NameCensus.

UK surname

Wehrle

A German occupational surname referring to someone who manufactured military equipment or worked as a guard or watchman.

In the 1881 census there were 31 people recorded with the Wehrle surname, ranking it #29,218 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 107, ranked #29,762, down from #29,218 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Swansea, Hertsmere and Kirkcaldy Dunnikier.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wehrle is 107 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 245.2%.

1881 census count

31

Ranked #29,218

Modern count

107

2016, ranked #29,762

Peak year

2016

107 bearers

Map years

1

2016 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wehrle had 31 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,218 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 107 in 2016, ranked #29,762.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 89 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wehrle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wehrle surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wehrle 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 #32,456
1861 historical 11 #32,452
1881 historical 31 #29,218
1891 historical 73 #27,677
1901 historical 72 #26,162
1911 historical 89 #23,922
1997 modern 92 #28,079
1998 modern 96 #28,188
1999 modern 93 #28,711
2000 modern 102 #27,425
2001 modern 102 #27,093
2002 modern 105 #27,123
2003 modern 96 #28,381
2004 modern 99 #28,136
2005 modern 94 #28,973
2006 modern 95 #29,113
2007 modern 90 #30,228
2008 modern 86 #31,114
2009 modern 86 #31,612
2010 modern 98 #30,540
2011 modern 100 #30,058
2012 modern 106 #29,187
2013 modern 106 #29,740
2014 modern 105 #30,204
2015 modern 104 #30,269
2016 modern 107 #29,762

Geography

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Where Wehrles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Swansea, Hertsmere, Kirkcaldy Dunnikier, West Oxfordshire and Mid Sussex. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Swansea 005 Swansea
2 Hertsmere 008 Hertsmere
3 Kirkcaldy Dunnikier Fife
4 West Oxfordshire 012 West Oxfordshire
5 Mid Sussex 016 Mid Sussex

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wehrle

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wehrle

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

Wehrle 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

Wehrle falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Wehrle is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Wehrle

The surname Wehrle originates from the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in areas of modern-day Germany and Switzerland. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.

One theory suggests that the name Wehrle derives from the Old High German word "wer," which means "man" or "warrior." It may have been used as a descriptive surname referring to a person's strength, bravery, or military background. Another possibility is that Wehrle comes from a place name or a location where the family originated.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wehrle can be found in medieval German records and documents. For example, a person named Cunrad Wehrle is mentioned in a document from the city of Constance (Konstanz) in 1349. This indicates that the name was already established in the region at that time.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Wehrle (1550-1620) was a German theologian and author who published works on religious subjects. Around the same period, Hans Wehrle (1562-1627) was a German artist and engraver known for his contributions to the Renaissance art scene.

The Wehrle name also appears in records from Switzerland, suggesting that it may have spread to different German-speaking areas over time. In the 18th century, Johann Jakob Wehrle (1719-1786) was a Swiss painter and etcher who gained recognition for his landscape and genre scenes.

Another notable individual with the Wehrle surname was August Friedrich Wehrle (1790-1835), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament during the revolutions of 1848-1849.

As families migrated and settled in different regions, variations of the name may have emerged, such as Werl, Werle, or Werlein. However, the core Wehrle form remained prevalent, particularly in southern Germany and parts of Switzerland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wehrle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wehrle 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. Fife leads with 6 Wehrles recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.52x.

County Total Index
Fife 6 33.52x
Middlesex 4 1.32x
Suffolk 4 10.86x
Yorkshire 4 1.33x
Cambridgeshire 3 15.67x
Glamorgan 3 5.70x
Surrey 3 2.04x
Cornwall 1 2.92x
Derbyshire 1 2.11x
Hampshire 1 1.61x
Monmouthshire 1 4.57x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dysart in Fife leads with 6 Wehrles recorded in 1881 and an index of 495.87x.

Place Total Index
Dysart 6 495.87x
Ipswich St Margaret 4 320.00x
Nether Hallam 4 98.77x
St Benedict Cambridge 3 2727.27x
Swansea Town 3 69.44x
Newington 2 17.91x
Whitechapel London 2 67.11x
Lambeth 1 3.79x
Liskeard 1 175.44x
Norton 1 256.41x
Portsea 1 8.23x
Shoreditch London 1 7.63x
St Andrew Holborn 1 97.09x
St Woollos 1 40.98x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3
Clara 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Louise 1
Rosina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 3
Charles 2
Philip 2
Andrew 1
August 1
Bershold 1
Edelbert 1
Gustav 1
Matthew 1
Paul 1
Sebashan 1
Sustar 1

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 Wehrle households.

FAQ

Wehrle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wehrle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 31 people were recorded with the Wehrle surname. That placed it at #29,218 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wehrle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 107 in 2016. That gives Wehrle a modern rank of #29,762.

What does the Wehrle surname mean?

A German occupational surname referring to someone who manufactured military equipment or worked as a guard or watchman.

What does the Wehrle map show?

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