NameCensus.

UK surname

Wardrop

A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a guardian of a valley.

In the 1881 census there were 683 people recorded with the Wardrop surname, ranking it #5,281 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 975, ranked #5,924, down from #5,281 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Old Cumnock, Govan Combination and West Calder. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cumnock Rural, Northern and Irvine Valley Rural and West Kilbride and Seamill.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wardrop is 1,010 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.8%.

1881 census count

683

Ranked #5,281

Modern count

975

2016, ranked #5,924

Peak year

2000

1,010 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wardrop had 683 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,281 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 975 in 2016, ranked #5,924.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 894 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Wardrop surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wardrop surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Wardrop 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 432 #5,676
1861 historical 529 #4,961
1881 historical 683 #5,281
1891 historical 765 #5,218
1901 historical 894 #5,174
1911 historical 210 #14,515
1997 modern 919 #5,882
1998 modern 1,002 #5,668
1999 modern 1,005 #5,691
2000 modern 1,010 #5,641
2001 modern 990 #5,619
2002 modern 997 #5,702
2003 modern 968 #5,747
2004 modern 937 #5,904
2005 modern 938 #5,837
2006 modern 941 #5,839
2007 modern 915 #6,015
2008 modern 907 #6,099
2009 modern 957 #5,968
2010 modern 978 #5,978
2011 modern 975 #5,925
2012 modern 968 #5,882
2013 modern 973 #5,955
2014 modern 975 #5,981
2015 modern 976 #5,923
2016 modern 975 #5,924

Geography

Back to top

Where Wardrops are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Old Cumnock, Govan Combination, West Calder, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cumnock Rural, Northern and Irvine Valley Rural, West Kilbride and Seamill, Tullibody South and North Gorebridge. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Old Cumnock Ayr
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 West Calder Edinburgh
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cumnock Rural East Ayrshire
2 Northern and Irvine Valley Rural East Ayrshire
3 West Kilbride and Seamill North Ayrshire
4 Tullibody South Clackmannanshire
5 North Gorebridge Midlothian

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Wardrop

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Wardrop

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Wardrop surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Wardrop household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wardrop 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

Wardrop is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wardrop falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Wardrop

The surname Wardrop has its origins in the North of England, particularly in the counties of Northumberland and Durham. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "wær" meaning wary or cautious, and "drop" meaning a drop or a small stream, possibly referring to a location near a small stream where the original bearers of the name lived.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Wardrop dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297 as "Adam Wardrop". During the same period, the name is also found in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland, suggesting that the name was established in the region by that time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a "John Wardrop" is mentioned in 1349. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of Northern England by that point.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Wardrop was William Wardrop, who was born around 1580 in Durham, England. He was a renowned scholar and author, known for his work on the history of the region.

Another notable figure with the surname Wardrop was Sir Ralph Wardrop (1564-1632), a military commander who served in the English army during the Anglo-Spanish War. He was knighted for his bravery and service to the Crown.

In the 18th century, the name Wardrop gained prominence with the birth of James Wardrop (1742-1809), a Scottish surgeon and anatomist. He was a pioneer in the field of ophthalmology and made significant contributions to the study of eye diseases.

The 19th century saw the rise of another notable Wardrop, Sir Henry Wardrop (1811-1892), a British diplomat and explorer. He served as the British Resident in Nepal and was instrumental in establishing diplomatic relations between Britain and Nepal.

One of the most famous bearers of the name Wardrop in recent history was Sir Oliver Wardrop (1864-1948), a British naval officer and explorer. He led several expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic regions and made significant contributions to the field of polar exploration.

