NameCensus.

UK surname

Westhead

A locational surname of English origin referring to someone from a western headland.

In the 1881 census there were 695 people recorded with the Westhead surname, ranking it #5,215 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,294, ranked #4,627, up from #5,215 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Poulton, Wigan and Lytham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St. Helens, Liverpool and Blackpool.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Westhead is 1,386 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 86.2%.

1881 census count

695

Ranked #5,215

Modern count

1,294

2016, ranked #4,627

Peak year

1999

1,386 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Westhead had 695 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,215 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,294 in 2016, ranked #4,627.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,082 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Westhead surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Westhead surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Westhead 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 419 #5,808
1861 historical 456 #5,692
1881 historical 695 #5,215
1891 historical 811 #4,976
1901 historical 945 #4,951
1911 historical 1,082 #4,289
1997 modern 1,351 #4,259
1998 modern 1,363 #4,370
1999 modern 1,386 #4,343
2000 modern 1,385 #4,327
2001 modern 1,368 #4,287
2002 modern 1,369 #4,371
2003 modern 1,338 #4,379
2004 modern 1,313 #4,450
2005 modern 1,297 #4,435
2006 modern 1,282 #4,497
2007 modern 1,294 #4,502
2008 modern 1,300 #4,510
2009 modern 1,329 #4,522
2010 modern 1,364 #4,504
2011 modern 1,343 #4,512
2012 modern 1,300 #4,577
2013 modern 1,300 #4,653
2014 modern 1,306 #4,658
2015 modern 1,291 #4,662
2016 modern 1,294 #4,627

Geography

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Where Westheads are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Poulton, Wigan, Lytham, Liverpool and Preston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St. Helens, Liverpool and Blackpool. 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 Poulton Lancashire
2 Wigan Lancashire
3 Lytham Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Preston Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St. Helens 016 St. Helens
2 Liverpool 022 Liverpool
3 St. Helens 007 St. Helens
4 Liverpool 029 Liverpool
5 Blackpool 012 Blackpool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Westhead

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Westhead

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Westhead surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Westhead household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Westhead 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

Westhead is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Westhead falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Westhead is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Westhead

The surname Westhead is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name Westhead, which itself is composed of the Old English words "west" and "heafod," meaning "western headland."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Westhead surname can be found in the Lancashire Inquests of 1310, where it appears as "de Westhed." This suggests that the name was likely associated with a specific location or landholding in the region.

The Westhead surname is believed to have originated in the county of Lancashire, specifically in the village of Westhead near Ormskirk. The village's name is mentioned in historical records dating back to the 13th century, further reinforcing the connection between the place name and the surname.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are references to several places with similar names, such as "Westcheued" and "Westcheuit," which could be early variants of the Westhead name.

One notable individual bearing the Westhead surname was Robert Westhead (c. 1570-1644), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Bristol from 1642 until his death. He played a significant role during the English Civil War, supporting the Royalist cause.

Another historical figure was Thomas Westhead (1799-1871), a British engineer and inventor who was influential in the development of early railway locomotives. He is credited with designing and building the "Novelty" locomotive, which competed in the Rainhill Trials of 1829.

In the realm of literature, Edward Westhead (1835-1899) was a notable English poet and writer known for his works on Lancashire dialect and culture. His collection of poems, "Bide a Wee, and Other Poems in the Lancashire Dialect," published in 1888, celebrated the language and traditions of his native region.

The Westhead surname has also been associated with the arts, as exemplified by John Westhead (1878-1949), a British painter and illustrator renowned for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Lancashire.

Lastly, in the field of sports, Paul Westhead (born 1939) is a former American basketball coach who achieved success as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, leading them to an NBA championship in 1980.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Westhead families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Westhead 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. Lancashire leads with 610 Westheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.57x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 610 7.57x
Cheshire 37 2.47x
Staffordshire 13 0.57x
Yorkshire 9 0.13x
Aberdeenshire 8 1.27x
Surrey 5 0.15x
Warwickshire 3 0.18x
Derbyshire 2 0.19x
Devon 2 0.14x
Dorset 2 0.45x
Anglesey 1 0.83x
Flintshire 1 0.55x
Northumberland 1 0.10x
Oxfordshire 1 0.24x
Worcestershire 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Marton in Lancashire leads with 35 Westheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 652.99x.

