NameCensus.

UK surname

Waddington

A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Waddington in England.

In the 1881 census there were 4,864 people recorded with the Waddington surname, ranking it #915 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,415, ranked #1,541, down from #915 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, Bingley and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Waddington is 6,081 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 9.2%.

1881 census count

4,864

Ranked #915

Modern count

4,415

2016, ranked #1,541

Peak year

1911

6,081 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Waddington had 4,864 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #915 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,415 in 2016, ranked #1,541.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,081 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Waddington surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Waddington surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Waddington 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 2,917 #995
1861 historical 3,109 #930
1881 historical 4,864 #915
1891 historical 5,323 #881
1901 historical 5,723 #972
1911 historical 6,081 #847
1997 modern 4,396 #1,493
1998 modern 4,501 #1,502
1999 modern 4,591 #1,490
2000 modern 4,540 #1,500
2001 modern 4,470 #1,490
2002 modern 4,561 #1,494
2003 modern 4,469 #1,488
2004 modern 4,478 #1,482
2005 modern 4,339 #1,509
2006 modern 4,376 #1,501
2007 modern 4,436 #1,487
2008 modern 4,470 #1,495
2009 modern 4,506 #1,514
2010 modern 4,548 #1,531
2011 modern 4,459 #1,539
2012 modern 4,381 #1,535
2013 modern 4,485 #1,529
2014 modern 4,521 #1,532
2015 modern 4,450 #1,532
2016 modern 4,415 #1,541

Geography

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Where Waddingtons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, Bingley, Bradford, Keighley and Blackburn. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley and Barnsley. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Blackburn Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 023 Bradford
2 Hyndburn 004 Hyndburn
3 Bradford 004 Bradford
4 Ribble Valley 001 Ribble Valley
5 Barnsley 024 Barnsley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Waddington

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Waddington

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Waddington 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

Waddington is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Waddington 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 Waddington 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 Waddington, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Waddington

The surname Waddington originates from England and dates back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Waddington, which is found in various counties across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Lancashire. The name likely stems from the Old English words "wad" meaning "a ford" or "shallow part of a river," and "ing" meaning "people" or "meadow," suggesting it referred to people living near a ford or shallow crossing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Wadintone" and "Wadinctun" in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, respectively. This suggests that the name was well-established in various parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

Notable historical figures with the surname Waddington include Sir Edward Waddington (1619-1695), an English theologian and Bishop of Chichester; Benjamin Waddington (1670-1737), an English divine and author; George Waddington (1793-1869), an English clergyman and author of a historical work on the Church; and William Henry Waddington (1826-1894), a French statesman and Prime Minister of France in 1879.

Another significant figure was William Waddington (1610-1668), an English Puritan minister and author, known for his work "A Puritan's View of the Bible." In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Samuel Waddington, who arrived in New England in 1634.

Throughout history, the name has evolved with various spellings, such as Wadington, Waddyngton, and Waddingtun, reflecting regional variations and changes in spelling conventions over time. Place names associated with the surname include Waddington in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Lancashire, as well as Waddingtone in Suffolk.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Waddington families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Waddington 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 2,296 Waddingtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.88x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2,296 4.88x
Lancashire 1,801 3.20x
Middlesex 116 0.24x
Lincolnshire 89 1.17x
Durham 69 0.49x
Cheshire 49 0.47x
Surrey 41 0.18x
Leicestershire 40 0.76x
Cumberland 38 0.93x
Nottinghamshire 33 0.52x
Kent 30 0.19x
Northamptonshire 21 0.47x
Essex 18 0.19x
Warwickshire 18 0.15x
Hampshire 17 0.17x
Lanarkshire 17 0.11x
Derbyshire 14 0.19x
Hertfordshire 13 0.40x
Staffordshire 12 0.07x
Suffolk 12 0.21x
Sussex 10 0.13x
Channel Islands 9 0.64x
Kincardineshire 9 1.56x
Worcestershire 9 0.15x
Monmouthshire 8 0.23x
Wigtownshire 8 1.27x
Somerset 7 0.09x
Angus 6 0.14x
Devon 6 0.06x
Northumberland 6 0.09x
Berkshire 5 0.14x
Bedfordshire 4 0.16x
Huntingdonshire 4 0.42x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.07x
Norfolk 3 0.04x
Rutland 3 0.86x
Shropshire 3 0.07x
Westmorland 3 0.29x
Dorset 2 0.06x
Gloucestershire 2 0.02x
Wiltshire 2 0.05x
Banffshire 1 0.10x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.05x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.03x
Cornwall 1 0.02x
Midlothian 1 0.02x
Oxfordshire 1 0.03x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Blackburn in Lancashire leads with 133 Waddingtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.88x.

