NameCensus.

UK surname

Westrope

A locational surname derived from a westerly-located rope-making district.

In the 1881 census there were 151 people recorded with the Westrope surname, ranking it #15,419 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 177, ranked #21,230, down from #15,419 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Soham and Haverhill, Little Wratting. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Braintree, St Edmundsbury and Portsmouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Westrope is 207 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.2%.

1881 census count

151

Ranked #15,419

Modern count

177

2016, ranked #21,230

Peak year

2000

207 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Westrope had 151 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,419 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 177 in 2016, ranked #21,230.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 202 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Westrope surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Westrope surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Westrope 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 111 #16,006
1861 historical 68 #25,196
1881 historical 151 #15,419
1891 historical 159 #17,636
1901 historical 192 #15,518
1911 historical 202 #14,871
1997 modern 205 #17,370
1998 modern 206 #17,796
1999 modern 204 #18,021
2000 modern 207 #17,833
2001 modern 206 #17,624
2002 modern 193 #18,713
2003 modern 188 #18,810
2004 modern 196 #18,438
2005 modern 197 #18,339
2006 modern 196 #18,512
2007 modern 187 #19,271
2008 modern 187 #19,465
2009 modern 197 #19,218
2010 modern 203 #19,264
2011 modern 197 #19,483
2012 modern 176 #20,915
2013 modern 179 #21,028
2014 modern 175 #21,477
2015 modern 175 #21,372
2016 modern 177 #21,230

Geography

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Where Westropes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Soham, Haverhill, Little Wratting and Alverstoke, Gosport, Rowner. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Braintree, St Edmundsbury and Portsmouth. 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 Soham Cambridgeshire
4 Haverhill, Little Wratting Suffolk
5 Alverstoke, Gosport, Rowner Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Braintree 001 Braintree
2 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury
3 Portsmouth 001 Portsmouth
4 St Edmundsbury 012 St Edmundsbury
5 Portsmouth 007 Portsmouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Westrope

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Westrope

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Westrope is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Westrope 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

Westrope falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Westrope 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 Westrope, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Westrope

The surname Westrope has its origins in the northern English county of Northumberland. It dates back to the 12th century and is derived from the Old English words 'west' meaning 'west' and 'rap' meaning 'rope'. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a western boundary marker, which may have been marked with a rope or cord.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Westrope name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland from 1195, where a Richard Westrope is mentioned as holding land in the village of Warkworth. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were a survey of landholders in England conducted during the reign of King Edward I.

During the medieval period, the Westrope family was based primarily in the area around the town of Alnwick in Northumberland. In the 14th century, a John Westrope was a prominent landowner and served as a bailiff for the Earl of Northumberland. His son, Thomas Westrope, fought alongside King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

The Westrope name has also been associated with several place names in Northumberland, such as Westrope Farm near Alnwick and the village of West Roperhaugh, which may have been derived from the family's name. In the 16th century, a branch of the Westrope family settled in the village of Howick, where they became prominent landowners and built a manor house known as Westrope Hall.

Some notable individuals with the Westrope surname throughout history include:

1. Sir Robert Westrope (1545-1619), a member of Parliament and landowner in Northumberland. 2. Elizabeth Westrope (1674-1738), a renowned herbalist and author of one of the earliest English-language books on herbal remedies. 3. Major John Westrope (1721-1793), an officer in the British Army who served in the American Revolutionary War. 4. William Westrope (1793-1874), a pioneering industrialist and founder of the Westrope Ironworks in Newcastle upon Tyne. 5. Mary Westrope (1856-1932), a prominent campaigner for women's suffrage and social reform in the early 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Westrope families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Westrope 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. Cambridgeshire leads with 36 Westropes recorded in 1881 and an index of 38.33x.

County Total Index
Cambridgeshire 36 38.33x
Hertfordshire 22 21.53x
Surrey 20 2.77x
Suffolk 19 10.52x
Kent 10 1.98x
Middlesex 10 0.67x
Lanarkshire 7 1.46x
Shropshire 7 5.46x
Bedfordshire 5 6.51x
Nottinghamshire 4 2.00x
Hampshire 3 0.99x
Essex 2 0.68x
Oxfordshire 2 2.18x
Yorkshire 2 0.14x
Dorset 1 1.03x
Renfrewshire 1 0.87x
Staffordshire 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ashwell in Hertfordshire leads with 17 Westropes recorded in 1881 and an index of 2125.00x.

Place Total Index
Ashwell 17 2125.00x
Haverhill 9 562.50x
Sandwich St Clement 8 1860.47x
Soham 8 396.04x
Camberwell 7 7.39x
Maryhill 7 74.55x
Shrewsbury St Mary 7 138.61x
St Marylebone London 7 8.84x
Steeple Morden 7 1400.00x
Streatham 6 54.55x
Waterbeach 5 649.35x
Guilden Morden 4 800.00x
Hertford All Saints 4 701.75x
Newark Upon Trent 4 55.71x
Potton 4 392.16x
St Andrewthe Less 4 37.28x
Wandsworth 4 28.03x
Alverstoke 3 27.27x
Exning 3 329.67x
Ipswich St Mathew 3 59.29x
Lambeth 3 2.32x
Wood Ditton 3 379.75x
Burford 2 253.16x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 2 48.78x
Hoxne 2 392.16x
Islington London 2 1.39x
Leyton 2 39.68x
Bedford St Paul 1 18.98x
Buckland In Dover 1 59.52x
Chesterton 1 34.48x
Haddenham 1 113.64x
Huddersfield 1 4.67x
Little Munden 1 416.67x
Mellis 1 416.67x
Middle Greenock 1 31.85x
Newmarket St Mary 1 71.94x
Paddington London 1 1.83x
Pannal 1 70.92x
Portland 1 19.12x
St Michael Cambridge 1 357.14x
Tamworth 1 37.31x
Woolwich 1 5.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Martha 5
Sarah 5
Elizabeth 3
Emily 3
Maria 3
Ada 2
Ann 2
Catherine 2
Constance 2
Edith 2
Jane 2
Susannah 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Annie 1
Arthusa 1
Beautrice 1
Blanch 1
Caroline 1
Cecilia 1
Eliza 1
Elizath. 1
Ellen 1
Emm 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Harriett 1
Kate 1
Kathleen 1
Lilian 1
Lissie 1
Mabel 1
Margaret 1
Margurite 1
Mercy 1
Millicent 1
Milly 1
Rebecca 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 13
William 10
George 6
Thomas 6
Frederick 4
Walter 4
James 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Henry 2
Richard 2
Willm.T. 2
Albert 1
Cordwell 1
Edmund 1
Ephraim 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Henery 1
Herbert 1
Lionel 1
Sydney 1
Thos.Wm. 1
Winters 1
Wm.Russell 1

FAQ

Westrope surname: questions and answers

How common was the Westrope surname in 1881?

In 1881, 151 people were recorded with the Westrope surname. That placed it at #15,419 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Westrope surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 177 in 2016. That gives Westrope a modern rank of #21,230.

What does the Westrope surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a westerly-located rope-making district.

What does the Westrope map show?

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