NameCensus.

UK surname

Wilkes

Derived from a place name meaning "wet land" or "moist land" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 5,191 people recorded with the Wilkes surname, ranking it #857 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,813, ranked #652, up from #857 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Sedgley and Darlaston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Flintshire, Walsall and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wilkes is 10,062 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 89.0%.

1881 census count

5,191

Ranked #857

Modern count

9,813

2016, ranked #652

Peak year

2010

10,062 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wilkes had 5,191 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #857 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,813 in 2016, ranked #652.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,229 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Wilkes surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wilkes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wilkes 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 3,087 #935
1861 historical 2,538 #1,152
1881 historical 5,191 #857
1891 historical 5,427 #864
1901 historical 7,236 #760
1911 historical 8,229 #605
1997 modern 9,523 #661
1998 modern 9,948 #650
1999 modern 10,029 #649
2000 modern 9,944 #656
2001 modern 9,765 #650
2002 modern 9,937 #654
2003 modern 9,663 #659
2004 modern 9,607 #660
2005 modern 9,531 #659
2006 modern 9,548 #658
2007 modern 9,628 #656
2008 modern 9,619 #662
2009 modern 9,877 #658
2010 modern 10,062 #655
2011 modern 9,963 #656
2012 modern 9,775 #653
2013 modern 9,931 #656
2014 modern 9,975 #656
2015 modern 9,871 #655
2016 modern 9,813 #652

Geography

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Where Wilkes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Sedgley, Darlaston, London parishes and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Flintshire, Walsall, Cornwall and Bromsgrove. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Sedgley Staffordshire
3 Darlaston Staffordshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Flintshire 003 Flintshire
2 Walsall 033 Walsall
3 Cornwall 060 Cornwall
4 Walsall 012 Walsall
5 Bromsgrove 007 Bromsgrove

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wilkes

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wilkes

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Wilkes surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Wilkes household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wilkes 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

Wilkes 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

Wilkes falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Wilkes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Wilkes

The surname Wilkes is of English origin, derived from a place name. It can be traced back to the Old English words "willian" meaning "willow" and "hicc" meaning "stream or brook". Thus, the name originally referred to someone who lived near a willow stream or brook.

The name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, as "Wilches" and "Wilches". This early record suggests the name was present in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066. Over time, the spelling evolved into the more modern form of Wilkes.

In the 13th century, the name appears as "Wilkes" in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire, referring to a location in that county. This indicates that the name was associated with a specific place during this period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name was John Wilkes (c. 1325 - 1384), a Member of Parliament for Middlesex in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Wilkes (c. 1545 - 1598), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, John Wilkes (1610 - 1672) was a prominent Parliamentary commander and a signatory of the death warrant for King Charles I. His grandson, John Wilkes (1727 - 1797), was a famous English radical, journalist, and politician who played a significant role in the Wilkes Riots of 1768.

In the 18th century, Charles Wilkes (1798 - 1877) was an American naval officer and explorer, best known for leading the United States Exploring Expedition from 1838 to 1842, which explored and mapped parts of the Antarctic continent.

