NameCensus.

UK surname

Lockley

An English surname possibly derived from a location name containing "lock" or related to an occupation involving locks or enclosures.

In the 1881 census there were 1,136 people recorded with the Lockley surname, ranking it #3,523 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,196, ranked #2,952, up from #3,523 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Cannock and Walsall. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Walsall, Stafford and Wolverhampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lockley is 2,372 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 93.3%.

1881 census count

1,136

Ranked #3,523

Modern count

2,196

2016, ranked #2,952

Peak year

1999

2,372 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lockley had 1,136 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,523 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,196 in 2016, ranked #2,952.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,802 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Lockley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lockley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lockley 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 713 #3,665
1861 historical 705 #3,840
1881 historical 1,136 #3,523
1891 historical 1,292 #3,349
1901 historical 1,635 #3,155
1911 historical 1,802 #2,721
1997 modern 2,175 #2,846
1998 modern 2,360 #2,747
1999 modern 2,372 #2,755
2000 modern 2,348 #2,762
2001 modern 2,313 #2,744
2002 modern 2,336 #2,777
2003 modern 2,290 #2,764
2004 modern 2,275 #2,772
2005 modern 2,244 #2,780
2006 modern 2,216 #2,825
2007 modern 2,219 #2,841
2008 modern 2,247 #2,826
2009 modern 2,280 #2,860
2010 modern 2,314 #2,878
2011 modern 2,305 #2,854
2012 modern 2,244 #2,872
2013 modern 2,281 #2,878
2014 modern 2,256 #2,917
2015 modern 2,232 #2,912
2016 modern 2,196 #2,952

Geography

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Where Lockleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Cannock, Walsall, Birmingham Town: Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Walsall, Stafford and Wolverhampton. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Cannock Staffordshire
3 Walsall Staffordshire
4 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
5 Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Walsall 025 Walsall
2 Walsall 014 Walsall
3 Stafford 003 Stafford
4 Walsall 027 Walsall
5 Wolverhampton 001 Wolverhampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lockley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lockley

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Lockley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Lockley household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Lockley 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

Lockley is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Lockley 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 Lockley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Lockley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Lockley

The surname Lockley is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from an Old English word "loc," meaning an enclosure or a lock, combined with the suffix "-ley," which denotes a clearing or a meadow. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a meadow enclosed by a fence or a gate.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lockley can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a William de Lockeleye from Worcestershire. The Domesday Book, an invaluable record of landowners in England compiled in 1086, does not appear to include any direct references to the Lockley surname, though it may have been spelled differently at the time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Lokelay, Lokeley, and Lokley, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that era. The variant Lockley seems to have become more prevalent in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Notable individuals who bore the Lockley surname include John Lockley (c. 1540-1598), an English Protestant reformer and author of several religious works. Another notable figure was William Lockley (1786-1862), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a renowned navigator and cartographer.

In the 19th century, Edward Lockley (1819-1892) was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. Samuel Lockley (1828-1910), a British politician and industrialist, served as a Member of Parliament for Heywood from 1885 to 1892.

One of the more recent historical figures was Ernest Lockley (1889-1963), a British author and journalist known for his works on social and political issues, including his critically acclaimed book "The Diary of a Plain Man" published in 1919.

While the Lockley surname has roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and the establishment of new communities. However, the historical records and references mentioned above provide insights into the origins and early development of this surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lockley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lockley 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. Staffordshire leads with 483 Lockleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.91x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 483 12.91x
Shropshire 162 16.92x
Lancashire 105 0.80x
Warwickshire 66 2.36x
Cheshire 54 2.21x
Middlesex 46 0.42x
Surrey 32 0.59x
Leicestershire 23 1.87x
Worcestershire 22 1.52x
Montgomeryshire 19 7.48x
Derbyshire 16 0.92x
Nottinghamshire 16 1.07x
Flintshire 15 5.04x
Gloucestershire 15 0.69x
Kent 10 0.26x
Durham 8 0.24x
Yorkshire 8 0.07x
Denbighshire 6 1.43x
Berkshire 5 0.60x
Cumberland 4 0.42x
Monmouthshire 4 0.50x
Suffolk 4 0.30x
Sussex 4 0.21x
Devon 2 0.09x
Hampshire 2 0.09x
Oxfordshire 2 0.29x
Ayrshire 1 0.12x
Essex 1 0.05x
Glamorgan 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wolverhampton in Staffordshire leads with 87 Lockleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 30.25x.

