NameCensus.

UK surname

Warley

A locational surname referencing a town or village bearing that name.

In the 1881 census there were 200 people recorded with the Warley surname, ranking it #12,836 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 221, ranked #18,321, down from #12,836 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Foston-on-the-Wolds, St Pancras and Middlesborough. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire and Wealden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Warley is 469 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 10.5%.

1881 census count

200

Ranked #12,836

Modern count

221

2016, ranked #18,321

Peak year

1861

469 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Warley had 200 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,836 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 221 in 2016, ranked #18,321.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 469 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Warley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Warley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Warley 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 198 #10,483
1861 historical 469 #5,536
1881 historical 200 #12,836
1891 historical 380 #9,231
1901 historical 247 #13,238
1911 historical 244 #13,127
1997 modern 199 #17,668
1998 modern 210 #17,600
1999 modern 203 #18,081
2000 modern 197 #18,384
2001 modern 191 #18,453
2002 modern 190 #18,889
2003 modern 189 #18,738
2004 modern 196 #18,438
2005 modern 202 #18,016
2006 modern 205 #18,005
2007 modern 205 #18,194
2008 modern 211 #17,997
2009 modern 217 #18,070
2010 modern 224 #18,047
2011 modern 211 #18,630
2012 modern 208 #18,720
2013 modern 211 #18,872
2014 modern 222 #18,355
2015 modern 226 #17,995
2016 modern 221 #18,321

Geography

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Where Warleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Foston-on-the-Wolds, St Pancras, Middlesborough, St John Hackney and Acklam. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, Wealden and Plymouth. 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 Foston-on-the-Wolds Yorkshire, East Riding
2 St Pancras London (North Districts)
3 Middlesborough Durham
4 St John Hackney London (North Districts)
5 Acklam Yorkshire, North Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kingston upon Hull 031 Kingston upon Hull, City of
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 003 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 004 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 Wealden 005 Wealden
5 Plymouth 031 Plymouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Warley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Warley

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Warley is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Warley is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Warley

The surname Warley is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "woer" meaning "marsh" or "swamp" and "leah" meaning "wood" or "clearing." It is believed to have originated in the 11th century or earlier, referring to someone who lived near a marshy woodland area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Warley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and tenants in England after the Norman Conquest. The Domesday Book mentions a place called "Warleye" in Worcestershire, which likely gave rise to the surname.

In the 13th century, records show a John de Warley from Warwickshire, indicating that the surname had become established by that time. The name also appears in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which list landowners and their holdings.

The surname Warley is also associated with several place names in England, such as Warley in Somerset, Warley in Essex, and Warley in the West Midlands. These place names likely derived from the same Old English roots as the surname and may have influenced its spread and usage.

Notable individuals with the surname Warley include:

1. Robert Warley (c. 1575-1630), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Great Bedwyn in 1626. 2. William Warley (1691-1786), an English Baptist minister and author of "The Doctrine of Baptisms" published in 1768. 3. Henry Warley (1837-1901), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Warley Trust, which supported hospitals and schools in Halifax, West Yorkshire. 4. Arthur Warley (1864-1949), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. 5. John Warley (1920-2004), a British artist and sculptor known for his abstract works and public art installations.

The surname Warley, while not among the most common in Britain, has a long and rich history dating back to the medieval period, with connections to various locations and notable individuals throughout the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Warley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Warley 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 75 Warleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.00x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 75 4.00x
Middlesex 25 1.32x
Staffordshire 15 2.35x
Devon 12 3.05x
Surrey 12 1.30x
Lancashire 8 0.36x
Warwickshire 7 1.47x
Gloucestershire 6 1.62x
Norfolk 5 1.72x
Northamptonshire 5 2.81x
Worcestershire 5 2.02x
Hampshire 3 0.77x
Oxfordshire 3 2.57x
Somerset 3 0.99x
Lanarkshire 2 0.33x
Leicestershire 2 0.95x
Sussex 2 0.63x
Berkshire 1 0.70x
Durham 1 0.18x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.39x
Wiltshire 1 0.60x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leavening in Yorkshire leads with 18 Warleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 7200.00x.

Place Total Index
Leavening 18 7200.00x
Great Kelk 12 10000.00x
West Bromwich 10 27.34x
Plymouth Charles The 9 51.87x
Nafferton 8 1000.00x
Birmingham 7 4.40x
Brandesburton 6 1224.49x
Brigham 6 10000.00x
Islington London 6 3.27x
Lambeth 6 3.64x
Bridlington 5 116.55x
Daventry 5 198.41x
Middleton On Wolds 5 1219.51x
Westminster St James 5 25.71x
Camberwell 4 3.31x
Healaugh 4 2666.67x
Heaton Norris 4 31.30x
Norwich St Michael At 4 236.69x
St Marylebone London 4 3.96x
Bedminster 3 10.48x
Claines 3 44.25x
Clifton 3 15.99x
Plymstock 3 145.63x
Scarborough 3 17.61x
St Luke London 3 9.88x
Wednesbury 3 18.80x
Begbroke 2 5000.00x
Cheltenham 2 6.99x
Govan 2 1.32x
Hinckley 2 40.16x
Mile End Old Town 2 6.70x
Mitcham 2 34.31x
Selborne 2 253.16x
Bethnal Green London 1 1.22x
Beverley St Martin 1 31.95x
Bishop Burton 1 333.33x
Blackburn 1 1.67x
Bursledon 1 238.10x
Charlton 1 204.08x
Chiswick 1 9.67x
East Grinstead 1 22.12x
Gomersal 1 11.43x
Great Driffield 1 25.97x
Hammersmith London 1 2.15x
Handsworth 1 6.35x
Hartlepool 1 12.50x
Heap 1 8.40x
Howsham 1 909.09x
Kings Norton 1 4.51x
Liverpool 1 0.73x
Nottingham St Mary 1 1.52x
Old Malton 1 84.75x
Paddington London 1 1.44x
Preston 1 1.66x
Rudston 1 256.41x
Southwick 1 59.17x
St Anne Soho London 1 9.25x
Stapleton 1 14.20x
Thetford St Cuthbert 1 95.24x
Wharram Le Street 1 1111.11x
Winkfield 1 42.37x
Wolverhampton 1 2.04x
Woodstock 1 136.99x
Worcester All Sts 1 69.93x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 13
Jane 11
Sarah 11
Mary 10
Emma 5
Emily 4
Fanny 4
Alice 3
Annie 3
Margaret 3
Ellen 2
Frances 2
Louisa 2
Matilda 2
Agnes 1
Angelicane 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Auguster 1
Bessie 1
Betsy 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Dinah 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Ella 1
Ellenor 1
Floy 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Isabella 1
Jenny 1
Lilly 1
Lucy 1
Margerett 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Millah 1
Nellie 1
Rebecca 1
Rhoda 1
Ros.A. 1
Ruth 1
Sophia 1
Susana 1
Susanna 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Warley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Warley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 200 people were recorded with the Warley surname. That placed it at #12,836 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Warley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 221 in 2016. That gives Warley a modern rank of #18,321.

What does the Warley surname mean?

A locational surname referencing a town or village bearing that name.

What does the Warley map show?

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