NameCensus.

UK surname

Wakefield

A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places called Wakefield, meaning "field by the wake or stream."

In the 1881 census there were 5,358 people recorded with the Wakefield surname, ranking it #832 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,097, ranked #815, up from #832 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rushcliffe, Dudley and Dover.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wakefield is 8,665 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 51.1%.

1881 census count

5,358

Ranked #832

Modern count

8,097

2016, ranked #815

Peak year

1999

8,665 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wakefield had 5,358 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #832 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,097 in 2016, ranked #815.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,857 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wakefield surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wakefield surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wakefield 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 3,494 #813
1861 historical 3,727 #758
1881 historical 5,358 #832
1891 historical 6,135 #755
1901 historical 6,997 #791
1911 historical 7,857 #654
1997 modern 8,273 #771
1998 modern 8,652 #763
1999 modern 8,665 #771
2000 modern 8,572 #777
2001 modern 8,402 #771
2002 modern 8,595 #767
2003 modern 8,406 #769
2004 modern 8,378 #773
2005 modern 8,213 #775
2006 modern 8,194 #777
2007 modern 8,210 #781
2008 modern 8,254 #786
2009 modern 8,445 #786
2010 modern 8,567 #790
2011 modern 8,439 #791
2012 modern 8,247 #794
2013 modern 8,329 #801
2014 modern 8,351 #802
2015 modern 8,202 #808
2016 modern 8,097 #815

Geography

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Where Wakefields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rushcliffe, Dudley, Dover, South Holland and Stockport. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rushcliffe 001 Rushcliffe
2 Dudley 006 Dudley
3 Dover 011 Dover
4 South Holland 004 South Holland
5 Stockport 004 Stockport

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wakefield

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wakefield

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

Wakefield is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wakefield falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Wakefield

The surname Wakefield originates from England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "wacian," meaning to watch or keep awake, and "feld," meaning a field or open area of land. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or was responsible for watching over a field or pasture.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wakefield appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was in use by the late 11th century.

The surname is often associated with the town of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, which was established as a settlement during the Saxon period. It is possible that some early bearers of the name were from this area or had connections to it.

An early notable bearer of the surname was William Wakefield, who lived in the 13th century and was a renowned theologian and philosopher at the University of Oxford. He is known for his works on logic and metaphysics.

In the 15th century, John Wakefield was a prominent English prelate who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1415 to 1425. He played a role in the resolution of the Western Schism, a period of conflict within the Catholic Church when multiple popes claimed authority.

During the Tudor period, Sir Richard Wakefield (c. 1494-1572) was a prominent English politician and served as Lord Mayor of London in 1536. He also held positions in the Worshipful Company of Grocers and was involved in trade with the Low Countries.

In the realm of literature, Rodney Wakefield (1890-1979) was a British author and poet known for his novels and works of poetry. He was born in Wiltshire and gained recognition for his depictions of rural life in England.

Another notable figure was Edward Wakefield (1796-1862), a British statesman and influential figure in the colonization of New Zealand. He was a key proponent of the "systematic colonization" approach, which aimed to establish planned settlements in the British Empire.

