NameCensus.

UK surname

Twiggs

From the Old English word "twicce", meaning a fork in a tree or branch.

In the 1881 census there were 188 people recorded with the Twiggs surname, ranking it #13,379 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 167, ranked #22,055, down from #13,379 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barking and Dagenham, Harborough and Carlisle.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Twiggs is 251 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.2%.

1881 census count

188

Ranked #13,379

Modern count

167

2016, ranked #22,055

Peak year

1901

251 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Twiggs had 188 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,379 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 167 in 2016, ranked #22,055.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 251 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Twiggs surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Twiggs surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Twiggs 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 118 #15,362
1861 historical 132 #16,957
1881 historical 188 #13,379
1891 historical 197 #15,101
1901 historical 251 #13,102
1911 historical 216 #14,240
1997 modern 180 #18,812
1998 modern 194 #18,451
1999 modern 195 #18,517
2000 modern 196 #18,431
2001 modern 193 #18,334
2002 modern 181 #19,463
2003 modern 169 #20,092
2004 modern 166 #20,441
2005 modern 178 #19,535
2006 modern 165 #20,634
2007 modern 166 #20,811
2008 modern 165 #21,056
2009 modern 170 #21,095
2010 modern 183 #20,586
2011 modern 183 #20,425
2012 modern 166 #21,683
2013 modern 170 #21,726
2014 modern 170 #21,914
2015 modern 165 #22,241
2016 modern 167 #22,055

Geography

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Where Twiggs' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), London parishes, Broughton Astley, Croft and Hythe St Leonard, Cheriton, Newington, Saltwood, West Hythe, Burmarsh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barking and Dagenham, Harborough, Carlisle, Bolsover and South Derbyshire. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
3 London parishes London 3
4 Broughton Astley, Croft Leicestershire
5 Hythe St Leonard, Cheriton, Newington, Saltwood, West Hythe, Burmarsh Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barking and Dagenham 007 Barking and Dagenham
2 Harborough 006 Harborough
3 Carlisle 001 Carlisle
4 Bolsover 005 Bolsover
5 South Derbyshire 004 South Derbyshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Twiggs

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Twiggs

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

Twiggs 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

Twiggs falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Twiggs

The surname Twiggs is of English origin, derived from a place name in Lancashire, England. It is believed to have originated in the 13th century from the Old English words "twi" meaning "two" and "gsece" meaning "stream or brook," referring to a location near two streams or brooks.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror, the name appears as "Twyges" and is associated with the village of Twiggs in Lancashire. This early spelling variation suggests the name's long history and connection to a specific geographical location.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Twiggs was Sir John Twiggs, a nobleman who lived in the late 14th century. He was a prominent landowner in Lancashire and is mentioned in various historical records from that time.

During the 16th century, the name appears in the parish records of Wigan, Lancashire, with entries for families such as Robert Twiggs (born around 1520) and his son, William Twiggs (born in 1548).

In the 17th century, the Twiggs surname spread beyond Lancashire as some members of the family migrated to other parts of England and eventually to the American colonies. One notable figure was Thomas Twiggs, born in England in 1675, who settled in Virginia and became a successful plantation owner.

Another prominent individual with the Twiggs surname was David Emanuel Twiggs, an American military officer who served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. He was born in Georgia in 1790 and had a distinguished career in the United States Army.

In the 19th century, John Twiggs, born in England in 1815, was a successful businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Liverpool. He established several charitable organizations and was known for his efforts to improve the lives of the working class.

Additionally, James Twiggs, born in Ireland in 1845, was a renowned poet and author, known for his works capturing the essence of rural Irish life. His collected poems and stories remain popular to this day.

The Twiggs surname has a rich history rooted in the English countryside, with its origins dating back to the medieval period. While the name has spread globally over the centuries, its connection to the village of Twiggs in Lancashire remains an integral part of its etymology and heritage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Twiggs families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Twiggs 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. Leicestershire leads with 34 Twiggs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.72x.

County Total Index
Leicestershire 34 16.72x
Devon 23 6.03x
Gloucestershire 20 5.56x
Kent 20 3.20x
Yorkshire 20 1.10x
Surrey 19 2.13x
Derbyshire 14 4.88x
Middlesex 13 0.71x
Northumberland 9 3.30x
Cheshire 4 0.99x
Lancashire 4 0.18x
Norfolk 3 1.06x
Wiltshire 2 1.23x
Hampshire 1 0.27x
Staffordshire 1 0.16x
Sussex 1 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. Cheriton in Kent leads with 16 Twiggs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 627.45x.

Place Total Index
Cheriton 16 627.45x
Leeds 14 13.64x
Battersea 13 19.27x
Leicester St Margaret 13 26.22x
Bristol St Paul In 10 104.38x
Seaton Delaval 9 375.00x
Islington London 8 4.50x
Broughton Astley 7 1590.91x
Exeter St Sidwell 7 80.09x
Great Torrington 7 324.07x
Alfreton 6 68.81x
Exeter St Edmund 6 731.71x
Hunslet 6 21.17x
Penge 5 42.70x
St George Hanover 5 20.89x
Ardwick 4 20.38x
Derby St Peter 4 43.76x
Dukinfield 4 21.39x
Leicester St Mary 4 24.35x
Leicester St Nicholas 4 347.83x
Litchurch 4 34.63x
Bristol St Peter 3 232.56x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 3 8.86x
Fulmodestone Cum Croxton 3 1304.35x
Bristol St Nicholas 2 307.69x
Cheltenham 2 7.21x
Dover St James 2 72.99x
Little Claybrooke 2 540.54x
Whetstone 2 270.27x
Woolwich 2 8.65x
Barnstaple 1 16.69x
Clapham 1 4.36x
Corsham 1 42.19x
Exeter St Mary Steps 1 116.28x
Hastings St Mary 1 13.00x
Huncote 1 344.83x
Kenton 1 83.33x
Melksham 1 35.46x
Oadby 1 91.74x
Portsea 1 1.36x
Warslow Elkstone 1 270.27x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

FAQ

Twiggs surname: questions and answers

How common was the Twiggs surname in 1881?

In 1881, 188 people were recorded with the Twiggs surname. That placed it at #13,379 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Twiggs surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 167 in 2016. That gives Twiggs a modern rank of #22,055.

What does the Twiggs surname mean?

From the Old English word "twicce", meaning a fork in a tree or branch.

What does the Twiggs map show?

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