NameCensus.

UK surname

Wainwright

An occupational surname referring to a wagon builder or repairer.

In the 1881 census there were 6,337 people recorded with the Wainwright surname, ranking it #677 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,690, ranked #758, down from #677 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Manchester, Ardsley, West and Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Flintshire and Conwy.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wainwright is 9,027 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.1%.

1881 census count

6,337

Ranked #677

Modern count

8,690

2016, ranked #758

Peak year

1999

9,027 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wainwright had 6,337 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #677 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,690 in 2016, ranked #758.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,425 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wainwright surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wainwright surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Wainwright 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 3,436 #831
1861 historical 3,629 #772
1881 historical 6,337 #677
1891 historical 6,156 #752
1901 historical 7,636 #706
1911 historical 8,425 #590
1997 modern 8,433 #753
1998 modern 8,928 #733
1999 modern 9,027 #733
2000 modern 8,942 #736
2001 modern 8,754 #734
2002 modern 8,967 #736
2003 modern 8,778 #734
2004 modern 8,700 #744
2005 modern 8,536 #746
2006 modern 8,504 #746
2007 modern 8,574 #748
2008 modern 8,547 #755
2009 modern 8,727 #757
2010 modern 8,892 #761
2011 modern 8,866 #751
2012 modern 8,697 #750
2013 modern 8,877 #747
2014 modern 8,899 #746
2015 modern 8,772 #748
2016 modern 8,690 #758

Geography

Back to top

Where Wainwrights are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Manchester, Ardsley, West, Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall, Sheffield and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, Flintshire, Conwy, Selby and West Lancashire. 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 Manchester Lancashire
2 Ardsley, West Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall Staffordshire
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 001 Shropshire
2 Flintshire 009 Flintshire
3 Conwy 015 Conwy
4 Selby 004 Selby
5 West Lancashire 011 West Lancashire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Wainwright

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Wainwright

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Wainwright, 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 Wainwright surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Wainwright 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wainwright 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

Wainwright 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

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

Meaning and origin of Wainwright

The surname Wainwright originated in England, and it is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "waegn" (wagon) and "wyrhta" (worker or maker). It referred to someone who built or repaired wagons, carts, or other wheeled vehicles.

The name can be traced back to the late 12th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194, where a person named Reginald le Wainwrighte was mentioned. The name also appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, which documented a Robert le Waynwrith.

In the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Wainwright, but related occupations such as "carpenters" and "wheelwrights" are mentioned.

Over time, the surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Wainwright, Waynwright, Wainewright, and Wainright. Some of these variations were influenced by regional dialects and phonetic adaptations.

One of the earliest known Wainwrights was John Wainwright, born around 1350 in Yorkshire, England. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire in 1379 and 1384.

Another notable individual with this surname was Thomas Wainwright (c. 1460-1522), a English Catholic priest and theologian who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1508 to 1515.

In the 16th century, a famous Wainwright was Francis Wainwright (c. 1528-1592), an English navigator and explorer who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his circumnavigation of the world from 1577 to 1580.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Jonathan Wainwright (1608-1679) was a prominent Parliamentarian soldier and served as a Major-General in Oliver Cromwell's army.

In the literary world, Henry Wainwright (1792-1847) was an English author and poet who wrote several works, including "The Musical Drift," a collection of poems published in 1827.

