NameCensus.

UK surname

Wildman

A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived in the wild or had an untamed, fierce character.

In the 1881 census there were 1,830 people recorded with the Wildman surname, ranking it #2,376 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,486, ranked #2,655, down from #2,376 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Bingley and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Plymouth, Wolverhampton and Bedford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wildman is 2,646 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.8%.

1881 census count

1,830

Ranked #2,376

Modern count

2,486

2016, ranked #2,655

Peak year

1999

2,646 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wildman had 1,830 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,376 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,486 in 2016, ranked #2,655.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,565 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wildman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wildman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wildman 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 1,247 #2,293
1861 historical 1,183 #2,397
1881 historical 1,830 #2,376
1891 historical 2,063 #2,242
1901 historical 2,223 #2,434
1911 historical 2,565 #1,996
1997 modern 2,567 #2,472
1998 modern 2,642 #2,492
1999 modern 2,646 #2,497
2000 modern 2,570 #2,548
2001 modern 2,551 #2,514
2002 modern 2,575 #2,547
2003 modern 2,515 #2,553
2004 modern 2,513 #2,557
2005 modern 2,465 #2,568
2006 modern 2,456 #2,582
2007 modern 2,463 #2,599
2008 modern 2,479 #2,603
2009 modern 2,530 #2,615
2010 modern 2,591 #2,622
2011 modern 2,546 #2,628
2012 modern 2,525 #2,600
2013 modern 2,553 #2,619
2014 modern 2,555 #2,632
2015 modern 2,520 #2,638
2016 modern 2,486 #2,655

Geography

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Where Wildmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Bingley, St Pancras, Keighley and Luton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Plymouth, Wolverhampton, Bedford, Sefton and Craven. 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 3
2 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Luton Bedfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Plymouth 009 Plymouth
2 Wolverhampton 033 Wolverhampton
3 Bedford 002 Bedford
4 Sefton 021 Sefton
5 Craven 003 Craven

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wildman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wildman

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

Wildman 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

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

Meaning and origin of Wildman

The surname WILDMAN is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have emerged in the 14th or 15th century as a descriptive name, likely referring to someone who lived or worked in the wilderness or displayed a wild or unkempt appearance.

The name is derived from the Old English words "wilde" meaning "wild" or "untamed" and "man" referring to a person. This combination suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been associated with living in remote or forested areas, perhaps as woodsmen, foresters, or those who lived off the land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the WILDMAN surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1524, where a John Wildman is listed. This indicates that the name was already established in England by the early 16th century.

In the 17th century, the WILDMAN surname appears in various historical records, including the marriage of Thomas WILDMAN to Mary Moulton in 1611 in Cambridgeshire. Additionally, a notable figure bearing this surname was John WILDMAN (c. 1622-1693), an English Baptist minister and political agitator during the English Civil War.

Another prominent individual with the WILDMAN surname was Thomas WILDMAN (1623-1672), an English merchant and author who wrote a book titled "A Treatise on Trade" in 1670, advocating for free trade policies.

Moving into the 18th century, John WILDMAN (1688-1753) was an English politician and Whig Member of Parliament for Aylesbury from 1727 to 1741.

In the 19th century, Walter WILDMAN (1822-1896) was a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the former National Club and the Grosvenor Hotel.

The WILDMAN surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Wildman's Wood in Suffolk and Wildman's Lane in Hertfordshire, suggesting a connection to specific locations where early bearers of the name may have resided or worked.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wildman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wildman 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. Lancashire leads with 415 Wildmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.96x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 415 1.96x
Yorkshire 400 2.26x
Bedfordshire 254 27.48x
Middlesex 170 0.95x
Staffordshire 76 1.26x
Surrey 57 0.66x
Leicestershire 48 2.43x
Buckinghamshire 46 4.26x
Warwickshire 43 0.96x
Lincolnshire 37 1.30x
Nottinghamshire 35 1.45x
Derbyshire 33 1.18x
Cumberland 31 2.02x
Westmorland 25 6.37x
Kent 23 0.38x
Northamptonshire 22 1.31x
Essex 20 0.57x
Huntingdonshire 20 5.64x
Cheshire 13 0.33x
Hampshire 12 0.33x
Gloucestershire 11 0.31x
Cambridgeshire 5 0.44x
Hertfordshire 5 0.41x
Cornwall 4 0.20x
Flintshire 4 0.83x
Norfolk 3 0.11x
Perthshire 3 0.37x
Wiltshire 3 0.19x
Dorset 2 0.17x
Lanarkshire 2 0.03x
Sussex 2 0.07x
Devon 1 0.03x
Northumberland 1 0.04x
Royal Navy 1 0.47x
Rutland 1 0.76x
Somerset 1 0.03x
Wigtownshire 1 0.42x

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 53 Wildmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 47.04x.

