Find out how popular the last name Birtwistle is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Birtwistle.

Birtwistle, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Birtwistle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Birtwistle in America

Birtwistle is the 129825th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Birtwistle surname appeared 131 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Birtwistle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Birtwistle to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Birtwistle

The surname Birtwistle is of English origin, deriving from the village of Britehuislache in Lancashire. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old English words 'bryht' meaning bright or shining, and 'wisc' meaning meadow or marsh. It first appeared in records during the 13th century as Brytehuislache.

Over time, the spelling of the name changed to reflect regional dialects and scribal variations. Variants such as Britwissill, Brittewysill, and Britwysill can be found in medieval records from the 14th and 15th centuries. The modern spelling of Birtwistle became more standardized by the 16th century.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name is in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1246, where a Robert de Britwysill is listed as a taxpayer. The Birtwistle family is also referenced in the Lancashire Inquisitions of 1311, which detail land holdings in the area.

The Domesday Book of 1086 does not contain any direct mentions of the name Birtwistle, as the surname had not yet evolved from the original place name at that time. However, it does record the village of Britehuislache itself, which would later lend its name to the Birtwistle family.

Notable individuals with the surname Birtwistle include:

1. Thomas Birtwistle (1833-1903), an English industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Birtwistle Spinning Company in Lancashire.

2. Alice Birtwistle (1863-1949), a British trade unionist and suffragette who advocated for better working conditions for women in the textile industry.

3. Sir John Birtwistle (1890-1971), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as Ambassador to Argentina from 1944 to 1949.

4. Ralph Birtwistle (1901-1986), an English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club in the 1920s and 1930s.

5. Arthur Birtwistle (1917-1994), a British mathematician and logician known for his work on the foundations of mathematical logic and set theory.

The name Birtwistle has endured for centuries, with its origins firmly rooted in the landscapes and communities of Lancashire. While the spelling and pronunciation may have evolved, the surname continues to carry the legacy of its medieval English heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Birtwistle

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Birtwistle.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Birtwistle was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Birtwistle has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Birtwistle was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Birtwistle, please contact us.

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