UK surname
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "bridge over the River Twyche."
In the 1881 census there were 59 people recorded with the Twitchell surname, ranking it #25,281 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 74, ranked #33,441, down from #25,281 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to St Albans or The Abbey, Bradford and Hemel Hempstead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Twitchell is 105 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.4%.
1881 census count
59
Ranked #25,281
Modern count
74
2016, ranked #33,441
Peak year
1891
105 bearers
Map years
1
1891 to 1891
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Twitchell surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Twitchell surname density by area, 1891 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe 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 | 61 | #22,412 |
| 1861 | historical | 50 | #27,636 |
| 1881 | historical | 59 | #25,281 |
| 1891 | historical | 105 | #23,241 |
| 1901 | historical | 89 | #24,154 |
| 1911 | historical | 94 | #23,391 |
| 1997 | modern | 71 | #30,521 |
| 1998 | modern | 69 | #31,076 |
| 1999 | modern | 70 | #31,135 |
| 2000 | modern | 66 | #31,553 |
| 2001 | modern | 61 | #31,891 |
| 2002 | modern | 71 | #31,351 |
| 2003 | modern | 72 | #31,281 |
| 2004 | modern | 68 | #31,880 |
| 2005 | modern | 71 | #31,816 |
| 2006 | modern | 74 | #31,850 |
| 2007 | modern | 72 | #32,397 |
| 2008 | modern | 71 | #32,753 |
| 2009 | modern | 81 | #32,172 |
| 2010 | modern | 77 | #32,927 |
| 2011 | modern | 78 | #32,819 |
| 2012 | modern | 78 | #33,044 |
| 2013 | modern | 80 | #33,058 |
| 2014 | modern | 78 | #33,270 |
| 2015 | modern | 80 | #33,052 |
| 2016 | modern | 74 | #33,441 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around St Albans or The Abbey, Bradford, Hemel Hempstead, St Matthew Bethnal Green and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Albans or The Abbey | Hertfordshire |
| 2 | Bradford | Yorkshire, West Riding |
| 3 | Hemel Hempstead | Hertfordshire |
| 4 | St Matthew Bethnal Green | London (East Districts) |
| 5 | London parishes | London 2 |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Twitchell surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Twitchell, 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
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Twitchell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Twitchell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Twitchell is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Twitchell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Twitchell, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Twitchell is of English origin, derived from a place name. It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century in the county of Dorset, England. The name Twitchell likely comes from the Old English words "twiccen" meaning "fork" or "divide" and "hyll" meaning "hill", referring to a forked or divided hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Twitchell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire from the year 1230, where a Robert de Twychull is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer during the medieval period.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings such as Twitchell, Twychull, and Twychel in various records from Dorset and neighboring counties. For example, a William Twitchel is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset from 1327.
During the 16th century, the surname Twitchell can be found in various parish records and manorial documents from the counties of Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. One notable bearer of the name was John Twitchell, a yeoman farmer from the village of Melbury Osmond in Dorset, who lived from around 1520 to 1585.
In the late 17th century, a John Twitchell (1676-1738) was a prominent member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America, serving as a selectman and a deacon in the town of Sherborn.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Giner Twitchell (1805-1883), an American inventor and manufacturer from Massachusetts, known for his contributions to the development of early sewing machines.
Other historical figures with the surname Twitchell include William Twitchell (1776-1857), an American lawyer and politician from Vermont, and Joseph Homer Twitchell (1868-1929), an American historian and author from New Hampshire.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Twitchell surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Hertfordshire leads with 19 Twitchells recorded in 1881 and an index of 47.90x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Hertfordshire | 19 | 47.90x |
| Surrey | 10 | 3.57x |
| Lincolnshire | 7 | 7.61x |
| Middlesex | 7 | 1.22x |
| Yorkshire | 6 | 1.05x |
| Devon | 3 | 2.50x |
| Kent | 3 | 1.53x |
| Sussex | 2 | 2.06x |
| Essex | 1 | 0.88x |
| Staffordshire | 1 | 0.51x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire leads with 9 Twitchells recorded in 1881 and an index of 502.79x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Hemel Hempstead | 9 | 502.79x |
| Camberwell | 8 | 21.76x |
| Spittlegate | 7 | 551.18x |
| Bowling | 6 | 106.19x |
| Hampstead London | 4 | 44.64x |
| St Albans St Peter | 3 | 223.88x |
| St Albans St Stephen | 3 | 857.14x |
| Berkhampstead | 2 | 224.72x |
| Hastings All Sts | 2 | 219.78x |
| Margate St John Baptist | 2 | 55.56x |
| Plymouth Charles The | 2 | 37.88x |
| St Albans | 2 | 246.91x |
| Belchamp St Paul | 1 | 714.29x |
| Clapham | 1 | 13.91x |
| Hornsey | 1 | 13.74x |
| Maidstone | 1 | 17.09x |
| Plymouth St Andrew | 1 | 10.83x |
| Southwark St George Martyr | 1 | 8.64x |
| St George Hanover | 1 | 13.32x |
| St Pancras London | 1 | 2.16x |
| Wolverhampton | 1 | 6.69x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Twitchell surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Twitchell surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Twitchell households.
FAQ
In 1881, 59 people were recorded with the Twitchell surname. That placed it at #25,281 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 74 in 2016. That gives Twitchell a modern rank of #33,441.
Derived from an Old English place name meaning "bridge over the River Twyche."
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Twitchell bearers relative to the surrounding population.
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.