NameCensus.

UK surname

Towill

In the 1881 census there were 109 people recorded with the Towill surname, ranking it #18,793 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 131, ranked #26,004, down from #18,793 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), Stanwix, Crosby-on-Eden and Stokeinteignhead, Combeinteignhead, Haccombe, St Nicholas. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Teignbridge, Carlisle and Vicarland and Cairns.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Towill is 163 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 20.2%.

1881 census count

109

Ranked #18,793

Modern count

131

2016, ranked #26,004

Peak year

1911

163 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Towill had 109 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,793 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016, ranked #26,004.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 163 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Towill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Towill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Towill 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 113 #15,815
1861 historical 117 #18,635
1881 historical 109 #18,793
1891 historical 133 #19,870
1901 historical 138 #18,955
1911 historical 163 #16,939
1997 modern 148 #21,295
1998 modern 158 #20,992
1999 modern 160 #20,943
2000 modern 145 #22,259
2001 modern 147 #21,756
2002 modern 149 #22,001
2003 modern 137 #22,939
2004 modern 144 #22,379
2005 modern 143 #22,473
2006 modern 145 #22,420
2007 modern 142 #23,025
2008 modern 143 #23,160
2009 modern 140 #24,033
2010 modern 139 #24,688
2011 modern 137 #24,716
2012 modern 131 #25,439
2013 modern 138 #25,020
2014 modern 138 #25,218
2015 modern 139 #24,956
2016 modern 131 #26,004

Geography

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Where Towills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), Stanwix, Crosby-on-Eden, Stokeinteignhead, Combeinteignhead, Haccombe, St Nicholas, Kenton, Alphington, Dawlish and Farleigh Hungerford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Teignbridge, Carlisle, Vicarland and Cairns and North East Lincolnshire. 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 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
2 Stanwix, Crosby-on-Eden Cumberland
3 Stokeinteignhead, Combeinteignhead, Haccombe, St Nicholas Devon
4 Kenton, Alphington, Dawlish Devon
5 Farleigh Hungerford Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Teignbridge 005 Teignbridge
2 Teignbridge 002 Teignbridge
3 Carlisle 005 Carlisle
4 Vicarland and Cairns South Lanarkshire
5 North East Lincolnshire 008 North East Lincolnshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Towill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Towill

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Towill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Towill household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Towill is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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

These residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Towill 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

Towill falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Towill 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 Towill, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Towill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Towill 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. Devon leads with 64 Towills recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.92x.

County Total Index
Devon 64 28.92x
Gloucestershire 14 6.71x
Somerset 9 5.26x
Cumberland 7 7.65x
Durham 5 1.58x
Cheshire 3 1.28x
Cornwall 2 1.66x
Surrey 2 0.39x
Wiltshire 2 2.13x
Middlesex 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kenton in Devon leads with 16 Towills recorded in 1881 and an index of 2285.71x.

Place Total Index
Kenton 16 2285.71x
Dawlish 13 787.88x
Bristol St Paul In 10 180.18x
West Teignmouth 10 591.72x
Chudleigh 8 1142.86x
Stanwix 7 945.95x
Broadhempston 5 2380.95x
Farleigh Hungerford 5 7142.86x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 5 36.50x
Newton Abbot St Nicholas 5 1111.11x
Mangotsfield 4 192.31x
Ashcombe 2 2857.14x
Hoose 2 454.55x
Ideford 2 2000.00x
Madron Penzance 2 45.66x
Tellisford 2 6666.67x
Woolverton 2 4000.00x
Ealing 1 10.53x
East Teignmouth 1 109.89x
Ewell 1 91.74x
Exeter St Thomas The 1 44.25x
Higher Bebington 1 66.67x
Kingston On Thames 1 8.04x
Swindon 1 13.72x
Topsham 1 96.15x
Westbury 1 45.66x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Elizabeth 5
Eliza 3
Emily 3
Louisa 2
Margaret 2
Sarah 2
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Edith 1
Elisa 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Helena 1
Henrietta 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Lornia 1
Mar 1
Marion 1
Matilda 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
Thomas 4
Frederick 3
Henry 3
John 3
Richard 3
Sidney 3
Arthur 2
Edward 2
George 2
Herbert 2
Adolphus 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Augustus 1
Ben 1
Charles 1
Edwin 1
Elias 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Harry 1
James 1
Joseph 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Stephen 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Towill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Towill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 109 people were recorded with the Towill surname. That placed it at #18,793 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Towill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 131 in 2016. That gives Towill a modern rank of #26,004.

What does the Towill map show?

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