NameCensus.

UK surname

Warner

An occupational surname referring to a guard or watchman.

In the 1881 census there were 10,908 people recorded with the Warner surname, ranking it #390 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 16,076, ranked #391, down from #390 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stratford-on-Avon, South Holland and Cotswold.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Warner is 16,676 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 47.4%.

1881 census count

10,908

Ranked #390

Modern count

16,076

2016, ranked #391

Peak year

1999

16,676 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Warner had 10,908 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #390 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 16,076 in 2016, ranked #391.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 15,222 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Warner surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Warner surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Warner 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 6,730 #414
1861 historical 6,726 #415
1881 historical 10,908 #390
1891 historical 11,857 #376
1901 historical 13,938 #375
1911 historical 15,222 #319
1997 modern 15,853 #382
1998 modern 16,570 #381
1999 modern 16,676 #380
2000 modern 16,640 #380
2001 modern 16,223 #379
2002 modern 16,518 #380
2003 modern 15,973 #383
2004 modern 16,040 #380
2005 modern 15,615 #388
2006 modern 15,553 #390
2007 modern 15,564 #391
2008 modern 15,619 #391
2009 modern 15,985 #393
2010 modern 16,285 #394
2011 modern 16,134 #393
2012 modern 15,786 #391
2013 modern 16,222 #391
2014 modern 16,306 #389
2015 modern 16,176 #390
2016 modern 16,076 #391

Geography

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Where Warners are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Lambeth and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stratford-on-Avon, South Holland, Cotswold, Merthyr Tydfil and East Northamptonshire. 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 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stratford-on-Avon 015 Stratford-on-Avon
2 South Holland 008 South Holland
3 Cotswold 011 Cotswold
4 Merthyr Tydfil 008 Merthyr Tydfil
5 East Northamptonshire 006 East Northamptonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Warner

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Warner

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

Warner 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

Warner falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Warner

The surname Warner is an occupational name that originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "warenor," which means "guard" or "keeper." This name was given to those who were responsible for guarding or overseeing something, such as a park or a manor.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to individuals with the surname Warner, indicating that the name was already well-established by the late 11th century. Some of the earliest recorded examples of the name include William le Warner, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1198, and Roger le Warner, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1281.

The surname Warner was also associated with various place names in England, such as Warner's Hill in Gloucestershire and Warner's Woodlands in Buckinghamshire. These place names may have been derived from the name of an individual who once lived or worked in those areas.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Warner was John Warner (c. 1580-1666), an English explorer and navigator who is credited with being one of the first settlers in Bermuda. Another famous Warner was Sir Thomas Warner (c. 1580-1649), an English colonist and politician who established the first English settlement on the island of St. Kitts in the West Indies.

In the United States, the surname Warner has been associated with several prominent figures throughout history. These include Seth Warner (1743-1784), an American Revolutionary War officer and one of the leaders of the Green Mountain Boys, and Charles Dudley Warner (1829-1900), an American writer and editor who co-authored the novel "The Gilded Age" with Mark Twain.

Other notable individuals with the surname Warner include William Warner (c. 1558-1609), an English poet and playwright who wrote the epic poem "Albion's England," and Susan Warner (1819-1885), an American novelist best known for her novel "The Wide, Wide World."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Warner families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Warner 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. Middlesex leads with 1,711 Warners recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.61x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,711 1.61x
Surrey 1,112 2.14x
Warwickshire 720 2.68x
Essex 619 2.94x
Leicestershire 618 5.23x
Kent 564 1.55x
Suffolk 450 3.47x
Yorkshire 394 0.37x
Staffordshire 366 1.02x
Norfolk 341 2.08x
Hampshire 334 1.53x
Lancashire 333 0.26x
Hertfordshire 316 4.30x
Gloucestershire 287 1.37x
Buckinghamshire 283 4.39x
Northamptonshire 282 2.81x
Sussex 225 1.25x
Derbyshire 205 1.23x
Nottinghamshire 178 1.24x
Worcestershire 172 1.24x
Berkshire 165 2.06x
Bedfordshire 161 2.92x
Lincolnshire 146 0.86x
Oxfordshire 138 2.10x
Somerset 111 0.65x
Devon 100 0.45x
Wiltshire 76 0.81x
Durham 61 0.19x
Glamorgan 55 0.30x
Shropshire 42 0.46x
Cambridgeshire 39 0.58x
Cheshire 33 0.14x
Dorset 33 0.47x
Northumberland 32 0.20x
Huntingdonshire 28 1.32x
Monmouthshire 20 0.26x
Stirlingshire 20 0.51x
Lanarkshire 17 0.05x
Royal Navy 17 1.34x
Herefordshire 15 0.34x
Brecknockshire 14 0.66x
Midlothian 11 0.08x
Radnorshire 10 1.16x
Ayrshire 9 0.11x
Argyllshire 8 0.27x
Angus 7 0.07x
Cumberland 7 0.08x
Perthshire 5 0.10x
Caernarfonshire 4 0.09x
Pembrokeshire 4 0.12x
Rutland 4 0.51x
Flintshire 2 0.07x
Isle of Man 2 0.10x
Morayshire 2 0.12x
Banffshire 1 0.05x
Berwickshire 1 0.08x
Channel Islands 1 0.03x
Cornwall 1 0.01x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.03x
East Lothian 1 0.07x
Fife 1 0.02x
Merionethshire 1 0.05x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.04x
Renfrewshire 1 0.01x
Westmorland 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leicester St Margaret in Leicestershire leads with 211 Warners recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.33x.