Place Total Index
Wolverhampton 87 30.25x
Tettenhall 45 196.76x
Cannock 42 64.35x
Willenhall 35 49.96x
Walsall Foreign 32 16.56x
Barrow In Furness 31 17.33x
Birmingham 31 3.33x
Stoke Upon Trent 27 6.81x
Stone 25 52.26x
Bishops Castle In 24 430.11x
Penkridge 22 227.98x
Ercall Magna 21 306.57x
Aston 20 2.60x
Bootle Cum Linacre 19 18.20x
Barwell 18 276.92x
Walsall Borough 18 61.98x
Wellington 16 29.73x
Churchstoke 15 313.15x
Gnosall 15 166.11x
Islington London 15 1.40x
Stafford St Mary 15 28.33x
Bilston 14 19.31x
Sedgley 14 10.08x
Shifnal 14 53.87x
Shrewsbury St Mary 14 37.06x
Bethnal Green London 11 2.29x
Pelsall 11 98.92x
Bermondsey 10 3.03x
Chester St Oswald 10 22.58x
Battersea 9 2.21x
Brewood 9 83.49x
Castle Church 9 40.04x
Lambeth 9 0.93x
Chester St John Baptist 8 18.19x
Hawarden Saltney 8 192.31x
Liscard 8 18.15x
Offchurch 8 655.74x
Rodington 8 529.80x
Salford 8 2.07x
Selattyn 8 184.33x
Skerton 8 74.07x
Arnold 7 32.11x
Derby St Werburgh 7 6.99x
Erith 7 18.79x
Lilleshall 7 47.85x
Preston 7 1.99x
West Bromwich 7 3.27x
Worthenbury 7 414.20x
Chirk 6 72.82x
Church Eaton 6 239.04x
Eccleshall 6 42.31x
Leeds 6 0.97x
Newland 6 32.86x
Radford 6 7.91x
Shenstone 6 63.09x
Wednesbury 6 6.42x
Whitechapel London 6 5.49x
Wrockwardine 6 28.50x
Cheswardine 5 122.25x
Drayton In Hales 5 25.33x
Newport 5 43.29x
Oldbury 5 7.02x
Ryton 5 625.00x
Sonning 5 54.47x
Upton In Chester 5 182.48x
Berrington 4 106.67x
Chilton 4 370.37x
Derby St Alkmund 4 7.69x
Eastbourne 4 4.65x
Forton 4 195.12x
Hempstead 4 150.38x
Huntington 4 888.89x
Hyssington 4 336.13x
Lancaster 4 5.11x
Shildon 4 15.10x
Stockport Etchells 4 76.78x
Trentham 4 12.57x
Walton On Hill 4 5.62x
Westbury On Trym 4 5.43x
Workington 4 7.32x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 80
John 58
Thomas 51
James 45
George 44
Henry 23
Charles 22
Joseph 22
Edward 18
Samuel 17
Alfred 16
Richard 13
Albert 11
Harry 9
Robert 9
Arthur 8
Frederick 8
Edwin 7
Francis 6
Frank 6
Walter 6
Wm. 6
Ernest 5
David 4
Herbert 4
Benjamin 3
Chas. 3
Daniel 3
Thos. 3
Anthony 2
Christopher 2
Earnest 2
Edmund 2
Fredrick 2
Isaac 2
Job 2
Moses 2
Saml. 2
Valentine 2
Agustine 1
Amos 1
Cecil 1
Edgar 1
Edwd. 1
Elijah 1
Elizabeth 1
Emmanuel 1
Enoch 1
Jas. 1
Jesse 1

FAQ

Lockley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lockley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,136 people were recorded with the Lockley surname. That placed it at #3,523 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lockley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,196 in 2016. That gives Lockley a modern rank of #2,952.

What does the Lockley surname mean?

An English surname possibly derived from a location name containing "lock" or related to an occupation involving locks or enclosures.

What does the Lockley map show?

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