The surname Wainwright has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, reflecting the diverse occupations and backgrounds of those who bore this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Wainwright families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wainwright 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 1,963 Wainwrights recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.20x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,963 3.20x
Lancashire 1,231 1.68x
Cheshire 559 4.10x
Staffordshire 380 1.82x
Middlesex 302 0.49x
Derbyshire 254 2.62x
Warwickshire 196 1.26x
Leicestershire 170 2.48x
Worcestershire 151 1.87x
Surrey 148 0.49x
Shropshire 139 2.60x
Nottinghamshire 117 1.40x
Flintshire 115 6.92x
Durham 77 0.42x
Lincolnshire 67 0.68x
Kent 63 0.30x
Essex 61 0.50x
Suffolk 40 0.53x
Northamptonshire 28 0.48x
Herefordshire 26 1.03x
Northumberland 25 0.27x
Hampshire 21 0.17x
Monmouthshire 20 0.45x
Berkshire 16 0.34x
Gloucestershire 15 0.12x
Somerset 15 0.15x
Denbighshire 12 0.51x
Wiltshire 12 0.22x
Montgomeryshire 11 0.78x
Caernarfonshire 10 0.40x
Devon 10 0.08x
Sussex 10 0.10x
Midlothian 8 0.10x
Bedfordshire 7 0.22x
Carmarthenshire 7 0.27x
Huntingdonshire 7 0.57x
Norfolk 7 0.07x
Ayrshire 6 0.13x
Oxfordshire 5 0.13x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.11x
Dorset 3 0.07x
Hertfordshire 3 0.07x
Renfrewshire 3 0.06x
Lanarkshire 2 0.01x
Royal Navy 2 0.27x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.02x
Anglesey 1 0.09x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.03x
Cumberland 1 0.02x
Glamorgan 1 0.01x
Radnorshire 1 0.20x
Roxburghshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 138 Wainwrights recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.99x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 138 3.99x
Ecclesall Bierlow 118 9.47x
Sheffield 108 5.54x
Hunslet 89 9.32x
Barnsley 86 13.61x
Liverpool 85 1.91x
West Ardsley 85 115.32x
Toxteth Park 80 3.22x
Aston 72 1.68x
Manchester 65 1.97x
Islington London 59 0.98x
Bradford 58 3.91x
Birmingham 57 1.10x
West Derby 52 2.42x
Stoke Upon Trent 50 2.26x
Adlington 48 262.87x
Nottingham St Mary 47 2.18x
Woodhouse 47 172.48x
Bermondsey 45 2.45x
Castleford 44 19.73x
Wolverhampton 42 2.62x
Thurlstone 41 67.88x
Nether Hallam 40 4.83x
Birkenhead 39 3.59x
Kirkdale 39 3.16x
Wakefield 39 8.29x
Warrington 39 4.49x
Everton 38 1.63x
Rainford 38 47.91x
Heage 37 72.27x
Hulme 36 2.35x
Oldham 36 1.52x
Ashton Under Lyne 35 2.18x
Leicester St Margaret 35 2.09x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 34 15.29x
Batley 32 5.50x
Brightside Bierlow 32 2.66x
St Marylebone London 31 0.94x
Hawarden 30 22.99x
Parr 30 11.43x
Audley 29 14.05x
Bramley In Bramley 29 12.37x
Bowling 27 4.45x
Holy Trinity 27 1.83x
Templenewsam 27 60.89x
Battersea 26 1.14x
Chester St Oswald 26 10.52x
Lower Mitton 26 36.55x
North Meols 26 3.62x
Salford 26 1.21x
Armley 25 9.25x
Headingley Cum Burley 25 6.34x
Ince Blundell 25 223.41x
Mold 25 16.59x
Stayley 25 16.03x
Stretford 25 6.20x
Ardwick 24 3.63x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 24 4.21x
Burslem 24 4.02x
Chorlton On Medlock 24 2.06x
Leamington Priors 24 6.26x
Ludlow St Lawrence 24 22.59x
Rainow 24 88.33x
Sandal Magna 24 26.50x
Sherburn 24 47.69x
Lofthouse Cum Carlton 23 30.81x
Kimberworth 22 6.47x
Congleton 21 8.91x
Horbury 21 19.60x
Runcorn 21 6.68x
Bollington In 20 16.47x
Huddersfield 20 2.24x
Knowsley 20 75.50x
Lambeth 19 0.35x
Wombwell 19 10.64x
Cannock 18 4.94x
Ecclesfield 18 4.01x
Nantwich 18 11.35x
Pendlebury 18 11.62x
Skelmanthorpe 18 27.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 431
Sarah 264
Elizabeth 257
Ann 163
Jane 118
Emma 109
Hannah 105
Martha 89
Alice 88
Eliza 84
Annie 82
Ellen 76
Emily 56
Margaret 56
Florence 46
Harriet 44
Ada 42
Clara 39
Catherine 37
Edith 37
Fanny 33
Lucy 31
Maria 31
Charlotte 28
Louisa 28
Harriett 24
Agnes 23
Kate 20
Anne 19
Frances 17
Susan 17
Bertha 16
Esther 14
Rebecca 14
Caroline 13
Selina 13
Rose 12
Sophia 12
Lydia 11
Susannah 11
Beatrice 10
Betsy 10
Elizth. 10
Gertrude 10
Grace 10
Helen 10
Jessie 10
Laura 10
Matilda 10
Georgina 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 396
William 359
George 246
Thomas 220
James 173
Joseph 166
Charles 106
Henry 94
Edward 86
Alfred 79
Samuel 79
Richard 65
Arthur 62
Walter 59
Albert 42
Robert 42
Harry 38
Wm. 38
David 37
Herbert 37
Frederick 30
Tom 25
Ernest 24
Frank 24
Fred 20
Thos. 20
Peter 15
Benjamin 13
Edwin 12
Matthew 12
Isaac 11
Stephen 11
Chas. 9
Geo. 9
Joe 9
Sam 9
Fredrick 8
Daniel 7
Edmund 7
Jno. 7
Joshua 7
Saml. 7
Willm. 7
Fredk. 6
Josiah 6
Richd. 6
Alexander 5
Ellis 5
Enoch 5
Francis 5

FAQ

Wainwright surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wainwright surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,337 people were recorded with the Wainwright surname. That placed it at #677 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wainwright surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,690 in 2016. That gives Wainwright a modern rank of #758.

What does the Wainwright surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a wagon builder or repairer.

What does the Wainwright map show?

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