NameCensus.

UK surname

Whaite

In the 1881 census there were 126 people recorded with the Whaite surname, ranking it #17,245 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 149, ranked #23,844, down from #17,245 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Manchester, Preston and Diss. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chorley, South Ribble and Tameside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Whaite is 167 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.3%.

1881 census count

126

Ranked #17,245

Modern count

149

2016, ranked #23,844

Peak year

1911

167 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Whaite had 126 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,245 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 149 in 2016, ranked #23,844.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 167 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Whaite surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Whaite surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Whaite 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 102 #16,933
1861 historical 95 #21,768
1881 historical 126 #17,245
1891 historical 127 #20,496
1901 historical 159 #17,442
1911 historical 167 #16,692
1997 modern 153 #20,868
1998 modern 151 #21,578
1999 modern 155 #21,375
2000 modern 151 #21,684
2001 modern 153 #21,197
2002 modern 148 #22,087
2003 modern 138 #22,823
2004 modern 137 #23,098
2005 modern 138 #22,999
2006 modern 146 #22,320
2007 modern 149 #22,318
2008 modern 146 #22,822
2009 modern 147 #23,248
2010 modern 157 #22,800
2011 modern 156 #22,690
2012 modern 157 #22,551
2013 modern 158 #22,817
2014 modern 159 #22,930
2015 modern 153 #23,413
2016 modern 149 #23,844

Geography

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Where Whaites are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Manchester, Preston, Diss, London parishes and Plumstead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chorley, South Ribble, Tameside and Bolsover. 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 Manchester Lancashire
2 Preston Lancashire
3 Diss Norfolk
4 London parishes London 2
5 Plumstead London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chorley 011 Chorley
2 South Ribble 017 South Ribble
3 Chorley 003 Chorley
4 Tameside 025 Tameside
5 Bolsover 008 Bolsover

Forenames

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First names often paired with Whaite

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Whaite

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Whaite surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Whaite 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Whaite is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Whaite is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Whaite 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 Whaite is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Whaite families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Whaite 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 34 Whaites recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.33x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 34 2.33x
Middlesex 23 1.87x
Yorkshire 19 1.56x
Essex 10 4.12x
Kent 8 1.91x
Leicestershire 8 5.87x
Nottinghamshire 5 3.02x
Monmouthshire 4 4.50x
Surrey 4 0.67x
Gloucestershire 3 1.24x
Warwickshire 3 0.97x
Norfolk 2 1.06x
Huntingdonshire 1 4.10x
Suffolk 1 0.67x
Westmorland 1 3.70x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Heckmondwike in Yorkshire leads with 9 Whaites recorded in 1881 and an index of 229.59x.

Place Total Index
Heckmondwike 9 229.59x
Plumstead 8 57.22x
Leicester St Margaret 7 21.07x
Oldham 7 14.87x
Islington London 6 5.04x
Habergham Eaves 5 37.51x
Hammersmith London 5 16.51x
Manchester 5 7.62x
Stretford 5 62.34x
York St Mary 5 99.21x
Christchurch 4 145.45x
Fulwood 4 253.16x
St Pancras London 4 4.04x
West Ham 4 7.47x
Kensington London 3 4.39x
Preston 3 7.69x
Prittlewell 3 89.29x
Rotherhithe 3 19.75x
Woodford 3 109.09x
Badgeworth 2 476.19x
Burton Joyce 2 714.29x
Diss 2 123.46x
Haseley 2 2000.00x
Hulme 2 6.57x
Liversedge 2 36.90x
Moss Side 2 26.08x
Radford Lenton 2 487.80x
Birmingham 1 0.97x
Brightside Bierlow 1 4.19x
Bromley London 1 3.70x
Darlton 1 1666.67x
Eye 1 103.09x
Gate Fulford 1 35.21x
Great Stukeley 1 555.56x
Heversham With Milnthorpe 1 153.85x
Lambeth 1 0.93x
Leeds 1 1.45x
North Meols 1 7.00x
St George Hanover 1 6.23x
St Luke London 1 5.07x
Stonton Wyville 1 2500.00x
Twickenham 1 18.98x
Westbury On Trym 1 12.24x
Westminster St James 1 7.92x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
Thomas 10
William 4
George 3
Henry 3
Albert 2
Frederic 2
Herbert 2
James 2
Robert 2
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Clifford 1
E.Grey 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Elisha 1
F.A. 1
Harry 1
Henery 1
Horace 1
Howard 1
Larence 1
Percy 1
Rene 1
Richard 1
Seth 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Whaite surname: questions and answers

How common was the Whaite surname in 1881?

In 1881, 126 people were recorded with the Whaite surname. That placed it at #17,245 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Whaite surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 149 in 2016. That gives Whaite a modern rank of #23,844.

What does the Whaite map show?

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