NameCensus.

UK surname

Webb

An occupational surname referring to a weaver.

In the 1881 census there were 40,508 people recorded with the Webb surname, ranking it #73 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 52,040, ranked #90, down from #73 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stroud, Tewkesbury and Vale of White Horse.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Webb is 56,037 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.5%.

1881 census count

40,508

Ranked #73

Modern count

52,040

2016, ranked #90

Peak year

1911

56,037 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Webb had 40,508 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #73 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 52,040 in 2016, ranked #90.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 56,037 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Webb surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Webb surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Webb 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 27,614 #72
1861 historical 28,471 #70
1881 historical 40,508 #73
1891 historical 45,001 #70
1901 historical 51,334 #72
1911 historical 56,037 #61
1997 modern 53,273 #81
1998 modern 55,601 #81
1999 modern 55,965 #81
2000 modern 55,674 #81
2001 modern 54,241 #81
2002 modern 54,980 #81
2003 modern 53,464 #82
2004 modern 53,301 #84
2005 modern 52,071 #84
2006 modern 51,767 #86
2007 modern 51,952 #88
2008 modern 51,977 #88
2009 modern 53,012 #89
2010 modern 53,870 #89
2011 modern 53,028 #89
2012 modern 51,880 #89
2013 modern 53,002 #89
2014 modern 53,160 #90
2015 modern 52,416 #90
2016 modern 52,040 #90

Geography

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Where Webbs are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Stroud, Tewkesbury, Vale of White Horse and Huntingdonshire. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stroud 006 Stroud
2 Stroud 004 Stroud
3 Tewkesbury 007 Tewkesbury
4 Vale of White Horse 008 Vale of White Horse
5 Huntingdonshire 021 Huntingdonshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Webb

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Webb

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Webb is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Webb 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

Webb falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Webb

The surname Webb originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "webbere," which means a weaver or a maker of cloth. The name was initially an occupational surname, given to those who worked as weavers or in the textile industry.

Webb is a variant spelling of the name Webber, which was more common in earlier times. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it appears as "Willelmus Webbere." This suggests that the name was already in use by the mid-12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions "William le Webbere." The "le" prefix was commonly used at the time to indicate a person's occupation or trade.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Webb. However, it does mention individuals with the occupation of "webbere" or "textor," which means weaver in Latin.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Webb was John Webb (c. 1580-1628), an English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Wilton House in Wiltshire and the Greenwich Palace for Queen Anne of Denmark.

Another notable figure was Samuel Webb (1662-1718), an English clergyman and author who served as the chaplain to the Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession.

In the 18th century, Daniel Webb (1719-1798) was an English mathematician and scientist who made significant contributions to the study of optics and the theory of halos.

