NameCensus.

UK surname

Waldram

Of Germanic origin, meaning a person from a forested valley.

In the 1881 census there were 139 people recorded with the Waldram surname, ranking it #16,228 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 318, ranked #14,159, up from #16,228 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, St Werburgh and Barrow-on-Soar (Barrow-on-Soar, Mountsorrel, Woodhouse, Woodhouse Eaves, Maplewell), Beaumanor, Roth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Nottingham, Gedling and Bolton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Waldram is 336 in 2004. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 128.8%.

1881 census count

139

Ranked #16,228

Modern count

318

2016, ranked #14,159

Peak year

2004

336 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Waldram had 139 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,228 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 318 in 2016, ranked #14,159.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 198 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Waldram surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Waldram surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Waldram 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 111 #16,006
1861 historical 146 #15,628
1881 historical 139 #16,228
1891 historical 198 #15,033
1901 historical 195 #15,380
1911 historical 192 #15,342
1997 modern 302 #13,459
1998 modern 310 #13,578
1999 modern 304 #13,843
2000 modern 325 #13,221
2001 modern 316 #13,258
2002 modern 329 #13,167
2003 modern 331 #12,944
2004 modern 336 #12,848
2005 modern 334 #12,818
2006 modern 324 #13,183
2007 modern 321 #13,403
2008 modern 317 #13,632
2009 modern 317 #13,899
2010 modern 330 #13,786
2011 modern 323 #13,868
2012 modern 326 #13,691
2013 modern 327 #13,868
2014 modern 325 #14,030
2015 modern 325 #13,927
2016 modern 318 #14,159

Geography

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Where Waldrams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, St Werburgh, Barrow-on-Soar (Barrow-on-Soar, Mountsorrel, Woodhouse, Woodhouse Eaves, Maplewell), Beaumanor, Roth, Nottingham St Mary and Tugby. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Nottingham, Gedling, Bolton, Broxtowe and Derby. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
2 St Werburgh Derbyshire
3 Barrow-on-Soar (Barrow-on-Soar, Mountsorrel, Woodhouse, Woodhouse Eaves, Maplewell), Beaumanor, Roth Leicestershire
4 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
5 Tugby Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Nottingham 037 Nottingham
2 Gedling 002 Gedling
3 Bolton 002 Bolton
4 Broxtowe 016 Broxtowe
5 Derby 014 Derby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Waldram

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Waldram

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Waldram, 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 Waldram surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Waldram household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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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, Waldram 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

Waldram 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

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

Meaning and origin of Waldram

The surname Waldram has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words 'walden' meaning 'to rule' and 'ram' meaning 'man.' Thus, the name Waldram can be interpreted as 'the ruler of men.'

This surname is found primarily in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was first recorded. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dated around 1180.

In the 13th century, a man named Waldram von Rottenburg was a notable landowner and knight in the service of the Duke of Bavaria. His descendants continued to use the surname Waldram for several generations.

The name Waldram also appears in the Domesday Book, a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that some individuals with this surname may have migrated from Germany to England during the Norman conquest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England is that of Sir John Waldram, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War under King Edward III in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Hans Waldram was a German Renaissance painter and engraver, known for his intricate woodcuts and contributions to the development of printmaking techniques.

During the 17th century, a family by the name of Waldram settled in the American colonies, with records showing a Thomas Waldram arriving in Virginia in 1635.

Another notable individual with this surname was Johann Waldram, a German philosopher and theologian who lived in the 18th century and wrote extensively on the intersection of religion and reason.

In the 19th century, a British explorer named William Waldram led several expeditions to Africa and made significant contributions to the mapping and understanding of the continent's interior regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Waldram families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Waldram 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. Leicestershire leads with 63 Waldrams recorded in 1881 and an index of 41.91x.

County Total Index
Leicestershire 63 41.91x
Nottinghamshire 30 16.42x
Derbyshire 17 8.01x
Yorkshire 8 0.60x
Middlesex 7 0.52x
Lincolnshire 6 2.77x
Lancashire 5 0.31x
Hampshire 2 0.72x
Staffordshire 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Rothley in Leicestershire leads with 13 Waldrams recorded in 1881 and an index of 2653.06x.

Place Total Index
Rothley 13 2653.06x
Normanton 11 614.53x
Leicester St Margaret 10 27.28x
Nottingham St Mary 10 21.16x
Tugby 10 6250.00x
Hackney London 7 9.21x
Belton 6 3157.89x
Breedon 6 1818.18x
Eston 6 204.78x
Ruddington 6 487.80x
Ardwick 5 34.46x
Bulwell 5 125.94x
Church Gresley 5 147.93x
Great Grimsby 5 36.34x
Humberstone 5 406.50x
Nottingham St Peter 5 245.10x
Thringstone 4 701.75x
Leicester St Leonard 3 211.27x
Alverstoke 2 19.88x
Carlton 2 95.69x
Leicester St Nicholas 2 235.29x
Ripley 2 1333.33x
Belgrave 1 29.50x
Dunstall 1 769.23x
Eastwood 1 61.35x
Kirkby Mallory Earl 1 138.89x
Leicester St Mary 1 8.23x
Littleover 1 277.78x
Loughborough 1 14.66x
Rempstone 1 666.67x
Ruckland 1 3333.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 11
John 9
George 7
Alfred 5
Joseph 5
Thomas 5
Herbert 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Benj. 1
Daniel 1
Edward 1
Elijah 1
Frederick 1
Henry 1
James 1
Jno. 1
Job 1
Joshua 1
Matthew 1
Michael 1
Philip 1
Reginald 1
T. 1
Thos. 1
Thos.C. 1

FAQ

Waldram surname: questions and answers

How common was the Waldram surname in 1881?

In 1881, 139 people were recorded with the Waldram surname. That placed it at #16,228 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Waldram surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 318 in 2016. That gives Waldram a modern rank of #14,159.

What does the Waldram surname mean?

Of Germanic origin, meaning a person from a forested valley.

What does the Waldram map show?

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