NameCensus.

UK surname

Waterlow

In the 1881 census there were 105 people recorded with the Waterlow surname, ranking it #19,183 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 98, ranked #31,470, down from #19,183 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Christ Church Spitalfields, London parishes and St Leonard Shoreditch. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest Heath, Barnsley and Barking and Dagenham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Waterlow is 159 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 6.7%.

1881 census count

105

Ranked #19,183

Modern count

98

2016, ranked #31,470

Peak year

1901

159 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2006

Key insights

  • Waterlow had 105 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,183 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016, ranked #31,470.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 159 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Waterlow surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Waterlow surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Waterlow 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 58 #22,928
1861 historical 84 #23,058
1881 historical 105 #19,183
1891 historical 148 #18,506
1901 historical 159 #17,442
1911 historical 148 #18,023
1997 modern 117 #24,553
1998 modern 113 #25,731
1999 modern 112 #26,044
2000 modern 115 #25,591
2001 modern 112 #25,644
2002 modern 108 #26,698
2003 modern 107 #26,617
2004 modern 110 #26,451
2005 modern 111 #26,260
2006 modern 105 #27,479
2007 modern 106 #27,722
2008 modern 108 #27,684
2009 modern 103 #29,127
2010 modern 102 #29,930
2011 modern 102 #29,759
2012 modern 96 #30,949
2013 modern 100 #30,773
2014 modern 95 #31,792
2015 modern 96 #31,624
2016 modern 98 #31,470

Geography

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Where Waterlows are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Christ Church Spitalfields, London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch and Gainsborough, Paddocks. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest Heath, Barnsley, Barking and Dagenham, Harlow and East Hertfordshire. 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 Christ Church Spitalfields London (East Districts)
2 London parishes London 1
3 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
4 London parishes London 3
5 Gainsborough, Paddocks Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest Heath 001 Forest Heath
2 Barnsley 016 Barnsley
3 Barking and Dagenham 003 Barking and Dagenham
4 Harlow 005 Harlow
5 East Hertfordshire 016 East Hertfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Waterlow

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Waterlow

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Waterlow 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

Waterlow 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

Waterlow falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Waterlow families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Waterlow 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 53 Waterlows recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.17x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 53 5.17x
Lincolnshire 25 15.27x
Surrey 11 2.20x
Kent 7 2.00x
Norfolk 3 1.91x
Sussex 3 1.74x
Berkshire 1 1.30x
Suffolk 1 0.80x
Yorkshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Roxby Cum Risby in Lincolnshire leads with 18 Waterlows recorded in 1881 and an index of 12000.00x.

Place Total Index
Roxby Cum Risby 18 12000.00x
Hackney London 10 17.42x
Shoreditch London 7 15.77x
Islington London 6 6.04x
Mile End Old Town 6 37.11x
Folkestone 5 73.75x
Newington 5 13.21x
Spitalfields London 5 64.94x
St Marylebone London 5 9.14x
Bermondsey 4 13.12x
Paddington London 4 10.62x
Willesden 4 41.45x
Winteringham 4 1666.67x
Great Yarmouth 3 22.99x
Stansted 2 1428.57x
Winterton 2 357.14x
Ardsley 1 85.47x
Bethnal Green London 1 2.25x
Christ Church Newgate 1 208.33x
Clerkenwell London 1 4.14x
Eastbourne 1 12.58x
Finchley 1 25.45x
Frant 1 81.97x
Fulham London 1 6.73x
Gainsborough 1 25.91x
Hove 1 13.19x
Ipswich St Margaret 1 23.64x
Reading St Giles 1 13.26x
Reigate Foreign 1 18.52x
Richmond 1 14.31x
St Pancras London 1 1.21x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 6
George 5
Alfred 4
Charles 4
John 3
Richard 3
Chas. 2
Ernest 2
James 2
Thomas 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Caren 1
David 1
Edgar 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
J. 1
Ja.Thos. 1
Mark 1
Philip 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Sydney 1

FAQ

Waterlow surname: questions and answers

How common was the Waterlow surname in 1881?

In 1881, 105 people were recorded with the Waterlow surname. That placed it at #19,183 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Waterlow surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016. That gives Waterlow a modern rank of #31,470.

What does the Waterlow map show?

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