NameCensus.

UK surname

Wigby

In the 1881 census there were 50 people recorded with the Wigby surname, ranking it #26,587 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 89, ranked #32,297, down from #26,587 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wicklewood, Fulford, York Castle and Rockland All Saints and St Andrew. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Norfolk, Harrogate and Erewash.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wigby is 128 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 78.0%.

1881 census count

50

Ranked #26,587

Modern count

89

2016, ranked #32,297

Peak year

1901

128 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2006

Key insights

  • Wigby had 50 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #26,587 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 89 in 2016, ranked #32,297.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 128 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wigby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wigby surname density by area, 2006 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wigby 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 21 #29,550
1861 historical 83 #23,189
1881 historical 50 #26,587
1891 historical 94 #24,820
1901 historical 128 #19,822
1911 historical 111 #21,392
1997 modern 97 #27,342
1998 modern 100 #27,619
1999 modern 99 #27,906
2000 modern 102 #27,425
2001 modern 105 #26,620
2002 modern 108 #26,698
2003 modern 98 #28,046
2004 modern 98 #28,297
2005 modern 103 #27,531
2006 modern 111 #26,565
2007 modern 108 #27,391
2008 modern 106 #28,016
2009 modern 99 #29,754
2010 modern 100 #30,225
2011 modern 92 #31,301
2012 modern 84 #32,502
2013 modern 95 #31,523
2014 modern 93 #32,025
2015 modern 87 #32,514
2016 modern 89 #32,297

Geography

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Where Wigbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wicklewood, Fulford, York Castle, Rockland All Saints and St Andrew, Morley St Botolph, Morley St Peter and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Norfolk, Harrogate and Erewash. 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 Wicklewood Norfolk
2 Fulford, York Castle Yorkshire, East Riding
3 Rockland All Saints and St Andrew Norfolk
4 Morley St Botolph, Morley St Peter Norfolk
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Norfolk 015 South Norfolk
2 Harrogate 007 Harrogate
3 South Norfolk 005 South Norfolk
4 South Norfolk 006 South Norfolk
5 Erewash 014 Erewash

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wigby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wigby

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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, Wigby 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

Wigby 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

Wigby falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Wigby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wigby 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. Norfolk leads with 38 Wigbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 50.69x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 38 50.69x
Yorkshire 5 1.03x
Middlesex 4 0.82x
Cambridgeshire 1 3.24x
Kent 1 0.60x
Worcestershire 1 1.57x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wicklewood in Norfolk leads with 11 Wigbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 9166.67x.

Place Total Index
Wicklewood 11 9166.67x
Rockland All Sts 9 18000.00x
Hingham 5 1923.08x
Morley St Botolph 4 8000.00x
Besthorpe 3 3750.00x
Norwich St Stephen 3 434.78x
Sculcoates 3 39.16x
Luttons Ambo 2 2000.00x
Chelsea London 1 6.81x
Framingham Pigot 1 2500.00x
Great Dunham 1 1428.57x
Islington London 1 2.12x
Kings Norton 1 17.51x
Lewisham 1 11.27x
Morley St Peter 1 5000.00x
Parson Drove 1 833.33x
St Marylebone London 1 3.84x
Westminster St 1 55.56x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 2
Mary 2
Adalaide 1
Amelia 1
Anna 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Eliza 1
Elizabet. 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Hannah 1
Ida 1
Jessiee 1
Johanna 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Lucy 1
Rachel 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 4
William 4
John 3
Arthur 2
Frederick 2
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Fredk. 1
Harry 1
James 1
Mark 1
Obadiah 1
Robert 1
Stephen 1
Walter 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Wigby households.

FAQ

Wigby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wigby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 50 people were recorded with the Wigby surname. That placed it at #26,587 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wigby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 89 in 2016. That gives Wigby a modern rank of #32,297.

What does the Wigby map show?

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