NameCensus.

UK surname

Thornell

A surname derived from a location named for a thorny hill or knoll.

In the 1881 census there were 43 people recorded with the Thornell surname, ranking it #27,575 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 113, ranked #28,691, down from #27,575 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and Burton-on-Trent. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Gloucestershire, Stroud and Bristol.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thornell is 134 in 2005. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 162.8%.

1881 census count

43

Ranked #27,575

Modern count

113

2016, ranked #28,691

Peak year

2005

134 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thornell had 43 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #27,575 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 113 in 2016, ranked #28,691.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 126 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Thornell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Thornell surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thornell 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 110 #16,093
1861 historical 116 #18,751
1881 historical 43 #27,575
1891 historical 71 #27,934
1901 historical 101 #22,726
1911 historical 126 #19,831
1997 modern 124 #23,669
1998 modern 126 #24,094
1999 modern 130 #23,805
2000 modern 127 #24,121
2001 modern 127 #23,781
2002 modern 127 #24,267
2003 modern 131 #23,553
2004 modern 131 #23,756
2005 modern 134 #23,406
2006 modern 133 #23,711
2007 modern 125 #24,987
2008 modern 123 #25,505
2009 modern 124 #25,957
2010 modern 126 #26,312
2011 modern 120 #26,930
2012 modern 126 #26,148
2013 modern 120 #27,406
2014 modern 114 #28,608
2015 modern 113 #28,645
2016 modern 113 #28,691

Geography

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Where Thornells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Burton-on-Trent, Loughborough and Aberdare. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Gloucestershire, Stroud and Bristol. 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 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
4 Loughborough Leicestershire
5 Aberdare Glamorganshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Gloucestershire 016 South Gloucestershire
2 South Gloucestershire 032 South Gloucestershire
3 Stroud 003 Stroud
4 Bristol 027 Bristol, City of
5 South Gloucestershire 013 South Gloucestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thornell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thornell

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Thornell, 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 Thornell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Thornell 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

No data

Group

No data

Within London, Thornell is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Thornell is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Thornell 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 Thornell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Thornell

The surname Thornell is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "thorn" meaning a thorny bush and "hyll" meaning a hill or slope. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a thorny hill or slope, making it a locational surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thornell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Thornhull" in reference to a place name. This indicates that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various historical records with spellings such as "Thornhill" and "Thornhull". These variations likely reflect the different ways the name was pronounced and written in different regions of England.

One notable individual with the surname Thornell was John Thornell, who was born in 1586 in Gloucestershire, England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the 17th century.

Another significant figure was Sir Thomas Thornell, born in 1625 in Oxfordshire, England. He was a Member of Parliament and served as the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1672.

In the 18th century, the surname Thornell is recorded in various parish registers and census records across England. One example is William Thornell, born in 1712 in Yorkshire, who was a renowned clockmaker and watchmaker.

The 19th century saw the name spread to other parts of the world due to English migration. For instance, Joseph Thornell, born in 1823 in Devon, England, emigrated to Australia in the 1850s and became a successful farmer and landowner in the colony of New South Wales.

Another notable figure with the surname Thornell was Mary Thornell, born in 1845 in London, England. She was a pioneering educator and co-founded one of the first kindergartens in the United States after emigrating there in the late 1800s.

Throughout its history, the surname Thornell has also been associated with various place names, such as Thornhill in West Yorkshire, Thornhill in Derbyshire, and Thornhill in Dorset, further reinforcing its locational origins.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thornell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thornell 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. Gloucestershire leads with 19 Thornells recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.11x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 19 23.11x
Middlesex 7 1.67x
Staffordshire 6 4.24x
Worcestershire 4 7.31x
Glamorgan 2 2.74x
Nottinghamshire 2 3.54x
Derbyshire 1 1.52x
Monmouthshire 1 3.30x
Surrey 1 0.49x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Frampton Cotterell in Gloucestershire leads with 6 Thornells recorded in 1881 and an index of 2068.97x.

Place Total Index
Frampton Cotterell 6 2068.97x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 4 51.68x
Burton Upon Trent 4 120.85x
Northfield 4 384.62x
Stapleton 4 256.41x
St Giles In Fields 3 206.90x
Winterbourne 3 666.67x
Aberdare 2 39.92x
Basford 2 76.92x
Burton Extra 2 246.91x
Hackney London 2 8.51x
St Clement Danes 2 294.12x
Tredington 2 10000.00x
Lambeth 1 2.74x
Llanover 1 96.15x
Ripley 1 123.46x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Sarah 3
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Amy 1
Eleanor 1
Elizabeth 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Frances 1
Kate 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Matilda 1
Nellie 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Joseph 3
Walter 2
William 2
Daniel 1
Edgar 1
Frederick 1
George 1
Henry 1
James 1
Jesse 1
Josheph 1
Oliver 1
Samuel 1
Thomas 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Thornell households.

FAQ

Thornell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thornell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 43 people were recorded with the Thornell surname. That placed it at #27,575 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thornell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 113 in 2016. That gives Thornell a modern rank of #28,691.

What does the Thornell surname mean?

A surname derived from a location named for a thorny hill or knoll.

What does the Thornell map show?

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