NameCensus.

UK surname

Wheway

In the 1881 census there were 199 people recorded with the Wheway surname, ranking it #12,880 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 220, ranked #18,376, down from #12,880 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burton-on-Trent, Newchurch and St Werburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Elie Colinsburgh and Largoward, Derby and Harborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wheway is 299 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 10.6%.

1881 census count

199

Ranked #12,880

Modern count

220

2016, ranked #18,376

Peak year

2002

299 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wheway had 199 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,880 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 220 in 2016, ranked #18,376.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 271 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Wheway surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wheway surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wheway 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 80 #19,558
1861 historical 90 #22,312
1881 historical 199 #12,880
1891 historical 224 #13,760
1901 historical 271 #12,462
1911 historical 270 #12,273
1997 modern 265 #14,692
1998 modern 286 #14,318
1999 modern 285 #14,438
2000 modern 290 #14,237
2001 modern 288 #14,103
2002 modern 299 #14,017
2003 modern 284 #14,331
2004 modern 269 #14,955
2005 modern 260 #15,250
2006 modern 258 #15,402
2007 modern 248 #15,994
2008 modern 240 #16,535
2009 modern 246 #16,597
2010 modern 255 #16,563
2011 modern 250 #16,637
2012 modern 234 #17,291
2013 modern 235 #17,515
2014 modern 244 #17,189
2015 modern 227 #17,941
2016 modern 220 #18,376

Geography

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Where Wheways are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Burton-on-Trent, Newchurch, St Werburgh, Nuneaton and Rotherham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Elie Colinsburgh and Largoward, Derby and Harborough. 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 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 St Werburgh Derbyshire
4 Nuneaton Warwickshire
5 Rotherham Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Elie Colinsburgh and Largoward Fife
2 Derby 026 Derby
3 Derby 025 Derby
4 Derby 007 Derby
5 Harborough 004 Harborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wheway

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wheway

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Wheway is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wheway 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

Wheway falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Wheway families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wheway 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 64 Wheways recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.72x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 64 9.72x
Warwickshire 50 10.16x
Yorkshire 21 1.09x
Leicestershire 20 9.25x
Derbyshire 16 5.24x
Hampshire 10 2.50x
Denbighshire 7 9.50x
Lancashire 5 0.22x
Nottinghamshire 3 1.14x
Worcestershire 3 1.18x
Royal Navy 1 4.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nuneaton in Warwickshire leads with 26 Wheways recorded in 1881 and an index of 456.14x.

Place Total Index
Nuneaton 26 456.14x
Walsall Foreign 24 70.55x
Birmingham 13 7.93x
Kimberworth 13 121.16x
Horninglow 11 354.84x
Brading 10 188.32x
Burton Upon Trent 9 58.40x
Leicester St Mary 9 51.49x
Derby St Werburgh 8 45.35x
Handsworth 8 49.29x
Denbigh 7 236.49x
Greasbrough 6 235.29x
Hinckley 5 97.47x
Kenilworth 5 180.51x
West Bromwich 5 13.26x
Beswick 4 67.57x
Ockbrook 4 307.69x
Wigginton 4 714.29x
Aston 3 2.21x
Nuthall 3 303.03x
Yardley 3 46.01x
Derby St Alkmund 2 21.86x
Harborne 2 9.47x
Haworth 2 43.48x
Mancetter 2 140.85x
Market Bosworth 2 256.41x
Appleby 1 196.08x
Ardwick 1 4.79x
Barton Under Needwood 1 83.33x
Brimington 1 43.10x
Edgbaston 1 6.56x
Glen Parva 1 196.08x
Knighton 1 81.97x
Leicester St Margaret 1 1.90x
Royal Navy 1 5.03x
Sturston 1 200.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 16
Sarah 14
Emma 8
Eliza 5
Elizabeth 5
Susannah 4
Ada 3
Ellen 3
Harriet 3
Martha 3
Emily 2
Hannah 2
Jane 2
Lillie 2
Lucy 2
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Bessie 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Constance 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Elyary 1
Florence 1
Grace 1
Kate 1
Keziah 1
Laura 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
May 1
Minnie 1
Nellie 1
Rose 1
Saran 1
Sarrah 1
Selina 1
Sophia 1
Sussana 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Wheway surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wheway surname in 1881?

In 1881, 199 people were recorded with the Wheway surname. That placed it at #12,880 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wheway surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 220 in 2016. That gives Wheway a modern rank of #18,376.

What does the Wheway map show?

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