NameCensus.

UK surname

Wallington

A locational surname originating from a place called Wallington.

In the 1881 census there were 936 people recorded with the Wallington surname, ranking it #4,116 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,494, ranked #4,138, down from #4,116 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Willesden and Rickmansworth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Oxfordshire, Aylesbury Vale and Chichester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wallington is 1,716 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 59.6%.

1881 census count

936

Ranked #4,116

Modern count

1,494

2016, ranked #4,138

Peak year

1999

1,716 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wallington had 936 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,116 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,494 in 2016, ranked #4,138.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,547 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wallington surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wallington surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wallington 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 594 #4,316
1861 historical 706 #3,836
1881 historical 936 #4,116
1891 historical 1,177 #3,636
1901 historical 1,317 #3,798
1911 historical 1,547 #3,133
1997 modern 1,621 #3,655
1998 modern 1,688 #3,653
1999 modern 1,716 #3,631
2000 modern 1,686 #3,668
2001 modern 1,647 #3,675
2002 modern 1,674 #3,690
2003 modern 1,607 #3,748
2004 modern 1,607 #3,769
2005 modern 1,589 #3,747
2006 modern 1,562 #3,807
2007 modern 1,532 #3,918
2008 modern 1,506 #4,018
2009 modern 1,555 #3,981
2010 modern 1,607 #3,942
2011 modern 1,574 #3,973
2012 modern 1,485 #4,126
2013 modern 1,527 #4,091
2014 modern 1,538 #4,089
2015 modern 1,510 #4,115
2016 modern 1,494 #4,138

Geography

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Where Wallingtons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Willesden, Rickmansworth and Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Oxfordshire, Aylesbury Vale, Chichester and Three Rivers. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Willesden Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
3 Rickmansworth Hertfordshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Oxfordshire 002 West Oxfordshire
2 Aylesbury Vale 010 Aylesbury Vale
3 Chichester 014 Chichester
4 Three Rivers 009 Three Rivers
5 Three Rivers 007 Three Rivers

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wallington

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wallington

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Wallington is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Wallington 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

Wallington falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Wallington

The surname Wallington originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is a locational surname derived from the place name Wallington, which comes from the Old English words "Weall" meaning "wall" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "enclosure." This suggests that the name likely referred to a settlement or farm near a wall or fortification.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Walintone" in reference to a settlement in Norfolk. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

During the Middle Ages, the Wallington surname was prominent in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Hertfordshire. Some notable individuals from this period include John de Wallington, a landowner mentioned in records from Norfolk in the late 13th century, and Robert Wallington, a merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich in the 15th century.

As the surname spread across England, it also took on various spellings, such as Walynton, Walyngton, and Wallyngton, reflecting local dialects and scribal variations.

In the 16th century, one of the most notable figures with the Wallington surname was Nehemiah Wallington, a Puritan writer and woodturner from London, born in 1598 and died in 1658. His writings provide valuable insights into the religious and social life of that era.

Another prominent individual was Sir Francis Wallington, a military officer and member of Parliament during the English Civil War, born in 1610 and died in 1672. He played a significant role in the Parliamentary forces and was known for his loyalty to the cause.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Wallington surname continued to be found across various parts of England, with families settling in places like Hertfordshire, Norfolk, and Yorkshire. One notable figure from this period was William Wallington, a successful businessman and landowner in Yorkshire, born in 1730 and died in 1805.

As the name spread and evolved over the centuries, it also became associated with various place names, such as Wallington in Hertfordshire, Wallington in Norfolk, and Wallington in Surrey, reflecting the movement and settlement patterns of families bearing this surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wallington families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wallington 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 221 Wallingtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.42x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 221 2.42x
Gloucestershire 90 5.02x
Northamptonshire 80 9.31x
Buckinghamshire 74 13.39x
Surrey 73 1.64x
Hertfordshire 60 9.52x
Warwickshire 56 2.43x
Oxfordshire 50 8.86x
Lancashire 35 0.32x
Berkshire 29 4.23x
Kent 22 0.71x
Wiltshire 18 2.23x
Cheshire 16 0.79x
Monmouthshire 13 1.97x
Yorkshire 12 0.13x
Derbyshire 11 0.77x
Somerset 9 0.61x
Essex 8 0.44x
Hampshire 8 0.43x
Bedfordshire 7 1.48x
Brecknockshire 6 3.28x
Glamorgan 6 0.38x
Sussex 5 0.32x
Devon 4 0.21x
Leicestershire 4 0.39x
Worcestershire 4 0.34x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.24x
Staffordshire 3 0.10x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.35x
Northumberland 2 0.15x
Cumberland 1 0.13x
Dorset 1 0.17x
Herefordshire 1 0.27x
Norfolk 1 0.07x
Royal Navy 1 0.92x
Shropshire 1 0.13x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire leads with 42 Wallingtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 242.07x.

