NameCensus.

UK surname

Walton

From an English place name meaning "settlement of the Britons," referring to the Celtic inhabitants of England.

In the 1881 census there were 21,088 people recorded with the Walton surname, ranking it #169 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 27,630, ranked #206, down from #169 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Halifax and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Walton is 28,886 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 31.0%.

1881 census count

21,088

Ranked #169

Modern count

27,630

2016, ranked #206

Peak year

1999

28,886 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Walton had 21,088 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #169 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 27,630 in 2016, ranked #206.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 28,108 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Walton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Walton surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Walton 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 13,365 #177
1861 historical 13,093 #188
1881 historical 21,088 #169
1891 historical 22,345 #173
1901 historical 26,035 #174
1911 historical 28,108 #139
1997 modern 27,369 #197
1998 modern 28,613 #197
1999 modern 28,886 #198
2000 modern 28,714 #198
2001 modern 28,048 #196
2002 modern 28,503 #197
2003 modern 27,798 #196
2004 modern 27,703 #197
2005 modern 27,288 #197
2006 modern 27,245 #197
2007 modern 27,385 #197
2008 modern 27,508 #197
2009 modern 28,143 #197
2010 modern 28,631 #197
2011 modern 28,225 #197
2012 modern 27,481 #199
2013 modern 27,976 #199
2014 modern 28,189 #201
2015 modern 27,870 #203
2016 modern 27,630 #206

Geography

Back to top

Where Waltons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Halifax, London parishes, Gateshead and Alston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham and Northumberland. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Alston Cumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 064 County Durham
2 County Durham 051 County Durham
3 Northumberland 019 Northumberland
4 County Durham 042 County Durham
5 County Durham 065 County Durham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Walton

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Walton

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

Walton is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Walton

The surname Walton has its origins in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "walh" and "tun," which together mean "the farm or settlement of the foreigners or strangers." This suggests that the name may have been given to people who lived in areas inhabited by immigrants or those of foreign descent.

The name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This record shows that there were people bearing the surname Walton residing in various counties, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Walton was Radulfus de Waltona, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1190. These rolls were financial records kept by the English government, indicating that Radulfus de Waltona was likely a landowner or taxpayer at the time.

The surname Walton is also associated with several place names in England, such as Walton-on-the-Hill in Surrey, Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex, and Walton-on-Thames in Surrey. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Notable individuals with the surname Walton include: 1. Izaak Walton (1593-1683), an English writer best known for his book "The Compleat Angler," a classic work on the art of fishing. 2. William Walton (1902-1983), an English composer known for works such as the First Symphony and the opera "Troilus and Cressida." 3. Sam Walton (1918-1992), the founder of Walmart, one of the largest retail chains in the world. 4. Ernest Walton (1903-1995), an Irish physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1951 for his work on the splitting of atoms. 5. William Walton (1784-1857), an English theologian and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of calculus.

