NameCensus.

UK surname

Whalley

A topographic surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Whalley Valley or Whalley Town.

In the 1881 census there were 4,728 people recorded with the Whalley surname, ranking it #937 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,219, ranked #1,291, down from #937 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Preston, Blackburn and Bolton-le-Moors. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Whalley is 6,726 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 10.4%.

1881 census count

4,728

Ranked #937

Modern count

5,219

2016, ranked #1,291

Peak year

1911

6,726 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Whalley had 4,728 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #937 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,219 in 2016, ranked #1,291.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,726 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Whalley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Whalley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Whalley 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 2,697 #1,093
1861 historical 2,955 #976
1881 historical 4,728 #937
1891 historical 5,245 #892
1901 historical 6,165 #899
1911 historical 6,726 #773
1997 modern 5,549 #1,173
1998 modern 5,933 #1,143
1999 modern 6,005 #1,137
2000 modern 5,867 #1,152
2001 modern 5,724 #1,156
2002 modern 5,833 #1,160
2003 modern 5,612 #1,172
2004 modern 5,572 #1,177
2005 modern 5,423 #1,198
2006 modern 5,364 #1,215
2007 modern 5,357 #1,224
2008 modern 5,368 #1,227
2009 modern 5,460 #1,243
2010 modern 5,508 #1,258
2011 modern 5,489 #1,245
2012 modern 5,290 #1,266
2013 modern 5,388 #1,264
2014 modern 5,392 #1,275
2015 modern 5,287 #1,286
2016 modern 5,219 #1,291

Geography

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Where Whalleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Preston, Blackburn, Bolton-le-Moors, Whalley and Prescot. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley and Cheshire East. 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 Preston Lancashire
2 Blackburn Lancashire
3 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire
4 Whalley Lancashire
5 Prescot Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Blackburn with Darwen 001 Blackburn with Darwen
2 Hyndburn 001 Hyndburn
3 Ribble Valley 008 Ribble Valley
4 Blackburn with Darwen 009 Blackburn with Darwen
5 Cheshire East 019 Cheshire East

Forenames

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First names often paired with Whalley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Whalley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Whalley, 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 Whalley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Whalley 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Whalley 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

Whalley is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Whalley

The surname Whalley is of English origin and dates back to at least the medieval period. It is a locational name deriving from the village of Whalley in Lancashire, England. The name Whalley is believed to have originated from the Old English elements "hwæl," meaning "a hill" and "léah," meaning "a woodland clearing," suggesting that Whalley originally meant "the woodland clearing by the hill."

Historical records show the surname Whalley appearing in various documents. For instance, the village of Whalley is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a great survey of England ordered by King William the Conqueror. The varied spellings over time included "Wallege," "Waley," and "Wallei," reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional dialects.

One of the earliest records of the surname used in a personal context is Henry de Whalley, who is documented in Lancashire in the year 1246. Another notable historical figure is Richard Whalley, born in 1499 and died in 1583. He served as a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire. A third individual of note is Sir James Whalley, mentioned in historical records from the early 17th century, who was a notable English landowner.

In the 17th century, Edward Whalley, born in 1607 and died around 1675 in Massachusetts, was another prominent figure. He was a regicide, one of the judges who signed the death warrant for King Charles I, and later fled to North America following the restoration of the monarchy. Another remarkable person was Major-General Edward Whalley, born around 1615 and died in 1674, an English military leader during the Civil War and the Commonwealth period.

Throughout history, Whalley has consistently been linked to the Lancashire region and its surrounding areas, maintaining its roots in the north of England. The name's endurance through centuries underscores both its geographical and cultural significance.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Whalley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Whalley 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 3,314 Whalleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.07x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 3,314 6.07x
Cheshire 364 3.59x
Yorkshire 338 0.74x
Staffordshire 174 1.12x
Middlesex 89 0.19x
Essex 36 0.40x
Kent 32 0.20x
Surrey 31 0.14x
Shropshire 28 0.70x
Cumberland 26 0.66x
Westmorland 25 2.47x
Nottinghamshire 19 0.31x
Derbyshire 18 0.25x
Durham 18 0.13x
Berkshire 17 0.49x
Flintshire 16 1.29x
Wiltshire 16 0.39x
Gloucestershire 15 0.17x
Hampshire 15 0.16x
Leicestershire 15 0.29x
Monmouthshire 13 0.39x
Warwickshire 10 0.09x
Worcestershire 10 0.17x
Devon 9 0.09x
Somerset 8 0.11x
Suffolk 6 0.11x
Sussex 6 0.08x
Glamorgan 5 0.06x
Lanarkshire 5 0.03x
Dorset 4 0.13x
Hertfordshire 4 0.13x
Lincolnshire 4 0.05x
Oxfordshire 4 0.14x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.21x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.07x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.11x
Northamptonshire 2 0.05x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.02x
Angus 1 0.02x
Herefordshire 1 0.05x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.11x
Isle of Man 1 0.12x
Midlothian 1 0.02x
Norfolk 1 0.01x
Northumberland 1 0.01x
Renfrewshire 1 0.03x
Royal Navy 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Blackburn in Lancashire leads with 561 Whalleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 38.64x.

