NameCensus.

UK surname

Elwick

A locational surname from any of the various locations named Elwick in England.

In the 1881 census there were 160 people recorded with the Elwick surname, ranking it #14,860 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 277, ranked #15,619, down from #14,860 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Lincoln St Botolph and Whitby. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Scarborough, Doncaster and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Elwick is 319 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 73.1%.

1881 census count

160

Ranked #14,860

Modern count

277

2016, ranked #15,619

Peak year

2010

319 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Elwick had 160 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,860 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 277 in 2016, ranked #15,619.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 272 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Elwick surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Elwick surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Elwick 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 90 #18,317
1861 historical 106 #20,147
1881 historical 160 #14,860
1891 historical 208 #14,496
1901 historical 241 #13,417
1911 historical 272 #12,205
1997 modern 291 #13,792
1998 modern 290 #14,179
1999 modern 293 #14,175
2000 modern 299 #13,937
2001 modern 291 #14,000
2002 modern 299 #14,017
2003 modern 301 #13,785
2004 modern 302 #13,833
2005 modern 305 #13,689
2006 modern 306 #13,724
2007 modern 311 #13,703
2008 modern 304 #14,000
2009 modern 312 #14,040
2010 modern 319 #14,110
2011 modern 309 #14,322
2012 modern 307 #14,288
2013 modern 300 #14,744
2014 modern 295 #15,020
2015 modern 288 #15,190
2016 modern 277 #15,619

Geography

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Where Elwicks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Lincoln St Botolph, Whitby, Lincoln St John in Newport and Dalton-le-Dale. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Scarborough, Doncaster 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Lincoln St Botolph Lincolnshire
3 Whitby Yorkshire, North Riding
4 Lincoln St John in Newport Lincolnshire
5 Dalton-le-Dale Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Scarborough 003 Scarborough
2 Doncaster 002 Doncaster
3 County Durham 021 County Durham
4 County Durham 027 County Durham
5 Scarborough 006 Scarborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Elwick

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Elwick

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Elwick, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Elwick surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Elwick household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Elwick is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Elwick is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Elwick falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Elwick

The surname Elwick has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "el" meaning "another" and "wic" meaning "dwelling" or "village". This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in a separate or secondary village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195, where it is spelled "Eluuic". This medieval document recorded financial transactions and was used to collect taxes. The name is also found in the Assize Rolls of Northumberland in 1256, written as "Eluewyk".

Elwick is closely associated with the village of the same name in County Durham, England. It is believed that the name originated from this location, which was once a separate settlement from the nearby town of Hartlepool. The earliest recorded spelling of the place name is "Eluuic" in the Boldon Book of 1183, a survey of lands owned by the Bishop of Durham.

One notable individual with the surname Elwick was Robert Elwick (c. 1450 - 1517), who served as the Sheriff of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1499 and 1509. Another was William Elwick (1591 - 1655), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Revelation Revealed" in 1648.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records across northern England. For example, a John Elwick was baptized in Darlington, County Durham in 1625, and a Mary Elwick married Robert Liddell in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1678.

Another individual of note was Thomas Elwick (1700 - 1779), a successful merchant and ship owner from Sunderland, England. He was involved in the coal trade and owned several ships that transported coal to London and other ports.

By the 19th century, the surname had spread across England and into other parts of the British Isles. One notable bearer was Sir Edmund Elwick (1830 - 1904), a British naval officer who served in the Crimean War and was later appointed as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1892 to 1898.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Elwick families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Elwick 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. Yorkshire leads with 52 Elwicks recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.34x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 52 3.34x
Lincolnshire 50 19.91x
Durham 24 5.14x
Surrey 12 1.57x
Sussex 9 3.40x
Hampshire 7 2.17x
Berkshire 2 1.70x
Middlesex 2 0.13x
Bedfordshire 1 1.23x
Staffordshire 1 0.19x
Warwickshire 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 13 Elwicks recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.79x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 13 14.79x
St John Lincoln 12 4444.44x
Scarborough 10 70.72x
Dunholme 9 4090.91x
Goathland 9 3214.29x
Witton Gilbert 9 489.13x
Cocking 7 2258.06x
Eskdaleside 7 909.09x
Metheringham 7 700.00x
Frensham 6 535.71x
Tudhoe 6 146.70x
Hawsker Cum Stainsacre 5 961.54x
Ferryhill 4 245.40x
Framwellgate 4 144.40x
Lythe 4 645.16x
Scotter 4 689.66x
Lambeth 3 2.19x
Odiham 3 212.77x
Saxelby With Ingleby 3 468.75x
St Nicholas Lincoln 3 125.00x
St Peterin Eastgate 3 384.62x
St Swithin Lincoln 3 75.95x
Whitby 3 57.25x
Worting 3 3333.33x
Brighton 2 3.74x
Charlton 2 1428.57x
Kingston On Thames 2 10.88x
Nettleham 2 384.62x
Bardney 1 133.33x
Barton St Mary 1 79.37x
Castleford 1 17.64x
Coventry Holy Trinity 1 8.45x
Hough On Hill 1 476.19x
Leighton Buzzard 1 28.57x
Paddington London 1 1.73x
St Mary Magdalen Lincoln 1 294.12x
St Peter Cheesehill 1 217.39x
Stranton 1 6.36x
Tipton 1 6.16x
Westminster St John 1 5.23x
Weybridge 1 60.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 14
Thomas 14
William 13
John 8
Edward 5
James 5
Arthur 4
Robert 4
Charles 3
Henry 3
Joseph 3
Alexander 2
Ernest 2
Alfred 1
Christopher 1
Elishea 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Horace 1
Jn. 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Elwick surname: questions and answers

How common was the Elwick surname in 1881?

In 1881, 160 people were recorded with the Elwick surname. That placed it at #14,860 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Elwick surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 277 in 2016. That gives Elwick a modern rank of #15,619.

What does the Elwick surname mean?

A locational surname from any of the various locations named Elwick in England.

What does the Elwick map show?

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