NameCensus.

UK surname

Whitwham

In the 1881 census there were 84 people recorded with the Whitwham surname, ranking it #21,690 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 156, ranked #23,098, down from #21,690 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kirkby Malzeard, Bingley and Batley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kensington and Chelsea, Bradford and Hambleton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Whitwham is 249 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 85.7%.

1881 census count

84

Ranked #21,690

Modern count

156

2016, ranked #23,098

Peak year

1851

249 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Whitwham had 84 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,690 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 249 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Whitwham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Whitwham surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Whitwham 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 249 #8,816
1861 historical 51 #27,498
1881 historical 84 #21,690
1891 historical 116 #21,766
1901 historical 149 #18,146
1911 historical 118 #20,649
1997 modern 160 #20,259
1998 modern 172 #19,883
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 176 #19,698
2001 modern 179 #19,215
2002 modern 171 #20,177
2003 modern 169 #20,092
2004 modern 167 #20,367
2005 modern 152 #21,572
2006 modern 150 #21,915
2007 modern 156 #21,650
2008 modern 166 #20,966
2009 modern 168 #21,290
2010 modern 169 #21,652
2011 modern 168 #21,563
2012 modern 163 #21,989
2013 modern 160 #22,621
2014 modern 163 #22,547
2015 modern 157 #22,997
2016 modern 156 #23,098

Geography

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Where Whitwhams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kirkby Malzeard, Bingley, Batley, Bradford and Keighley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kensington and Chelsea, Bradford and Hambleton. 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 Kirkby Malzeard Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kensington and Chelsea 003 Kensington and Chelsea
2 Bradford 036 Bradford
3 Bradford 022 Bradford
4 Hambleton 006 Hambleton
5 Bradford 016 Bradford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Whitwham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Whitwham

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Whitwham, 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 Whitwham surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Whitwham 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Whitwham 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.

Read profile summary

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

Whitwham is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Whitwham falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Whitwham is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Whitwham, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Whitwham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Whitwham 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 71 Whitwhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.75x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 71 8.75x
Gloucestershire 6 3.73x
Lancashire 3 0.31x
Somerset 2 1.52x
Kent 1 0.36x
Middlesex 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bingley in Yorkshire leads with 20 Whitwhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 386.85x.

Place Total Index
Bingley 20 386.85x
Batley 9 116.73x
Azerley 7 3684.21x
Horton In Bradford 7 55.21x
Nether Hallam 7 63.75x
Clifton 5 61.58x
Meltham 5 396.83x
Huddersfield 3 25.36x
Idle 3 79.79x
Calverley Cum Farsley 2 86.96x
Keighley 2 23.12x
Laverton 2 2222.22x
Oldham 2 6.38x
Taunton St James 2 104.17x
Cheltenham 1 8.07x
Deal 1 42.02x
Grantley 1 2500.00x
Hammersmith London 1 4.96x
Heaton 1 114.94x
Longwood 1 76.34x
Salford 1 3.50x
Sawley In Ripon 1 1000.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Sarah 5
Ann 3
Elizabeth 2
Louisa 2
Martha 2
Alice 1
Amy 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Dorothy 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Geraldine 1
Harriot 1
Helenor 1
Isabella 1
Lily 1
Lucy 1
Margeret 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Miriam 1
Nellie 1
Rachel 1
Rebecca 1
Sophia 1
Teresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 5
James 4
Joseph 4
Arthur 2
Samuel 2
Thomas 2
William 2
Abraham 1
Alfred 1
Benjamin 1
David 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fredk. 1
George 1
Gerald 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Jonathan 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Whitwham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Whitwham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 84 people were recorded with the Whitwham surname. That placed it at #21,690 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Whitwham surname today?

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

What does the Whitwham map show?

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