Place Total Index
Blackburn 133 8.88x
Bingley 123 41.08x
Burnley 120 25.31x
Padiham 117 86.02x
Horton In Bradford 112 15.25x
Leeds 111 4.18x
Preston 100 6.64x
Bradford 81 7.12x
Keighley 67 13.37x
Livesey 67 67.81x
Manningham 56 9.67x
Morton In Keighley 54 146.22x
Habergham Eaves 52 10.10x
Accrington 49 9.57x
Guiseley 48 79.72x
Bowling 47 10.09x
Thornton In Bradford 45 28.75x
Little Bolton 44 6.08x
Salford 44 2.66x
Almondbury 43 18.91x
Hipperholme Cum 42 20.33x
North Bierley 42 16.54x
Warley 40 29.44x
Over Darwen 39 8.67x
Great Bolton 38 5.10x
Great Little Marsden 38 14.73x
Headingley Cum Burley 37 12.22x
Barnsley 36 7.42x
Shipley 35 14.34x
Castleford 34 19.86x
Haslingden 31 13.30x
Northowram 31 9.40x
Wigan 31 3.94x
Colne 30 17.89x
Thornton In Craven 30 79.51x
Wilsden 30 62.12x
Allerton 29 48.39x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 29 18.03x
Hunslet 28 3.82x
Oldham 27 1.49x
Bury 26 4.04x
Halifax 26 3.77x
Stainland Cum Old 26 32.31x
Sowerby In Halifax 25 16.26x
Clitheroe 24 14.48x
Manchester 24 0.95x
Trawden 24 68.12x
Barrow In Furness 22 2.87x
Sheffield 21 1.40x
Spotland 21 3.35x
Chapel Allerton 20 28.43x
Haworth 19 17.00x
Huddersfield 19 2.77x
Leicester St Margaret 19 1.48x
Potter Newton 19 22.91x
Batley 18 4.03x
Bramley In Bramley 18 10.00x
Farnworth 18 5.34x
Hackney London 18 0.68x
Holy Trinity 18 1.59x
Broughton In Salford 17 3.30x
Liversedge 17 8.12x
Chorley 16 5.06x
Dalton In Huddersfield 16 15.19x
Rawmarsh 16 9.63x
Templenewsam 16 47.00x
Whixley 16 188.46x
Barkisland 15 43.94x
Layton With Warbreck 15 7.26x
Pendleton In Salford 15 2.24x
Raskelf 15 193.30x
Skircoat 15 8.09x
St Pancras London 15 0.39x
Yeadon 15 14.13x
Bishop Auckland 14 7.39x
Brampton Bierlow 14 23.25x
Hulme 14 1.19x
Islington London 14 0.30x
Oswaldtwistle 14 7.04x
Skipton 14 9.46x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 371
Sarah 231
Elizabeth 189
Jane 114
Ellen 109
Martha 85
Alice 84
Ann 80
Hannah 78
Margaret 73
Annie 72
Eliza 59
Emma 56
Emily 36
Clara 29
Maria 28
Ada 25
Fanny 25
Harriet 24
Isabella 23
Florence 22
Nancy 22
Anne 20
Edith 20
Susannah 17
Charlotte 16
Louisa 16
Esther 15
Frances 15
Lucy 14
Betty 13
Susan 13
Agnes 12
Bertha 12
Kate 12
Ruth 12
Eleanor 11
Ethel 10
Grace 10
Rebecca 10
Margt. 9
Amelia 8
Amy 8
Caroline 8
Catherine 8
Eliz. 8
Betsy 7
Dinah 7
Janet 7
Lily 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 323
William 225
James 171
Thomas 154
George 100
Joseph 92
Henry 72
Robert 71
Richard 64
Arthur 45
Charles 42
Samuel 35
Albert 33
Walter 33
Alfred 32
Frederick 28
Edward 27
Wm. 27
Fred 23
Benjamin 21
Tom 20
Harry 19
Frank 18
Herbert 18
Joshua 17
David 16
Thos. 14
Francis 13
Nicholas 13
Ralph 13
Christopher 11
Ernest 11
Sam 11
Jonathan 10
Abraham 9
Stephen 9
Eli 8
Jas. 8
Isaac 7
Jeremiah 7
Fredrick 6
Geo. 6
Peter 6
Willie 6
Edgar 5
Edwin 5
Joe 5
Mark 5
Matthew 5
Walker 5

FAQ

Waddington surname: questions and answers

How common was the Waddington surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,864 people were recorded with the Waddington surname. That placed it at #915 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Waddington surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,415 in 2016. That gives Waddington a modern rank of #1,541.

What does the Waddington surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Waddington in England.

What does the Waddington map show?

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