NameCensus.

UK surname

Walley

Derived from a place name meaning "foreigner's clearing" in Old English, or from a Norman French nickname meaning "foreigner."

In the 1881 census there were 1,411 people recorded with the Walley surname, ranking it #2,942 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,645, ranked #3,785, down from #2,942 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Biddulph, Wolstanton and Burslem. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Staffordshire Moorlands and Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Walley is 1,885 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 16.6%.

1881 census count

1,411

Ranked #2,942

Modern count

1,645

2016, ranked #3,785

Peak year

1911

1,885 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Walley had 1,411 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,942 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,645 in 2016, ranked #3,785.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,885 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Walley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Walley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Walley 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 1,154 #2,447
1861 historical 1,241 #2,301
1881 historical 1,411 #2,942
1891 historical 1,634 #2,741
1901 historical 1,636 #3,154
1911 historical 1,885 #2,623
1997 modern 1,382 #4,184
1998 modern 1,792 #3,457
1999 modern 1,807 #3,462
2000 modern 1,776 #3,498
2001 modern 1,721 #3,534
2002 modern 1,734 #3,594
2003 modern 1,700 #3,581
2004 modern 1,696 #3,588
2005 modern 1,655 #3,626
2006 modern 1,634 #3,678
2007 modern 1,649 #3,672
2008 modern 1,665 #3,664
2009 modern 1,674 #3,732
2010 modern 1,684 #3,792
2011 modern 1,672 #3,770
2012 modern 1,651 #3,737
2013 modern 1,688 #3,729
2014 modern 1,708 #3,702
2015 modern 1,672 #3,740
2016 modern 1,645 #3,785

Geography

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Where Walleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Biddulph, Wolstanton, Burslem, Manchester and Coppenhall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Staffordshire Moorlands, Cheshire West and Chester and Stoke-on-Trent. 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 Biddulph Cheshire
2 Wolstanton Staffordshire
3 Burslem Staffordshire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Coppenhall Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 051 Cheshire East
2 Staffordshire Moorlands 004 Staffordshire Moorlands
3 Cheshire West and Chester 039 Cheshire West and Chester
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 003 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 Stoke-on-Trent 013 Stoke-on-Trent

Forenames

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First names often paired with Walley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Walley

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Walley is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Walley is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Walley falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Walley

The surname Walley is of English origin, deriving from the Old English 'walh', meaning a stranger or foreigner, specifically used to refer to Britons and Celts who lived among the Anglo-Saxons. It was later adopted as a personal name during the Middle Ages.

The name Walley is believed to have originated in Staffordshire, England, in the 12th century. It was often used as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived in or near the town of Walley, which is now known as Wolley or Woolley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Walley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1190, which mentions a William de Walley. Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 include references to people with the surname Walley in various counties, including Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire.

In the 14th century, the name Walley appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire, where several individuals with this surname were recorded as landowners or taxpayers. One notable entry is that of John Walley, who was listed as a resident of Wolley in 1327.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Walley. However, it does mention several place names that may have contributed to the formation of this surname, such as Walhalehyrd in Berkshire and Wallingas in Norfolk.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Walley. One of the earliest was Sir John Walley (c. 1335-1408), a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire and a prominent landowner in the region. Another was Thomas Walley (c. 1470-1542), an English priest and theologian who served as the Warden of All Souls College, Oxford.

Other notable bearers of this surname include Sir William Walley (1584-1668), an English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I; John Walley (1618-1674), an English puritan minister and author; and Thomas Walley (1759-1804), an English engraver and painter.

The surname Walley has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Walley in Cheshire, Walley Bridge in Staffordshire, and Walley Grange in Shropshire. These locations may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in different parts of the country.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Walley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Walley 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. Staffordshire leads with 454 Walleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.78x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 454 9.78x
Cheshire 342 11.26x
Lancashire 263 1.61x
Middlesex 76 0.55x
Shropshire 69 5.81x
Yorkshire 45 0.33x
Derbyshire 31 1.44x
Kent 23 0.49x
Flintshire 22 5.95x
Leicestershire 18 1.18x
Nottinghamshire 11 0.59x
Midlothian 8 0.43x
Berkshire 6 0.58x
Devon 5 0.17x
Essex 5 0.18x
Durham 4 0.10x
Surrey 4 0.06x
Warwickshire 4 0.12x
Cumberland 2 0.17x
Lincolnshire 2 0.09x
Merionethshire 2 0.79x
Royal Navy 2 1.22x
Somerset 2 0.09x
Worcestershire 2 0.11x
Anglesey 1 0.41x
Dorset 1 0.11x
Glamorgan 1 0.04x
Gloucestershire 1 0.04x
Hampshire 1 0.04x
Monmouthshire 1 0.10x
Northamptonshire 1 0.08x
Suffolk 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stoke Upon Trent in Staffordshire leads with 143 Walleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.05x.

