NameCensus.

UK surname

Weaver

An occupational surname referring to someone who weaves cloth or operates a loom.

In the 1881 census there were 7,782 people recorded with the Weaver surname, ranking it #545 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 11,028, ranked #579, down from #545 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Herefordshire, Shropshire and Blaenau Gwent.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Weaver is 11,682 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.7%.

1881 census count

7,782

Ranked #545

Modern count

11,028

2016, ranked #579

Peak year

1999

11,682 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Weaver had 7,782 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #545 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 11,028 in 2016, ranked #579.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 10,935 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Weaver surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Weaver surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Weaver 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 5,164 #534
1861 historical 5,052 #556
1881 historical 7,782 #545
1891 historical 8,526 #514
1901 historical 10,006 #521
1911 historical 10,935 #446
1997 modern 11,154 #549
1998 modern 11,629 #545
1999 modern 11,682 #548
2000 modern 11,581 #551
2001 modern 11,278 #554
2002 modern 11,547 #552
2003 modern 11,099 #560
2004 modern 11,076 #562
2005 modern 10,928 #564
2006 modern 10,817 #572
2007 modern 10,944 #571
2008 modern 11,004 #569
2009 modern 11,255 #571
2010 modern 11,424 #578
2011 modern 11,270 #579
2012 modern 11,109 #571
2013 modern 11,272 #573
2014 modern 11,334 #574
2015 modern 11,128 #579
2016 modern 11,028 #579

Geography

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Where Weavers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Herefordshire, Shropshire, Blaenau Gwent and Cheshire East. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Herefordshire 005 Herefordshire, County of
2 Shropshire 038 Shropshire
3 Blaenau Gwent 008 Blaenau Gwent
4 Cheshire East 051 Cheshire East
5 Herefordshire 018 Herefordshire, County of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Weaver

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Weaver

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

Weaver is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Weaver

The surname Weaver is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "wefan", meaning to weave or fabricate cloth. It originated in England and can be traced back to the 11th century, during the Norman Conquest.

The first recorded instance of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth across medieval England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions several individuals with the surname Weaver or variations like Wefere or Wevere, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.

In the following centuries, the name became more widespread as the textile industry grew in importance across various regions of England. Areas like Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk had a high concentration of weavers, and many adopted the Weaver surname as a reflection of their trade.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert le Wevere, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. Another notable individual was John Weaver, a renowned English playwright and author who lived from 1576 to 1623 and wrote several popular plays during the Elizabethan era.

In the 17th century, the surname gained further prominence with the birth of John Weaver (1673-1760), a renowned English dancer and choreographer who is widely regarded as the father of English pantomime. His contributions to the art of dance and choreography were groundbreaking for his time.

The 18th century saw the rise of another prominent figure with the Weaver surname, Thomas Weaver (1773-1855), an English engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of steam engines and other industrial machinery.

As the name spread across England and later to other parts of the world through migration, variations like Wever, Weever, and Wever emerged in different regions, reflecting local dialectal differences and spelling variations.

Throughout history, the Weaver surname has been associated with skilled artisans, entrepreneurs, and individuals involved in the textile industry, reflecting the occupational origins of the name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Weaver families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Weaver 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. Staffordshire leads with 998 Weavers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.89x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 998 3.89x
Worcestershire 718 7.24x
Middlesex 714 0.94x
Lancashire 592 0.66x
Gloucestershire 543 3.64x
Somerset 534 4.37x
Shropshire 375 5.71x
Herefordshire 368 11.81x
Surrey 350 0.95x
Kent 327 1.26x
Warwickshire 301 1.57x
Cheshire 297 1.77x
Yorkshire 248 0.33x
Sussex 176 1.37x
Hampshire 105 0.67x
Glamorgan 99 0.75x
Monmouthshire 93 1.69x
Essex 90 0.60x
Lincolnshire 80 0.66x
Berkshire 79 1.39x
Montgomeryshire 73 4.19x
Nottinghamshire 71 0.69x
Oxfordshire 59 1.26x
Wiltshire 59 0.88x
Derbyshire 50 0.42x
Denbighshire 48 1.67x
Dorset 33 0.66x
Leicestershire 33 0.39x
Devon 29 0.18x
Suffolk 26 0.28x
Radnorshire 23 3.75x
Cornwall 21 0.24x
Flintshire 21 1.03x
Northamptonshire 21 0.29x
Lanarkshire 15 0.06x
Durham 14 0.06x
Hertfordshire 14 0.27x
Brecknockshire 12 0.79x
Roxburghshire 12 0.87x
Buckinghamshire 9 0.20x
Cumberland 9 0.14x
Cambridgeshire 7 0.15x
Royal Navy 7 0.77x
Bedfordshire 5 0.13x
Cardiganshire 5 0.27x
Wigtownshire 5 0.50x
Renfrewshire 4 0.07x
Norfolk 3 0.03x
Northumberland 3 0.03x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.07x
Midlothian 2 0.02x
Westmorland 2 0.12x
Anglesey 1 0.07x
Ayrshire 1 0.02x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.03x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.04x
West Lothian 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wolverhampton in Staffordshire leads with 163 Weavers recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.27x.