The 19th century saw the rise of Alexander Stewart Webb (1835-1911), a prominent American soldier and military theorist who fought in the American Civil War and later served as the President of the College of the City of New York.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Webb was Beatrice Webb (1858-1943), an English sociologist, economist, and reformist who co-founded the London School of Economics and Political Science with her husband, Sidney Webb.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Webb families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Webb 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 6,774 Webbs recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.71x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 6,774 1.71x
Surrey 2,992 1.55x
Kent 2,507 1.86x
Gloucestershire 2,421 3.12x
Staffordshire 2,051 1.53x
Warwickshire 1,957 1.96x
Lancashire 1,731 0.37x
Essex 1,545 1.98x
Hampshire 1,366 1.68x
Worcestershire 1,172 2.27x
Wiltshire 1,156 3.30x
Suffolk 1,144 2.37x
Somerset 1,100 1.73x
Cambridgeshire 1,049 4.18x
Berkshire 922 3.10x
Oxfordshire 878 3.59x
Yorkshire 863 0.22x
Northamptonshire 842 2.26x
Cheshire 796 0.91x
Hertfordshire 664 2.43x
Buckinghamshire 594 2.48x
Norfolk 521 0.86x
Devon 497 0.60x
Sussex 476 0.71x
Cornwall 455 1.01x
Bedfordshire 414 2.02x
Glamorgan 413 0.60x
Herefordshire 391 2.41x
Monmouthshire 360 1.26x
Shropshire 323 0.94x
Derbyshire 294 0.47x
Leicestershire 254 0.58x
Durham 216 0.18x
Nottinghamshire 208 0.39x
Lincolnshire 172 0.27x
Pembrokeshire 133 1.06x
Dorset 112 0.43x
Huntingdonshire 111 1.41x
Northumberland 89 0.15x
Brecknockshire 69 0.87x
Midlothian 68 0.13x
Radnorshire 59 1.85x
Lanarkshire 57 0.04x
Channel Islands 47 0.40x
Royal Navy 47 1.00x
Carmarthenshire 34 0.20x
Cumberland 31 0.09x
Rutland 30 1.03x
Renfrewshire 26 0.08x
Westmorland 24 0.28x
Flintshire 21 0.20x
Angus 16 0.04x
Roxburghshire 13 0.18x
Montgomeryshire 11 0.12x
Ayrshire 10 0.03x
Isle of Man 10 0.14x
Perthshire 10 0.06x
Denbighshire 8 0.05x
Peeblesshire 8 0.43x
Aberdeenshire 7 0.02x
Cardiganshire 7 0.07x
Caernarfonshire 5 0.03x
Anglesey 2 0.03x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.02x
Argyllshire 1 0.01x
East Lothian 1 0.02x
Merionethshire 1 0.01x
Ross-shire 1 0.01x
Shetland 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 638 Webbs recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.66x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 638 1.66x
St Pancras London 575 1.80x
Lambeth 555 1.61x
Birmingham 544 1.63x
Aston 482 1.75x
Hackney London 439 1.98x
Camberwell 436 1.72x
Kensington London 390 1.77x
Bethnal Green London 329 1.91x
West Ham 296 1.72x
Shoreditch London 274 1.60x
Chelsea London 269 2.25x
Battersea 253 1.74x
Paddington London 250 1.72x
Portsea 249 1.57x
Mile End Old Town 227 3.63x
Kingswinford 216 4.45x
St Marylebone London 216 1.02x
Hammersmith London 211 2.16x
Bermondsey 209 1.77x
Deptford St Paul 206 1.98x
Newington 190 1.30x
Wolverhampton 179 1.74x
West Bromwich 174 2.27x
Sedgley 171 3.44x
St George Hanover 171 3.31x
Cheltenham 167 2.79x
Bromley London 164 1.88x
Croydon 156 1.46x
Greenwich 149 2.36x
Bow London 145 2.88x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 145 1.98x
Brighton 144 1.07x
Dudley 144 2.29x
Plumstead 144 3.20x
Lewisham 143 1.98x
Poplar London 136 1.82x
Clerkenwell London 125 1.34x
Fulham London 111 1.93x
St Luke London 110 1.73x
Swindon 107 3.94x
Southwark St George Martyr 106 1.33x
Haverhill 102 23.81x
Rotherhithe 102 2.08x
Kidderminster Borough 101 3.34x
Chatham 100 2.69x
Luton 100 2.82x
St George In East 99 3.68x
Liverpool 97 0.34x
Edmonton 95 2.98x
Nottingham St Mary 95 0.69x
Tottenham 93 1.47x
West Derby 93 0.68x
Hampstead London 91 1.48x
St Andrewthe Less 91 3.18x
Walsall Foreign 89 1.29x
Hornsey 87 1.74x
Trowbridge 87 5.62x
Bedminster 86 1.44x
Woolwich 86 1.72x
Bristol St George 85 2.37x
Limehouse London 85 1.96x
Manchester 84 0.40x
Melksham 84 13.81x
Reading St Giles 84 2.88x
Clapham 83 1.68x
Towcester 80 20.83x
Bristol St James St Paul 78 3.01x
Clifton 77 1.96x
Heston 77 5.86x
Westminster St John 77 1.60x
Enfield 76 2.93x
Walcot 76 2.24x
Reading St Mary 75 3.15x
Westbury 73 8.93x
Westbury On Severn East 73 4.16x
Coventry St Michael 72 2.24x
Everton 71 0.47x
Minster In Sheppey 71 3.17x
Northampton St Sepulchre 71 3.75x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2,356
Elizabeth 1,590
Sarah 1,404
Eliza 749
Ann 743
Alice 713
Emma 699
Jane 699
Emily 621
Ellen 615
Annie 571
Louisa 362
Hannah 357
Martha 327
Caroline 307
Charlotte 293
Florence 289
Harriet 284
Fanny 278
Edith 272
Maria 249
Margaret 226
Ada 223
Kate 218
Clara 195
Susan 181
Anne 163
Catherine 158
Harriett 154
Lucy 154
Rose 151
Amelia 147
Frances 139
Agnes 129
Matilda 121
Minnie 110
Sophia 108
Esther 105
Lydia 101
Rebecca 96
Julia 87
Elizth. 85
Susannah 81
Eleanor 80
Amy 79
Isabella 76
Laura 74
Jessie 71
Selina 71
Ethel 66

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 2,617
John 1,955
George 1,548
James 1,229
Thomas 1,185
Charles 1,021
Henry 974
Joseph 666
Alfred 531
Arthur 448
Edward 433
Frederick 431
Walter 420
Samuel 371
Albert 344
Robert 331
Richard 329
Harry 242
Frank 212
Ernest 177
Herbert 143
Edwin 139
David 135
Francis 117
Benjamin 113
Wm. 93
Daniel 83
Stephen 79
Isaac 78
Fred 67
Thos. 65
Fredrick 63
Geo. 59
Fredk. 56
Sidney 54
Percy 45
Chas. 44
Tom 39
Peter 38
Jesse 33
Sydney 33
Edmund 32
Earnest 31
Willm. 31
Jacob 30
Philip 30
Andrew 27
Eli 26
Leonard 26
Reuben 26

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 Webb households.

FAQ

Webb surname: questions and answers

How common was the Webb surname in 1881?

In 1881, 40,508 people were recorded with the Webb surname. That placed it at #73 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Webb surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 52,040 in 2016. That gives Webb a modern rank of #90.

What does the Webb surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a weaver.

What does the Webb map show?

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