Place Total Index
Bingley 53 47.04x
Holbeck 39 33.28x
St Pancras London 37 2.58x
Great Little Marsden 33 34.01x
Luton 32 20.00x
Bedford St Mary 29 121.80x
Birmingham 29 1.93x
Bradford 28 6.54x
Hunslet 28 10.15x
Keighley 28 14.85x
Lancaster 28 22.22x
Bury 26 10.75x
Leeds 24 2.40x
Ampthill 23 166.67x
Riseley 23 393.16x
Bedford St Paul 22 34.70x
Edlesborough 22 223.80x
Hackney London 22 2.20x
Nottingham St Mary 21 3.37x
Bethnal Green London 18 2.32x
West Derby 18 2.90x
Shoreditch London 17 2.20x
West Ham 17 2.19x
Baildon 16 48.03x
Wolverton 16 71.65x
Blackburn 15 2.66x
Bolnhurst 15 882.35x
Caldewgate 15 17.81x
Headingley Cum Burley 15 13.17x
Kendal 15 20.89x
West Bromwich 15 4.35x
Wolverhampton 15 3.24x
Adlington 14 70.56x
Bentham 14 103.86x
East Keal 14 578.51x
Shipley 14 15.25x
Spotland 14 5.94x
Camberwell 13 1.14x
Carnforth 13 111.78x
Manningham 13 5.97x
Preston 13 2.29x
Walsall Foreign 13 4.18x
Caton 12 180.72x
Padiham 12 23.45x
Barlestone 11 254.04x
Crompton 11 18.24x
Hulme 11 2.49x
Long Preston 11 255.22x
Ravensden 11 379.31x
Sedgley 11 4.91x
Windle 11 9.23x
Battersea 10 1.52x
Clerkenwell London 10 2.37x
Croxton Keyrial 10 298.51x
Dalton In Kendal 10 1333.33x
Haworth 10 23.78x
Leicester St Margaret 10 2.07x
Burnley 9 5.05x
Maulden 9 112.36x
Milverton 9 68.18x
Newbold Verdon 9 197.80x
Tankersley 9 68.23x
Thurleigh 9 244.57x
Burton Upon Trent 8 5.67x
Canterbury St Mary 8 19.57x
Colne 8 12.68x
Gainsborough 8 11.89x
Lambeth 8 0.51x
Little Eaton 8 138.41x
Little Staughton 8 278.75x
Skelmersdale 8 22.66x
Skipton 8 14.37x
Borwick 7 451.61x
Brigham 7 96.42x
Eaton Bray 7 75.03x
Giggleswick 7 117.25x
Leighton Buzzard 7 17.61x
Moss Side 7 6.28x
Northampton St Giles 7 10.94x
St Cuthbert W O 7 9.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 126
Elizabeth 77
Sarah 68
Ann 33
Jane 33
Annie 32
Margaret 32
Ellen 28
Emma 28
Alice 27
Eliza 24
Hannah 22
Emily 19
Martha 17
Louisa 15
Ada 13
Susan 13
Agnes 12
Harriet 12
Clara 10
Maria 10
Florence 9
Frances 9
Anne 8
Fanny 8
Charlotte 7
Isabella 7
Kate 7
Amelia 6
Caroline 6
Esther 6
Maud 6
Minnie 6
Rebecca 6
Susannah 6
Bridget 5
Edith 5
Eleanor 5
Bertha 4
Catherine 4
Elizth. 4
Grace 4
Julia 4
Laura 4
Lily 4
Lizzie 4
Mabel 4
Rhoda 4
Ruth 4
Selina 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 123
John 122
Thomas 66
George 46
James 41
Edward 30
Henry 30
Joseph 28
Arthur 26
Charles 22
Samuel 22
Alfred 20
Robert 19
Harry 15
Frederick 13
Walter 12
Richard 11
Stephen 11
Albert 10
David 10
Thos. 9
Ernest 6
Frank 6
Richd. 6
Wm. 6
Benjamin 5
Edwin 5
Herbert 5
Christopher 4
Francis 4
Isaac 4
Tom 4
Alison 3
Daniel 3
Fred 3
Fredk. 3
Geo. 3
Horace 3
Jesse 3
Jonas 3
Jonathon 3
Alexander 2
Ambrose 2
Joshua 2
Levi 2
Lewis 2
Matthias 2
Peter 2
Sam 2
Sidney 2

FAQ

Wildman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wildman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,830 people were recorded with the Wildman surname. That placed it at #2,376 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wildman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,486 in 2016. That gives Wildman a modern rank of #2,655.

What does the Wildman surname mean?

A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived in the wild or had an untamed, fierce character.

What does the Wildman map show?

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