NameCensus.

UK surname

Twinn

A variant spelling of the English surname "Twinne", meaning twin or related to twins.

In the 1881 census there were 266 people recorded with the Twinn surname, ranking it #10,589 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 470, ranked #10,475, up from #10,589 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Glemsford and Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tendring, Mid Sussex and South Cambridgeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Twinn is 544 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 76.7%.

1881 census count

266

Ranked #10,589

Modern count

470

2016, ranked #10,475

Peak year

1999

544 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Twinn had 266 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,589 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 470 in 2016, ranked #10,475.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 512 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Twinn surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Twinn surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Twinn 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 95 #17,707
1861 historical 131 #17,052
1881 historical 266 #10,589
1891 historical 321 #10,520
1901 historical 438 #8,881
1911 historical 512 #7,699
1997 modern 522 #9,015
1998 modern 537 #9,091
1999 modern 544 #9,055
2000 modern 511 #9,468
2001 modern 507 #9,364
2002 modern 527 #9,285
2003 modern 524 #9,181
2004 modern 513 #9,338
2005 modern 512 #9,286
2006 modern 502 #9,463
2007 modern 510 #9,432
2008 modern 518 #9,388
2009 modern 506 #9,759
2010 modern 521 #9,752
2011 modern 516 #9,731
2012 modern 492 #9,989
2013 modern 493 #10,119
2014 modern 497 #10,113
2015 modern 471 #10,467
2016 modern 470 #10,475

Geography

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Where Twinns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Glemsford, Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict and Chesterton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tendring, Mid Sussex, South Cambridgeshire and County Durham. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Glemsford Suffolk
3 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire
4 Chesterton Cambridgeshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tendring 006 Tendring
2 Mid Sussex 001 Mid Sussex
3 South Cambridgeshire 007 South Cambridgeshire
4 County Durham 056 County Durham
5 Tendring 008 Tendring

Forenames

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First names often paired with Twinn

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Twinn

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Twinn 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

Twinn is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Twinn 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 Twinn 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 Twinn, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Twinn

The surname Twinn has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "twinne," meaning "double" or "twin." The name may have originally referred to someone who had a twin sibling or someone who worked as a twin maker, producing yarn or thread made from twisted fibers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it appears as "Twynne." This suggests that the name was already in use in the medieval period and may have been more widespread in the eastern counties of England.

The Twinn surname is also found in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it is spelled "Twynnr." This variation in spelling was common during this time, as standardized spelling conventions had not yet been established.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the Parish Registers of St. Peter's Church in Nottingham, where a John Twinn was recorded in 1581. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of England by this time.

Notable individuals with the surname Twinn include William Twinn, a 17th-century English clergyman and author who was born in 1633 and died in 1711. He is best known for his work "The Scripture-Doctrine of the Reformation" published in 1683.

Another notable bearer of the name was John Twinn, an English architect who lived from 1711 to 1789. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Foundling Hospital and the former Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford.

In the 18th century, the surname is found in the records of the Society of Friends (Quakers) in Pennsylvania, indicating that some Twinn families had emigrated to the American colonies during this period.

The Twinn surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Twinnell in Derbyshire and Twinstead in Essex, although the direct connection between these places and the surname is not entirely clear.

Other notable individuals with the Twinn surname include Sir John Twinn, a 19th-century English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett from 1832 to 1847, and John Twinn, a 20th-century English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the 1930s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Twinn families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Twinn 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. Cambridgeshire leads with 89 Twinns recorded in 1881 and an index of 54.15x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 89 54.15x
Middlesex 55 2.12x
Suffolk 49 15.50x
Essex 38 7.42x
Nottinghamshire 25 7.15x
Lancashire 3 0.10x
Kent 2 0.23x
Surrey 2 0.16x
Durham 1 0.13x
Glamorgan 1 0.22x
Wiltshire 1 0.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glemsford in Suffolk leads with 38 Twinns recorded in 1881 and an index of 1711.71x.

Place Total Index
Glemsford 38 1711.71x
St Andrewthe Less 33 175.72x
West Wratting 21 3962.26x
Whittlesford 18 2400.00x
Hornsey 12 36.57x
Springfield 12 535.71x
Nottingham St Nicholas 11 231.09x
St Pancras London 10 4.79x
Lenton 8 97.09x
Mile End Old Town 8 19.53x
St Andrew Holborn 8 90.91x
Boxted 7 4375.00x
Ashley Cum Silverley 6 1395.35x
Edmonton 6 28.69x
Fulbourn 6 382.17x
Maldon St Marys 6 487.80x
Nottingham St Mary 6 6.63x
Grays Thurrock 4 84.03x
Tilbury 4 2000.00x
Clare 3 198.68x
Lancaster 3 16.38x
Stoke Newington London 3 14.84x
Theydon Bois 3 384.62x
Wanstead 3 33.44x
Bletchingley 2 121.21x
Brentwood 2 64.10x
Ealing 2 8.62x
Edgware 2 277.78x
Lewisham 2 4.24x
Ulting 2 1428.57x
Weston Colville 2 425.53x
Bishop Auckland 1 9.65x
Comberton 1 196.08x
Great Burstead 1 53.76x
Hammersmith London 1 1.56x
Islington London 1 0.40x
Kensington London 1 0.69x
Maldon All Sts 1 98.04x
Sawston 1 62.89x
St George Hanover 1 2.95x
Sudbury St Peter 1 57.80x
Swansea Town 1 2.70x
Trumpington 1 119.05x
Wilton 1 61.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Elizabeth 11
Ellen 7
Sarah 7
Jane 6
Hannah 5
Annie 4
Eliza 4
Alice 3
Ann 3
Anne 3
Clara 3
Edith 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Frances 3
Ada 2
Alethea 2
Catherine 2
Gertrude 2
Lilian 2
Susan 2
Amy 1
Augustus 1
Caroline 1
Ellin 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Hope 1
Isabella 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Liza 1
Lizzie 1
Mahalah 1
Maria 1
Marth 1
Martha 1
Nellie 1
Nelly 1
Rosa 1
Roselina 1
Rosetta 1
Ruth 1
Sariah 1
Usler 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 16
John 14
William 13
Charles 9
Thomas 9
George 8
Henry 8
Arthur 7
Richard 6
Albert 5
Alfred 4
Frederick 3
Herbert 3
Joseph 3
Robert 3
Frank 2
Fredrick 2
Harry 2
Jas. 2
Walter 2
Auther 1
Bertie 1
Buscal 1
Chas. 1
David 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Oliver 1
Percy 1
Samuel 1
Stanley 1
Stephen 1
Totsey 1
Wallace 1
Willie 1
Wm.Thos. 1

FAQ

Twinn surname: questions and answers

How common was the Twinn surname in 1881?

In 1881, 266 people were recorded with the Twinn surname. That placed it at #10,589 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Twinn surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 470 in 2016. That gives Twinn a modern rank of #10,475.

What does the Twinn surname mean?

A variant spelling of the English surname "Twinne", meaning twin or related to twins.

What does the Twinn map show?

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