NameCensus.

UK surname

Westwood

English surname transferred from a place name meaning 'the westerly wood or forest'.

In the 1881 census there were 5,023 people recorded with the Westwood surname, ranking it #889 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,663, ranked #760, up from #889 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sedgley, Rowley Regis and Dudley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Westwood is 9,029 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 72.5%.

1881 census count

5,023

Ranked #889

Modern count

8,663

2016, ranked #760

Peak year

1999

9,029 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Westwood had 5,023 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #889 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,663 in 2016, ranked #760.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,237 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Westwood surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Westwood surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Westwood 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 2,939 #987
1861 historical 3,191 #902
1881 historical 5,023 #889
1891 historical 5,745 #817
1901 historical 6,806 #812
1911 historical 7,237 #718
1997 modern 8,613 #729
1998 modern 8,943 #732
1999 modern 9,029 #732
2000 modern 8,837 #746
2001 modern 8,631 #748
2002 modern 8,852 #742
2003 modern 8,647 #744
2004 modern 8,575 #750
2005 modern 8,354 #757
2006 modern 8,414 #757
2007 modern 8,473 #757
2008 modern 8,541 #756
2009 modern 8,691 #761
2010 modern 8,898 #760
2011 modern 8,752 #759
2012 modern 8,601 #758
2013 modern 8,759 #758
2014 modern 8,841 #755
2015 modern 8,705 #761
2016 modern 8,663 #760

Geography

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Where Westwoods are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sedgley, Rowley Regis, Dudley and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dudley. 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 Sedgley Staffordshire
2 Rowley Regis Staffordshire
3 Dudley Staffordshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dudley 006 Dudley
2 Dudley 023 Dudley
3 Dudley 019 Dudley
4 Dudley 008 Dudley
5 Dudley 022 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Westwood

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Westwood

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Westwood, 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 Westwood surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Westwood household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Westwood 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

Westwood 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

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

Meaning and origin of Westwood

The surname Westwood is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "west" and "wudu," meaning "west" and "wood" respectively. It was initially a locational name, given to those who lived near or in the western part of a forest or woodland area.

During the medieval period, the name Westwood first appeared in various records, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and their properties across England. The earliest known bearer of the name was Robert de Westwode, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199.

As the name spread across England, variations in spelling emerged, including Westwoode, Westwode, and Westwould. These variations often reflected regional dialects or the preferences of local scribes who recorded the name.

One notable figure bearing the Westwood surname was John Westwood (1805-1893), an English entomologist and archaeologist. He made significant contributions to the study of insects and authored several important works, including "An Introduction to the Modern Classification of Insects" (1839) and "Arcana Entomologica" (1845).

Another prominent individual was Sir John Westwood (1585-1659), an English politician and landowner. He served as a Member of Parliament for Brackley, Northamptonshire, and played an active role in the English Civil War, initially supporting the Parliamentarian cause but later switching sides to the Royalists.

In the literary realm, Thomas Westwood (1814-1888), an English poet and writer, gained recognition for his works, including "Beads of Morning" (1854) and "The Unveiling: A Poem" (1855). He was also a respected scholar and held academic positions at various institutions.

Another notable figure was Sir George Westwood (1835-1924), a British civil engineer and contractor. He was instrumental in the construction of several important infrastructure projects, including the Mersey Railway Tunnel and the Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames in London.

The surname Westwood has also been associated with several places across England, such as Westwood in Worcestershire, Westwood in Wiltshire, and Westwood in Nottinghamshire. These locations likely derived their names from the same Old English roots as the surname, reflecting the presence of woodlands in the western parts of these areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Westwood families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Westwood 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. Staffordshire leads with 1,610 Westwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.73x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 1,610 9.73x
Worcestershire 641 10.02x
Warwickshire 460 3.72x
Yorkshire 442 0.91x
Middlesex 391 0.80x
Essex 239 2.47x
Surrey 186 0.78x
Lancashire 168 0.29x
Fife 144 4.96x
Hertfordshire 118 3.49x
Lanarkshire 61 0.38x
Midlothian 59 0.90x
Kent 51 0.31x
Cheshire 46 0.43x
Angus 39 0.86x
Cambridgeshire 36 1.16x
Perthshire 31 1.41x
Derbyshire 28 0.37x
Glamorgan 28 0.33x
Durham 25 0.17x
Clackmannanshire 23 5.68x
Buckinghamshire 17 0.57x
Norfolk 17 0.23x
Suffolk 15 0.25x
Lincolnshire 14 0.18x
Hampshire 13 0.13x
Shropshire 13 0.31x
Gloucestershire 11 0.11x
Berwickshire 8 1.35x
Cumberland 8 0.19x
Peeblesshire 8 3.47x
Sussex 7 0.08x
Inverness-shire 6 0.41x
Monmouthshire 6 0.17x
Northamptonshire 5 0.11x
Stirlingshire 5 0.28x
Westmorland 5 0.46x
Wiltshire 5 0.12x
Bedfordshire 4 0.16x
Royal Navy 4 0.69x
Berkshire 3 0.08x
Dorset 3 0.09x
Leicestershire 3 0.06x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.05x
Oxfordshire 3 0.10x
Roxburghshire 3 0.34x
Somerset 3 0.04x
Devon 2 0.02x
Cornwall 1 0.02x
Northumberland 1 0.01x
Renfrewshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sedgley in Staffordshire leads with 330 Westwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 53.72x.

