NameCensus.

UK surname

Whittell

In the 1881 census there were 209 people recorded with the Whittell surname, ranking it #12,475 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 134, ranked #25,636, down from #12,475 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Halifax and Kirkheaton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wakefield and Allerdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Whittell is 271 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 35.9%.

1881 census count

209

Ranked #12,475

Modern count

134

2016, ranked #25,636

Peak year

1911

271 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Whittell had 209 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,475 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016, ranked #25,636.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 271 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Whittell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Whittell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Whittell 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 93 #17,946
1861 historical 151 #15,209
1881 historical 209 #12,475
1891 historical 186 #15,740
1901 historical 265 #12,652
1911 historical 271 #12,237
1997 modern 161 #20,176
1998 modern 160 #20,832
1999 modern 173 #19,935
2000 modern 164 #20,584
2001 modern 165 #20,199
2002 modern 162 #20,839
2003 modern 160 #20,789
2004 modern 158 #21,077
2005 modern 153 #21,490
2006 modern 151 #21,818
2007 modern 147 #22,510
2008 modern 144 #23,037
2009 modern 146 #23,352
2010 modern 146 #23,921
2011 modern 148 #23,520
2012 modern 146 #23,681
2013 modern 142 #24,547
2014 modern 145 #24,395
2015 modern 141 #24,723
2016 modern 134 #25,636

Geography

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Where Whittells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Halifax, Kirkheaton, Thornhill and Bildeston or Bilston, Naughton, Nedging. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wakefield and Allerdale. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Kirkheaton Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Thornhill Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Bildeston or Bilston, Naughton, Nedging Suffolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wakefield 021 Wakefield
2 Wakefield 022 Wakefield
3 Allerdale 001 Allerdale
4 Wakefield 007 Wakefield
5 Wakefield 035 Wakefield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Whittell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Whittell

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Whittell, 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 Whittell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Whittell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Whittell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

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Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Whittell is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Whittell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Whittell 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. Yorkshire leads with 112 Whittells recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.52x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 112 5.52x
Middlesex 21 1.03x
Lancashire 14 0.58x
Suffolk 13 5.21x
Kent 11 1.57x
Warwickshire 11 2.13x
Huntingdonshire 9 22.13x
Devon 7 1.64x
Derbyshire 4 1.25x
Surrey 3 0.30x
Gloucestershire 1 0.25x
Royal Navy 1 4.10x
Shropshire 1 0.57x
Sussex 1 0.29x
Worcestershire 1 0.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lepton in Yorkshire leads with 44 Whittells recorded in 1881 and an index of 2075.47x.

Place Total Index
Lepton 44 2075.47x
Stainland Cum Old 10 288.18x
Chattisham 9 6000.00x
Huntingdon St John 9 762.71x
Rochester St Margaret 9 122.12x
Horbury 8 225.35x
Shitlington 8 380.95x
Birmingham 6 3.48x
Lower Whitley 6 2222.22x
Blackley 5 117.37x
Halifax 5 16.78x
Hipperholme Cum 5 56.05x
Islington London 5 2.52x
Kirkheaton 5 151.98x
North Meols 5 21.02x
Tormoham 5 27.72x
Westminster St 5 66.23x
Bildeston 4 727.27x
Dalton In Huddersfield 4 87.91x
Fulstone 4 268.46x
Leeds 4 3.49x
Litchurch 4 30.98x
Warwick St Mary 4 89.29x
Ashton Under Lyne 3 5.65x
Paddington London 3 3.98x
Cartworth 2 119.05x
Chatham 2 10.40x
Hammersmith London 2 3.96x
Kirkburton 2 83.68x
Liversedge 2 22.12x
Mile End Old Town 2 6.18x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 4.85x
Stoke Damerel 2 6.70x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 1 13.57x
Barnsley 1 4.78x
Brighton 1 1.44x
Bristol 1 263.16x
Bromley London 1 2.22x
Broughton In Salford 1 4.50x
Cleckheaton 1 13.37x
Cranford 1 285.71x
Kensington London 1 0.88x
Leamington Priors 1 7.87x
Newington 1 1.32x
Royal Navy 1 4.79x
Shrewsbury St Chad 1 16.10x
St Marylebone London 1 0.91x
The Hill 1 58.14x

Top female names

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

Name Count
George 8
John 8
William 8
Henry 7
Thomas 7
Edward 6
James 6
Samuel 4
Alfred 3
Arthur 3
Benjamin 2
Charles 2
Harry 2
Joe 2
Joseph 2
Matthew 2
Richard 2
Sam 2
Amy 1
Clarence 1
David 1
Ephraim 1
Ernest 1
Feargus 1
Franklin 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Harold 1
Herbert 1
Horatio 1
Ishmael 1
Jno. 1
Joah 1
Mark 1
Nathaniel 1
Ralph 1
Reader 1
Tom 1
Wm.Edw.Richd. 1

FAQ

Whittell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Whittell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 209 people were recorded with the Whittell surname. That placed it at #12,475 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Whittell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016. That gives Whittell a modern rank of #25,636.

What does the Whittell map show?

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