NameCensus.

UK surname

Wearden

A surname derived from a location, possibly related to the town of Werden in Germany.

In the 1881 census there were 201 people recorded with the Wearden surname, ranking it #12,791 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 313, ranked #14,318, down from #12,791 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ribchester, Preston and Blackburn. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pendle, North Hertfordshire and South Ribble.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wearden is 326 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 55.7%.

1881 census count

201

Ranked #12,791

Modern count

313

2016, ranked #14,318

Peak year

2000

326 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wearden had 201 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,791 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 313 in 2016, ranked #14,318.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 291 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Wearden surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wearden surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wearden 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 119 #15,247
1861 historical 160 #14,468
1881 historical 201 #12,791
1891 historical 246 #12,912
1901 historical 251 #13,102
1911 historical 291 #11,696
1997 modern 312 #13,182
1998 modern 323 #13,211
1999 modern 322 #13,335
2000 modern 326 #13,188
2001 modern 310 #13,452
2002 modern 323 #13,325
2003 modern 313 #13,443
2004 modern 314 #13,473
2005 modern 318 #13,302
2006 modern 315 #13,440
2007 modern 315 #13,593
2008 modern 316 #13,661
2009 modern 317 #13,899
2010 modern 321 #14,066
2011 modern 321 #13,940
2012 modern 309 #14,236
2013 modern 315 #14,245
2014 modern 323 #14,081
2015 modern 313 #14,313
2016 modern 313 #14,318

Geography

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Where Weardens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ribchester, Preston, Blackburn, Bolton-le-Moors and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pendle, North Hertfordshire, South Ribble, Preston and Blackburn with Darwen. 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 Ribchester Lancashire
2 Preston Lancashire
3 Blackburn Lancashire
4 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pendle 010 Pendle
2 North Hertfordshire 004 North Hertfordshire
3 South Ribble 009 South Ribble
4 Preston 003 Preston
5 Blackburn with Darwen 006 Blackburn with Darwen

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wearden

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wearden

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Wearden surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Wearden household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Wearden is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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.

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Group profile

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Wearden is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Wearden

The surname Wearden is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the county of Lancashire, specifically in the area around the town of Worden, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Walredene."

This place name is derived from the Old English words "walh," meaning "foreigner" or "Briton," and "den," meaning "valley" or "woodland pasture." The name Wearden likely evolved from "Walredene" over time, as people from the area adopted the place name as their surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wearden can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332, where a Robert de Walredene is mentioned. This early spelling variation shows the transition from the place name to the surname form.

In the 16th century, the Wearden family held lands in the township of Worden, which was part of the parish of Leyland. Records from this period mention individuals such as John Wearden (born c. 1520) and his son, Richard Wearden (born c. 1550), who were prominent landowners in the area.

One notable figure bearing the surname Wearden was Sir John Wearden (c. 1650 - 1725), a Member of Parliament for Liverpool in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He played a crucial role in the expansion of Liverpool's port and was instrumental in the development of the city's maritime trade.

Another individual of note was Thomas Wearden (1785 - 1865), a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings in Lancashire, including the Blackburn Town Hall and the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Ormskirk.

In the literary world, the surname Wearden is associated with the writer and poet Emily Wearden (1828 - 1876), whose works focused on themes of nature and rural life in Lancashire. Her collection of poems, "Wildflowers from the Lancashire Hills," published in 1863, was widely acclaimed during her lifetime.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Wearden has maintained a strong presence in the county of Lancashire, with many families tracing their lineage back to the medieval period and the origins of the name in the area around Worden.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wearden families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wearden 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. Lancashire leads with 197 Weardens recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.51x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 197 8.51x
Yorkshire 3 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Blackburn in Lancashire leads with 48 Weardens recorded in 1881 and an index of 77.93x.

Place Total Index
Blackburn 48 77.93x
Preston 28 45.21x
Alston 18 1666.67x
Dilworth 15 1056.34x
Chorley 10 76.98x
Little Bolton 10 33.60x
Fishwick 8 559.44x
Farnworth 7 50.47x
Newton 7 39.24x
Pleasington 7 2258.06x
Aighton Bailey 6 535.71x
Bispham With Norbreck 6 1224.49x
Hulme 5 10.35x
Lancaster 5 36.31x
Eccleston In Prescot 4 34.42x
Clayton Le Moors 3 66.82x
Great Bolton 3 9.78x
Manningham 3 12.59x
Garstang 2 384.62x
Habergham Eaves 2 9.45x
Fulwood 1 40.00x
Halliwell 1 11.88x
Mellor 1 136.99x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 31
Alice 12
Jane 11
Elizabeth 10
Ellen 8
Margaret 7
Ann 6
Hannah 3
Sarah 3
Agnes 2
Catherine 2
Clara 2
Harriet 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Bertha 1
Dorothy 1
Eleanor 1
Emma 1
Etta 1
Frances 1
Isabella 1
Lettice 1
Luna 1
Martha 1
Rebecca 1
Theresa 1
Tresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 16
William 15
Thomas 13
James 7
Edward 5
Joseph 5
Robert 4
Richard 3
Evan 2
Frederick 2
Henry 2
Thos. 2
Augustine 1
George 1
Hy 1
Lawrence 1
Leonard 1
Peter 1
Roger 1
Stephen 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Wearden surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wearden surname in 1881?

In 1881, 201 people were recorded with the Wearden surname. That placed it at #12,791 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wearden surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 313 in 2016. That gives Wearden a modern rank of #14,318.

What does the Wearden surname mean?

A surname derived from a location, possibly related to the town of Werden in Germany.

What does the Wearden map show?

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