NameCensus.

UK surname

Wadkin

In the 1881 census there were 175 people recorded with the Wadkin surname, ranking it #13,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 195, ranked #19,921, down from #13,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Barkston, Rempstone and Rotherham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Leeds, North East Derbyshire and Leicester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wadkin is 277 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.4%.

1881 census count

175

Ranked #13,982

Modern count

195

2016, ranked #19,921

Peak year

1911

277 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wadkin had 175 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 195 in 2016, ranked #19,921.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 277 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Wadkin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wadkin surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wadkin 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 158 #12,461
1861 historical 133 #16,835
1881 historical 175 #13,982
1891 historical 215 #14,155
1901 historical 228 #13,929
1911 historical 277 #12,067
1997 modern 194 #17,978
1998 modern 211 #17,532
1999 modern 217 #17,307
2000 modern 216 #17,340
2001 modern 209 #17,469
2002 modern 222 #17,147
2003 modern 205 #17,851
2004 modern 205 #17,935
2005 modern 208 #17,687
2006 modern 216 #17,397
2007 modern 208 #18,013
2008 modern 211 #17,997
2009 modern 217 #18,070
2010 modern 212 #18,726
2011 modern 219 #18,145
2012 modern 213 #18,422
2013 modern 212 #18,820
2014 modern 213 #18,883
2015 modern 208 #19,085
2016 modern 195 #19,921

Geography

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Where Wadkins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Barkston, Rempstone, Rotherham, London parishes and Walton-on-the-Hill. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Leeds, North East Derbyshire, Leicester and Rutland. 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 Barkston Nottinghamshire
2 Rempstone Leicestershire
3 Rotherham Yorkshire, West Riding
4 London parishes London 2
5 Walton-on-the-Hill Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Leeds 074 Leeds
2 North East Derbyshire 014 North East Derbyshire
3 Leicester 008 Leicester
4 Rutland 001 Rutland
5 Rutland 004 Rutland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wadkin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wadkin

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

Established but Challenged

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Wadkin is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wadkin is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wadkin falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Wadkin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wadkin 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. Lincolnshire leads with 51 Wadkins recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.69x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 51 18.69x
Yorkshire 50 2.96x
Lancashire 25 1.23x
Leicestershire 17 8.98x
Middlesex 16 0.94x
Nottinghamshire 11 4.78x
Sussex 2 0.70x
Derbyshire 1 0.37x
Hertfordshire 1 0.85x
Staffordshire 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barkstone in Lincolnshire leads with 19 Wadkins recorded in 1881 and an index of 6551.72x.

Place Total Index
Barkstone 19 6551.72x
Rotherham 15 157.23x
Everton 12 18.59x
Bramley In Bramley 11 169.75x
Edmonton 9 65.45x
Osgodby In Selby 9 6923.08x
Hulme 7 16.55x
Rempstone 7 3888.89x
Sibsey 7 1129.03x
Wymeswold 7 1272.73x
Dry Doddington 6 4615.38x
Honington 6 6000.00x
Leicester St Margaret 6 13.00x
Maltby In Rotherham 6 1276.60x
Bracebridge 4 322.58x
Carlton 4 152.09x
Bethnal Green London 3 4.05x
Billesdon 3 612.24x
Pendleton In Salford 3 12.43x
Brant Broughton 2 500.00x
Cliff Cum Lund 2 540.54x
Horsham 2 35.78x
Middlesbrough 2 9.08x
Stubton 2 2500.00x
Ardwick 1 5.47x
Barnsley 1 5.73x
Finchley 1 15.29x
Gainsborough 1 15.55x
Hackney London 1 1.04x
Hampstead London 1 3.76x
Harewood 1 238.10x
Hartshorn 1 99.01x
Hillam 1 526.32x
Hooten Levitt 1 1666.67x
Kirkdale 1 2.94x
Leeds 1 1.05x
Legbourne 1 357.14x
Loughborough 1 11.64x
Manchester 1 1.10x
Manthorpe Cum Little 1 47.85x
Shoreditch London 1 1.35x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 1.64x
Ware 1 29.67x
Whaplode 1 107.53x
Woolsthorpe 1 285.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 16
Elizabeth 11
Ann 5
Sarah 5
Annie 4
Fanny 4
Jane 4
Louisa 3
Alice 2
Charlotte 2
Eliza 2
Lucy 2
Matilda 2
Adeliza 1
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Eizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
France 1
Frances 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Isabella 1
Keziah 1
Minnie 1
Phebea 1
Rebecca 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Wadkin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wadkin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 175 people were recorded with the Wadkin surname. That placed it at #13,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wadkin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 195 in 2016. That gives Wadkin a modern rank of #19,921.

What does the Wadkin map show?

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