Place Total Index
Sedgley 330 53.72x
Rowley Regis 279 60.53x
Birmingham 267 6.48x
Kingswinford 240 39.96x
Dudley 148 19.03x
Aston 142 4.17x
Wolverhampton 113 8.89x
West Bromwich 100 10.56x
Lye 86 80.76x
Harborne 82 15.47x
Burntwood Edial 74 70.04x
Lambeth 62 1.45x
Tipton 57 11.25x
Oldbury 52 16.52x
Handsworth 51 12.51x
Kidderminster Borough 49 13.08x
Walsall Foreign 49 5.74x
Dunfermline 48 10.76x
Poplar London 42 4.54x
Cannock 38 13.17x
Islington London 38 0.80x
Bethnal Green London 34 1.60x
Camberwell 34 1.09x
Bilston 33 10.30x
Bromley London 31 2.88x
Bromsgrove 31 14.39x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 31 1.17x
Hitchin 30 19.68x
Yardley 29 17.71x
Barrow In Furness 26 3.29x
Barony 25 0.62x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 25 11.08x
Chigwell 24 26.29x
Mile End Old Town 24 3.10x
Wednesfield 24 9.86x
Edgbaston 23 6.00x
The Hill 23 55.97x
Bermondsey 22 1.51x
West Ham 22 1.03x
Litchurch 21 6.80x
Bengeworth 20 90.83x
Dundee 20 1.18x
Wednesbury 20 4.84x
Wollescote 20 38.80x
Halifax 19 2.67x
Horbury 19 22.37x
Kirkcaldy 19 13.21x
Pampisford 19 323.68x
Pontefract 19 18.17x
Bishop Stortford 18 15.96x
Cradley 18 31.10x
Shitlington 18 35.84x
Alloa 17 8.66x
Cheslyn Hay 17 56.31x
Danbury 17 103.66x
Evesham St Lawrence 16 47.06x
Kings Norton 16 2.79x
St George Hanover 16 2.50x
St Pancras London 16 0.41x
Chaddesley Corbett 15 62.55x
Greenwich 15 1.92x
Hackney London 15 0.55x
Hulme 15 1.24x
Leeds 15 0.55x
Debden 14 102.26x
Hammersmith London 14 1.16x
Liff Benvie 14 2.03x
Macclesfield 14 2.91x
Pendleton In Salford 14 2.02x
Richmond 14 4.18x
Stourbridge 14 8.50x
Tettenhall 14 13.84x
Great Wyrley 13 72.38x
Halesowen 13 23.14x
Manchester 13 0.50x
South Leith 13 1.76x
Woodford 13 11.87x
Holbeck 12 3.73x
Paddington London 12 0.67x
St Luke London 12 1.53x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 305
Sarah 221
Elizabeth 180
Eliza 115
Emma 89
Hannah 84
Ann 81
Annie 71
Alice 69
Jane 58
Ellen 56
Martha 49
Emily 46
Caroline 39
Florence 37
Louisa 35
Harriet 34
Clara 32
Maria 30
Charlotte 27
Fanny 26
Edith 22
Lucy 22
Ada 19
Margaret 19
Harriett 18
Susan 17
Amelia 16
Kate 15
Lydia 15
Minnie 15
Susannah 15
Anne 14
Rebecca 14
Phoebe 13
Sophia 13
Catherine 12
Agnes 11
Frances 11
Amy 10
Betsy 10
Elizth. 10
Esther 10
Laura 10
Matilda 10
Ruth 9
Selina 9
Rose 8
Julia 7
Lizzie 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 291
John 244
Joseph 156
Thomas 147
George 136
James 107
Charles 86
Samuel 86
Henry 77
Edward 57
Alfred 54
Benjamin 44
Arthur 37
Richard 33
Walter 32
Frederick 31
Albert 28
David 22
Harry 20
Wm. 19
Edwin 17
Daniel 16
Frank 16
Isaac 16
Robert 16
Francis 14
Ernest 12
Eli 11
Moses 11
Enoch 10
Geo. 10
Josiah 9
Thos. 9
Herbert 8
Elijah 7
Fred 7
Jabez 7
Jeremiah 6
Philip 6
Isaiah 5
Jacob 5
Job 5
Matthew 5
Enock 4
Fredrick 4
Jesse 4
Jno. 4
Jonathan 4
Saml. 4
Sidney 4

FAQ

Westwood surname: questions and answers

How common was the Westwood surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,023 people were recorded with the Westwood surname. That placed it at #889 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Westwood surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,663 in 2016. That gives Westwood a modern rank of #760.

What does the Westwood surname mean?

English surname transferred from a place name meaning 'the westerly wood or forest'.

What does the Westwood map show?

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