NameCensus.

UK surname

Wetherall

A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Wetherall.

In the 1881 census there were 708 people recorded with the Wetherall surname, ranking it #5,131 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 756, ranked #7,240, down from #5,131 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Chilton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Oxfordshire, Cheshire West and Chester and South Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wetherall is 816 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 6.8%.

1881 census count

708

Ranked #5,131

Modern count

756

2016, ranked #7,240

Peak year

1999

816 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wetherall had 708 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,131 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 756 in 2016, ranked #7,240.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 741 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wetherall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wetherall surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Wetherall 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 281 #8,028
1861 historical 359 #7,113
1881 historical 708 #5,131
1891 historical 677 #5,767
1901 historical 621 #6,877
1911 historical 741 #5,789
1997 modern 776 #6,700
1998 modern 805 #6,719
1999 modern 816 #6,687
2000 modern 794 #6,816
2001 modern 771 #6,835
2002 modern 787 #6,866
2003 modern 769 #6,869
2004 modern 760 #6,956
2005 modern 759 #6,894
2006 modern 757 #6,935
2007 modern 741 #7,122
2008 modern 738 #7,192
2009 modern 770 #7,099
2010 modern 793 #7,079
2011 modern 772 #7,149
2012 modern 759 #7,156
2013 modern 780 #7,118
2014 modern 776 #7,172
2015 modern 775 #7,119
2016 modern 756 #7,240

Geography

Back to top

Where Wetheralls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Chilton and Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Oxfordshire, Cheshire West and Chester, South Somerset, Southend-on-Sea and Windsor and Maidenhead. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Chilton Berkshire
5 Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Oxfordshire 012 South Oxfordshire
2 Cheshire West and Chester 015 Cheshire West and Chester
3 South Somerset 021 South Somerset
4 Southend-on-Sea 011 Southend-on-Sea
5 Windsor and Maidenhead 002 Windsor and Maidenhead

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Wetherall

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Wetherall

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

Wetherall is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wetherall falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Wetherall

The surname Wetherall is an English locational surname that originates from the place name Wetherell, a township located in the parish of Corbridge in Northumberland. The name is derived from the Old English words "wether," meaning a castrated ram, and "halh," meaning a nook or corner of land.

Wetherell is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Wederhalch." The Domesday Book mentions a church, a mill, and several landowners in Wetherell, indicating that it was a well-established settlement during the Norman conquest of England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wetherall can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1230, where a Richard de Wetheralle is mentioned. The surname appears to have evolved from various spellings, including Wederhale, Wederhal, and Wetheral, before settling on the modern spelling of Wetherall.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named William de Wetherall was a monk and chronicler at the Cistercian abbey of Meaux in Yorkshire. He is known for his writings on the history of the abbey and the surrounding region.

During the 16th century, a prominent member of the Wetherall family was Thomas Wetherall (c. 1515-1586), who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1554 to 1559. He was a influential figure during the turbulent religious reforms of the English Reformation.

In the 17th century, John Wetherall (1624-1687) was an English clergyman and author who served as the Chaplain to King Charles II. He published several theological works and sermons during his lifetime.

Another notable figure with the surname Wetherall was Sir Edward Wetherall (1766-1831), a British army officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was knighted for his bravery and distinguished service during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Thomas Wetherall (1787-1864) was a British architect and surveyor who designed numerous churches, houses, and public buildings in the early 19th century, contributing significantly to the architectural landscape of London and its surrounding areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Wetherall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wetherall 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 119 Wetheralls recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.72x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 119 1.72x
Berkshire 90 17.22x
Middlesex 84 1.21x
Durham 77 3.72x
Lancashire 54 0.65x
Somerset 49 4.37x
Surrey 44 1.30x
Lincolnshire 22 1.98x
Nottinghamshire 20 2.13x
Essex 15 1.09x
Kent 15 0.63x
Staffordshire 15 0.64x
Northamptonshire 12 1.83x
Dorset 9 1.97x
Lanarkshire 9 0.40x
Monmouthshire 9 1.79x
Hampshire 8 0.56x
Worcestershire 8 0.88x
Northumberland 7 0.68x
Sussex 7 0.60x
Channel Islands 6 2.91x
Devon 5 0.34x
Huntingdonshire 5 3.62x
Cumberland 4 0.67x
Oxfordshire 3 0.70x
Cheshire 2 0.13x
Fife 2 0.49x
Flintshire 2 1.07x
Gloucestershire 2 0.15x
Suffolk 2 0.24x
Warwickshire 2 0.11x
Ayrshire 1 0.19x
Bedfordshire 1 0.28x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.24x
Glamorgan 1 0.08x
Hertfordshire 1 0.21x
Royal Navy 1 1.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hinton St George in Somerset leads with 26 Wetheralls recorded in 1881 and an index of 1604.94x.

