NameCensus.

UK surname

Wightwick

In the 1881 census there were 165 people recorded with the Wightwick surname, ranking it #14,559 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 176, ranked #21,298, down from #14,559 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Tunbridge, Bidborough, London parishes and Codford St Peter with Ashton Gifford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sutton, Forest of Dean and Rother.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wightwick is 219 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 6.7%.

1881 census count

165

Ranked #14,559

Modern count

176

2016, ranked #21,298

Peak year

2002

219 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wightwick had 165 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,559 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 176 in 2016, ranked #21,298.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 216 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Wightwick surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wightwick surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wightwick 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 108 #16,308
1861 historical 97 #21,503
1881 historical 165 #14,559
1891 historical 182 #15,983
1901 historical 203 #14,969
1911 historical 216 #14,240
1997 modern 197 #17,792
1998 modern 209 #17,650
1999 modern 218 #17,258
2000 modern 212 #17,554
2001 modern 209 #17,469
2002 modern 219 #17,288
2003 modern 207 #17,746
2004 modern 201 #18,168
2005 modern 196 #18,404
2006 modern 190 #18,898
2007 modern 194 #18,855
2008 modern 187 #19,465
2009 modern 187 #19,868
2010 modern 180 #20,812
2011 modern 178 #20,809
2012 modern 191 #19,802
2013 modern 191 #20,124
2014 modern 190 #20,374
2015 modern 179 #21,069
2016 modern 176 #21,298

Geography

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Where Wightwicks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Tunbridge, Bidborough, London parishes, Codford St Peter with Ashton Gifford, Salehurst and Hawkhurst, Etchingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sutton, Forest of Dean, Rother, Medway and Welwyn Hatfield. 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 Tunbridge, Bidborough Kent
2 London parishes London 3
3 Codford St Peter with Ashton Gifford Wiltshire
4 Salehurst Sussex
5 Hawkhurst, Etchingham Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sutton 011 Sutton
2 Forest of Dean 007 Forest of Dean
3 Rother 004 Rother
4 Medway 010 Medway
5 Welwyn Hatfield 016 Welwyn Hatfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wightwick

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wightwick

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Wightwick surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Wightwick household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Wightwick is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wightwick 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

Wightwick falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Wightwick is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Wightwick families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wightwick 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 75 Wightwicks recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.66x.

County Total Index
Kent 75 13.66x
Middlesex 29 1.80x
Sussex 21 7.74x
Surrey 11 1.40x
Wiltshire 6 4.22x
Monmouthshire 5 4.30x
Somerset 5 1.93x
Lancashire 3 0.16x
Yorkshire 3 0.19x
Suffolk 2 1.02x
Warwickshire 2 0.49x
Devon 1 0.30x
Essex 1 0.31x
Glamorgan 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tonbridge in Kent leads with 14 Wightwicks recorded in 1881 and an index of 70.71x.

Place Total Index
Tonbridge 14 70.71x
Canterbury St Mildred 12 923.08x
St Pancras London 12 9.26x
Islington London 10 6.41x
Salehurst 9 762.71x
Speldhurst 9 321.43x
Croydon 8 18.38x
Greenwich 7 27.32x
Lewisham 7 23.91x
Tenterden 7 360.82x
Codford St Peter 6 3333.33x
Maidstone 6 36.67x
Trevethin 5 45.50x
Brede 4 701.75x
St Marylebone London 4 4.66x
Weston Super Mare 4 61.16x
Folkestone 3 28.17x
Leeds 3 3.33x
Staplehurst 3 333.33x
Whatlington 3 1428.57x
Withington 3 48.78x
Cowlinge 2 540.54x
Edgbaston 2 15.90x
Northiam 2 298.51x
Rochester St Margaret 2 34.54x
St George Hanover 2 9.52x
Appledore 1 277.78x
Camberwell 1 0.97x
Churchill 1 243.90x
Clapham 1 4.97x
Ewhurst 1 166.67x
Frindsbury 1 48.31x
Hampstead London 1 3.99x
Hastings St Mary 1 14.81x
Hawkhurst 1 58.48x
Hythe St Leonard 1 51.55x
Llandaff 1 10.73x
Plumstead 1 5.46x
Preston 1 21.10x
Putney 1 13.62x
Tormoham 1 7.06x
West Ham 1 1.43x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 8
Ellen 4
Kate 4
Alice 3
Ann 3
Annie 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Florence 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Maria 3
Sarah 3
Catherine 2
Fanny 2
Hannah 2
Harriet 2
Leah 2
Ada 1
Anne 1
Augusta 1
Betsy 1
Blanche 1
Caroline 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Frederica 1
Grace 1
Helen 1
Hellen 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Lilly 1
Lizzie 1
Lydia 1
Margaret 1
Marion 1
Maryonetta 1
Minnie 1
Phoebe 1
Sophie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 14
Charles 7
George 5
Edward 4
Thomas 4
Albert 3
Alfred 3
Henry 3
Humphrey 3
James 3
John 3
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Robert 2
Walter 2
Douglas 1
Fallon 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Humphey 1
Norman 1
Richard 1
Thos. 1
W. 1

FAQ

Wightwick surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wightwick surname in 1881?

In 1881, 165 people were recorded with the Wightwick surname. That placed it at #14,559 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wightwick surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 176 in 2016. That gives Wightwick a modern rank of #21,298.

What does the Wightwick map show?

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