NameCensus.

UK surname

Swindles

In the 1881 census there were 266 people recorded with the Swindles surname, ranking it #10,589 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 101, ranked #30,929, down from #10,589 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolstanton, Burslem and Wilmslow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rochdale, Wirral and Sunderland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Swindles is 266 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 62.0%.

1881 census count

266

Ranked #10,589

Modern count

101

2016, ranked #30,929

Peak year

1881

266 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Swindles had 266 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,589 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 101 in 2016, ranked #30,929.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 266 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Swindles surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Swindles surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Swindles 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 139 #13,659
1861 historical 115 #18,880
1881 historical 266 #10,589
1891 historical 226 #13,668
1901 historical 163 #17,205
1911 historical 106 #21,948
1997 modern 91 #28,215
1998 modern 105 #26,822
1999 modern 107 #26,754
2000 modern 108 #26,549
2001 modern 104 #26,765
2002 modern 113 #26,024
2003 modern 109 #26,361
2004 modern 111 #26,293
2005 modern 104 #27,369
2006 modern 101 #28,125
2007 modern 106 #27,722
2008 modern 108 #27,684
2009 modern 108 #28,311
2010 modern 108 #28,996
2011 modern 105 #29,287
2012 modern 123 #26,561
2013 modern 117 #27,838
2014 modern 111 #29,113
2015 modern 104 #30,269
2016 modern 101 #30,929

Geography

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Where Swindles' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolstanton, Burslem, Wilmslow, Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rochdale, Wirral and Sunderland. 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 Wolstanton Staffordshire
2 Burslem Staffordshire
3 Wilmslow Cheshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rochdale 024 Rochdale
2 Wirral 037 Wirral
3 Sunderland 034 Sunderland
4 Wirral 016 Wirral
5 Sunderland 036 Sunderland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Swindles

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Swindles

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Swindles, 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 Swindles surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Swindles 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, Swindles 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

Swindles is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Swindles 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 Swindles is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Swindles families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Swindles 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 112 Swindles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.57x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 112 3.57x
Cheshire 74 12.68x
Staffordshire 31 3.47x
Dorset 17 9.80x
Yorkshire 8 0.31x
Derbyshire 7 1.69x
Durham 6 0.76x
Isle of Man 5 10.19x
Leicestershire 4 1.36x
Lanarkshire 3 0.35x
Cumberland 2 0.88x
Hampshire 1 0.18x
Lincolnshire 1 0.24x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Oldham in Lancashire leads with 22 Swindles' recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.73x.

Place Total Index
Oldham 22 21.73x
Burslem 16 62.60x
Manchester 15 10.63x
Salford 11 11.92x
Congleton 10 99.21x
Ashton Under Lyne 9 13.13x
Melcombe Regis 9 125.17x
Monks Coppenhall 9 40.87x
Tranmere 8 37.30x
Weymouth 8 243.16x
Widnes 8 35.35x
Hollingworth 7 290.46x
Audley 6 67.95x
Bollin Fee 6 231.66x
Dukinfield 6 22.25x
Habergham Eaves 6 20.93x
Hathersage 6 517.24x
Hattersley 6 2500.00x
Pendleton In Salford 6 16.06x
Sunderland Bridge 6 480.00x
Birkenhead 5 10.75x
Liverpool 5 2.62x
Nantwich 5 73.75x
Onchan 5 35.36x
Wolstanton Oldcott 5 154.80x
Everton 4 4.00x
Leicester St Mary 4 16.89x
Lower Booths 4 71.17x
Mickle Bridge 4 1481.48x
Cuerdon 3 576.92x
Rusholme 3 35.84x
Walsall Foreign 3 6.51x
Alston 2 47.73x
Aughton 2 64.31x
Blackburn 2 2.40x
Brightside Bierlow 2 3.89x
Buglawton 2 142.86x
Dunham Massey 2 111.73x
Duxbury 2 689.66x
Govan 2 0.95x
Huddersfield 2 5.24x
Moore 2 555.56x
Openshaw 2 13.61x
Warley 2 26.42x
Windle 2 11.33x
Allerton 1 133.33x
Ardwick 1 3.53x
Armley 1 8.66x
Aston Near Mondrum 1 588.24x
Baguley 1 149.25x
Crumpsall 1 13.53x
Derby St Peter 1 7.59x
Great Bolton 1 2.41x
Halifax 1 2.60x
Hulme 1 1.53x
Little Bolton 1 2.48x
Maryhill 1 5.97x
North Thoresby 1 147.06x
Portsea 1 0.94x
Wolstanton 1 3.69x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 21
Sarah 17
Ann 12
Elizabeth 12
Emma 9
Annie 6
Ellen 6
Hannah 6
Jane 6
Alice 5
Martha 5
Eliza 4
Anne 2
Esther 2
Harriet 2
Harriett 2
Agnes 1
Betty 1
Caroline 1
Clare 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Emelline 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Helen 1
Kate 1
Letitia 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
Maggie 1
Margaret 1
Matilda 1
Mercy 1
Milly 1
Pheoby 1
Rachel 1
Rebecca 1
Ruth 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 17
George 16
William 16
Joseph 10
Charles 8
James 7
Thomas 6
Frank 4
Henry 4
Robert 4
Samuel 3
Herbert 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
David 1
Edward 1
Elliott 1
Ernest 1
Fredrick 1
Frend 1
Gerrald 1
Goerge 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Henery 1
Israel 1
Jacob 1
Johnothan 1
Jonah 1
Jonathan 1
Joshua 1
Nathaniel 1
Richard 1
Roland 1
Samul 1
Smith 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Victor 1
Walter 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Swindles surname: questions and answers

How common was the Swindles surname in 1881?

In 1881, 266 people were recorded with the Swindles surname. That placed it at #10,589 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Swindles surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 101 in 2016. That gives Swindles a modern rank of #30,929.

What does the Swindles map show?

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