Throughout its history, the surname Walton has been associated with various occupations, including farming, fishing, and more recently, business and academia. Its longevity and widespread use across England and beyond make it a fascinating example of how surnames can reflect the cultural and linguistic influences of a particular region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Walton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Walton 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. Yorkshire leads with 4,348 Waltons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.13x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 4,348 2.13x
Lancashire 3,752 1.54x
Durham 2,439 3.99x
Middlesex 1,277 0.62x
Staffordshire 1,048 1.51x
Warwickshire 1,006 1.94x
Cheshire 919 2.02x
Northumberland 864 2.82x
Derbyshire 524 1.63x
Cumberland 477 2.69x
Surrey 422 0.42x
Lincolnshire 411 1.25x
Kent 342 0.49x
Leicestershire 305 1.34x
Oxfordshire 295 2.32x
Worcestershire 265 0.99x
Nottinghamshire 222 0.80x
Hampshire 189 0.45x
Northamptonshire 185 0.96x
Shropshire 149 0.84x
Gloucestershire 146 0.36x
Bedfordshire 123 1.16x
Lanarkshire 109 0.16x
Essex 103 0.25x
Suffolk 84 0.34x
Sussex 79 0.23x
Norfolk 78 0.25x
Westmorland 74 1.64x
Buckinghamshire 67 0.54x
Berkshire 63 0.41x
Herefordshire 62 0.74x
Hertfordshire 53 0.37x
Cambridgeshire 51 0.39x
Somerset 51 0.15x
Wiltshire 49 0.27x
Huntingdonshire 43 1.05x
Devon 39 0.09x
Glamorgan 38 0.11x
Angus 34 0.18x
Isle of Man 33 0.86x
Monmouthshire 33 0.22x
Fife 26 0.21x
Midlothian 24 0.09x
Perthshire 20 0.22x
Renfrewshire 20 0.13x
Flintshire 18 0.33x
Aberdeenshire 14 0.07x
Dorset 14 0.10x
Channel Islands 12 0.20x
West Lothian 12 0.39x
Caernarfonshire 10 0.12x
Cornwall 9 0.04x
Berwickshire 7 0.28x
Kirkcudbrightshire 5 0.17x
Royal Navy 5 0.20x
East Lothian 4 0.15x
Merionethshire 3 0.08x
Peeblesshire 3 0.31x
Anglesey 2 0.05x
Ayrshire 2 0.01x
Denbighshire 2 0.03x
Dumfriesshire 2 0.04x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.04x
Stirlingshire 2 0.03x
Brecknockshire 1 0.02x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.01x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.02x
Ross-shire 1 0.02x
Roxburghshire 1 0.03x
Rutland 1 0.07x
Selkirkshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 298 Waltons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.72x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 298 1.72x
Stanhope 272 43.06x
Alston 263 80.62x
Blackburn 245 3.77x
Leeds 241 2.09x
Aston 218 1.53x
Great Little Marsden 202 18.07x
Preston 178 2.73x
St Pancras London 160 0.97x
Islington London 150 0.75x
Wolverhampton 140 2.62x
Ashton Under Lyne 134 2.51x
Stoke Upon Trent 125 1.70x
Burnley 119 5.79x
Middlesbrough 110 4.15x
Spotland 110 4.06x
Manchester 103 0.94x
Keighley 102 4.70x
Halifax 101 3.38x
Elswick 96 3.93x
Holy Trinity 96 1.96x
Sheffield 96 1.48x
Stockton On Tees 96 3.26x
Darlington 95 4.02x
Ecclesall Bierlow 95 2.29x
Gateshead 94 2.05x
Pudsey 94 8.63x
Oldham 93 1.18x
Brightside Bierlow 92 2.30x
Burslem 91 4.58x
Worsley 90 5.98x
Kensington London 89 0.78x
Bishopwearmouth 88 1.68x
Horton In Bradford 84 2.64x
Bradford 83 1.68x
Habergham Eaves 83 3.72x
Stansfield 83 11.07x
West Bromwich 83 2.09x
Hulme 81 1.59x
Todmorden Walsden 81 12.39x
Barton Upon Irwell 80 4.36x
Ecclesfield 80 5.35x
Hackney London 80 0.69x
Lambeth 79 0.44x
Heptonstall 78 27.28x
Salford 77 1.07x
Liverpool 75 0.51x
Bishop Auckland 73 8.90x
Medomsley 72 25.23x
Everton 69 0.89x
Walsall Foreign 68 1.90x
Middleton In Teesdale 66 40.88x
Saddleworth 66 4.20x
Altrincham 64 8.07x
Glossop Dale 64 4.25x
Westoe 64 1.85x
Barnsley 63 3.00x
Manningham 63 2.51x
Westgate 63 3.33x
Hunslet 62 1.95x
Newton 62 3.30x
Newton In Makerfield 62 8.30x
Byker 61 4.03x
Leicester St Margaret 61 1.10x
Toxteth Park 61 0.74x
Newcastle On Tyne St 59 3.72x
Nether Hallam 58 2.10x
Tideswell 58 41.51x
Church Gresley 57 11.13x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 57 2.15x
Hetton Le Hole 57 7.35x
Pendleton In Salford 57 1.96x
Wardleworth 57 4.09x
Benfieldside 56 13.92x
Shoreditch London 55 0.62x
Eccleshill 54 10.89x
Colne 53 7.29x
Tipton 53 2.49x
Castleton 52 2.13x
Coventry Holy Trinity 51 3.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,523
Elizabeth 898
Sarah 865
Jane 509
Ann 464
Hannah 376
Margaret 353
Annie 320
Ellen 303
Alice 281
Emma 276
Eliza 254
Martha 185
Emily 182
Harriet 126
Isabella 126
Ada 112
Clara 107
Edith 102
Fanny 101
Maria 98
Louisa 96
Florence 89
Catherine 80
Charlotte 79
Frances 75
Caroline 70
Agnes 66
Anne 64
Susan 61
Lucy 54
Kate 53
Esther 51
Grace 48
Susannah 43
Ethel 42
Ruth 42
Amy 40
Betsy 39
Harriett 38
Matilda 38
Amelia 37
Rebecca 37
Rachel 35
Rose 35
Lydia 34
Nancy 33
Eleanor 32
Elizth. 32
Sophia 31

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 1,470
William 1,330
Thomas 900
James 656
George 602
Joseph 505
Henry 380
Robert 288
Charles 249
Richard 204
Arthur 188
Samuel 183
Alfred 179
Edward 165
Frederick 143
Albert 122
Harry 119
Frank 80
Herbert 79
Walter 76
Fred 75
Ernest 69
Isaac 69
David 66
Ralph 59
Francis 53
Edwin 50
Benjamin 49
Wm. 46
Matthew 39
Thos. 39
Tom 38
Geo. 30
Jonathan 29
Peter 29
Daniel 27
Joshua 27
Michael 27
Jacob 25
Abraham 24
Stephen 21
Percy 20
Robt. 20
Anthony 19
Christopher 19
Edmund 18
Fredk. 17
Mark 16
Adam 15
Jesse 15

FAQ

Walton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Walton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 21,088 people were recorded with the Walton surname. That placed it at #169 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Walton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 27,630 in 2016. That gives Walton a modern rank of #206.

What does the Walton surname mean?

From an English place name meaning "settlement of the Britons," referring to the Celtic inhabitants of England.

What does the Walton map show?

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