NameCensus.

UK surname

Westoby

In the 1881 census there were 432 people recorded with the Westoby surname, ranking it #7,547 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 371, ranked #12,561, down from #7,547 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, London parishes and Halton, East. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Lincolnshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and Stockton-on-Tees.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Westoby is 442 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 14.1%.

1881 census count

432

Ranked #7,547

Modern count

371

2016, ranked #12,561

Peak year

1901

442 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Westoby had 432 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,547 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 371 in 2016, ranked #12,561.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 442 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Westoby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Westoby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Westoby 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 291 #7,827
1861 historical 213 #11,419
1881 historical 432 #7,547
1891 historical 405 #8,789
1901 historical 442 #8,818
1911 historical 428 #8,827
1997 modern 411 #10,782
1998 modern 412 #11,108
1999 modern 409 #11,264
2000 modern 406 #11,271
2001 modern 410 #11,016
2002 modern 389 #11,667
2003 modern 378 #11,741
2004 modern 370 #11,936
2005 modern 360 #12,112
2006 modern 374 #11,822
2007 modern 376 #11,925
2008 modern 376 #12,039
2009 modern 387 #12,021
2010 modern 387 #12,301
2011 modern 383 #12,244
2012 modern 370 #12,417
2013 modern 381 #12,360
2014 modern 379 #12,483
2015 modern 374 #12,495
2016 modern 371 #12,561

Geography

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Where Westobys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, London parishes, Halton, East and Barrow-on-Humber. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Lincolnshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and Stockton-on-Tees. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 London parishes London 3
3 Halton, East Lincolnshire
4 Barrow-on-Humber Lincolnshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Lincolnshire 013 North Lincolnshire
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 039 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 032 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 026 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 Stockton-on-Tees 009 Stockton-on-Tees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Westoby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Westoby

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Westoby, 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 Westoby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Westoby 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, Westoby 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

Westoby 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

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

1881 census detail

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Westoby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Westoby 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. Yorkshire leads with 171 Westobys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.09x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 171 4.09x
Lincolnshire 151 22.41x
Middlesex 36 0.85x
Surrey 18 0.88x
Suffolk 16 3.12x
Lancashire 11 0.22x
Essex 7 0.84x
Berkshire 6 1.90x
Derbyshire 5 0.76x
Hampshire 4 0.46x
Norfolk 4 0.62x
Cheshire 1 0.11x
Durham 1 0.08x
Somerset 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barrow On Humber in Lincolnshire leads with 40 Westobys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1023.02x.

Place Total Index
Barrow On Humber 40 1023.02x
Holy Trinity 30 29.87x
Huddersfield 18 29.59x
Southwark St George Martyr 17 20.05x
Gilberdike Bishopsoil 16 2666.67x
Sculcoates 16 24.17x
Clee With Weelsby 15 101.69x
Cottingham 15 166.67x
Great Grimsby 15 35.07x
East Halton 12 1290.32x
North South Killingholme 10 892.86x
Sudbury St Gregory 10 243.31x
Hessle In Sculcoates 9 243.90x
Newington 9 78.26x
Leeds 8 3.39x
Poplar London 8 10.06x
Bradwell 7 489.51x
East Butterwick 7 5000.00x
Hunsingore 7 2692.31x
South Kelsey 7 786.52x
Cookham 6 60.85x
Flixborough 6 1818.18x
Gorleston 6 46.01x
Habrough 6 1071.43x
Scunthorpe 6 198.02x
Bethnal Green London 5 2.73x
Beverley St Nicholas 5 146.20x
Cheetham 5 13.40x
Glanford Brigg 5 208.33x
Glossop Dale 5 16.18x
Louth 5 32.38x
Shoreditch London 5 2.74x
Skipsea 5 862.07x
Bradford 4 3.96x
Brading 4 34.84x
Broughton In Salford 4 8.75x
Hackney London 4 1.69x
Hibaldstow 4 347.83x
Routh 4 1666.67x
St George Martyr 4 56.34x
Thornton Le Moor 4 2857.14x
Eastrington 3 545.45x
Gateforth 3 1153.85x
Great Yarmouth 3 5.59x
Selby 3 34.36x
St Marylebone London 3 1.33x
Holme On Spalding Moor 2 72.99x
Horncastle 2 28.78x
Legsby 2 408.16x
Limehouse London 2 4.32x
Liverpool 2 0.66x
South Skirlaugh 2 476.19x
St Andrew Holborn 2 14.00x
Swanland 2 312.50x
York St Martin Le Grand 2 350.88x
Balby Cum Hexthorpe 1 20.08x
Battersea 1 0.64x
Burton Upon Stather 1 116.28x
Crowle 1 24.39x
Ecclesall Bierlow 1 1.18x
Frome 1 6.17x
Haddiscoe 1 175.44x
Higher Bebington 1 16.81x
Honley 1 13.68x
Ilkley 1 14.66x
Kirk Deighton 1 196.08x
Mile End Old Town 1 1.50x
Owston 1 52.36x
Saltfleetby St Peter 1 212.77x
Sheffield 1 0.75x
Skelton In Howden 1 303.03x
St Luke London 1 1.48x
Waddingham 1 97.09x
Westminster St James 1 2.31x
Westoe 1 1.41x
Winteringham 1 103.09x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 23
Elizabeth 16
Sarah 15
Ann 13
Jane 13
Annie 8
Alice 7
Hannah 7
Clara 6
Ellen 6
Ada 4
Amelia 4
Charlotte 4
Eliza 4
Emma 4
Caroline 3
Edith 3
Frances 3
Harriet 3
Margaret 3
Martha 3
Rebecca 3
Ellenor 2
Ethel 2
Florence 2
Gertrude 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Maria 2
Medora 2
Amey 1
Azubah 1
Blanch 1
Bridget 1
Catherine 1
Constance 1
Daisy 1
Damaris 1
Edoth 1
Ellizabeth 1
Helena 1
Henrietta 1
Hessie 1
Hester 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Lavinia 1
Leanoia 1
Lilian 1
Thirxa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 24
William 24
George 19
Charles 14
Thomas 13
Joseph 9
James 6
Richard 6
Alfred 5
Arthur 5
Henry 5
Robert 5
Anthony 4
Edward 4
Harry 4
Ernest 3
Frederick 3
Grantham 3
Herbert 3
Edgar 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Fredrick 2
Isaac 2
Matthew 2
Percy 2
Spalding 2
Alexander 1
Arther 1
Benjamin 1
Chas 1
Chas. 1
Earnest 1
Ed. 1
Francis 1
Harold 1
Henery 1
Hy. 1
Jas. 1
Jeremiah 1
Jesse 1
Johnson 1
Jonathan 1
Michael 1
Moses 1
Oliver 1
Ono 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Westoby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Westoby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 432 people were recorded with the Westoby surname. That placed it at #7,547 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Westoby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 371 in 2016. That gives Westoby a modern rank of #12,561.

What does the Westoby map show?

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