer edges of many towns and cities. Many residents were born outside the UK. Indian ethnic group representation is high. There are high numbers of families with dependent children aged 5 to 14. Incidences of disability and of provision of unpaid care are low. Neighbourhoods provide a mix of detached housing and flats, and terraced housing is not uncommon. Levels of overcrowding are low and homeownership rates are high. Professional and managerial occupations are prevalent: unemployment is low and education to degree level is the norm.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Swadling is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Swadling is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Swadling 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 Swadling 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 Swadling, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Swadling

The surname SWADLING is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "swæð" meaning a swath or bundle, and "ling" a meadow or pasture. It is believed to have originated in the county of Kent in southeast England during the medieval period, referring to someone who lived near or worked on land where crops were harvested and bundled.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SWADLING name can be found in the 1279 Hundred Rolls of Kent, where a Richard Swadling is mentioned. This suggests the name was already well-established in the region by the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, the SWADLING name appears in various records from Kent, such as parish registers and tax rolls. Notable individuals from this period include John Swadling, born in 1542 in Maidstone, and Thomas Swadling, baptized in 1587 in Cranbrook.

During the 17th century, the surname spread beyond Kent to other parts of England. One prominent figure was William Swadling, a merchant from London who was active in the East India Company trade in the early 1600s.

The SWADLING name can also be found in historical records from the 18th and 19th centuries. Examples include Richard Swadling, a farmer born in 1723 in Bethersden, Kent, and James Swadling, a soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was born in 1790 in Cranbrook, Kent.

In the 19th century, the SWADLING surname appeared in various parts of England, with concentrations in Kent, Sussex, and London. One notable individual was John Swadling, a landscape painter born in 1844 in Sussex, who exhibited works at the Royal Academy.

Throughout its history, the SWADLING name has maintained strong connections to its agricultural roots and the county of Kent, where it first emerged as a distinctive surname during the medieval period.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Swadling families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Swadling 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. Berkshire leads with 74 Swadlings recorded in 1881 and an index of 40.11x.

County Total Index
Berkshire 74 40.11x
Oxfordshire 40 26.35x
Buckinghamshire 37 24.90x
Middlesex 30 1.22x
Surrey 27 2.25x
Kent 12 1.43x
Sussex 12 2.90x
Warwickshire 6 0.97x
Hertfordshire 4 2.36x
Staffordshire 4 0.48x
Essex 3 0.62x
Hampshire 2 0.40x
Derbyshire 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Marlow in Buckinghamshire leads with 32 Swadlings recorded in 1881 and an index of 798.01x.

Place Total Index
Great Marlow 32 798.01x
East Hendred 15 2173.91x
Wokingham 11 261.28x
Remenham 9 1730.77x
Dorchester 8 941.18x
Hillingdon 7 89.29x
Reading St Mary 7 47.36x
Streatham 7 38.38x
Wallingford St Mary Le 7 673.08x
Yarnton 7 3043.48x
Cumnor 6 705.88x
Hammersmith London 6 9.91x
Leamington Priors 6 39.34x
Newington 6 6.61x
Southwark St Saviour 6 47.51x
Gt Haseley 5 877.19x
Holywell 5 704.23x
Willesborough 5 222.22x
Wooburn 5 243.90x
Brightwell 4 769.23x
Caversham 4 131.58x
Eastbourne 4 20.98x
Hailsham 4 159.36x
Harlington 4 307.69x
Hitchin 4 52.29x
Islington London 4 1.68x
Oxford St Aldate 4 250.00x
Wednesbury 4 19.29x
Deptford St Paul 3 4.64x
Englefield 3 909.09x
Moulsford 3 2142.86x
West Ham 3 2.80x
Ealing 2 9.10x
Isleworth 2 18.30x
Oxford St Ebbe 2 44.74x
Oxford St Mary Virgin 2 740.74x
Playden 2 800.00x
Sandwich St Mary 2 263.16x
Southwark Christchurch 2 17.36x
Wallingford St Peter 2 512.82x
Abingdon St Helen 1 18.55x
Bradfield 1 102.04x
Camberwell 1 0.64x
Cookham 1 17.39x
Crowmarsh Gifford 1 384.62x
Croydon 1 1.50x
Duffield 1 33.00x
Hanwell 1 22.94x
Lambeth 1 0.47x
Limehouse London 1 3.71x
Little Bookham 1 625.00x
Long Wittenham 1 212.77x
Marden 1 50.76x
Oxford St Giles 1 13.81x
Oxford St Thomas 1 14.12x
Penge 1 6.37x
Pinner 1 46.51x
Portsea 1 1.01x
Reading St Giles 1 5.52x
Richmond 1 5.96x
Shanklin 1 66.67x
Sotwell 1 625.00x
South Hinksey 1 125.00x
St Luke London 1 2.54x
St Pancras London 1 0.51x
Wadhurst 1 36.76x
Westfield 1 112.36x
Woolwich 1 3.23x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 16
William 16
Thomas 11
John 10
Charles 8
James 8
Henry 7
Frederick 6
Arthur 5
Edward 4
Alfred 3
Joseph 3
Richard 3
Albert 2
Chas. 2
Daniel 2
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Edmund 1
Emanuel 1
Ernest 1
Ethelbert 1
Francis 1
Harry 1
Horace 1
Robert 1
Robt. 1
Robt.S. 1
Shadrack 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Willie 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Swadling surname: questions and answers

How common was the Swadling surname in 1881?

In 1881, 252 people were recorded with the Swadling surname. That placed it at #11,012 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Swadling surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 376 in 2016. That gives Swadling a modern rank of #12,437.

What does the Swadling surname mean?

A surname referring to someone involved in the textile trade, particularly swaddling cloth.

What does the Swadling map show?

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