NameCensus.

UK surname

Watmough

In the 1881 census there were 730 people recorded with the Watmough surname, ranking it #5,008 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 658, ranked #8,097, down from #5,008 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Calverley, Manchester and Preston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan, Bradford and Barnsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Watmough is 938 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 9.9%.

1881 census count

730

Ranked #5,008

Modern count

658

2016, ranked #8,097

Peak year

1911

938 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Watmough had 730 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,008 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 658 in 2016, ranked #8,097.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 938 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Watmough surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Watmough surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Watmough 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 558 #4,543
1861 historical 476 #5,476
1881 historical 730 #5,008
1891 historical 766 #5,212
1901 historical 872 #5,256
1911 historical 938 #4,786
1997 modern 722 #7,068
1998 modern 711 #7,389
1999 modern 728 #7,302
2000 modern 725 #7,300
2001 modern 708 #7,308
2002 modern 728 #7,277
2003 modern 739 #7,090
2004 modern 733 #7,141
2005 modern 703 #7,324
2006 modern 689 #7,457
2007 modern 680 #7,614
2008 modern 692 #7,552
2009 modern 698 #7,654
2010 modern 699 #7,787
2011 modern 673 #7,937
2012 modern 666 #7,912
2013 modern 686 #7,869
2014 modern 670 #8,060
2015 modern 672 #7,973
2016 modern 658 #8,097

Geography

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Where Watmoughs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Calverley, Manchester, Preston, Bradford and Chorley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan, Bradford, Barnsley, Redbridge and Bolton. 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 Calverley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Preston Lancashire
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Chorley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 010 Wigan
2 Bradford 019 Bradford
3 Barnsley 012 Barnsley
4 Redbridge 019 Redbridge
5 Bolton 017 Bolton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Watmough

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Watmough

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Watmough surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Watmough household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Watmough is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Watmough is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Watmough falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Watmough is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Watmough families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Watmough 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 293 Watmoughs recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.16x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 293 4.16x
Lancashire 291 3.45x
Lincolnshire 70 6.16x
Middlesex 19 0.27x
Nottinghamshire 18 1.88x
Derbyshire 10 0.90x
Hampshire 5 0.34x
Cheshire 4 0.25x
Hertfordshire 4 0.82x
Northamptonshire 3 0.45x
Westmorland 3 1.92x
Surrey 2 0.06x
Worcestershire 2 0.22x
Devon 1 0.07x
Gloucestershire 1 0.07x
Northumberland 1 0.09x
Royal Navy 1 1.18x
Warwickshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Idle in Yorkshire leads with 73 Watmoughs recorded in 1881 and an index of 223.45x.

Place Total Index
Idle 73 223.45x
Horton In Bradford 45 40.89x
Eccleshill 41 239.07x
Chorley 32 67.58x
Great Grimsby 21 29.10x
Ardwick 19 24.96x
Preston 18 7.97x
Halliwell 17 55.36x
Blackrod 15 142.99x
Baildon 14 105.50x
Wuerdle Wardle 14 54.64x
Nottingham St Mary 13 5.24x
Sheffield 13 5.79x
Hibaldstow 12 615.38x
Kirkdale 12 8.45x
Warrington 12 12.00x
Wigan 12 10.18x
Salford 11 4.43x
Bradford 10 5.86x
Heaton 10 132.10x
Churwell 9 187.11x
Everton 9 3.35x
West Derby 9 3.65x
St Swithin Lincoln 8 44.74x
Bow London 7 7.73x
Castleton 7 8.31x
Clee With Weelsby 7 28.12x
Hindley 7 19.46x
Manchester 7 1.84x
Pemberton 7 20.80x
Brightside Bierlow 6 4.34x
Eckington 6 22.18x
Little Hulton 6 42.95x
Scawby 6 159.57x
Tong 6 44.09x
Tottenham 6 5.30x
Tyldesley Cum Shakerley 6 24.70x
Astley 5 76.80x
Bramley In Bramley 5 18.53x
Christchurch 5 15.82x
Gainsborough 5 18.65x
Harpurhey 5 42.70x
Headingley Cum Burley 5 11.02x
Holy Trinity 5 2.95x
Wardleworth 5 10.37x
Bedford 4 22.66x
Calverley Cum Farsley 4 19.99x
Clayton 4 23.19x
Golborne 4 36.36x
Goole 4 33.87x
Hawksworth 4 769.23x
Hitchin 4 18.08x
Leyburn 4 168.78x
Saxelby With Ingleby 4 137.93x
Skircoat 4 14.39x
Snenton 4 10.62x
Toxteth Park 4 1.40x
Woodthorpe 4 201.01x
Applethwaite 3 64.38x
Aspull 3 15.11x
Brotherton 3 106.38x
Haigh 3 102.04x
Hulme 3 1.70x
Little Bolton 3 2.77x
Liverpool 3 0.59x
Menston 3 186.34x
Oldham 3 1.10x
Pennington In Leigh 3 18.53x
Peterborough 3 6.19x
Rotherham 3 7.55x
Thorner 3 131.58x
Withington 3 11.04x
Cabourn 2 476.19x
Fotherby 2 338.98x
Great Harwood 2 13.11x
Holy Trinity St Mary 2 18.64x
Ormesby 2 10.56x
St Pancras London 2 0.35x
Stockport 2 2.48x
Tonge With Haulgh 2 12.17x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 50
William 35
James 25
Thomas 24
Joseph 18
George 17
Henry 13
Fred 10
Charles 9
Edward 8
Benjamin 7
Richard 7
Herbert 6
Walter 6
Abraham 5
Alfred 5
Arthur 5
Harry 5
Robert 5
Samuel 5
Edwin 4
Jonathan 4
Peter 4
Ephraim 3
Frank 3
Frederick 3
Jeremiah 3
Enoch 2
Ezra 2
Hugh 2
Joshua 2
Wm. 2
Abram 1
Amos 1
Arther 1
Christopher 1
Cornelius 1
David 1
Edw. 1
Enoc.D. 1
Ernest 1
Giles 1
Gregory 1
Harold 1
Isaac 1
Johnathan 1
Leon 1
Levi 1
Lewis 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Watmough surname: questions and answers

How common was the Watmough surname in 1881?

In 1881, 730 people were recorded with the Watmough surname. That placed it at #5,008 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Watmough surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 658 in 2016. That gives Watmough a modern rank of #8,097.

What does the Watmough map show?

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