NameCensus.

UK surname

Swindley

In the 1881 census there were 208 people recorded with the Swindley surname, ranking it #12,511 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 212, ranked #18,843, down from #12,511 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Eccleston and Eccles. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Telford and Wrekin and Halton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Swindley is 219 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.9%.

1881 census count

208

Ranked #12,511

Modern count

212

2016, ranked #18,843

Peak year

1911

219 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Swindley had 208 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,511 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016, ranked #18,843.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 219 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Swindley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Swindley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Swindley 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 147 #13,084
1861 historical 175 #13,409
1881 historical 208 #12,511
1891 historical 218 #14,023
1901 historical 210 #14,677
1911 historical 219 #14,136
1997 modern 188 #18,324
1998 modern 209 #17,650
1999 modern 212 #17,611
2000 modern 211 #17,603
2001 modern 212 #17,324
2002 modern 204 #18,062
2003 modern 198 #18,252
2004 modern 190 #18,792
2005 modern 192 #18,640
2006 modern 190 #18,898
2007 modern 197 #18,669
2008 modern 189 #19,315
2009 modern 187 #19,868
2010 modern 193 #19,880
2011 modern 197 #19,483
2012 modern 202 #19,084
2013 modern 209 #18,984
2014 modern 205 #19,375
2015 modern 208 #19,085
2016 modern 212 #18,843

Geography

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Where Swindleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Eccleston, Eccles, Christleton and Waverton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Telford and Wrekin and Halton. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Eccleston Cheshire
3 Eccles Lancashire
4 Christleton Cheshire
5 Waverton Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Telford and Wrekin 004 Telford and Wrekin
2 Halton 005 Halton
3 Halton 007 Halton
4 Halton 003 Halton
5 Halton 004 Halton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Swindley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Swindley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Swindley, 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 Swindley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Swindley 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Swindley 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

Swindley is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Swindley falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Swindley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Swindley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Swindley 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. Cheshire leads with 87 Swindleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.42x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 87 19.42x
Lancashire 63 2.62x
Staffordshire 33 4.82x
Worcestershire 7 2.64x
Middlesex 6 0.30x
Yorkshire 5 0.25x
Warwickshire 3 0.59x
Angus 1 0.53x
Durham 1 0.17x
Essex 1 0.25x
Kent 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wolverhampton in Staffordshire leads with 21 Swindleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 39.88x.

Place Total Index
Wolverhampton 21 39.88x
Christleton Littleton 15 2307.69x
Worsley 15 101.08x
Barton Upon Irwell 10 55.19x
Chester St John Baptist 9 111.80x
Smallthorne 9 354.33x
Stretford 9 67.92x
Eccleston 8 3636.36x
Chester St Olave 7 1750.00x
Chester St Peter St 7 1458.33x
Oldbury 7 53.68x
Tarvin 7 2413.79x
Toxteth Park 7 8.59x
Westhoughton 7 109.03x
Chester St Mary On Hill 5 130.21x
Everton 4 5.21x
Huxley 4 2500.00x
Liverpool 4 2.74x
Lockwood 4 55.33x
Waverton 4 1739.13x
Chorlton On Medlock 3 7.84x
Saighton 3 1200.00x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 4.13x
Thurlaston 3 1304.35x
Tranmere 3 18.23x
Cotton Edmunds 2 6666.67x
Kensington London 2 1.77x
Lostock 2 370.37x
Tarvin Pryors Hayes 2 338.98x
Upton In Chester 2 400.00x
Bosley 1 357.14x
Cheetham 1 5.57x
Chester St Oswald 1 12.33x
Cholmondeley 1 500.00x
Clotton Hoofield 1 416.67x
Colchester St Botolph 1 29.33x
Gillingham 1 7.01x
Great Lever 1 39.22x
Haswell 1 23.09x
Hornsey 1 3.90x
Ince 1 434.78x
Islington London 1 0.51x
Liff Benvie 1 3.51x
Mile End Old Town 1 3.12x
Norley 1 200.00x
Norwood 1 21.55x
Oxton 1 39.53x
Runcorn 1 9.68x
Southcoates 1 8.96x
Tattenhall 1 131.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Sarah 10
Elizabeth 8
Martha 7
Ann 6
Jane 5
Hannah 4
Alice 3
Annie 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Florence 3
Lucy 3
Agnes 2
Catherine 2
Harriet 2
Julia 2
Rachel 2
Amy 1
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Betsy 1
Blanche 1
Caroline 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Elizth.A. 1
Frances 1
Helen 1
Lilia 1
Lottie 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Margt 1
Maria 1
Matilda 1
May 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 15
Thomas 13
Joseph 11
William 8
Henry 6
James 6
Edward 3
Robert 3
Stephen 3
Frederick 2
Hugh 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Alexander 1
Bryon 1
Chas.N. 1
David 1
Douglas 1
Edmund 1
Ellis 1
Enoch 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Geo.Albert 1
George 1
Harry 1
Hy 1
Hy. 1
Jeremiah 1
Jno. 1
Jonathan 1
Mary 1
Nephew 1
Percival 1
Robinson 1
Samuel 1
Timothy 1
Uriah 1
Willm. 1
Wm. 1
Woodyer 1

FAQ

Swindley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Swindley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 208 people were recorded with the Swindley surname. That placed it at #12,511 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Swindley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 212 in 2016. That gives Swindley a modern rank of #18,843.

What does the Swindley map show?

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