Place Total Index
Rickmansworth 42 242.07x
Chesham 34 166.99x
Camberwell 29 4.97x
Warrington 27 21.00x
Islington London 23 2.60x
Warwick St Nicholas 20 118.34x
Salford 18 1525.42x
Northampton St Giles 17 51.91x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 16 48.78x
Hillingdon 16 54.91x
Chiswick 15 30.04x
Mangotsfield 15 83.94x
Rothwell 15 173.61x
Sparsholt 15 1086.96x
Hammersmith London 13 5.77x
Sarratt 12 547.95x
Chenies 11 909.09x
Finedon 11 146.08x
Newport 11 34.90x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 10 5.92x
Chatham 10 11.66x
Lambeth 10 1.25x
Oldbury On Hill 10 826.45x
St Pancras London 10 1.36x
Stoke Newington London 10 14.05x
Tottenham 9 6.18x
Willesden 9 10.45x
Amersham 8 102.17x
Aston 8 1.26x
Aston Rowant 8 396.04x
Bristol St George 8 9.65x
Ealing 8 9.79x
Hackney London 8 1.56x
Weston Favell 8 465.12x
Bedminster 7 5.06x
Childrey 7 434.78x
Clerkenwell London 7 3.24x
Keevil 7 593.22x
Latchford 7 52.24x
Richmond 7 11.22x
Southwark St George Martyr 7 3.81x
St Giles In Fields 7 22.21x
West Ham 7 1.76x
Westminster St 7 20.77x
Wycombe 7 16.99x
Battersea 6 1.78x
Brecknock St David 6 122.20x
Charlecote 6 731.71x
Cowley 6 34.05x
Coyty Lower 6 58.08x
Derby St Werburgh 6 7.26x
Desborough 6 92.88x
Duston 6 76.92x
Gloucester Barton St 6 57.09x
Shirburn 6 606.06x
St Bride London 6 112.99x
St Marylebone London 6 1.23x
Westminster St John 6 5.39x
Woburn 6 145.99x
Wotton Under Edge 6 56.76x
Bermondsey 5 1.84x
Birmingham 5 0.65x
Lewknor 5 301.20x
Liddiard Millicent 5 179.86x
Mile End Old Town 5 3.47x
Paddington London 5 1.49x
Sheffield 5 1.73x
Stapleton 5 14.70x
Sutton In Runcorn 5 423.73x
Swindon 5 7.97x
Upton Cum Chalvey 5 22.71x
Westbury On Trym 5 8.23x
Bow London 4 3.44x
Chertsey 4 13.90x
Hendon 4 12.16x
Limehouse London 4 3.99x
Rushton 4 258.06x
Shoreditch London 4 1.01x
St Clement Danes 4 27.03x
Wellingborough 4 9.25x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 59
George 43
John 35
James 30
Thomas 27
Charles 22
Henry 22
Joseph 22
Alfred 18
Albert 13
Richard 11
Jesse 10
Edward 9
Frank 9
Arthur 8
Harry 8
Benjamin 5
Frederick 5
Ernest 4
Francis 4
Percy 4
Walter 4
David 3
Ephraim 3
Fredk. 3
Fredrick 3
Herbert 3
Isaac 3
Peter 3
Robert 3
Edmund 2
Fred 2
Leonard 2
Samuel 2
Edgar 1
Edwin 1
Elisha 1
Frederic 1
Gilbert 1
Harold 1
Josh. 1
Josiah 1
L.G.M. 1
Lawrence 1
Lewis 1
Llewellyn 1
Mark 1
Matthew 1
P.E. 1
Wyndham 1

FAQ

Wallington surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wallington surname in 1881?

In 1881, 936 people were recorded with the Wallington surname. That placed it at #4,116 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wallington surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,494 in 2016. That gives Wallington a modern rank of #4,138.

What does the Wallington surname mean?

A locational surname originating from a place called Wallington.

What does the Wallington map show?

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