NameCensus.

UK surname

Whibley

In the 1881 census there were 308 people recorded with the Whibley surname, ranking it #9,542 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 477, ranked #10,344, down from #9,542 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hunton, London parishes and Tunbridge, Bidborough. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shepway, Maidstone and Cannock Chase.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Whibley is 536 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 54.9%.

1881 census count

308

Ranked #9,542

Modern count

477

2016, ranked #10,344

Peak year

1999

536 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Whibley had 308 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,542 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 477 in 2016, ranked #10,344.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 465 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Whibley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Whibley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Whibley 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 155 #12,604
1861 historical 204 #11,814
1881 historical 308 #9,542
1891 historical 340 #10,062
1901 historical 412 #9,283
1911 historical 465 #8,292
1997 modern 496 #9,352
1998 modern 524 #9,265
1999 modern 536 #9,159
2000 modern 508 #9,519
2001 modern 507 #9,364
2002 modern 520 #9,377
2003 modern 505 #9,419
2004 modern 503 #9,480
2005 modern 477 #9,764
2006 modern 466 #9,977
2007 modern 481 #9,844
2008 modern 481 #9,930
2009 modern 478 #10,189
2010 modern 477 #10,410
2011 modern 484 #10,194
2012 modern 481 #10,145
2013 modern 493 #10,119
2014 modern 491 #10,222
2015 modern 485 #10,233
2016 modern 477 #10,344

Geography

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Where Whibleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hunton, London parishes, Tunbridge, Bidborough and Brenchley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shepway, Maidstone and Cannock Chase. 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 Hunton Kent
2 London parishes London 1
3 Tunbridge, Bidborough Kent
4 London parishes London 3
5 Brenchley Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shepway 006 Shepway
2 Maidstone 014 Maidstone
3 Maidstone 013 Maidstone
4 Cannock Chase 003 Cannock Chase
5 Maidstone 008 Maidstone

Forenames

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First names often paired with Whibley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Whibley

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Whibley is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Whibley is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Whibley falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Whibley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Whibley 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. Kent leads with 165 Whibleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.20x.

County Total Index
Kent 165 16.20x
Surrey 66 4.54x
Sussex 25 4.97x
Cambridgeshire 15 7.93x
Gloucestershire 15 2.56x
Middlesex 15 0.50x
Berkshire 1 0.45x
Cornwall 1 0.30x
Hampshire 1 0.16x
Suffolk 1 0.28x
Yorkshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Maidstone in Kent leads with 32 Whibleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 105.51x.

Place Total Index
Maidstone 32 105.51x
Tonbridge 21 57.17x
Brenchley 15 412.09x
Chesterton 14 240.14x
Southwark St George Martyr 14 23.31x
Croydon 10 12.39x
Godalming 10 109.17x
Battle 9 264.71x
Clapham 9 24.12x
Milton In Milton 9 207.85x
Speldhurst 9 173.41x
Bristol St Augustine 8 84.66x
Yalding 8 311.28x
Hawkhurst 7 220.82x
Newington 7 6.35x
Westbury On Trym 7 35.30x
Deptford St Paul 6 7.64x
Headcorn 6 392.16x
Biddenden 5 359.71x
Camberwell 5 2.62x
Eastbourne 5 21.59x
Rotherfield 5 112.87x
Sittingbourne 5 62.19x
Thanington Wilton In 5 1041.67x
West Farleigh 5 1282.05x
Barming 4 571.43x
East Farleigh 4 233.92x
Fulham London 4 9.24x
Kensington London 4 2.41x
Bredgar 3 476.19x
Charlton 3 44.38x
Chelsea London 3 3.34x
Horsemonden 3 201.34x
Hunton 3 337.08x
Kingston On Thames 3 8.59x
Lewisham 3 5.52x
Southwark St Olave 3 131.58x
Ticehurst 3 97.40x
Lambeth 2 0.77x
Plumstead 2 5.89x
St Lawrence 2 28.57x
Aldershot 1 4.88x
All Saints Cambridge 1 75.19x
Battersea 1 0.91x
Brightling 1 144.93x
Capel 1 72.99x
Chatham 1 3.57x
Edenbridge 1 50.00x
Framlingham 1 38.76x
Hackney London 1 0.60x
Hastings St Leonards 1 13.51x
Hendon 1 9.31x
Hove 1 4.53x
Leeds 1 0.60x
Linton 1 112.36x
Marden 1 41.84x
Paddington London 1 0.91x
Reading St Giles 1 4.55x
Reigate Foreign 1 6.35x
St George Martyr 1 19.88x
Tregoney St James 1 158.73x
Wrotham 1 29.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 15
William 13
Richard 8
David 7
Edward 7
Henry 7
John 7
Frederick 6
Albert 5
Herbert 5
Charles 4
James 4
Thomas 4
Ambrose 3
Arthur 3
Robert 3
Alfred 2
Amos 2
Ebenezer 2
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Harry 2
Percy 2
Abraham 1
Adam 1
Alexander 1
Benjamin 1
Chas.E. 1
Daniel 1
F. 1
Frank 1
Fredk 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Georg 1
Harold 1
Joseph 1
Josh 1
Josiah 1
Leonard 1
Lewis 1
Mark 1
Nelson 1
Rebecca 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
W. 1
W.E.A. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Whibley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Whibley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 308 people were recorded with the Whibley surname. That placed it at #9,542 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Whibley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 477 in 2016. That gives Whibley a modern rank of #10,344.

What does the Whibley map show?

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