NameCensus.

UK surname

Wheale

Of English origin, denoting someone who lived by a quay or wharf.

In the 1881 census there were 168 people recorded with the Wheale surname, ranking it #14,380 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 156, ranked #23,098, down from #14,380 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Tipton otherwise Tibington, Bothwell and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chorley, Sandwell and Sevenoaks.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wheale is 237 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 7.1%.

1881 census count

168

Ranked #14,380

Modern count

156

2016, ranked #23,098

Peak year

1911

237 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wheale had 168 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,380 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016, ranked #23,098.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 237 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Wheale surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wheale surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wheale 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 78 #19,840
1861 historical 120 #18,255
1881 historical 168 #14,380
1891 historical 185 #15,803
1901 historical 223 #14,134
1911 historical 237 #13,406
1997 modern 198 #17,729
1998 modern 185 #18,973
1999 modern 197 #18,400
2000 modern 199 #18,278
2001 modern 190 #18,520
2002 modern 189 #18,950
2003 modern 187 #18,856
2004 modern 187 #18,993
2005 modern 180 #19,395
2006 modern 176 #19,787
2007 modern 169 #20,562
2008 modern 168 #20,828
2009 modern 172 #20,950
2010 modern 179 #20,886
2011 modern 180 #20,649
2012 modern 159 #22,361
2013 modern 161 #22,521
2014 modern 167 #22,180
2015 modern 163 #22,407
2016 modern 156 #23,098

Geography

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Where Wheales are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Tipton otherwise Tibington, Bothwell, Manchester, Ledbury (except for Parkhold), Donnington and Enfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chorley, Sandwell, Sevenoaks, Redditch and Birmingham. 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 Tipton otherwise Tibington Staffordshire
2 Bothwell Lanark
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Ledbury (except for Parkhold), Donnington Herefordshire
5 Enfield Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chorley 002 Chorley
2 Sandwell 006 Sandwell
3 Sevenoaks 003 Sevenoaks
4 Redditch 010 Redditch
5 Birmingham 045 Birmingham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wheale

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wheale

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Wheale surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Wheale household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wheale 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

Wheale 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

Wheale falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Wheale

The surname Wheale is of English origin and is largely believed to have emerged during the early medieval period, somewhere between the 12th and 15th centuries. Geographically, the name is thought to have originated in regions such as Devon and Somerset in southwestern England. The surname likely derived from the Old English words "hwæl," referring to a whale, or "whele," relating to a wheel, possibly indicative of an occupational name associated with occupations near the sea or wheel-making.

Historical references to the surname Wheale are fairly rare and dispersed, suggesting it was not a common name. One of the earliest recorded instances appears in medieval tax records and county rolls. The name might also appear in land charters or ecclesiastical documents, although such occurrences would be sporadic.

One of the earliest known individuals recorded with the surname Wheale was Thomas Wheale, noted in a Somerset parish register dated 1590. This places the surname in the southwest of England, supporting the theory of its geographic origins. Another early mention can be found related to Robert Wheale, a small landowner in Devon, listed in records from around 1612.

The Wheale surname appears in place names as well. For instance, the small hamlet of Wheal, located in Cornwall, could possibly share etymological roots, although this is speculative. Name variant spellings in older records include Whele, Weale, and Whalle.

Several individuals have carried the surname Wheale through history. Among them is John Wheale, born in 1667 and later known for his role as a local magistrate in Devon. Another notable person was Sarah Wheale, an 18th-century poet whose works, although not widely published, received local acclaim. Joseph Wheale was a known craftsman in the late 1700s, establishing a reputation for skilled blacksmithing in Somerset. Moving towards the 19th century, William Wheale is recorded as an early industrialist involved in the burgeoning railways sector, born in 1811 in London. Lastly, Anne Wheale, a Victorian-era educational reformer born in 1834, contributed significantly to the advancement of women's schooling in Liverpool.

The surname Wheale, while not widely spread, carries a modest yet rich historical background with both occupational and geographic implications. Through centuries, the bearers of this name have contributed in various fields, reflecting the diverse ways surnames evolve and frame our understanding of history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wheale families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wheale 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 51 Wheales recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.33x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 51 9.33x
Middlesex 27 1.67x
Herefordshire 14 21.08x
Warwickshire 14 3.43x
Lanarkshire 13 2.48x
Glamorgan 11 3.90x
Worcestershire 9 4.26x
Surrey 8 1.01x
Yorkshire 6 0.37x
Cheshire 4 1.12x
Lancashire 4 0.21x
Essex 2 0.63x
Kent 2 0.36x
Roxburghshire 1 3.41x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tipton in Staffordshire leads with 23 Wheales recorded in 1881 and an index of 137.40x.

Place Total Index
Tipton 23 137.40x
Enfield 18 169.49x
West Bromwich 15 47.94x
Birmingham 12 8.82x
Bothwell 8 56.34x
Kings Pyon 8 3200.00x
Oldbury 8 76.92x
Cardiff St John 7 76.00x
Dunsfold 7 1627.91x
Brightside Bierlow 6 19.07x
Cannock 6 62.89x
Barony 5 3.77x
Gelligaer 4 62.11x
Shoreditch London 4 5.70x
Stoke Newington London 4 31.72x
Dukinfield 3 18.16x
Ledbury 3 131.58x
Walsall Foreign 3 10.63x
Aston 2 1.78x
Greenwich 2 7.76x
Pembridge 2 273.97x
Rawreth 2 1111.11x
Salford 2 3.54x
Wednesbury 2 14.64x
Aldridge 1 95.24x
Garston 1 17.64x
Guildford St Mary 1 103.09x
Handsworth 1 7.42x
Kelso 1 34.25x
Kempsey 1 125.00x
Kensington London 1 1.11x
Llangarren 1 166.67x
Manchester 1 1.16x
Monks Coppenhall 1 7.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 14
William 10
Thomas 7
Daniel 4
George 4
Henry 3
James 3
Arthur 2
Harry 2
Joseph 2
Rees 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Benjamin 1
Cornelius 1
Cornilius 1
David 1
Edward 1
Enoch 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Herbert 1
Peter 1
Ralph 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Thos. 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Wheale surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wheale surname in 1881?

In 1881, 168 people were recorded with the Wheale surname. That placed it at #14,380 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wheale surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 156 in 2016. That gives Wheale a modern rank of #23,098.

What does the Wheale surname mean?

Of English origin, denoting someone who lived by a quay or wharf.

What does the Wheale map show?

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