Place Total Index
Stoke Upon Trent 143 29.05x
Biddulph 94 358.78x
Burslem 69 51.88x
Wolstanton Chesterton 38 160.13x
Nantwich 28 79.37x
Drayton In Hales 27 110.20x
Audlem 24 335.20x
Monks Coppenhall 24 20.95x
Sandbach 22 84.94x
Wolstanton 20 14.18x
Leeds 19 2.47x
Broughton In Salford 15 10.05x
St Pancras London 15 1.35x
Bradford 14 18.32x
Loughborough 14 20.23x
Salford 14 2.92x
West Derby 14 2.93x
Bilston 13 14.45x
Hawarden 13 44.77x
Hulme 13 3.82x
Livesey 12 41.90x
Newcastle Under Lyme 12 14.61x
St Marylebone London 12 1.63x
Checkley Cum Wrinehill 11 1375.00x
Egerton 11 1833.33x
Stretford 11 12.25x
Chester St John Baptist 10 18.33x
Cheswardine 10 197.24x
Openshaw 10 13.08x
Rusholme 10 22.97x
Tonbridge 10 5.91x
Warrington 10 5.17x
Derby St Alkmund 9 13.94x
Failsworth 9 24.10x
Islington London 9 0.68x
Lancaster 9 9.27x
Manchester 9 1.23x
Tilston 9 523.26x
Tilstone Fearnall 9 1285.71x
Bromley London 8 2.64x
Burland 8 258.90x
Chorlton On Medlock 8 3.09x
Holywell 8 17.23x
Marburywith Quoisley 8 251.57x
Nottingham St Mary 8 1.67x
Rainford 8 45.33x
Shrewsbury St Mary 8 17.06x
Utkinton 8 326.53x
Adderley 7 343.14x
Betley 7 180.88x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 7 0.94x
Huntington 7 1250.00x
Liverpool 7 0.71x
Peckforton 7 714.29x
Walsall Foreign 7 2.92x
West Bromwich 7 2.63x
Wettenhall 7 686.27x
Willaston In Nantwich 7 74.71x
Wolstanton Chatterly 7 146.75x
Worth 7 330.19x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 6 12.12x
Audley 6 13.06x
Barton Upon Irwell 6 4.88x
Chester St Olave 6 219.78x
Crowton 6 275.23x
Hartshorn 6 73.71x
Haughton 6 967.74x
St Giles In Fields 6 12.65x
Stoke In Nantwich 6 645.16x
Trentham 6 15.19x
York St Mary 6 10.63x
Ashton Under Lyne 5 1.40x
Bethnal Green London 5 0.84x
Cheetham 5 4.11x
Cotton Abbotts 5 8333.33x
Great Bolton 5 2.31x
Hornsey 5 2.87x
Preston 5 1.15x
Runcorn 5 7.14x
Wolstanton Oldcott 5 29.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 93
William 87
George 60
Thomas 60
James 40
Henry 27
Joseph 26
Samuel 25
Arthur 24
Charles 21
Alfred 12
Richard 12
Robert 11
Edward 9
Frank 9
Frederick 8
Ralph 8
Albert 6
Edwin 6
Wm. 6
Daniel 5
Thos. 5
Walter 5
Benjamin 4
Herbert 4
Christopher 3
Ernest 3
Harry 3
Joshua 3
Philip 3
Abraham 2
Edgar 2
Enoch 2
Francis 2
Fredrick 2
Hugh 2
Leonard 2
Levi 2
Louiss 2
Mathew 2
Paul 2
Peter 2
Saml. 2
Sampson 2
Samson 2
Stephen 2
Sydney 2
Tom 2
Ezra 1
Wm.Rt. 1

FAQ

Walley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Walley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,411 people were recorded with the Walley surname. That placed it at #2,942 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Walley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,645 in 2016. That gives Walley a modern rank of #3,785.

What does the Walley surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "foreigner's clearing" in Old English, or from a Norman French nickname meaning "foreigner."

What does the Walley map show?

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