While the surname Wardrop has its roots in Northern England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and exploration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English words that describe a location near a small stream, reflecting the geographic connections of the name's early bearers.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Wardrop families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wardrop 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. Lanarkshire leads with 211 Wardrops recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.78x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 211 9.78x
Ayrshire 84 16.82x
Midlothian 71 7.94x
Stirlingshire 59 23.98x
Renfrewshire 51 9.86x
West Lothian 43 42.79x
Lancashire 21 0.27x
Yorkshire 21 0.32x
Middlesex 20 0.30x
Hampshire 12 0.88x
Surrey 11 0.34x
Fife 9 2.28x
Cumberland 7 1.22x
Dumfriesshire 7 4.75x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.97x
Perthshire 6 2.00x
Argyllshire 5 2.69x
Staffordshire 5 0.22x
Worcestershire 5 0.57x
Buteshire 4 9.89x
Cheshire 4 0.27x
Kent 3 0.13x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 3.11x
Royal Navy 3 3.77x
Berwickshire 2 2.48x
Cornwall 2 0.26x
Durham 2 0.10x
East Lothian 2 2.26x
Berkshire 1 0.20x
Clackmannanshire 1 1.81x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.56x
Gloucestershire 1 0.08x
Hertfordshire 1 0.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 43 Wardrops recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.06x.

Place Total Index
Govan 43 8.06x
West Calder 30 170.26x
Stewarton 23 232.79x
Lesmahagow 22 96.41x
Old Cumnock 21 188.85x
Glasgow 20 5.22x
New Monkland 20 31.36x
Linlithgow 19 147.40x
Dalserf 18 83.60x
Cathcart 17 60.76x
Barony 15 2.75x
Dalziel 13 56.01x
Falkirk 12 20.83x
St Ninians 12 49.20x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 11 3.06x
Bathgate 10 45.85x
Hamilton 10 16.62x
Larbert 10 67.98x
Slamannan 10 74.18x
Cambusnethan 9 18.78x
Great Harwood 8 55.91x
Kensington London 8 2.16x
Loudoun 8 66.61x
Paisley High Church 8 19.43x
Stair 8 375.59x
Stonehouse 8 109.29x
Thornaby 8 32.39x
Bothwell 7 11.96x
Edinburgh Tron 7 4666.67x
Fenwick 7 265.15x
Inverkeithing 7 117.65x
Kirkliston 7 119.45x
Maryhill 7 16.57x
Middlesbrough 7 8.13x
Muiravonside 7 112.00x
Uphall 7 63.35x
West Greenock 7 7.54x
Aberdeen Old Machar 6 4.65x
Avondale 6 47.54x
Bromley London 6 4.09x
Edinburgh Tron Church 6 143.20x
Glassford 6 180.18x
Lochwinnoch 6 77.82x
St Mary Extra 6 54.50x
Abbey 5 6.34x
Campbeltown 5 22.31x
Duddingston 5 27.87x
Edinburgh High Church 5 89.13x
Galston 5 36.60x
Moss Side 5 12.00x
Neilston 5 19.26x
Southampton St Mary 5 5.81x
Stoke Upon Trent 5 2.09x
Croydon 4 2.22x
Drypool 4 39.53x
Dumfries 4 27.51x
Great Malvern 4 22.00x
Liverpool 4 0.83x
Polmont 4 44.00x
Southwark Christchurch 4 12.80x
St Cuthbert W O 4 14.29x
Beith 3 20.13x
Bexley 3 14.90x
Cambuslang 3 13.79x
Kilmarnock 3 5.05x
Port Of Monteith 3 111.52x
Symington 3 187.50x
Troqueer 3 23.68x
Auckinleck 2 12.94x
Callander 2 40.49x
Cramond 2 29.54x
Dalgety 2 66.23x
Madron Penzance 2 7.28x
Monks Coppenhall 2 3.60x
Morton 2 40.90x
North Leith 2 4.84x
Parton 2 59.00x
Rothesay 2 10.21x
St Gilesin Fields 2 51.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 9
William 8
Thomas 7
James 5
Robert 5
Alexander 4
Andrew 2
Charles 2
David 2
Albert 1
Douglas 1
Ernest 1
George 1
Herbert 1
Hero 1
Jas.Hamilton 1
Jas.Wm. 1
Nimmo 1
Richard 1
T. 1
Tom 1
Vincent 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Wardrop surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wardrop surname in 1881?

In 1881, 683 people were recorded with the Wardrop surname. That placed it at #5,281 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wardrop surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 975 in 2016. That gives Wardrop a modern rank of #5,924.

What does the Wardrop surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a guardian of a valley.

What does the Wardrop map show?

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