Place Total Index
Wolverhampton 163 8.27x
Birmingham 146 2.29x
Stoke Upon Trent 105 3.86x
Aston 100 1.90x
Dudley 76 6.30x
Lambeth 76 1.15x
Bromsgrove 69 20.66x
St Pancras London 68 1.11x
Kidderminster Borough 67 11.54x
Cheltenham 65 5.65x
Liverpool 64 1.17x
Rowley Regis 61 8.53x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 60 4.28x
St Marylebone London 60 1.48x
Kingswinford 58 6.23x
Bedminster 56 4.87x
West Derby 55 2.09x
Burslem 54 7.35x
Islington London 45 0.61x
Kensington London 44 1.04x
West Bromwich 42 2.86x
Paddington London 41 1.47x
Leominster 39 30.24x
Claines 37 13.59x
Tipton 36 4.58x
Harborne 35 4.26x
Walsall Foreign 35 2.64x
Warrington 34 3.18x
Hackney London 33 0.77x
Southwark St George Martyr 33 2.16x
Sedgley 32 3.36x
Newington 31 1.10x
Bermondsey 30 1.33x
Bethnal Green London 30 0.91x
Southampton St Mary 30 3.06x
Mile End Old Town 29 2.42x
Bilston 28 5.63x
Chew Stoke 28 154.70x
Stone 28 8.54x
Ludlow St Lawrence 27 20.68x
Lydd 27 48.65x
Dundry 26 176.99x
Ross 26 20.98x
Wolstanton 26 3.34x
Chelsea London 25 1.09x
Clifton 25 3.32x
Curry Rivell 25 61.11x
Oldbury 25 5.12x
Salford 25 0.94x
Winford 25 101.50x
Camberwell 24 0.49x
Clapham 24 2.53x
Farmborough 24 109.09x
Poplar London 24 1.67x
Wem 24 24.58x
Chew Magna 23 53.66x
Hulme 23 1.22x
Battersea 22 0.79x
Chorlton On Medlock 22 1.54x
Greenwich 22 1.82x
Kings Norton 22 2.47x
Merthyr Tydfil 22 1.73x
Montgomery 22 70.85x
Westminster St James 22 2.82x
Beaminster 21 37.89x
Bedwellty 21 2.17x
Birkenhead 21 1.57x
Great Malvern 21 10.14x
Leyland 21 13.39x
Worcester St Peter 21 11.18x
Brighton 20 0.77x
Buckland Dinham 20 169.35x
Croydon 20 0.97x
Deptford St Paul 20 1.00x
Hammersmith London 20 1.07x
Little Cowarne 20 452.49x
Newcastle Under Lyme 20 4.41x
Tonbridge 20 2.14x
Westminster St 20 7.14x
Woolwich 20 2.09x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 500
Sarah 302
Elizabeth 273
Ann 152
Eliza 144
Emma 141
Jane 137
Ellen 123
Alice 116
Annie 111
Emily 96
Martha 86
Hannah 79
Harriet 67
Florence 55
Maria 55
Charlotte 53
Margaret 50
Fanny 49
Louisa 49
Caroline 45
Edith 45
Ada 41
Kate 30
Agnes 29
Amelia 29
Harriett 29
Susan 29
Anne 28
Clara 28
Catherine 27
Frances 27
Lucy 27
Amy 22
Sophia 22
Esther 19
Gertrude 19
Jessie 19
Rose 19
Lizzie 18
Ruth 18
Julia 17
Matilda 17
Susannah 17
Anna 15
Isabella 14
Rebecca 14
Elizth. 13
Henrietta 13
Maud 13

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 458
John 394
Thomas 287
George 285
James 257
Henry 193
Charles 166
Joseph 123
Edward 112
Alfred 99
Samuel 87
Richard 78
Frederick 68
Albert 62
Arthur 60
Robert 53
Harry 51
Walter 43
Francis 42
Frank 42
Benjamin 39
Ernest 32
Wm. 32
Edwin 23
David 22
Herbert 21
Thos. 20
Daniel 16
Stephen 16
Geo. 15
Abraham 12
Sidney 12
Fredk. 11
Fredrick 11
Jesse 11
Peter 11
Isaac 10
Richd. 9
Edgar 8
Mark 8
Tom 8
Eli 7
Fred 7
Leonard 7
Luke 7
Willm. 7
Chas. 6
Ralph 6
W. 6
Willie 6

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 Weaver households.

FAQ

Weaver surname: questions and answers

How common was the Weaver surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,782 people were recorded with the Weaver surname. That placed it at #545 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Weaver surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 11,028 in 2016. That gives Weaver a modern rank of #579.

What does the Weaver surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who weaves cloth or operates a loom.

What does the Weaver map show?

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