NameCensus.

UK surname

Wilcox

From a place called Wilcott, derived from the Old English words "wilig" meaning willow and "cot" meaning cottage.

In the 1881 census there were 5,633 people recorded with the Wilcox surname, ranking it #786 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,770, ranked #747, up from #786 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Bedwelty. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stoke-on-Trent, North Kesteven and Shropshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wilcox is 9,293 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 55.7%.

1881 census count

5,633

Ranked #786

Modern count

8,770

2016, ranked #747

Peak year

1999

9,293 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wilcox had 5,633 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #786 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,770 in 2016, ranked #747.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,085 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wilcox surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wilcox surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wilcox 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 3,123 #927
1861 historical 3,277 #871
1881 historical 5,633 #786
1891 historical 6,074 #762
1901 historical 7,647 #703
1911 historical 8,085 #623
1997 modern 8,726 #723
1998 modern 9,261 #712
1999 modern 9,293 #714
2000 modern 9,209 #717
2001 modern 9,064 #711
2002 modern 9,227 #717
2003 modern 9,013 #712
2004 modern 8,937 #719
2005 modern 8,730 #726
2006 modern 8,740 #729
2007 modern 8,755 #735
2008 modern 8,840 #731
2009 modern 9,022 #732
2010 modern 9,145 #740
2011 modern 8,967 #744
2012 modern 8,800 #742
2013 modern 8,926 #743
2014 modern 8,944 #745
2015 modern 8,826 #744
2016 modern 8,770 #747

Geography

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Where Wilcox' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Bedwelty and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stoke-on-Trent, North Kesteven, Shropshire, Torfaen and Cornwall. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Bedwelty Monmouthshire
4 Walsall Staffordshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stoke-on-Trent 009 Stoke-on-Trent
2 North Kesteven 007 North Kesteven
3 Shropshire 009 Shropshire
4 Torfaen 002 Torfaen
5 Cornwall 057 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wilcox

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wilcox

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wilcox is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wilcox 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

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

Meaning and origin of Wilcox

The surname Wilcox has its origins in England and dates back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "wil," meaning willow, and "cocc," referring to a small stream or waterway. Therefore, the name literally translates to "one who dwells near a willow stream."

This surname was predominantly found in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, where willow trees and small streams were abundant. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions individuals with variations of the spelling, such as Wilcocus and Wilcoc.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which listed a Richard Wilcok in Oxfordshire. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where a Walter Wylecok is mentioned.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Wilcox, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1350. He was a landowner and is mentioned in local records from that time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Wilcox became more widespread, and several notable individuals bore this name. One such person was Sir John Wilcox (1530-1608), an English politician and landowner from Gloucestershire. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Wilcox (1549-1608), an English Puritan minister and author. He was a vocal critic of the Church of England and wrote several influential works on religious reform.

In the 18th century, Benjamin Wilcox (1722-1792) was a prominent American Revolutionary War soldier and politician from Connecticut. He served as a captain in the Continental Army and later became a member of the Connecticut General Assembly.

In the 19th century, Walter Wilcox (1828-1903) was a notable American engineer and inventor. He developed several improvements to the steam engine and was also involved in the early development of the bicycle.

Throughout history, the surname Wilcox has been associated with various places, such as Wilcox County in Alabama, Wilcox in Pennsylvania, and Wilcox in Saskatchewan, Canada, all of which were likely named after individuals bearing this surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wilcox families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wilcox 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. Staffordshire leads with 662 Wilcox' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.56x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 662 3.56x
Middlesex 591 1.07x
Lancashire 416 0.64x
Warwickshire 410 2.95x
Gloucestershire 395 3.66x
Somerset 344 3.88x
Surrey 273 1.02x
Yorkshire 202 0.37x
Lincolnshire 149 1.69x
Monmouthshire 144 3.62x
Shropshire 141 2.97x
Wiltshire 141 2.90x
Worcestershire 136 1.89x
Dorset 123 3.41x
Glamorgan 122 1.27x
Northamptonshire 122 2.36x
Pembrokeshire 111 6.35x
Cheshire 105 0.86x
Kent 102 0.54x
Hampshire 101 0.90x
Devon 82 0.72x
Nottinghamshire 77 1.04x
Essex 75 0.69x
Durham 65 0.40x
Derbyshire 64 0.74x
Leicestershire 54 0.88x
Montgomeryshire 51 4.04x
Herefordshire 48 2.13x
Northumberland 42 0.51x
Berkshire 29 0.70x
Buckinghamshire 29 0.87x
Oxfordshire 28 0.82x
Sussex 28 0.30x
Bedfordshire 21 0.74x
Hertfordshire 21 0.55x
Norfolk 16 0.19x
Aberdeenshire 15 0.29x
Ayrshire 14 0.34x
Cambridgeshire 14 0.40x
Carmarthenshire 9 0.39x
Angus 8 0.16x
Huntingdonshire 8 0.73x
Brecknockshire 7 0.64x
Suffolk 7 0.10x
Channel Islands 6 0.37x
Midlothian 6 0.08x
Roxburghshire 5 0.50x
Cornwall 4 0.06x
Royal Navy 3 0.46x
Cardiganshire 2 0.15x
Denbighshire 2 0.10x
East Lothian 2 0.27x
Flintshire 2 0.14x
Rutland 2 0.49x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.04x
Cumberland 1 0.02x
Isle of Man 1 0.10x
Lanarkshire 1 0.01x
Westmorland 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 162 Wilcox' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.24x.

