NameCensus.

UK surname

Wellham

In the 1881 census there were 73 people recorded with the Wellham surname, ranking it #23,220 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 133, ranked #25,765, down from #23,220 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Hintlesham and Semer, Whatfield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Malvern Hills and Southend-on-Sea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wellham is 152 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 82.2%.

1881 census count

73

Ranked #23,220

Modern count

133

2016, ranked #25,765

Peak year

1999

152 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wellham had 73 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,220 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 133 in 2016, ranked #25,765.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 116 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Wellham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wellham surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wellham 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 77 #19,998
1861 historical 67 #25,342
1881 historical 73 #23,220
1891 historical 79 #26,897
1901 historical 102 #22,596
1911 historical 116 #20,850
1997 modern 141 #21,941
1998 modern 149 #21,755
1999 modern 152 #21,636
2000 modern 144 #22,357
2001 modern 145 #21,951
2002 modern 149 #22,001
2003 modern 139 #22,734
2004 modern 135 #23,326
2005 modern 132 #23,623
2006 modern 128 #24,267
2007 modern 122 #25,353
2008 modern 127 #25,020
2009 modern 120 #26,496
2010 modern 133 #25,379
2011 modern 134 #25,050
2012 modern 130 #25,559
2013 modern 137 #25,149
2014 modern 132 #25,971
2015 modern 132 #25,859
2016 modern 133 #25,765

Geography

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Where Wellhams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Hintlesham, Semer, Whatfield and Wakering, Little. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Malvern Hills, Southend-on-Sea, Richmond upon Thames and Bradford. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Hintlesham Suffolk
4 Semer, Whatfield Suffolk
5 Wakering, Little Essex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 041 County Durham
2 Malvern Hills 003 Malvern Hills
3 Southend-on-Sea 013 Southend-on-Sea
4 Richmond upon Thames 016 Richmond upon Thames
5 Bradford 036 Bradford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wellham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wellham

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

Challenged Communities

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

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Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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, Wellham 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

Wellham is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wellham 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 Wellham is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Wellham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wellham 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 24 Wellhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.37x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 24 3.37x
Suffolk 15 17.30x
Essex 13 9.25x
Yorkshire 8 1.13x
Cambridgeshire 4 8.87x
Hampshire 2 1.37x
Surrey 2 0.58x
Warwickshire 2 1.11x
Kent 1 0.41x
Norfolk 1 0.91x
Somerset 1 0.87x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hintlesham in Suffolk leads with 12 Wellhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 8571.43x.

Place Total Index
Hintlesham 12 8571.43x
Little Wakering 6 7500.00x
Chelsea London 5 23.31x
Islington London 5 7.25x
Poplar London 5 37.20x
Whitby 5 210.08x
Willesden 5 74.52x
Barling 4 4444.44x
Cheveley 4 2666.67x
Aston 2 4.05x
Brearton 2 5000.00x
Portsmouth 2 59.52x
Seale 2 909.09x
Shadwell London 2 100.50x
Wivenhoe 2 357.14x
Boxford 1 625.00x
Corton Denham 1 1250.00x
Falkenham 1 1428.57x
Ipswich St Mathew 1 41.15x
Lee 1 28.33x
Norwich St Clement 1 78.74x
St Marylebone London 1 2.63x
St Pancras London 1 1.74x
Wakefield 1 18.45x
West Ham 1 3.22x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Wellham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wellham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 73 people were recorded with the Wellham surname. That placed it at #23,220 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wellham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 133 in 2016. That gives Wellham a modern rank of #25,765.

What does the Wellham map show?

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