Throughout its history, the surname Wakefield has been associated with various locations, occupations, and individuals, reflecting its English origins and the diverse paths of those who bore this name over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wakefield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wakefield 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. Middlesex leads with 531 Wakefields recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.02x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 531 1.02x
Lancashire 407 0.66x
Gloucestershire 406 3.96x
Yorkshire 359 0.69x
Cheshire 357 3.09x
Nottinghamshire 296 4.20x
Staffordshire 291 1.65x
Kent 259 1.45x
Warwickshire 236 1.79x
Surrey 208 0.82x
Berkshire 201 5.12x
Lincolnshire 184 2.20x
Worcestershire 152 2.23x
Durham 148 0.95x
Essex 144 1.39x
Norfolk 143 1.78x
Wiltshire 136 2.94x
Cambridgeshire 126 3.80x
Leicestershire 110 1.90x
Derbyshire 90 1.10x
Northamptonshire 60 1.22x
Buckinghamshire 59 1.87x
Oxfordshire 48 1.49x
Huntingdonshire 42 4.04x
Hampshire 39 0.36x
Glamorgan 33 0.36x
Somerset 31 0.37x
Northumberland 27 0.35x
Cornwall 26 0.44x
Shropshire 25 0.55x
Cumberland 24 0.53x
Herefordshire 17 0.79x
Rutland 17 4.43x
Hertfordshire 16 0.44x
Westmorland 15 1.30x
Bedfordshire 13 0.48x
Sussex 13 0.15x
Devon 12 0.11x
Ayrshire 10 0.26x
Lanarkshire 8 0.05x
Royal Navy 7 1.12x
Suffolk 6 0.09x
Monmouthshire 5 0.13x
Dumfriesshire 4 0.35x
Brecknockshire 3 0.29x
Isle of Man 3 0.31x
Kirkcudbrightshire 2 0.26x
Midlothian 2 0.03x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.17x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.12x
Roxburghshire 2 0.21x
Buteshire 1 0.32x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.05x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.05x
Dorset 1 0.03x
Renfrewshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 88 Wakefields recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.83x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 88 4.83x
Stoke Upon Trent 76 4.06x
St Pancras London 56 1.33x
Aston 51 1.40x
Birmingham 48 1.09x
Cheltenham 48 6.06x
Dauntsey 41 473.99x
Hackney London 40 1.36x
Camberwell 36 1.08x
Bristol St George 35 7.38x
Clerkenwell London 35 2.83x
Runcorn 35 13.15x
Swindon 35 9.75x
Dudley 34 4.09x
Islington London 34 0.67x
Cirencester 33 23.76x
Maidstone 33 6.21x
West Ham 31 1.36x
Wolstanton 31 5.78x
Sandbach 29 29.45x
Hindolveston 28 238.30x
Leckhampstead 28 502.69x
Crigglestone 27 54.09x
Kensington London 27 0.93x
Odd Rode 27 47.21x
Shoreditch London 27 1.19x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 26 2.69x
Bethnal Green London 25 1.10x
Handsworth 23 5.29x
Lambeth 23 0.50x
Leicester St Margaret 23 1.63x
Liverpool 23 0.61x
Salford 23 1.26x
Gateshead 22 1.89x
Heaton Norris 22 6.23x
Leftwich 22 42.90x
Manchester 22 0.79x
Northfleet 22 13.99x
St Marylebone London 22 0.79x
Golborne 21 25.96x
Beedon 20 346.02x
Burton Upon Trent 20 4.84x
Chelsea London 20 1.27x
Finchley 20 9.97x
Warrington 20 2.72x
Westbury On Severn East 20 8.62x
Worsley 20 5.23x
Aylesford 19 38.42x
Bedminster 19 2.40x
Hampstead London 19 2.33x
Basford 17 5.23x
Gloucester Barton St 17 28.28x
Hetton Le Hole 17 8.62x
Ashton Under Lyne 16 1.18x
Birtley 16 25.19x
East Rainton 16 53.12x
Hathern 16 68.11x
Mile End Old Town 16 1.94x
North Middle 16 322.58x
Bermondsey 15 0.96x
Clifton 15 2.89x
Deptford St Paul 15 1.09x
Derby St Werburgh 15 3.17x
Doncaster 15 3.96x
Hasbury 15 33.58x
Leeds 15 0.51x
Llandaff 15 4.95x
Sibsey 15 79.58x
St George Hanover 15 2.20x
Tretire With 15 566.04x
Whitby 15 8.59x
Wisbech St Mary 15 39.44x
Bradwall 14 117.75x
Cheadle 14 6.35x
Duxford 14 101.01x
Gorton 14 2.40x
Old Stratford 14 18.75x
Snenton 14 5.05x
Upwell 14 37.39x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 14 13.62x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 373
Elizabeth 241
Sarah 212
Ann 121
Jane 98
Alice 87
Eliza 87
Emma 87
Ellen 74
Emily 70
Hannah 70
Annie 66
Martha 59
Harriet 37
Florence 35
Louisa 34
Margaret 33
Fanny 32
Caroline 31
Ada 30
Maria 30
Charlotte 29
Lucy 27
Susan 25
Clara 23
Edith 19
Harriett 19
Agnes 17
Amelia 17
Catherine 17
Esther 17
Frances 17
Anne 15
Kate 15
Matilda 14
Rebecca 14
Jessie 13
Lydia 13
Selina 12
Amy 11
Rose 11
Eleanor 10
Elizth. 10
Phoebe 10
Sophia 10
Susannah 9
Anna 8
Betsy 8
Isabella 8
Jemima 8

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 331
John 309
Thomas 206
George 201
James 140
Henry 114
Joseph 107
Charles 101
Richard 57
Robert 55
Edward 52
Frederick 51
Arthur 50
Walter 50
Alfred 46
Albert 37
Samuel 34
Frank 27
Ernest 26
Edwin 25
Herbert 24
Wm. 22
Harry 21
David 18
Benjamin 15
Peter 14
Abraham 13
Chas. 13
Fred 13
Thos. 13
Francis 11
Daniel 10
Fredk. 8
Isaac 8
Jesse 8
Jonathan 7
Mark 7
Tom 7
Elisha 6
Fredrick 6
Josiah 6
Lewis 6
Ralph 6
Richd. 6
Stephen 6
Elijah 5
Frederic 5
Geo. 5
Jno. 5
Sydney 5

FAQ

Wakefield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wakefield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,358 people were recorded with the Wakefield surname. That placed it at #832 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wakefield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,097 in 2016. That gives Wakefield a modern rank of #815.

What does the Wakefield surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places called Wakefield, meaning "field by the wake or stream."

What does the Wakefield map show?

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