NameCensus.

UK surname

Wallis

Derived from a place name meaning "Welsh" or "foreigner," likely referring to someone from Wales or with Welsh ancestry.

In the 1881 census there were 10,105 people recorded with the Wallis surname, ranking it #424 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 12,513, ranked #516, down from #424 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and St Werburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, East Riding of Yorkshire and St Edmundsbury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wallis is 13,977 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 23.8%.

1881 census count

10,105

Ranked #424

Modern count

12,513

2016, ranked #516

Peak year

1911

13,977 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wallis had 10,105 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #424 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 12,513 in 2016, ranked #516.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 13,977 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wallis surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wallis surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wallis 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 7,519 #374
1861 historical 6,960 #404
1881 historical 10,105 #424
1891 historical 10,851 #406
1901 historical 12,699 #413
1911 historical 13,977 #351
1997 modern 13,013 #465
1998 modern 13,487 #468
1999 modern 13,411 #473
2000 modern 13,309 #473
2001 modern 13,013 #473
2002 modern 13,221 #478
2003 modern 12,855 #479
2004 modern 12,823 #479
2005 modern 12,483 #488
2006 modern 12,432 #491
2007 modern 12,456 #497
2008 modern 12,461 #501
2009 modern 12,722 #504
2010 modern 12,967 #503
2011 modern 12,743 #507
2012 modern 12,476 #508
2013 modern 12,713 #511
2014 modern 12,778 #514
2015 modern 12,605 #515
2016 modern 12,513 #516

Geography

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Where Wallis' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, St Werburgh and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, East Riding of Yorkshire and St Edmundsbury. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 070 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 065 Cornwall
3 Cornwall 069 Cornwall
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 034 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wallis

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wallis

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wallis 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

Wallis 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

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

Meaning and origin of Wallis

The surname Wallis originated in England and is derived from the Old English term "Wallisc" meaning "foreign" or "Celtic". It was initially used as a descriptive surname for people of Celtic or Welsh descent living in England.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wallensis". This Latin form was used to refer to individuals of Welsh origin residing in various parts of England. The name was particularly prevalent in areas bordering Wales, such as Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire.

In the 13th century, the name was often spelled as "Waleys" or "Waleys", reflecting the Middle English pronunciation. During this period, the name appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it was listed as "Waleys" in Oxfordshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Wallis, a prominent English mathematician and clergyman born around 1616. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and is remembered for his work on cycloids and conic sections.

Another notable individual with the surname Wallis was Samuel Wallis, an English navigator and explorer born in 1728. In 1767, he led an expedition to the Pacific Ocean, during which he discovered several islands, including Tahiti.

John Wallis, born in 1668, was an English grammarian and philologist who is best known for his work titled "Grammatica Linguae Anglicanae". His scholarly contributions to the study of the English language were highly influential in his time.

In the 18th century, the name Wallis was also associated with places, as evidenced by the town of Wallisdown in Dorset, England. This place name is believed to have derived from the surname, reflecting the presence of Wallis families in the area.

Another notable bearer of the surname was Barnes Wallis, an English scientist and engineer born in 1887. He is renowned for his work during World War II, particularly for inventing the "bouncing bomb" used in the famous Dambusters raid on German dams.