Place Total Index
Marton 35 652.99x
Everton 32 12.46x
Preston 30 13.92x
Hindley 29 84.43x
Ince In Makerfield 29 77.35x
Layton With Warbreck 27 91.34x
Lytham 24 195.12x
Windle 23 50.74x
Ormskirk 22 142.67x
Liverpool 21 4.29x
Skelmersdale 20 148.92x
Ashton In Makerfield 19 82.82x
West Derby 17 7.21x
Abram 15 242.72x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 15 87.01x
Atherton 14 47.75x
Eccleston In Prescot 14 34.62x
Great Bolton 14 13.12x
Kirkdale 13 9.59x
Wigan 13 11.55x
Little Bolton 12 11.59x
Adlington 11 145.89x
Widnes 11 18.93x
Chorley 10 22.12x
Leyland 10 71.33x
Barrow In Furness 9 8.21x
Carleton 9 1022.73x
Rawmarsh 9 37.86x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 8 6.80x
Brinnington 8 57.14x
Halliwell 8 27.29x
Newton With Scales 8 1290.32x
Blackburn 7 3.27x
Bootle Cum Linacre 7 10.94x
Castle Church 7 50.84x
Wheelton 7 194.44x
Aspull 6 31.66x
Bispham 6 923.08x
Oldham 6 2.31x
Rainford 6 68.89x
Stoke Upon Trent 6 2.47x
Sutton 6 22.21x
Thornton In Fylde 6 34.03x
Westhoughton 6 27.91x
Bispham With Norbreck 5 295.86x
Little Neston 5 208.33x
Salford 5 2.11x
Whittle Le Woods 5 187.27x
Baguley 4 233.92x
Moss Side 4 9.44x
Coppull 3 69.93x
Coventry Holy Trinity 3 5.87x
Kingston On Thames 3 3.78x
Little Hulton 3 22.49x
Standish With Langtree 3 30.24x
Toxteth Park 3 1.10x
Tranmere 3 5.45x
Aughton 2 25.06x
Croydon 2 1.09x
Glossop Dale 2 4.02x
Lathom 2 20.56x
Walton On Hill 2 4.58x
Warrington 2 2.09x
Wavertree 2 7.75x
Aintree 1 153.85x
Bedford 1 5.93x
Berwick Upon Tweed 1 4.67x
Buerton In Nantwich 1 91.74x
Farnworth 1 2.07x
Holywell 1 4.36x
Kidderminster Foreign 1 7.97x
Oxford St Thomas 1 5.11x
Parkstone 1 19.23x
Pendleton In Salford 1 1.04x
Spetisbury 1 81.30x
Stockport 1 1.30x
Tormoham 1 1.67x
Tottington Lower End 1 2.61x
Ugborough 1 29.24x
Westleigh 1 5.47x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 50
Ellen 31
Margaret 29
Elizabeth 25
Alice 24
Jane 19
Sarah 19
Ann 13
Annie 8
Hannah 7
Agnes 6
Esther 6
Anne 5
Catherine 5
Grace 5
Elizth. 4
Emily 4
Nancy 4
Isabella 3
Rebecca 3
Ada 2
Caroline 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Frances 2
Harriet 2
Kate 2
Margt. 2
Rachel 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Dinah 1
Elizebth. 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Georgina 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Katherine 1
Lilly 1
Lucy 1
Magdaline 1
Maggie 1
Margret 1
Maria 1
Thomasine 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 58
James 50
William 45
Thomas 28
Joseph 17
Peter 17
George 16
Robert 16
Richard 11
Henry 10
Samuel 6
Wm. 5
Edward 4
Jonathan 4
Robt. 3
Walter 3
Abraham 2
Andrew 2
Charles 2
Daniel 2
Jas. 2
Lawrence 2
Richd. 2
Thos. 2
Arthur 1
Cornelius 1
David 1
Edwd.Ernest 1
Elias 1
Gabriel 1
Gerrard 1
Giles 1
Granville 1
Hy. 1
Isaac 1
Jeremiah 1
Jno. 1
Levi 1
Marcus 1
Matthew 1
Matthias 1
Meshack 1
Moses 1
Nathan 1
Nathaniel 1
Nicholas 1
Norbert 1
Oratio 1
Oswald 1
Wm.Jas. 1

FAQ

Westhead surname: questions and answers

How common was the Westhead surname in 1881?

In 1881, 695 people were recorded with the Westhead surname. That placed it at #5,215 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Westhead surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,294 in 2016. That gives Westhead a modern rank of #4,627.

What does the Westhead surname mean?

A locational surname of English origin referring to someone from a western headland.

What does the Westhead map show?

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