Place Total Index
Aston 162 4.24x
Walsall Foreign 136 14.17x
Birmingham 109 2.36x
Islington London 73 1.37x
Camberwell 67 1.91x
Stoke Upon Trent 66 3.35x
Burslem 65 12.21x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 54 5.31x
Hackney London 52 1.69x
Lambeth 50 1.04x
Sherston Magna 46 156.84x
Frome 41 19.35x
West Ham 39 1.63x
Bedwellty 38 5.41x
Liverpool 38 0.96x
Horton 37 424.31x
Pucklechurch 37 152.01x
St Pancras London 35 0.79x
Trevethin 35 9.32x
Wolstanton Knutton 35 30.86x
Kilmersdon 32 73.13x
Aspull 31 20.18x
Dudley 30 3.43x
Fulham London 30 3.76x
West Derby 30 1.57x
Shoreditch London 29 1.22x
St Marylebone London 29 0.99x
Toxteth Park 29 1.31x
Bethnal Green London 28 1.17x
Madeley 28 16.06x
Portsea 28 1.27x
Manchester 27 0.92x
Coventry Holy Trinity 26 6.27x
Stone 26 10.94x
Willenhall 26 7.47x
Cheltenham 25 3.00x
Congleton 25 11.91x
Kensington London 25 0.82x
Chelsea London 24 1.45x
Eastington 24 67.15x
Forden 24 139.53x
Harborne 24 4.03x
Newington 24 1.18x
Kings Norton 23 3.57x
Nottingham St Mary 23 1.20x
Woodlands 23 269.64x
Clifton Campville 22 150.89x
Paddington London 22 1.09x
Sedgley 22 3.19x
Warrington 22 2.84x
West Bromwich 22 2.07x
Ystradyfodwg 22 2.62x
Aberdare 21 3.19x
Lyncombe Widcombe 21 9.05x
Sawley 21 80.83x
Alnwick 20 14.21x
Bermondsey 20 1.22x
Christchurch 20 8.18x
Frampton Cotterell 19 50.15x
Pembroke St Mary 19 8.44x
Wolverhampton 19 1.33x
Bedminster 18 2.16x
Coventry St Michael 18 4.04x
Lilstock 18 1016.95x
Wolstanton 18 3.19x
Woolsthorpe 18 159.72x
Blackburn 17 0.98x
Deptford St Paul 17 1.17x
Ealing 17 3.46x
Luckington 17 268.56x
Stoke Newington London 17 3.97x
Clerkenwell London 16 1.23x
Clifton 16 2.93x
Everton 16 0.77x
Handsworth 16 3.49x
Horfield 16 14.73x
Kingswinford 16 2.37x
Peterborough 16 4.27x
Westerleigh 16 66.09x
Sheffield 15 0.86x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 378
Elizabeth 229
Sarah 204
Ann 103
Eliza 101
Ellen 96
Jane 90
Emma 83
Alice 81
Emily 72
Annie 69
Louisa 61
Hannah 52
Fanny 48
Martha 47
Florence 40
Margaret 36
Charlotte 33
Clara 31
Maria 31
Harriet 30
Kate 29
Lucy 29
Ada 27
Anne 26
Caroline 26
Edith 26
Catherine 23
Agnes 21
Rose 20
Matilda 18
Julia 16
Harriett 15
Jessie 15
Lizzie 13
Susan 13
Amelia 12
Anna 12
Laura 12
Minnie 12
Amy 11
Ethel 11
Frances 11
Rebecca 11
Rosa 10
Selina 10
Sophia 10
Esther 9
Lydia 9
Phoebe 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 352
John 338
George 198
Thomas 192
James 162
Henry 136
Joseph 131
Charles 107
Alfred 63
Samuel 63
Richard 57
Arthur 53
Edward 50
Frederick 45
Walter 44
Albert 43
Robert 37
Edwin 34
Harry 32
Frank 26
Benjamin 19
Isaac 19
David 18
Herbert 18
Matthew 15
Ernest 14
Francis 12
Wm. 12
Geo. 11
Elijah 10
Job 10
Thos. 9
Daniel 8
Fred 8
Percy 8
Sidney 8
Jas. 7
Jno. 7
Peter 7
Tom 7
Chas. 6
Edmund 6
Oliver 6
Willm. 6
Clement 5
Edgar 5
Fredk. 5
Fredrick 5
Jesse 5
Phillip 5

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 Wilcox households.

FAQ

Wilcox surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wilcox surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,633 people were recorded with the Wilcox surname. That placed it at #786 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wilcox surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,770 in 2016. That gives Wilcox a modern rank of #747.

What does the Wilcox surname mean?

From a place called Wilcott, derived from the Old English words "wilig" meaning willow and "cot" meaning cottage.

What does the Wilcox map show?

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