Throughout its history, the surname Wallis has been associated with individuals from diverse fields, including mathematics, exploration, linguistics, and engineering, reflecting the rich heritage and contributions of those bearing this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wallis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wallis 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 1,456 Wallis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.47x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,456 1.47x
Yorkshire 995 1.01x
Surrey 971 2.01x
Kent 739 2.19x
Essex 490 2.51x
Cornwall 413 3.69x
Derbyshire 384 2.48x
Nottinghamshire 340 2.55x
Cambridgeshire 329 5.25x
Warwickshire 323 1.29x
Hampshire 313 1.54x
Lancashire 296 0.25x
Somerset 231 1.45x
Sussex 231 1.38x
Lincolnshire 229 1.45x
Northamptonshire 223 2.40x
Dorset 214 3.30x
Devon 210 1.02x
Staffordshire 187 0.56x
Hertfordshire 175 2.57x
Berkshire 149 2.01x
Leicestershire 149 1.36x
Durham 135 0.46x
Wiltshire 127 1.45x
Gloucestershire 118 0.61x
Suffolk 112 0.93x
Buckinghamshire 86 1.44x
Norfolk 67 0.44x
Oxfordshire 60 0.98x
Worcestershire 52 0.40x
Huntingdonshire 49 2.49x
Channel Islands 37 1.26x
Cheshire 37 0.17x
Northumberland 37 0.25x
Bedfordshire 32 0.62x
Monmouthshire 23 0.32x
Glamorgan 17 0.10x
Midlothian 12 0.09x
Carmarthenshire 11 0.26x
Royal Navy 11 0.93x
Rutland 10 1.38x
Cumberland 9 0.11x
Aberdeenshire 8 0.09x
Shropshire 7 0.08x
Brecknockshire 6 0.30x
Herefordshire 6 0.15x
Denbighshire 5 0.13x
Lanarkshire 5 0.02x
Dunbartonshire 3 0.11x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 0.21x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.10x
Argyllshire 2 0.07x
Merionethshire 2 0.11x
Ayrshire 1 0.01x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.03x
Fife 1 0.02x
Perthshire 1 0.02x
Renfrewshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 185 Wallis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.14x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 185 2.14x
Hackney London 124 2.24x
Camberwell 117 1.85x
Croydon 115 4.30x
St Pancras London 114 1.43x
Birmingham 110 1.32x
Nottingham St Mary 110 3.19x
Islington London 102 1.06x
St Marylebone London 93 1.76x
Aston 92 1.34x
West Ham 86 1.99x
Derby St Werburgh 85 9.50x
Newington 84 2.30x
Madron Penzance 81 19.88x
St George Hanover 73 5.65x
Mile End Old Town 71 4.55x
Tonbridge 70 5.75x
Lewisham 67 3.72x
St Andrewthe Less 61 8.52x
Holy Trinity 60 2.54x
St Luke London 60 3.78x
Kettering 57 15.14x
Sheffield 57 1.83x
St Just In Penwith 57 26.22x
St George In East 55 8.17x
Deptford St Paul 54 2.07x
Leeds 53 0.96x
Paul 53 26.04x
Shoreditch London 52 1.21x
Clerkenwell London 51 2.18x
Bermondsey 50 1.70x
Wootton Bassett 50 65.69x
Portsea 47 1.18x
Kensington London 46 0.84x
Bethnal Green London 43 1.00x
Long Eaton 42 20.54x
Paddington London 42 1.15x
Radford 42 6.20x
Southampton St Mary 42 3.29x
Wadhurst 41 37.43x
Bedminster 40 2.67x
Chatham 40 4.31x
Ecclesall Bierlow 40 2.01x
Nether Hallam 39 2.94x
Snenton 38 7.25x
Paignton 37 23.61x
Sculcoates 37 2.38x
Brighton 36 1.07x
Chelsea London 36 1.21x
Stoke Damerel 36 2.50x
Castle Camps 35 116.24x
Clapham 35 2.83x
Battersea 33 0.91x
Portland 33 9.45x
Derby St Peter 32 6.49x
Rotherhithe 32 2.62x
Whittlesford 32 111.27x
Great Munden 31 208.47x
Plymouth St Andrew 30 1.89x
Kingston On Thames 29 2.50x
Stapleford 29 26.77x
Basingstoke 28 12.00x
Great Grimsby 28 2.79x
Basford 27 4.39x
Bromley London 27 1.24x
Hessle In Sculcoates 27 31.19x
Poplar London 27 1.45x
Dewsbury 26 2.59x
Fulham London 26 1.81x
Hammersmith London 26 1.07x
Snodland 26 27.16x
St Martin In Fields 26 4.39x
Darlington 25 2.20x
Streatham 25 3.41x
Huddersfield 24 1.68x
Madron 24 26.52x
Hunslet 23 1.50x
Leicester St Mary 23 2.59x
Milton In Gravesend 23 4.54x
Woolwich 23 1.84x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 659
Elizabeth 329
Sarah 325
Eliza 179
Ann 174
Emma 172
Jane 166
Annie 161
Ellen 151
Alice 144
Emily 144
Louisa 101
Martha 78
Hannah 77
Harriet 70
Ada 69
Fanny 69
Maria 69
Edith 67
Caroline 64
Kate 64
Charlotte 62
Florence 60
Margaret 57
Catherine 56
Susan 56
Clara 54
Lucy 44
Amelia 43
Frances 37
Harriett 37
Rebecca 36
Anne 35
Esther 32
Julia 30
Matilda 28
Sophia 28
Gertrude 27
Minnie 26
Rose 26
Amy 25
Jessie 25
Ethel 22
Agnes 21
Eleanor 21
Elizth. 21
Laura 20
Grace 19
Isabella 18
Mabel 18

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 629
John 505
George 377
James 316
Thomas 284
Charles 241
Henry 212
Joseph 148
Arthur 130
Frederick 123
Robert 111
Alfred 110
Edward 110
Walter 104
Richard 86
Albert 79
Samuel 77
Harry 73
Ernest 56
Frank 50
Francis 49
Herbert 45
Edwin 41
Benjamin 35
David 25
Fred 23
Wm. 22
Fredk. 20
Peter 19
Stephen 16
Daniel 15
Tom 15
Sidney 14
Chas. 13
Geo. 13
Percy 12
Harold 11
Horace 11
Thos. 11
Edgar 10
Abraham 9
Christopher 9
Owen 9
Alexander 8
Edmund 8
Fredrick 8
Jas. 8
Sydney 8
Willm. 8
Eli 7

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Wallis households.

FAQ

Wallis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wallis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 10,105 people were recorded with the Wallis surname. That placed it at #424 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wallis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 12,513 in 2016. That gives Wallis a modern rank of #516.

What does the Wallis surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "Welsh" or "foreigner," likely referring to someone from Wales or with Welsh ancestry.

What does the Wallis map show?

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