NameCensus.

UK surname

Twell

In the 1881 census there were 99 people recorded with the Twell surname, ranking it #19,877 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 231, ranked #17,764, up from #19,877 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Moulton, Dunholm and Chesterfield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Holland, South Kesteven and King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Twell is 265 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 133.3%.

1881 census count

99

Ranked #19,877

Modern count

231

2016, ranked #17,764

Peak year

1997

265 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Twell had 99 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,877 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 231 in 2016, ranked #17,764.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 219 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Twell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Twell surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Twell 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 70 #21,020
1861 historical 124 #17,797
1881 historical 99 #19,877
1891 historical 116 #21,766
1901 historical 178 #16,284
1911 historical 219 #14,136
1997 modern 265 #14,692
1998 modern 260 #15,291
1999 modern 264 #15,223
2000 modern 252 #15,659
2001 modern 249 #15,573
2002 modern 263 #15,277
2003 modern 255 #15,416
2004 modern 250 #15,695
2005 modern 236 #16,286
2006 modern 235 #16,439
2007 modern 233 #16,752
2008 modern 232 #16,931
2009 modern 238 #17,002
2010 modern 246 #16,975
2011 modern 239 #17,138
2012 modern 236 #17,187
2013 modern 239 #17,307
2014 modern 243 #17,232
2015 modern 242 #17,191
2016 modern 231 #17,764

Geography

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Where Twells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Moulton, Dunholm, Chesterfield, Sutton, Long or St Mary and Quadring, Gosberton, Surfleet. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Holland, South Kesteven, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and Bexley. 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 Moulton Lincolnshire
2 Dunholm Lincolnshire
3 Chesterfield Derbyshire
4 Sutton, Long or St Mary Lincolnshire
5 Quadring, Gosberton, Surfleet Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Holland 010 South Holland
2 South Holland 001 South Holland
3 South Kesteven 011 South Kesteven
4 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 002 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
5 Bexley 018 Bexley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Twell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Twell

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Twell, 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 Twell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Twell 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Twell is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Twell 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

Twell falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Twell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Twell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Twell 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. Lincolnshire leads with 81 Twells recorded in 1881 and an index of 52.47x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 81 52.47x
Yorkshire 8 0.84x
Leicestershire 6 5.60x
Derbyshire 1 0.66x
Lancashire 1 0.09x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.77x
Oxfordshire 1 1.68x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Moulton in Lincolnshire leads with 14 Twells recorded in 1881 and an index of 1891.89x.

Place Total Index
Moulton 14 1891.89x
Dunholme 13 10000.00x
Surfleet 9 2812.50x
Great Grimsby 8 81.63x
Kirton Simon Weir 8 5000.00x
Hemington 5 3846.15x
Boston 4 85.47x
Gosberton 4 579.71x
Morton In Bourn 4 1290.32x
Quadring 4 1333.33x
Rotherham 4 74.21x
Brightside Bierlow 3 15.98x
Newton Upon Trent 3 3000.00x
Donington On Bain 2 1250.00x
Saxelby With Ingleby 2 512.82x
Welton 2 869.57x
Bennington By Boston 1 555.56x
Castle Donnington 1 112.36x
Doncaster 1 14.31x
Hough On Hill Brandon 1 1250.00x
Litchurch 1 16.45x
Nottingham St Mary 1 2.97x
Pendleton In Salford 1 7.33x
St Martin Lincoln 1 69.93x
Stoke Lyne 1 555.56x
Wigtoft 1 454.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Ann 8
Annie 4
Eliza 3
Jane 3
Sarah 3
Charlotte 2
Emma 2
Martha 2
Ada 1
Catherine 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Ethel 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Kate 1
Lucy 1
Millicent 1
Parthenia 1
Sus. 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 8
John 5
Edward 4
Henry 4
Thomas 4
William 4
Charles 3
Richard 3
Abram 2
Robert 2
Fred 1
Herbert 1
Howarth 1
James 1
Jas. 1
Lucy 1
Robt. 1
Walter 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Twell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Twell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 99 people were recorded with the Twell surname. That placed it at #19,877 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Twell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 231 in 2016. That gives Twell a modern rank of #17,764.

What does the Twell map show?

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