NameCensus.

UK surname

Thirlwell

In the 1881 census there were 403 people recorded with the Thirlwell surname, ranking it #7,933 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 614, ranked #8,552, down from #7,933 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Allendale and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Dorset, Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thirlwell is 666 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 52.4%.

1881 census count

403

Ranked #7,933

Modern count

614

2016, ranked #8,552

Peak year

2002

666 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thirlwell had 403 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,933 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 614 in 2016, ranked #8,552.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 537 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Thirlwell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thirlwell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thirlwell 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 235 #9,206
1861 historical 187 #12,690
1881 historical 403 #7,933
1891 historical 467 #7,846
1901 historical 498 #8,081
1911 historical 537 #7,421
1997 modern 646 #7,688
1998 modern 657 #7,842
1999 modern 655 #7,905
2000 modern 660 #7,847
2001 modern 660 #7,704
2002 modern 666 #7,805
2003 modern 630 #8,014
2004 modern 594 #8,411
2005 modern 590 #8,378
2006 modern 584 #8,450
2007 modern 578 #8,595
2008 modern 579 #8,636
2009 modern 613 #8,461
2010 modern 642 #8,326
2011 modern 639 #8,269
2012 modern 618 #8,395
2013 modern 623 #8,492
2014 modern 616 #8,616
2015 modern 615 #8,556
2016 modern 614 #8,552

Geography

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Where Thirlwells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Allendale, Gateshead, Earsdon and Dalton-le-Dale. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Dorset, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Allendale Northumberland
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Earsdon Northumberland
5 Dalton-le-Dale Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Dorset 005 West Dorset
2 Newcastle upon Tyne 003 Newcastle upon Tyne
3 Northumberland 035 Northumberland
4 Northumberland 024 Northumberland
5 Sunderland 009 Sunderland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thirlwell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thirlwell

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Thirlwell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Thirlwell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Thirlwell is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Thirlwell 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

Thirlwell 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 Thirlwell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Thirlwell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thirlwell 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. Durham leads with 173 Thirlwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.76x.

County Total Index
Durham 173 14.76x
Northumberland 164 27.97x
Cumberland 36 10.61x
Yorkshire 13 0.33x
Sussex 10 1.51x
Middlesex 4 0.10x
Lancashire 2 0.04x
Lincolnshire 2 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Gateshead in Durham leads with 29 Thirlwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.04x.

Place Total Index
Gateshead 29 33.04x
Bedlington 23 117.47x
Westgate 19 52.33x
Benfieldside 17 220.49x
Horton 17 586.21x
Whickham 17 157.55x
Elswick 16 34.19x
Bishopwearmouth 15 14.90x
Allendale 14 257.35x
Heworth 11 47.62x
Longbenton 10 40.26x
Collierley 9 172.41x
Pelton 9 161.29x
Stoughton 9 1071.43x
Dilston 8 2857.14x
Ellenborough Ewanrigg 8 340.43x
Hexham 8 88.20x
Kyo 8 144.93x
Burradon In Tynemouth 7 466.67x
Tanfield 7 50.22x
Benwell 6 93.60x
Monkwearmouth Shore 6 26.21x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 6 77.82x
Sunderland 6 28.97x
Torpenhow Whitrigg 6 1578.95x
West Auckland 6 139.86x
Bridekirk 5 184.50x
Cowpen 5 37.04x
Dearham 5 111.61x
Newbrough 5 480.77x
Rotherham 5 22.71x
Tynemouth 5 15.92x
Brancepeth 4 187.79x
Corbridge 4 186.05x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 4 7.88x
Wyke In Bradford 4 57.31x
Aikton 3 280.37x
Crook Billy Row 3 19.99x
Dawdon 3 20.80x
Farlam 3 140.19x
Gargrave 3 172.41x
Hendon 3 21.16x
Iveston 3 55.56x
Monkwearmouth 3 26.74x
Newcastle On Tyne St 3 9.87x
Willington 3 44.31x
Darlington 2 4.42x
Great Grimsby 2 5.00x
Haydon 2 62.31x
Ryhope 2 24.57x
Ryton Woodside 2 136.99x
Shotley Low Quarter 2 266.67x
St Cuthbert W O 2 12.09x
Brampton 1 21.51x
Brighton 1 0.75x
Bromfield 1 196.08x
Cheeseburn Grange 1 714.29x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 1.35x
Crossgate 1 19.49x
Fenwick 1 769.23x
Heaton 1 51.28x
Hesket In Forest 1 37.74x
Lorton 1 185.19x
Medomsley 1 18.28x
St Marylebone London 1 0.48x
Stanhope 1 8.26x
Stannington 1 71.94x
West Derby 1 0.73x
Winlaton 1 8.89x
York St Lawrence 1 24.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 42
Elizabeth 19
Jane 18
Margaret 17
Ann 16
Sarah 13
Isabella 10
Hannah 6
Agnes 3
Annie 3
Frances 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Catherine 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Harriet 2
Jessie 2
Margret 2
Ruth 2
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Cate 1
Charlotta 1
Christinia 1
Dorothy 1
Edith 1
Effie 1
Eliz. 1
Eliz.Jane 1
Elizb. 1
Elizth. 1
Ellanor 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Harriett 1
Holley 1
Janet 1
Kate 1
Lina 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Margt. 1
Maria 1
Marion 1
Maud 1
May 1
Menetta 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 45
Thomas 25
William 24
Joseph 15
Robert 14
George 12
Edward 8
Peter 5
James 4
Matthew 4
Arthur 3
Isaac 3
Richard 3
Wm. 3
Charles 2
Frederick 2
Joshua 2
Alexander 1
Alfred 1
Anthony 1
Christopher 1
Dennis 1
Edmund 1
Ezekiel 1
Francis 1
Henery 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Jno. 1
Jonah 1
Luke 1
Maitland 1
Percy 1
Samuel 1
Septimus 1
Stephen 1
Thom. 1
W.H. 1
Whitfield 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Thirlwell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thirlwell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 403 people were recorded with the Thirlwell surname. That placed it at #7,933 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thirlwell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 614 in 2016. That gives Thirlwell a modern rank of #8,552.

What does the Thirlwell map show?

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