NameCensus.

UK surname

Wardleworth

In the 1881 census there were 170 people recorded with the Wardleworth surname, ranking it #14,265 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 90, ranked #32,202, down from #14,265 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bury, Manchester and Blackburn. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ribble Valley, Oldham and Adur.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wardleworth is 188 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 47.1%.

1881 census count

170

Ranked #14,265

Modern count

90

2016, ranked #32,202

Peak year

1901

188 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 1911

Key insights

  • Wardleworth had 170 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,265 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016, ranked #32,202.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 188 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Wardleworth surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wardleworth surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wardleworth 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 105 #16,618
1861 historical 150 #15,296
1881 historical 170 #14,265
1891 historical 181 #16,065
1901 historical 188 #15,742
1911 historical 187 #15,600
1997 modern 104 #26,351
1998 modern 97 #28,054
1999 modern 92 #28,833
2000 modern 99 #27,845
2001 modern 97 #27,823
2002 modern 101 #27,766
2003 modern 99 #27,871
2004 modern 93 #29,065
2005 modern 88 #29,831
2006 modern 84 #30,665
2007 modern 84 #31,067
2008 modern 83 #31,483
2009 modern 84 #31,842
2010 modern 86 #32,081
2011 modern 82 #32,449
2012 modern 86 #32,297
2013 modern 91 #32,020
2014 modern 89 #32,409
2015 modern 87 #32,514
2016 modern 90 #32,202

Geography

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Where Wardleworths are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bury, Manchester, Blackburn, Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ribble Valley, Oldham, Adur and Kintore. 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 Bury Lancashire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Blackburn Lancashire
4 Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) Lancashire
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ribble Valley 008 Ribble Valley
2 Oldham 028 Oldham
3 Adur 001 Adur
4 Ribble Valley 003 Ribble Valley
5 Kintore Aberdeenshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wardleworth

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wardleworth

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Wardleworth, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Wardleworth surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Wardleworth 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Wardleworth is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wardleworth is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wardleworth falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Wardleworth is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Wardleworth, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Wardleworth families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wardleworth 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. Lancashire leads with 155 Wardleworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.88x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 155 7.88x
Cheshire 7 1.91x
Derbyshire 4 1.54x
Yorkshire 4 0.24x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Blackley in Lancashire leads with 25 Wardleworths recorded in 1881 and an index of 724.64x.

Place Total Index
Blackley 25 724.64x
Bury 16 71.17x
Oldham 15 23.62x
Padiham 13 273.68x
Crumpsall 12 258.62x
Walmersley Cum 12 382.17x
Tottington Higher End 9 401.79x
Cowpe Lench Newhall Hey 8 380.95x
Broughton In Salford 6 33.35x
Lower Booths 6 169.97x
Manchester 6 6.78x
Blackburn 5 9.55x
Burnley 5 30.18x
Sale 5 111.36x
Alvaston 4 540.54x
Grindleton 4 1142.86x
Prestwich 4 81.47x
Accrington 3 16.77x
Everton 3 4.78x
Moston 2 101.52x
Heap 1 9.58x
Marton In Whitegate 1 256.41x
Newchurch 1 6.21x
Newton 1 6.59x
Northwich 1 172.41x
Whalley 1 34.84x
Witton 1 40.32x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Alice 11
Elizabeth 10
Ann 5
Annie 5
Sarah 5
Emma 4
Clara 3
Jane 3
Margaret 3
Ada 2
Betsy 2
Betty 2
Ellen 2
Esther 2
Frances 2
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Blanche 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Henrietta 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Letitia 1
Lilly 1
Louisa 1
M.A. 1
Maggie 1
Martha 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 11
John 11
Richard 6
Thomas 6
William 6
Samuel 4
Joseph 3
Robert 3
Alfred 2
Charles 2
Douglas 2
Jas. 2
Jno. 2
Abraham 1
Albert 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Frank 1
Hargreaves 1
Herbert 1
Hezikiah 1
Horatio 1
Percy 1
Thos. 1
Thos.H. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Wardleworth surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wardleworth surname in 1881?

In 1881, 170 people were recorded with the Wardleworth surname. That placed it at #14,265 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wardleworth surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 90 in 2016. That gives Wardleworth a modern rank of #32,202.

What does the Wardleworth map show?

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