NameCensus.

UK surname

Lockwood

An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a forest or wood enclosed by a fence or barrier.

In the 1881 census there were 6,610 people recorded with the Lockwood surname, ranking it #641 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,223, ranked #799, down from #641 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Kirkheaton and Batley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kirklees.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lockwood is 8,764 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 24.4%.

1881 census count

6,610

Ranked #641

Modern count

8,223

2016, ranked #799

Peak year

1999

8,764 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lockwood had 6,610 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #641 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,223 in 2016, ranked #799.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,709 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Lockwood surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lockwood surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lockwood 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 4,515 #625
1861 historical 4,650 #613
1881 historical 6,610 #641
1891 historical 7,339 #606
1901 historical 8,063 #661
1911 historical 8,709 #565
1997 modern 8,443 #750
1998 modern 8,739 #755
1999 modern 8,764 #762
2000 modern 8,611 #771
2001 modern 8,387 #773
2002 modern 8,510 #779
2003 modern 8,375 #774
2004 modern 8,359 #775
2005 modern 8,184 #776
2006 modern 8,134 #786
2007 modern 8,129 #796
2008 modern 8,160 #796
2009 modern 8,306 #801
2010 modern 8,459 #800
2011 modern 8,322 #804
2012 modern 8,248 #793
2013 modern 8,376 #794
2014 modern 8,409 #795
2015 modern 8,297 #796
2016 modern 8,223 #799

Geography

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Where Lockwoods are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Kirkheaton, Batley, Penistone (Denby), Kirkburton (Cumberworth Half) and Almondbury. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kirklees. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Kirkheaton Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Penistone (Denby), Kirkburton (Cumberworth Half) Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Almondbury Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kirklees 057 Kirklees
2 Kirklees 054 Kirklees
3 Kirklees 059 Kirklees
4 Kirklees 051 Kirklees
5 Kirklees 046 Kirklees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lockwood

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lockwood

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Lockwood surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Lockwood household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Lockwood 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

Lockwood 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

Lockwood falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Lockwood

The surname Lockwood is of English origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the place name Lockwood, which is found in several counties across England, including Yorkshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire. The name itself is composed of two Old English elements: "loca," meaning an enclosure or lock, and "wudu," meaning a wood or forest.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Lockwood can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lochewode." This suggests that the name was already well-established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Henry de Lockwood, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1176. Another notable early figure was John de Lockwood, who was recorded as a landowner in Staffordshire in the late 13th century.

During the Middle Ages, the Lockwood family held estates and lands in various parts of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. The Lockwood family of Doncaster, Yorkshire, was a prominent branch, with members serving as Members of Parliament and holding influential positions in the local community.

In the 16th century, Sir Robert Lockwood (c.1490-1564) was a notable figure who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1558-1559. He was a successful merchant and a member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Francis Lockwood (1667-1731), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Peterborough Cathedral from 1727 until his death.

In the literary world, John Lockwood Kipling (1837-1911), father of the famous writer Rudyard Kipling, was a notable figure. He was an accomplished sculptor and ceramicist, and his works were widely celebrated during the Victorian era.

The Lockwood surname has also been associated with the United States since the colonial era. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Robert Lockwood, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and became a prominent landowner and planter.

Throughout its long history, the surname Lockwood has been borne by many notable individuals across various fields, from politics and religion to literature and the arts. Its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was derived from the Old English elements referring to an enclosed woodland area.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lockwood families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lockwood 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 3,865 Lockwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.04x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 3,865 6.04x
Middlesex 428 0.66x
Suffolk 376 4.78x
Lancashire 313 0.41x
Lincolnshire 233 2.26x
Surrey 195 0.62x
Norfolk 194 1.96x
Leicestershire 182 2.54x
Nottinghamshire 122 1.40x
Cheshire 108 0.76x
Essex 95 0.75x
Kent 92 0.42x
Derbyshire 86 0.85x
Durham 55 0.29x
Gloucestershire 28 0.22x
Warwickshire 26 0.16x
Staffordshire 22 0.10x
Cambridgeshire 20 0.49x
Sussex 18 0.17x
Hampshire 14 0.11x
Somerset 14 0.13x
Wiltshire 14 0.25x
Berkshire 12 0.25x
Hertfordshire 11 0.25x
Devon 10 0.07x
Monmouthshire 10 0.21x
Renfrewshire 8 0.16x
Buckinghamshire 7 0.18x
Oxfordshire 7 0.18x
Bedfordshire 6 0.18x
Glamorgan 6 0.05x
Herefordshire 5 0.19x
Worcestershire 5 0.06x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.12x
Lanarkshire 3 0.01x
Northumberland 3 0.03x
Shropshire 3 0.05x
Merionethshire 2 0.17x
Midlothian 2 0.02x
Roxburghshire 2 0.17x
Selkirkshire 2 0.34x
Cardiganshire 1 0.06x
Channel Islands 1 0.05x
Cornwall 1 0.01x
Denbighshire 1 0.04x
Dorset 1 0.02x
Isle of Man 1 0.08x
Pembrokeshire 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. Huddersfield in Yorkshire leads with 167 Lockwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.93x.

