NameCensus.

UK surname

Walsham

In the 1881 census there were 364 people recorded with the Walsham surname, ranking it #8,525 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 396, ranked #11,967, down from #8,525 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, All Saints Poplar and Wisbech St Peter. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rotherham, Dacorum and South Holland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Walsham is 494 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 8.8%.

1881 census count

364

Ranked #8,525

Modern count

396

2016, ranked #11,967

Peak year

1911

494 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Walsham had 364 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,525 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 396 in 2016, ranked #11,967.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 494 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Walsham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Walsham surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Walsham 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 211 #9,997
1861 historical 291 #8,653
1881 historical 364 #8,525
1891 historical 430 #8,344
1901 historical 427 #9,054
1911 historical 494 #7,886
1997 modern 453 #10,015
1998 modern 467 #10,120
1999 modern 462 #10,249
2000 modern 459 #10,261
2001 modern 450 #10,226
2002 modern 461 #10,228
2003 modern 429 #10,684
2004 modern 424 #10,802
2005 modern 407 #11,041
2006 modern 392 #11,418
2007 modern 391 #11,570
2008 modern 388 #11,745
2009 modern 402 #11,682
2010 modern 410 #11,754
2011 modern 413 #11,560
2012 modern 391 #11,923
2013 modern 402 #11,871
2014 modern 398 #12,048
2015 modern 399 #11,928
2016 modern 396 #11,967

Geography

Back to top

Where Walshams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, All Saints Poplar, Wisbech St Peter, Sheffield and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rotherham, Dacorum, South Holland, Kingston upon Hull and North East Lincolnshire. 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 3
2 All Saints Poplar London (East Districts)
3 Wisbech St Peter Cambridgeshire
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rotherham 009 Rotherham
2 Dacorum 006 Dacorum
3 South Holland 002 South Holland
4 Kingston upon Hull 031 Kingston upon Hull, City of
5 North East Lincolnshire 004 North East Lincolnshire

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Walsham

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Walsham

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

Read profile summary

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Walsham 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

Walsham 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

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Walsham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Walsham 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. Lincolnshire leads with 90 Walshams recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.85x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 90 15.85x
Middlesex 88 2.48x
Yorkshire 73 2.07x
Cambridgeshire 17 7.56x
Huntingdonshire 12 17.02x
Lancashire 11 0.26x
Nottinghamshire 11 2.30x
Surrey 10 0.58x
Essex 9 1.28x
Kent 9 0.74x
Warwickshire 8 0.89x
Northamptonshire 5 1.50x
Wiltshire 5 1.59x
Gloucestershire 4 0.57x
Westmorland 4 5.13x
Dorset 3 1.29x
Durham 2 0.19x
Hampshire 1 0.14x
Hertfordshire 1 0.41x
Norfolk 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Poplar London in Middlesex leads with 16 Walshams recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.88x.

Place Total Index
Poplar London 16 23.88x
Brightside Bierlow 15 21.74x
Gedney 14 603.45x
St Ives 12 327.87x
Donington On Bain 11 1929.82x
Great Grimsby 11 30.53x
Islington London 11 3.20x
Market Rasen 10 315.46x
Nether Hallam 10 21.01x
Wisbech St Peter 10 88.65x
Holbeck 9 38.61x
Margate St John Baptist 9 40.58x
Mile End Old Town 9 16.06x
St Pancras London 9 3.15x
Horncastle 8 136.52x
Sculcoates 8 14.34x
St George In East 8 33.13x
Birmingham 7 2.35x
Bromley London 7 8.96x
Everton 7 5.21x
Ollerton 7 707.07x
Sheffield 7 6.25x
Enfield 6 25.75x
Lambeth 6 1.94x
Wildmore 6 810.81x
Colchester St Leonard 5 221.24x
Linthwaite 5 67.66x
Louth 5 38.43x
Kendal 4 28.01x
Kimberworth 4 20.48x
Scarborough 4 12.51x
Snaith Cowick 4 190.48x
Stickford 4 677.97x
West Wellow 4 571.43x
Clerkenwell London 3 3.58x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 3 30.58x
Ewerby 3 545.45x
Horfield 3 42.80x
Kensington London 3 1.52x
Limehouse London 3 7.70x
Marnham 3 1250.00x
North Ormsby 3 1363.64x
Paddington London 3 2.30x
Stamford Baron St Martin 3 167.60x
Armley 2 12.89x
Bishop Norton 2 465.12x
Bishopwearmouth 2 2.21x
Chardstock 2 124.22x
Chesterton 2 28.86x
East Ham 2 15.37x
Keighley 2 5.33x
Parson Drove 2 222.22x
Pemberton 2 11.90x
Peterborough 2 8.27x
St Marylebone London 2 1.06x
Tottenham 2 3.54x
Welton 2 240.96x
Westminster St James 2 5.48x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 1.09x
Aston 1 0.41x
Broughton In Stokesley 1 144.93x
Cheltenham 1 1.86x
Hemingby 1 204.08x
Hillingdon 1 8.83x
Horbling 1 163.93x
Kingston On Thames 1 2.41x
Little Cawthorpe 1 500.00x
Little Grimsby 1 1428.57x
Martin In Sleaford 1 101.01x
New Sleaford 1 27.47x
North Thoresby 1 109.89x
Portland 1 7.98x
Sharlston 1 43.29x
Snenton 1 5.32x
South Weald 1 16.67x
St Maurice Winchester 1 33.00x
St Sepulchre London 1 19.23x
West Ham 1 0.65x
Westleigh 1 10.45x
Worlaby 1 140.85x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 23
Sarah 20
Elizabeth 16
Jane 10
Louisa 10
Ann 8
Emily 8
Eliza 7
Martha 7
Florence 4
Rebecca 4
Ada 3
Alice 3
Caroline 3
Charlotte 3
Emma 3
Fanny 3
Amy 2
Anne 2
Annie 2
Betsy 2
Clara 2
Edith 2
Elizth. 2
Ethel 2
Harriet 2
Lydia 2
Susanna 2
Ellen 1
Emeleach 1
Flora 1
Francis 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Henertta 1
Hester 1
Hetty 1
Hilda 1
Isabella 1
J.A.D. 1
Jennie 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Lilian 1
Lissie 1
Lizzie 1
Mabel 1
Margaret 1
Marianne 1
May 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 28
John 16
Charles 14
James 11
Joseph 7
Robert 7
George 6
Alexander 5
Ernest 4
Thomas 4
Walter 4
Albert 3
Alfred 3
Frank 3
Harry 3
Hugh 3
Arthur 2
Edward 2
Francis 2
Frederick 2
Fredk. 2
Isaac 2
Chas. 1
David 1
Edgar 1
Edwin 1
Eveline 1
Fred 1
G. 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Jeremiah 1
Jesse 1
Jessie 1
Joe 1
Jonas 1
Joshua 1
Josiah 1
Leonard 1
Lucas 1
Mark 1
Percy 1
R. 1
Raymond 1
Rupert 1
Samuel 1
Septimus 1
Stephen 1
Ths. 1

FAQ

Walsham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Walsham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 364 people were recorded with the Walsham surname. That placed it at #8,525 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Walsham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 396 in 2016. That gives Walsham a modern rank of #11,967.

What does the Walsham map show?

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