Place Total Index
Hinton St George 26 1604.94x
Islington London 15 2.22x
Penge 13 29.22x
Sotwell 12 2553.19x
Charlton 11 69.71x
Farnworth 11 22.21x
Skelton In Guisbrough 11 58.92x
Lambeth 10 1.65x
Aberystruth 9 20.28x
Brightwell 9 612.24x
Huntwick Cum Nostell 9 656.93x
Sandhurst 9 88.85x
Shoreditch London 9 2.98x
Southwark St George Martyr 9 6.42x
Streatham 9 17.41x
Westminster St 9 35.05x
Chilton 8 1212.12x
Greasley 8 37.77x
Merriott 8 243.90x
Newcastle Under Lyme 8 19.23x
Rawcliffe In Goole 8 203.56x
Sunderland 8 21.86x
Tanfield 8 32.47x
West Ham 8 2.64x
Whitworth 8 52.74x
Chelsea London 7 3.34x
Dawdon 7 27.46x
Geddington 7 331.75x
Harlthorpe 7 3684.21x
Harrowby Grantham 7 875.00x
Hurley 7 257.35x
Leeds 7 1.80x
Manthorpe Cum Little 7 82.26x
Stainland Cum Old 7 59.27x
Worcester St John 7 64.46x
Broadwater 6 22.27x
Chard 6 44.18x
Compton 6 400.00x
Cookham 6 36.81x
Hartley Wintney 6 139.86x
Leyton 6 25.34x
Middlesbrough 6 6.68x
Parkstone 6 112.57x
Pendleton In Salford 6 6.09x
Scarborough 6 9.57x
St George Hanover 6 6.60x
St Sampson 6 64.52x
Wokingham 6 50.29x
Wolstanton Knutton 6 41.81x
Angram 5 4166.67x
Beverley St Mary 5 49.60x
Clewer 5 23.34x
Hackney London 5 1.28x
Hamilton 5 7.96x
Loddington 5 806.45x
North Bailey South 5 485.44x
Paddington London 5 1.95x
Pinner 5 81.97x
Preston 5 2.26x
Snenton 5 13.56x
Sonning 5 86.66x
St Giles 5 38.67x
Wallsend 5 15.22x
Brampton 4 138.89x
Framwellgate 4 32.57x
Gainsborough 4 15.24x
Govan 4 0.72x
Haslingden 4 11.69x
Holy Trinity 4 2.41x
Ilminster 4 51.09x
Liverpool 4 0.80x
New Windsor 4 22.75x
Newbottle 4 35.37x
Aberford 3 192.31x
Boroughbridge 3 129.31x
Crewkerne 3 25.19x
East Murton 3 77.32x
Knottingley 3 24.73x
Linthorpe 3 7.28x
Wallingford St Mary Le 3 101.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 56
Elizabeth 31
Sarah 24
Annie 14
Jane 14
Ann 13
Louisa 13
Eliza 10
Margaret 9
Catherine 7
Ellen 7
Emily 7
Emma 7
Florence 6
Hannah 6
Agnes 5
Alice 5
Martha 5
Caroline 4
Edith 4
Kate 4
Maria 4
Charlotte 3
Clara 3
Eleanor 3
Fanny 3
Isabella 3
Jessie 3
Rebecca 3
Rose 3
Sophia 3
Ada 2
Anna 2
Bertha 2
Betsy 2
Frances 2
Harriett 2
Helen 2
Laura 2
Lucy 2
Marianne 2
Matilda 2
Maud 2
Rhoda 2
Susannah 2
Beatrice 1
Elena 1
Elizebath 1
Elizth. 1
Jemima 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 44
John 41
George 29
Thomas 23
Charles 22
Henry 18
James 15
Alfred 14
Frederick 14
Joseph 13
Robert 10
Arthur 9
Albert 7
Richard 7
Ernest 5
Andrew 3
Edward 3
Edwin 3
Francis 3
Harry 3
Thos. 3
Walter 3
Christopher 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Fredk. 2
Herbert 2
Joshua 2
Luke 2
Mark 2
Tom 2
Baron 1
Benjeman 1
Daniel 1
Edwd.G. 1
Frederic 1
Fredrick 1
Grace 1
Harold 1
Louis 1
Marmaduke 1
Metzler 1
Miles 1
Nicholas 1
Pearson 1
Peter 1
Ralph 1
Richd. 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Wetherall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wetherall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 708 people were recorded with the Wetherall surname. That placed it at #5,131 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wetherall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 756 in 2016. That gives Wetherall a modern rank of #7,240.

What does the Wetherall surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Wetherall.

What does the Wetherall map show?

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