The name Wilkes has also been associated with various places, such as Wilkes County in Georgia, USA, named after the British naval officer John Wilkes, and Wilkes Land in Antarctica, named after Charles Wilkes.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wilkes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wilkes 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 1,624 Wilkes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.50x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 1,624 9.50x
Warwickshire 726 5.69x
Worcestershire 540 8.17x
Shropshire 335 7.66x
Middlesex 327 0.65x
Gloucestershire 233 2.35x
Surrey 217 0.88x
Lancashire 184 0.31x
Yorkshire 150 0.30x
Cheshire 88 0.79x
Hampshire 70 0.67x
Kent 58 0.34x
Glamorgan 56 0.64x
Herefordshire 48 2.31x
Nottinghamshire 47 0.69x
Essex 45 0.45x
Derbyshire 43 0.54x
Durham 41 0.27x
Flintshire 33 2.42x
Wiltshire 32 0.71x
Oxfordshire 28 0.90x
Leicestershire 23 0.41x
Sussex 22 0.26x
Montgomeryshire 20 1.72x
Suffolk 20 0.32x
Monmouthshire 19 0.52x
Cornwall 17 0.30x
Northamptonshire 14 0.29x
Lanarkshire 13 0.08x
Berkshire 12 0.32x
Somerset 12 0.15x
Devon 11 0.10x
Anglesey 9 1.00x
Brecknockshire 9 0.89x
Buckinghamshire 9 0.29x
Midlothian 8 0.12x
Denbighshire 6 0.31x
Norfolk 6 0.08x
Bedfordshire 5 0.19x
Lincolnshire 5 0.06x
Cardiganshire 4 0.32x
Northumberland 4 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 4 0.25x
Angus 3 0.06x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.10x
Cumberland 2 0.05x
Hertfordshire 2 0.06x
Berwickshire 1 0.16x
Dorset 1 0.03x
Fife 1 0.03x
Royal Navy 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 324 Wilkes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.61x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 324 7.61x
Darlaston 261 110.51x
Aston 234 6.66x
West Bromwich 175 17.89x
Wolverhampton 175 13.32x
Sedgley 141 22.21x
Dudley 127 15.80x
Walsall Foreign 110 12.46x
Wednesbury 91 21.31x
Kings Norton 77 12.99x
Bilston 72 21.74x
Bromsgrove 63 28.31x
St Pancras London 56 1.37x
Camberwell 55 1.70x
Kingswinford 52 8.38x
Redditch 52 38.79x
Harborne 48 8.76x
Wednesfield 44 17.50x
Tipton 43 8.22x
Willenhall 43 13.43x
Madeley 42 26.19x
Bidford 41 150.18x
Stafford St Mary 35 14.47x
Stoke Upon Trent 34 1.88x
Handsworth 33 7.83x
Kidderminster Borough 33 8.53x
Lambeth 33 0.75x
Walsall Borough 33 24.88x
Nottingham St Mary 31 1.76x
Tewkesbury 29 32.73x
Tettenhall 28 26.80x
Portsea 27 1.33x
Holywell 26 15.22x
Hyssington 24 439.56x
Mitcham 24 15.39x
Battersea 23 1.23x
Newcastle Under Lyme 23 7.61x
Wellington 23 9.36x
Lichfield St Chad 21 54.63x
Oldbury 21 6.46x
Yardley 21 12.41x
Dawley 20 12.57x
Swindon 20 5.76x
Bow London 19 2.95x
Nantwich 19 14.63x
Cannock 18 6.04x
Leeds 18 0.64x
Newington 18 0.96x
Shoreditch London 18 0.82x
St Marylebone London 18 0.67x
Everton 17 0.89x
Shrewsbury St Mary 17 9.85x
St George Hanover 17 2.57x
Upton On Severn 17 39.25x
Bredon 16 70.86x
Claines 16 8.82x
Shifnal 16 13.47x
Edgbaston 15 3.79x
Westbury On Severn East 15 6.68x
Castle Church 14 13.63x
Chaddesley Corbett 14 56.50x
Hammersmith London 14 1.12x
Islington London 14 0.29x
Leominster 14 16.29x
Openshaw 14 4.98x
Salford 14 0.79x
Altrincham 13 6.66x
Bridgnorth St Mary 13 30.47x
Cardiff St Mary 13 2.68x
Drayton In Hales 13 14.42x
Kensington London 13 0.46x
Middlesbrough 13 1.99x
Northfield 13 10.36x
Paddington London 13 0.70x
Shrewsbury St Chad 13 8.47x
Bury 12 1.75x
Deptford St Paul 12 0.90x
Derby St Werburgh 12 2.62x
Hulme 12 0.96x
Milton Under Wychwood 12 82.82x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 343
Sarah 221
Elizabeth 189
Eliza 109
Ann 107
Emma 104
Jane 82
Ellen 77
Alice 71
Annie 70
Hannah 66
Harriet 58
Martha 50
Emily 47
Florence 43
Lucy 42
Edith 40
Louisa 38
Caroline 35
Fanny 35
Charlotte 31
Maria 29
Amelia 25
Clara 24
Agnes 23
Kate 23
Ada 22
Matilda 22
Rebecca 22
Margaret 21
Harriett 17
Susannah 17
Frances 15
Anne 14
Betsy 14
Catherine 14
Rose 14
Esther 13
Elizth. 11
Phoebe 11
Rachel 11
Amy 10
Gertrude 10
Selina 10
Eleanor 9
Julia 9
Minnie 9
Isabella 8
Lydia 8
Nancy 8

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 301
John 287
Thomas 194
George 184
James 139
Joseph 105
Charles 104
Henry 97
Alfred 77
Samuel 67
Edward 57
Arthur 56
Richard 56
Albert 42
Harry 40
Edwin 29
Robert 28
Frederick 27
Benjamin 25
David 25
Ernest 22
Walter 22
Job 17
Frank 16
Thos. 14
Herbert 13
Enoch 12
Isaac 12
Jesse 12
Eli 10
Francis 10
Stephen 9
Simeon 8
Daniel 7
Geo. 7
Timothy 7
Wm. 7
Alexander 6
Edmund 6
Fredk. 6
Josiah 6
Leonard 6
Martin 6
Moses 6
Noah 6
Chas. 5
Cornelius 5
Israel 5
Jas. 5
Sidney 5

FAQ

Wilkes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wilkes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,191 people were recorded with the Wilkes surname. That placed it at #857 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wilkes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,813 in 2016. That gives Wilkes a modern rank of #652.

What does the Wilkes surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "wet land" or "moist land" in Old English.

What does the Wilkes map show?

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