Place Total Index
Leicester St Margaret 211 7.33x
Birmingham 191 2.13x
Aston 166 2.24x
Lambeth 165 1.78x
St Pancras London 151 1.76x
Shoreditch London 130 2.82x
Islington London 122 1.18x
Camberwell 115 1.69x
Farnham 103 25.52x
Newington 95 2.41x
St Marylebone London 95 1.67x
Portsea 92 2.15x
West Ham 81 1.74x
Hackney London 77 1.29x
Bethnal Green London 71 1.53x
Coventry St Michael 67 7.76x
Kensington London 67 1.13x
Croydon 62 2.15x
Battersea 61 1.56x
Nottingham St Mary 60 1.62x
Mile End Old Town 57 3.39x
Walkern 56 181.35x
Bermondsey 53 1.67x
Foleshill 53 18.75x
Stoke Upon Trent 53 1.39x
Chelsea London 51 1.59x
Hammersmith London 51 1.94x
Long Crendon 51 118.33x
Fulham London 49 3.17x
Kingston On Thames 49 3.93x
Brighton 48 1.32x
Leicester St Mary 46 4.82x
North Petherton 45 32.54x
Stroud 43 10.58x
Lewisham 42 2.17x
Finedon 40 45.58x
Greenwich 40 2.36x
Harborne 40 3.47x
Clerkenwell London 39 1.55x
Milton In Gravesend 39 7.16x
Paddington London 39 1.00x
Poplar London 39 1.94x
Rotherhithe 39 2.96x
Downton 37 30.02x
Salford 37 1.00x
Derby St Werburgh 36 3.74x
Hinckley 36 12.85x
Alton 35 21.27x
Enfield 34 4.87x
Luton 33 3.46x
Deptford St Paul 32 1.14x
Kings Norton 31 2.49x
Mile End 31 80.67x
Stoke By Nayland 31 73.93x
Grimston 30 72.50x
Southwark St George Martyr 30 1.40x
Chelmsford 29 8.04x
Earl Soham 29 129.35x
Great Hadham 29 61.23x
Liverpool 29 0.38x
Northampton Priory St 29 4.82x
Erith 28 7.82x
Leeds 28 0.47x
Manchester 28 0.49x
Tonbridge 28 2.14x
Westminster St James 28 2.56x
Bennington 27 128.14x
Great Yarmouth 27 1.99x
Springfield 27 29.31x
Toxteth Park 27 0.63x
Whitechapel London 27 2.57x
Wimbledon 27 4.63x
Edmonton 26 3.03x
Margate St John Baptist 26 3.91x
Coventry Holy Trinity 25 3.12x
St George Hanover 25 1.80x
Biggleswade 24 13.29x
Great Missenden 24 30.25x
Heeley 24 7.48x
Tottenham 24 1.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 676
Elizabeth 403
Sarah 395
Emma 209
Ellen 200
Ann 197
Jane 191
Eliza 187
Alice 168
Annie 139
Emily 128
Hannah 99
Fanny 90
Louisa 88
Charlotte 84
Harriet 83
Martha 77
Caroline 75
Maria 75
Ada 72
Edith 62
Lucy 61
Kate 59
Florence 55
Clara 52
Catherine 43
Harriett 40
Margaret 40
Susan 40
Frances 39
Rose 37
Anne 36
Agnes 33
Amelia 30
Julia 30
Sophia 29
Minnie 27
Amy 25
Matilda 24
Susannah 23
Esther 21
Ruth 21
Grace 20
Rebecca 20
Anna 19
Lizzie 19
Jessie 18
Elizth. 16
Ethel 16
Isabella 15

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 727
John 552
George 459
Charles 305
Thomas 304
James 286
Henry 273
Alfred 167
Joseph 160
Robert 157
Edward 137
Arthur 131
Walter 110
Frederick 106
Albert 95
Samuel 91
Harry 68
Richard 65
Frank 51
Ernest 43
Herbert 43
David 42
Edwin 35
Francis 33
Benjamin 30
Fredrick 25
Isaac 25
Daniel 24
Fred 24
Wm. 18
Geo. 16
Tom 14
Stephen 13
Thos. 13
Chas. 12
Sidney 12
Edmund 10
Horace 10
Job 10
Mark 10
Percy 10
Peter 10
Earnest 9
Fredk. 9
Jesse 9
Leonard 9
Willie 9
Edgar 8
Willm. 8
Sydney 7

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Warner households.

FAQ

Warner surname: questions and answers

How common was the Warner surname in 1881?

In 1881, 10,908 people were recorded with the Warner surname. That placed it at #390 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Warner surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 16,076 in 2016. That gives Warner a modern rank of #391.

What does the Warner surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a guard or watchman.

What does the Warner map show?

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