NameCensus.

UK surname

Wenden

In the 1881 census there were 188 people recorded with the Wenden surname, ranking it #13,379 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 190, ranked #20,262, down from #13,379 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bromley, Great, London parishes and Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Norfolk, Malvern Hills and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wenden is 267 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.1%.

1881 census count

188

Ranked #13,379

Modern count

190

2016, ranked #20,262

Peak year

1911

267 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wenden had 188 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,379 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 190 in 2016, ranked #20,262.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 267 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Wenden surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wenden surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wenden 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 148 #13,028
1861 historical 153 #15,032
1881 historical 188 #13,379
1891 historical 192 #15,383
1901 historical 225 #14,047
1911 historical 267 #12,360
1997 modern 195 #17,912
1998 modern 191 #18,624
1999 modern 191 #18,744
2000 modern 191 #18,752
2001 modern 187 #18,708
2002 modern 207 #17,911
2003 modern 202 #18,032
2004 modern 208 #17,758
2005 modern 199 #18,198
2006 modern 201 #18,226
2007 modern 198 #18,600
2008 modern 193 #19,077
2009 modern 200 #19,028
2010 modern 206 #19,066
2011 modern 198 #19,410
2012 modern 186 #20,141
2013 modern 191 #20,124
2014 modern 194 #20,097
2015 modern 193 #20,056
2016 modern 190 #20,262

Geography

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Where Wendens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bromley, Great, London parishes, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a and All Saints Poplar. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Norfolk, Malvern Hills, Cornwall, Ceredigion and Tendring. 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 Bromley, Great Essex
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a Essex
5 All Saints Poplar London (East Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Norfolk 015 South Norfolk
2 Malvern Hills 003 Malvern Hills
3 Cornwall 005 Cornwall
4 Ceredigion 009 Ceredigion
5 Tendring 005 Tendring

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wenden

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wenden

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Wenden surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Wenden household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Wenden is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wenden is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Wenden families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wenden 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. Essex leads with 102 Wendens recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.18x.

County Total Index
Essex 102 28.18x
Middlesex 62 3.38x
Surrey 10 1.12x
Kent 9 1.44x
Gloucestershire 2 0.56x
Suffolk 2 0.90x
Hampshire 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Poplar London in Middlesex leads with 24 Wendens recorded in 1881 and an index of 69.34x.

Place Total Index
Poplar London 24 69.34x
Goldhanger 15 4838.71x
Great Bromley 11 2444.44x
Islington London 10 5.63x
Folkestone 9 74.14x
Lexden 9 620.69x
Wakes Colne 9 2812.50x
West Ham 8 10.01x
Writtle 8 540.54x
Little Bromley 7 2916.67x
Mile End Old Town 7 24.18x
Earls Colne 6 600.00x
Rotherhithe 6 26.48x
Springfield 6 377.36x
St Marylebone London 6 6.13x
Shoreditch London 5 6.29x
Camberwell 3 2.56x
Great Horkesley 3 600.00x
Bocking 2 91.74x
Chelmsford 2 32.21x
Colchester St Botolph 2 64.94x
Colchester St Mary At 2 156.25x
Dursley 2 135.14x
Finchingfield 2 176.99x
Hadleigh 2 92.17x
Halstead 2 47.39x
Mistley 2 206.19x
Romford 2 34.97x
Bow London 1 4.28x
Bromley London 1 2.48x
Clerkenwell London 1 2.31x
Croydon 1 2.02x
Great Bardfield 1 166.67x
Great Clacton 1 81.30x
Hammersmith London 1 2.21x
Harrow On The Hill 1 27.32x
Hornsey 1 4.31x
Mount Bures 1 588.24x
Portsea 1 1.36x
St Benet Fink London 1 1250.00x
St Martin In Fields 1 9.11x
St Pancras London 1 0.68x
Twickenham 1 12.72x
Wivenhoe 1 69.44x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Elizabeth 9
Alice 5
Emma 5
Sarah 5
Annie 4
Florence 4
Jane 4
Emily 3
Sophia 3
Ann 2
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Harriet 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Margaret 2
Susan 2
Susannah 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Anie 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Catherine 1
Elezebeth 1
Emily.M. 1
Esther 1
Ettie 1
Evelyn 1
Florry 1
Frances 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Honer 1
June 1
Lisle 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Mabel 1
Maria 1
Marianne 1
Mary.A.L. 1
Maud 1
Rebecca 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 9
Joseph 8
John 6
Charles 5
George 5
Henry 5
Walter 4
Arthur 3
Ernest 3
Fredk. 3
James 3
Frederick 2
Herbert 2
Nathaniel 2
Stephen 2
Aaron 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Backhouse 1
Christopher 1
Daniell 1
Frank 1
Harry 1
Herbert.S. 1
Hy. 1
J.G. 1
Mark 1
Maurice 1
Oliver 1
Robert 1
Samuel.H. 1
Sidney 1
Thomas 1
William.S. 1

FAQ

Wenden surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wenden surname in 1881?

In 1881, 188 people were recorded with the Wenden surname. That placed it at #13,379 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wenden surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 190 in 2016. That gives Wenden a modern rank of #20,262.

What does the Wenden map show?

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