NameCensus.

UK surname

Windell

A variant spelling of the English surname derived from two elements meaning "wind" and "well" or "spring".

In the 1881 census there were 51 people recorded with the Windell surname, ranking it #26,428 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 121, ranked #27,399, down from #26,428 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Botolph Aldgate, Hemington and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Test Valley, Wiltshire and Bath and North East Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Windell is 127 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 137.3%.

1881 census count

51

Ranked #26,428

Modern count

121

2016, ranked #27,399

Peak year

2002

127 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Windell had 51 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #26,428 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 121 in 2016, ranked #27,399.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 102 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Windell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Windell surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Windell 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 48 #24,615
1861 historical 63 #25,901
1881 historical 51 #26,428
1891 historical 76 #27,290
1901 historical 67 #26,703
1911 historical 102 #22,465
1997 modern 100 #26,901
1998 modern 110 #26,129
1999 modern 109 #26,439
2000 modern 119 #25,072
2001 modern 112 #25,644
2002 modern 127 #24,267
2003 modern 110 #26,220
2004 modern 96 #28,605
2005 modern 110 #26,430
2006 modern 105 #27,479
2007 modern 108 #27,391
2008 modern 110 #27,391
2009 modern 110 #27,991
2010 modern 123 #26,728
2011 modern 113 #27,967
2012 modern 112 #28,174
2013 modern 123 #26,974
2014 modern 120 #27,646
2015 modern 118 #27,833
2016 modern 121 #27,399

Geography

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Where Windells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Botolph Aldgate, Hemington, Portsmouth, Portsea, Dedham and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Test Valley, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset, Castle Point and South Gloucestershire. 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 St Botolph Aldgate London (Central Districts)
2 Hemington Somerset
3 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
4 Dedham Essex
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Test Valley 013 Test Valley
2 Wiltshire 062 Wiltshire
3 Bath and North East Somerset 002 Bath and North East Somerset
4 Castle Point 012 Castle Point
5 South Gloucestershire 024 South Gloucestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Windell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Windell

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Windell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Windell is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Windell falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Windell

The surname Windell has its origins in England, with early records suggesting its roots reach back to the medieval period. The name is believed to have come from a locative origin, stemming from place names that might have been descriptive of a windy hill or dell, combining Old English elements like "wind" and "hyll" (hill) or "dell" (a small valley). Historical records suggest that the name Windell may have undergone various spelling transformations over centuries, including forms like Wyndel, Wyndhill, and Windle.

One of the earliest references to a similar place name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, though not directly mentioning Windell. Instead, the mention of places like Windhill in West Yorkshire hints at the surname's roots in local geography. The record shows the prevalence of the elements "wind" and "hill" in the construction of surnames in the period.

The earliest documented instance of the surname could trace back to the 13th century. One example from the period includes William de Windhill, recorded in Yorkshire in the Subsidy Rolls of 1297. This suggests that the name was used to denote people originating from specific geographic features or regions identified by wind-swept hills or valleys.

Among notable historical figures bearing this surname, John Windell, born in 1523 in Sussex, is remembered as an early record example in parish registers. Another notable individual is Richard Windell, a landowner in Norfolk, who is mentioned in transactions dating back to the early 1600s. His family’s documents indicate continued prominence across generations throughout the area.

Moreover, Elizabeth Windell, born in 1655, was a figure of social note in Gloucestershire, primarily due to her marriage into a family with substantial land holdings. The 18th century saw the presence of Thomas Windell, born in 1721, whose service as a merchant in Bristol significantly impacted regional trade. Jane Windell, born in 1768, was a minor literary figure in London, contributing to several periodicals under a pseudonym.

The surnames originating from geographical features like Windell are a testament to the connection between people and their environments in medieval England. Through these historical references, the continuity and legacy of the Windell surname can be traced across centuries, embodying both familial lineage and regional heritage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Windell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Windell 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. Middlesex leads with 15 Windells recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.96x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 15 2.96x
Wiltshire 10 22.30x
Somerset 9 11.02x
Essex 5 4.99x
Hampshire 5 4.81x
Yorkshire 3 0.60x
Cheshire 1 0.89x
Kent 1 0.58x
Royal Navy 1 16.56x
Sussex 1 1.17x
Warwickshire 1 0.78x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. North Bradley in Wiltshire leads with 10 Windells recorded in 1881 and an index of 3030.30x.

Place Total Index
North Bradley 10 3030.30x
Hemington 9 9000.00x
Spitalfields London 7 183.73x
Portsea 5 24.55x
Dedham 4 1333.33x
Bethnal Green London 2 9.08x
Beverley St Mary 2 273.97x
Hastings All Sts 1 123.46x
Islington London 1 2.03x
Leamington Priors 1 31.75x
Leeds 1 3.52x
Milton In Gravesend 1 38.61x
Paddington London 1 5.36x
Ratcliffe London 1 35.71x
Royal Navy 1 19.34x
Runcorn 1 38.76x
Shoreditch London 1 4.55x
St George Bloomsbury 1 34.36x
St Marylebone London 1 3.69x
West Ham 1 4.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 4
Edward 3
Albert 2
Henry 2
James 2
William 2
Ephraim 1
George 1
Thomas 1
Tom 1

Top occupations

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 Windell households.

FAQ

Windell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Windell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 51 people were recorded with the Windell surname. That placed it at #26,428 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Windell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 121 in 2016. That gives Windell a modern rank of #27,399.

What does the Windell surname mean?

A variant spelling of the English surname derived from two elements meaning "wind" and "well" or "spring".

What does the Windell map show?

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