Place Total Index
Huddersfield 167 17.93x
Mirfield 157 44.73x
Leeds 152 4.21x
Almondbury 135 43.67x
Linthwaite 112 83.35x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 89 38.97x
Batley 87 14.32x
Sheffield 80 3.93x
Kirkburton 79 104.80x
Golcar 78 46.14x
Barrow Upon Soar 76 128.64x
Ecclesall Bierlow 68 5.23x
Denby 65 188.41x
Meltham 53 53.30x
Cartworth 52 98.35x
Lepton 50 74.86x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 49 21.10x
Kirkheaton 48 46.29x
Loughborough 48 14.79x
Nether Hallam 48 5.55x
Skelmanthorpe 45 65.20x
Wooldale 45 41.50x
Bradford 44 2.84x
Islington London 43 0.69x
St Pancras London 42 0.81x
Cumberworth 41 125.96x
Dukinfield 41 6.23x
Shelley 41 109.66x
Wakefield 41 8.35x
Dewsbury 40 6.10x
Hunslet 40 4.01x
Austonley 39 107.73x
Bowling 39 6.16x
Lindley Cum Quarmby 39 24.18x
Messingham 39 156.00x
South Crosland 39 57.93x
Barnsley 38 5.76x
Horton In Bradford 37 3.71x
West Clayton 37 116.57x
West Ham 37 1.32x
Honley 35 31.28x
Silkstone 35 110.58x
Dronfield 34 26.27x
Soothill 34 14.72x
Hoyland Swaine 33 199.28x
West Derby 33 1.47x
Goole 32 29.87x
Manchester 32 0.93x
North Bierley 32 9.27x
Nottingham St Mary 32 1.42x
Lockwood 31 13.48x
Thurlstone 31 49.17x
Gomersal 30 10.05x
Northowram 30 6.69x
Preston 30 1.46x
Wombwell 30 16.09x
Hackney London 29 0.80x
Crowle 28 44.59x
Hipperholme Cum 28 9.97x
Holbeck 28 6.61x
Kensington London 28 0.78x
Lambeth 28 0.50x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 28 9.43x
Beccles 27 21.35x
Fulstone 27 57.72x
Shoreditch London 27 0.97x
Thornhill 27 14.47x
Flockton 26 99.69x
St George In East London 26 4.28x
Manningham 25 3.17x
Thorndon All Sts 25 177.18x
Thurstonland 25 112.97x
Worksop 25 9.69x
Ashton Under Lyne 23 1.37x
Creeting St Peter 23 435.61x
Dalton In Huddersfield 23 16.06x
Gainsborough 23 9.46x
Barmbrough 22 93.98x
Camberwell 22 0.53x
Penistone 22 44.13x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 486
Sarah 296
Elizabeth 227
Ann 131
Emma 123
Annie 120
Hannah 113
Eliza 97
Jane 91
Alice 89
Ellen 82
Emily 73
Martha 66
Harriet 55
Ada 49
Louisa 46
Edith 41
Margaret 41
Charlotte 40
Clara 40
Maria 36
Caroline 34
Lucy 32
Florence 31
Fanny 28
Kate 28
Anne 24
Frances 22
Harriett 21
Agnes 19
Ruth 19
Sophia 18
Grace 17
Betty 16
Isabella 16
Anna 15
Catherine 15
Rebecca 15
Amelia 14
Rose 14
Susan 14
Esther 13
Lydia 13
Amy 12
Betsy 12
Gertrude 12
Julia 12
Bertha 11
Laura 11
Susannah 11

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 317
William 312
George 253
Joseph 159
Thomas 149
James 138
Henry 114
Charles 107
Arthur 98
Robert 77
Walter 71
Edward 68
Fred 66
Alfred 63
Albert 57
Harry 54
Frederick 50
Herbert 43
Benjamin 40
Samuel 34
Joe 32
Tom 32
Ernest 28
Richard 28
Frank 27
David 25
Ben 24
Sam 20
Willie 19
Wm. 18
Abraham 15
Francis 15
Joshua 15
Edwin 14
Geo. 14
Jonathan 13
Allen 11
Edgar 11
Edmund 9
Leonard 9
Chas. 8
Mark 8
Mathew 8
Fredrick 7
Lewis 7
Matthew 7
Philip 7
Thos. 7
Henery 6
Louis 6

FAQ

Lockwood surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lockwood surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,610 people were recorded with the Lockwood surname. That placed it at #641 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lockwood surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,223 in 2016. That gives Lockwood a modern rank of #799.

What does the Lockwood surname mean?

An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a forest or wood enclosed by a fence or barrier.

What does the Lockwood map show?

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