Place Total Index
Blackburn 561 38.64x
Preston 169 11.58x
Rainford 122 206.74x
Over Darwen 105 24.09x
Lower Darwen 100 139.63x
Chorley 76 24.82x
Manchester 73 2.97x
Great Bolton 72 9.96x
Audley 56 36.46x
Accrington 55 11.09x
Everton 54 3.11x
Liverpool 54 1.63x
Thornton In Bradford 54 35.60x
Habergham Eaves 51 10.23x
Wigan 50 6.56x
Livesey 49 51.16x
Great Little Marsden 48 19.20x
Colne 47 28.91x
Burnley 46 10.01x
Oswaldtwistle 43 22.30x
Heaton Norris 37 11.91x
Billington 36 161.65x
Wolstanton 36 7.64x
Clitheroe 34 21.17x
Macclesfield 34 7.54x
Castleton 33 6.06x
Windle 33 10.75x
Ashton Under Lyne 32 2.68x
Horwich 32 53.76x
Warrington 32 4.95x
Wolstanton Knutton 32 33.76x
Heap 30 10.37x
Mellor 30 173.71x
Salford 30 1.87x
Skelmersdale 30 32.99x
Cheadle 29 14.96x
Dilworth 29 86.75x
Dukinfield 29 6.18x
Toxteth Park 28 1.52x
Leeds 27 1.05x
Newton 27 6.42x
Witton 27 39.33x
Bethnal Green London 26 1.30x
Hale 25 71.41x
Kirkham 25 34.65x
Layton With Warbreck 24 11.99x
Oldham 24 1.36x
Hurdsfield 23 36.82x
Kirkdale 23 2.51x
West Derby 23 1.44x
Hindley 22 9.46x
Pickmere 22 572.92x
Sutton 21 11.48x
Aughton 20 37.01x
Bickerstaffe 20 55.99x
Wharton 20 36.18x
Aighton Bailey 18 68.47x
Fulwood 18 30.52x
Little Bolton 18 2.57x
Tranmere 17 4.56x
Walton Le Dale 17 11.59x
Failsworth 16 12.82x
Stockport 16 3.06x
Eccleston In Prescot 15 5.48x
Scarisbrick 15 23.68x
Guiseley 14 23.99x
Horton In Bradford 14 1.97x
Leyland 14 14.75x
Pendleton In Salford 14 2.15x
Reddish 14 18.63x
Rochdale 14 35.18x
Skipton 14 9.76x
Withnell 14 41.82x
Birkdale 13 9.42x
Bretherton 13 116.80x
Crumpsall 13 10.11x
Farnworth 13 3.98x
Hulme 13 1.14x
Upholland 13 18.59x
Woodplumpton 13 66.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 396
Elizabeth 228
Sarah 158
Ann 128
Alice 122
Ellen 118
Margaret 113
Jane 105
Annie 58
Martha 53
Hannah 47
Eliza 45
Catherine 44
Emma 37
Maria 29
Emily 27
Ada 23
Isabella 23
Frances 22
Harriet 21
Florence 20
Betsy 18
Clara 18
Esther 17
Betty 16
Elizth. 15
Anne 14
Agnes 13
Fanny 13
Edith 12
Minnie 11
Nancy 11
Amelia 10
Caroline 10
Kate 10
Louisa 10
Rachel 10
Amy 9
Harriett 9
Dorothy 8
Eleanor 8
Lucy 8
Margret 8
Ruth 8
Susan 8
Susannah 8
Bertha 7
Charlotte 7
Grace 7
Jessie 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 334
William 283
James 221
Thomas 192
George 126
Joseph 112
Robert 95
Henry 75
Richard 75
Charles 48
Edward 39
Samuel 36
Albert 30
Frederick 29
Alfred 28
Benjamin 25
Harry 22
Arthur 21
David 20
Walter 18
Thos. 17
Peter 15
Wm. 15
Matthew 14
Frank 13
Herbert 13
Fred 12
Isaac 11
Edmund 9
Ernest 9
Ralph 7
Chas. 6
Christopher 6
Jas. 6
Jonathan 6
Joshua 6
Lewis 6
Stephen 6
Cuthbert 5
Edwin 5
Elijah 5
Enoch 5
Francis 5
Hugh 5
Andrew 4
Daniel 4
Jabez 4
Jno. 4
Mathew 4
Moses 4

FAQ

Whalley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Whalley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,728 people were recorded with the Whalley surname. That placed it at #937 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Whalley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,219 in 2016. That gives Whalley a modern rank of #1,291.

What does the Whalley surname mean?

A topographic surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Whalley Valley or Whalley Town.

What does the Whalley map show?

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