NameCensus.

UK surname

Wakes

In the 1881 census there were 119 people recorded with the Wakes surname, ranking it #17,841 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 140, ranked #24,865, down from #17,841 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bury, Biggleswade and Dudley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Basingstoke and Deane and Bolton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wakes is 244 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.6%.

1881 census count

119

Ranked #17,841

Modern count

140

2016, ranked #24,865

Peak year

1861

244 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wakes had 119 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,841 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 140 in 2016, ranked #24,865.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 244 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Wakes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wakes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wakes 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 64 #21,914
1861 historical 244 #10,087
1881 historical 119 #17,841
1891 historical 168 #16,937
1901 historical 105 #22,179
1911 historical 111 #21,392
1997 modern 158 #20,422
1998 modern 157 #21,058
1999 modern 160 #20,943
2000 modern 153 #21,520
2001 modern 149 #21,568
2002 modern 154 #21,531
2003 modern 145 #22,172
2004 modern 146 #22,202
2005 modern 143 #22,473
2006 modern 138 #23,156
2007 modern 137 #23,590
2008 modern 138 #23,763
2009 modern 143 #23,686
2010 modern 149 #23,598
2011 modern 149 #23,408
2012 modern 153 #22,963
2013 modern 153 #23,314
2014 modern 150 #23,864
2015 modern 146 #24,148
2016 modern 140 #24,865

Geography

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Where Wakes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bury, Biggleswade, Dudley, London parishes and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Basingstoke and Deane, Bolton and Manchester. 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 Bury Lancashire
2 Biggleswade Bedfordshire
3 Dudley Staffordshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 052 County Durham
2 County Durham 064 County Durham
3 Basingstoke and Deane 005 Basingstoke and Deane
4 Bolton 023 Bolton
5 Manchester 023 Manchester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wakes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wakes

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Wakes is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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 neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wakes is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wakes 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 Wakes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Wakes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wakes 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 36 Wakes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.61x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 36 2.61x
Bedfordshire 16 26.62x
Middlesex 14 1.21x
Surrey 12 2.12x
Nottinghamshire 10 6.39x
Essex 6 2.62x
Derbyshire 3 1.65x
Hampshire 3 1.26x
Oxfordshire 3 4.19x
Warwickshire 3 1.02x
Yorkshire 3 0.26x
Hertfordshire 2 2.50x
Glamorgan 1 0.49x
Gloucestershire 1 0.44x
Kent 1 0.25x
Leicestershire 1 0.78x
Monmouthshire 1 1.19x
Northamptonshire 1 0.92x
Somerset 1 0.54x
Sussex 1 0.51x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bury in Lancashire leads with 13 Wakes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 82.64x.

Place Total Index
Bury 13 82.64x
Southwark St George Martyr 11 47.09x
Luton 10 96.15x
Manchester 9 14.53x
Rishton 8 493.83x
St George Hanover 7 46.20x
Bethnal Green London 6 11.90x
Biggleswade 6 304.57x
Grays Thurrock 6 281.69x
Thorney 6 10000.00x
Coventry Holy Trinity 3 34.32x
Havant 3 250.00x
Litchurch 3 41.04x
Oxford St Thomas 3 89.82x
Newark Upon Trent 2 35.59x
Nottingham St Mary 2 4.94x
Oldham 2 4.50x
St Albans St Peter 2 74.07x
Wuerdle Wardle 2 47.85x
Bettws 1 256.41x
Bridgewater 1 19.72x
Folkestone 1 13.02x
Higham Ferrers 1 169.49x
Huntwick Cum Nostell 1 434.78x
Limehouse London 1 7.85x
Mangotsfield 1 44.05x
Newport 1 25.00x
Quorndon 1 138.89x
Radcliffe 1 15.06x
Ravensworth 1 909.09x
Reigate Foreign 1 16.34x
Sutton 1 76.34x
Ticehurst 1 83.33x
Toxteth Park 1 2.14x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Ann 6
Elizabeth 6
Sarah 5
Alice 3
Emma 3
Eleanor 2
Eliza 2
Annie 1
Barbara 1
Betsey 1
Betsy 1
Betty 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Dinah 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Hanh. 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Kate 1
Leah 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Minnie 1
Nancy 1
Polly 1
Rachel 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 7
George 6
James 4
Thomas 4
Walter 4
Henry 3
Charles 2
Joseph 2
Amos 1
Arthur 1
Ben.Parker 1
Edward 1
Fredrick 1
Herbert 1
Hiram 1
Nathaniel 1
Robert 1
Simon 1
Thos. 1
Wallace 1
Willm. 1
Wm.Edward 1

FAQ

Wakes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wakes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 119 people were recorded with the Wakes surname. That placed it at #17,841 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wakes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 140 in 2016. That gives Wakes a modern rank of #24,865.

What does the Wakes map show?

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