NameCensus.

UK surname

Wagstaffe

In the 1881 census there were 424 people recorded with the Wagstaffe surname, ranking it #7,647 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 685, ranked #7,831, down from #7,647 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, Glossop and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Barnsley and Selby.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wagstaffe is 986 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 61.6%.

1881 census count

424

Ranked #7,647

Modern count

685

2016, ranked #7,831

Peak year

1901

986 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wagstaffe had 424 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,647 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 685 in 2016, ranked #7,831.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 986 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Wagstaffe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wagstaffe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wagstaffe 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 189 #10,896
1861 historical 282 #8,895
1881 historical 424 #7,647
1891 historical 693 #5,657
1901 historical 986 #4,817
1911 historical 714 #5,980
1997 modern 730 #7,011
1998 modern 754 #7,064
1999 modern 764 #7,039
2000 modern 764 #7,006
2001 modern 747 #7,006
2002 modern 751 #7,100
2003 modern 733 #7,129
2004 modern 713 #7,287
2005 modern 675 #7,556
2006 modern 685 #7,500
2007 modern 698 #7,432
2008 modern 694 #7,538
2009 modern 726 #7,418
2010 modern 740 #7,448
2011 modern 730 #7,463
2012 modern 711 #7,517
2013 modern 702 #7,705
2014 modern 693 #7,837
2015 modern 690 #7,811
2016 modern 685 #7,831

Geography

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Where Wagstaffes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, Glossop, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Manchester and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, Barnsley, Selby, High Peak and Derbyshire Dales. 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 Stockport Cheshire
2 Glossop Derbyshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 001 Shropshire
2 Barnsley 008 Barnsley
3 Selby 003 Selby
4 High Peak 011 High Peak
5 Derbyshire Dales 004 Derbyshire Dales

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wagstaffe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wagstaffe

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Wagstaffe, 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 Wagstaffe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Wagstaffe 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wagstaffe 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

Wagstaffe 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

Wagstaffe 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 Wagstaffe is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Wagstaffe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wagstaffe 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. Lancashire leads with 133 Wagstaffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.71x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 133 2.71x
Yorkshire 62 1.51x
Derbyshire 44 6.79x
Cheshire 35 3.83x
Nottinghamshire 35 6.28x
Staffordshire 25 1.79x
Middlesex 13 0.31x
Northamptonshire 13 3.34x
Warwickshire 13 1.25x
Surrey 11 0.55x
Leicestershire 8 1.74x
Bedfordshire 6 2.80x
Durham 4 0.33x
Essex 4 0.49x
Lincolnshire 4 0.60x
Sussex 3 0.43x
Suffolk 2 0.40x
Berkshire 1 0.32x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.38x
Dorset 1 0.37x
Hampshire 1 0.12x
Herefordshire 1 0.59x
Kent 1 0.07x
Somerset 1 0.15x
Wiltshire 1 0.27x
Worcestershire 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sheffield in Yorkshire leads with 17 Wagstaffes recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.03x.

Place Total Index
Sheffield 17 13.03x
Droylsden 15 93.69x
Hulme 14 13.66x
Glossop Dale 12 39.56x
Newbold Dunston 12 195.12x
Hyde 11 40.83x
Salford 11 7.62x
Barnsley 10 23.65x
Stoke Upon Trent 10 6.75x
Greasley 9 71.54x
Liverpool 9 3.02x
Ashton Under Lyne 8 7.46x
Beckingham 8 1269.84x
Brinnington 8 93.79x
Leicester St Margaret 8 7.15x
Withington 8 50.60x
Haughton 7 97.77x
Normanton 7 56.82x
Northampton Priory St 7 29.99x
West Bromwich 7 8.76x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 6 15.72x
Camberwell 6 2.27x
Crompton 6 42.92x
Luton 6 16.19x
Openshaw 6 26.10x
Urmston 6 188.68x
Aston 5 1.74x
Brightside Bierlow 5 6.22x
Butterworth 5 41.81x
Denton 5 45.96x
Islington London 5 1.25x
North Meols 5 10.41x
Oldham 5 3.16x
Rushden 5 96.15x
Warsop 5 337.84x
Brimington 4 81.30x
Chesterfield 4 16.47x
Crich 4 94.56x
Dukinfield 4 9.48x
Lambeth 4 1.11x
Norton In Moors 4 54.13x
Stockport Etchells 4 205.13x
Stockton On Tees 4 6.74x
Thurgoland 4 144.40x
Altofts 3 66.37x
Bedworth 3 39.42x
Broughton In Salford 3 6.68x
Budby 3 1666.67x
Ecclesall Bierlow 3 3.60x
Foleshill 3 27.35x
Hasland 3 45.52x
Heaton Norris 3 10.74x
Leominster 3 133.33x
Newton In Ashton Under 3 33.30x
Pendleton In Salford 3 5.13x
Ratcliffe London 3 13.13x
Tendring 3 250.00x
Toxteth Park 3 1.81x
Trentham 3 25.27x
Barrow In Furness 2 3.00x
Bingley 2 7.66x
Boston 2 9.97x
Boughton 2 476.19x
Burton Hastings 2 869.57x
Calverton 2 113.64x
Castleton 2 4.08x
Chapel Allerton 2 32.63x
Hartington Upper 2 64.72x
Moss Side 2 7.74x
Nayland 2 156.25x
Pilkington 2 10.73x
Standard Hill 2 150.38x
West Derby 2 1.39x
Abingdon St Helen 1 11.01x
All Saints Cambridge 1 54.35x
Gomersal 1 5.23x
Grantham 1 11.60x
Higher Bebington 1 17.12x
St George Hanover 1 1.85x
St Marylebone London 1 0.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 20
George 18
William 17
James 12
Joseph 12
Thomas 12
Charles 7
Harry 7
Henry 7
Robert 7
Wm. 5
Albert 4
Daniel 4
Ernest 4
Walter 4
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
Edwin 3
Frederick 3
Samuel 3
Thos. 3
Chas. 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Geo. 2
Herbert 2
Percy 2
Willm. 2
Barnard 1
Chars. 1
David 1
Edward 1
Fredk.Wm. 1
Fredrick 1
Gerald 1
H. 1
Harold 1
Horace 1
Major 1
Mary 1
Phillip 1
Ralph 1
Reuben 1
Richard 1
Saml. 1
Sidney 1
St 1
Stanley 1
Sydney 1
Wright 1

FAQ

Wagstaffe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wagstaffe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 424 people were recorded with the Wagstaffe surname. That placed it at #7,647 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wagstaffe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 685 in 2016. That gives Wagstaffe a modern rank of #7,831.

What does the Wagstaffe map show?

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