NameCensus.

UK surname

Twells

In the 1881 census there were 395 people recorded with the Twells surname, ranking it #8,037 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 490, ranked #10,129, down from #8,037 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Basford, Lockington and St Peter. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Derbyshire, Broxtowe and North West Leicestershire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Twells is 547 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 24.1%.

1881 census count

395

Ranked #8,037

Modern count

490

2016, ranked #10,129

Peak year

1999

547 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Twells had 395 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,037 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 490 in 2016, ranked #10,129.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 537 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Twells surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Twells surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Twells 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 257 #8,596
1861 historical 218 #11,175
1881 historical 395 #8,037
1891 historical 470 #7,798
1901 historical 537 #7,652
1911 historical 536 #7,432
1997 modern 525 #8,977
1998 modern 534 #9,131
1999 modern 547 #9,024
2000 modern 534 #9,157
2001 modern 521 #9,174
2002 modern 528 #9,266
2003 modern 518 #9,257
2004 modern 522 #9,218
2005 modern 507 #9,351
2006 modern 506 #9,399
2007 modern 514 #9,376
2008 modern 510 #9,499
2009 modern 519 #9,578
2010 modern 528 #9,651
2011 modern 522 #9,645
2012 modern 504 #9,803
2013 modern 488 #10,211
2014 modern 495 #10,145
2015 modern 492 #10,117
2016 modern 490 #10,129

Geography

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Where Twells' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Basford, Lockington, St Peter, Sawley and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Derbyshire, Broxtowe, North West Leicestershire and Erewash. 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 Basford Nottinghamshire
2 Lockington Derbyshire
3 St Peter Derbyshire
4 Sawley Derbyshire
5 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Derbyshire 006 South Derbyshire
2 Broxtowe 010 Broxtowe
3 North West Leicestershire 001 North West Leicestershire
4 Broxtowe 008 Broxtowe
5 Erewash 001 Erewash

Forenames

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First names often paired with Twells

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Twells

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Twells is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Twells 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

Twells falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Twells families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Twells 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 140 Twells' recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.16x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 140 27.16x
Derbyshire 94 15.70x
Leicestershire 82 19.34x
Lincolnshire 25 4.09x
Lancashire 18 0.40x
Staffordshire 13 1.01x
Surrey 5 0.27x
Yorkshire 5 0.13x
Middlesex 4 0.10x
Cheshire 2 0.24x
Warwickshire 2 0.21x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.41x
Sussex 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 50 Twells' recorded in 1881 and an index of 37.51x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 50 37.51x
Greasley 25 214.96x
Hemington 25 5000.00x
Basford 24 101.01x
Derby St Peter 22 115.36x
Castle Donnington 21 596.59x
Leicester St Margaret 15 14.51x
Litchurch 12 49.81x
Long Eaton 12 151.90x
Ilkeston 9 53.64x
Barrow In Furness 8 12.96x
Bulwell 8 71.36x
Hallam 8 2105.26x
Loughborough 8 41.58x
Barton Upon Irwell 7 20.49x
Burton Upon Trent 7 23.18x
Shardlow 7 614.04x
Ashborne 6 147.42x
Bramcote 6 612.24x
Hartshorn 5 221.24x
Normanton 5 98.81x
North Kyme 5 549.45x
Nottingham St Peter 5 86.96x
Repton 5 221.24x
Ruskington 5 320.51x
Southwark St Saviour 5 25.45x
Leicester All Sts 4 48.02x
Leicester Newarke 4 181.00x
Melbourne 4 97.80x
St Botolph Lincoln 4 90.91x
Willington 4 597.01x
Burton Extra 3 40.54x
Coningsby 3 170.45x
Essington 3 176.47x
Heckington 3 128.76x
Hunslet 3 5.08x
Lenton 3 24.71x
Radford 3 11.46x
Wilford 3 206.90x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 2 5.67x
Congleton 2 13.72x
Ealing 2 5.85x
Glossop Dale 2 7.13x
Nottingham St Nicholas 2 28.49x
Owston 2 114.94x
Rugby 2 15.33x
St Pancras London 2 0.65x
Waltham On The Wolds 2 256.41x
Ardwick 1 2.44x
Billinghay 1 53.19x
Eastbourne 1 3.37x
Eastwood 1 21.69x
Farnsfield 1 72.99x
Fiskerton 1 172.41x
Great Bowden 1 25.91x
Hathern 1 58.14x
Leicester St Mary 1 2.92x
Manchester 1 0.49x
North Meols 1 2.25x
Snenton 1 4.94x
Stretham 1 57.80x
Sutterton 1 81.97x
Ticknall 1 81.30x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 21
Mary 21
Sarah 21
Eliza 14
Emma 8
Ann 7
Annie 7
Hannah 7
Ellen 6
Harriet 5
Harriett 5
Anne 4
Phoebe 4
Alice 3
Edith 3
Elizth. 3
Fanny 3
Lucy 3
Lydia 3
Maria 3
Adeline 2
Bertha 2
Betsy 2
Catherine 2
Christiaina 2
Clara 2
Emily 2
Flora 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Margaret 2
Martha 2
Rebecca 2
Alacia 1
Charlotte 1
Constance 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth.Ann 1
Elvia 1
Florry 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Hephzibah 1
Infant 1
Julia 1
Lavinia 1
Louisa 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 34
William 26
Thomas 18
George 16
Henry 10
Robert 8
Arthur 6
Frederick 6
Joseph 6
Edward 5
James 5
Albert 4
Herbert 4
Alfred 3
Fred 3
Isaac 3
Mathew 3
Samuel 3
Ernest 2
Harry 2
Louis 2
Ralph 2
Wm. 2
Benjamen 1
Elferd 1
Fredk. 1
Lancelot 1
Lewis 1
Matthew 1
Refus 1
Richard 1
Sydney 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Twells surname: questions and answers

How common was the Twells surname in 1881?

In 1881, 395 people were recorded with the Twells surname. That placed it at #8,037 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Twells surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 490 in 2016. That gives Twells a modern rank of #10,129.

What does the Twells map show?

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