NameCensus.

UK surname

Wilkin

Derived from a diminutive of William, meaning "son of Wilkin" or "little Will."

In the 1881 census there were 1,641 people recorded with the Wilkin surname, ranking it #2,614 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,952, ranked #3,288, down from #2,614 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Lytham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Colchester and Eden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wilkin is 2,203 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 19.0%.

1881 census count

1,641

Ranked #2,614

Modern count

1,952

2016, ranked #3,288

Peak year

1911

2,203 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wilkin had 1,641 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,614 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,952 in 2016, ranked #3,288.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,203 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wilkin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wilkin surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wilkin 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 1,374 #2,088
1861 historical 1,326 #2,161
1881 historical 1,641 #2,614
1891 historical 1,885 #2,438
1901 historical 2,048 #2,616
1911 historical 2,203 #2,286
1997 modern 2,034 #3,017
1998 modern 2,111 #3,026
1999 modern 2,109 #3,046
2000 modern 2,102 #3,037
2001 modern 2,042 #3,059
2002 modern 2,091 #3,062
2003 modern 2,023 #3,086
2004 modern 2,029 #3,076
2005 modern 2,007 #3,078
2006 modern 1,989 #3,108
2007 modern 1,974 #3,160
2008 modern 1,967 #3,182
2009 modern 2,018 #3,193
2010 modern 2,042 #3,218
2011 modern 1,986 #3,250
2012 modern 1,930 #3,282
2013 modern 1,975 #3,280
2014 modern 1,975 #3,298
2015 modern 1,948 #3,301
2016 modern 1,952 #3,288

Geography

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Where Wilkins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Lytham and Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Colchester, Eden, Hambleton and East Cambridgeshire. 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 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Lytham Lancashire
5 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 038 Northumberland
2 Colchester 018 Colchester
3 Eden 001 Eden
4 Hambleton 005 Hambleton
5 East Cambridgeshire 002 East Cambridgeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wilkin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wilkin

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

Wilkin 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

Wilkin falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Wilkin

The surname WILKIN is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name Wilcyn, a diminutive form of Wilc, itself a pet form of the Germanic name Willelm or William. The name is thought to have originated in the southern counties of England, particularly in the areas around London and Kent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1195, which mentions a Robert Wilkin. The surname also appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1202, where a Richard Wilkin is listed as a landowner.

The Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname WILKIN. However, it does record the names of several individuals who may have been ancestors or precursors to the later bearers of the WILKIN surname, such as Willelm and Wilkin.

In the 13th century, the name WILKIN began to appear in various legal and administrative records across England. One notable example is John Wilkin, who was recorded as a taxpayer in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275.

The earliest recorded example of the surname WILKIN with a definitive date of birth and death is that of Robert Wilkin (c. 1360 - 1427), an English clergyman who served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1418 to 1427.

Other notable individuals with the surname WILKIN include:

1. Sir John Wilkin (c. 1585 - 1649), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Middlesex during the reign of Charles I.

2. William Wilkin (1610 - 1672), an English Puritan clergyman and author, known for his work "A Discourse Concerning the Worship of God" published in 1691.

3. John Wilkins (1614 - 1672), an English clergyman and philosopher, who was one of the founding members of the Royal Society and served as the Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death.

4. David Wilkin (1771 - 1835), a Scottish-American pioneer and surveyor who played a significant role in the early settlement of Ohio and Indiana.

5. John Wilkins (1824 - 1909), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire and Marylebone Cricket Club in the mid-19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wilkin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wilkin 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 225 Wilkins recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.14x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 225 9.14x
Middlesex 220 1.37x
Yorkshire 201 1.27x
Essex 136 4.30x
Cambridgeshire 122 12.03x
Durham 100 2.10x
Northumberland 83 3.48x
Lancashire 80 0.42x
Suffolk 68 3.49x
Lincolnshire 48 1.88x
Kent 40 0.73x
Surrey 38 0.49x
Carmarthenshire 36 5.34x
Cumberland 36 2.61x
Staffordshire 20 0.37x
Gloucestershire 18 0.57x
Derbyshire 15 0.60x
Westmorland 13 3.70x
Cornwall 12 0.66x
Northamptonshire 10 0.66x
Lanarkshire 9 0.17x
Hampshire 8 0.24x
Kirkcudbrightshire 8 3.45x
Wiltshire 8 0.57x
Bedfordshire 7 0.84x
Denbighshire 7 1.16x
Dumfriesshire 7 1.98x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.40x
Monmouthshire 6 0.52x
Warwickshire 6 0.15x
Midlothian 5 0.23x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.23x
Worcestershire 5 0.24x
Cheshire 4 0.11x
Flintshire 4 0.93x
Hertfordshire 4 0.36x
Huntingdonshire 4 1.26x
Merionethshire 3 1.02x
Sussex 3 0.11x
Devon 2 0.06x
Ayrshire 1 0.08x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.10x
Fife 1 0.11x
Glamorgan 1 0.04x
Inverness-shire 1 0.21x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.20x
Royal Navy 1 0.52x
Shropshire 1 0.07x
Somerset 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Necton in Norfolk leads with 27 Wilkins recorded in 1881 and an index of 620.69x.

Place Total Index
Necton 27 620.69x
St Andrewthe Less 27 23.31x
Gateshead 23 6.45x
Great Yeldham 23 701.22x
Sheffield 23 4.55x
Whitwell 23 987.12x
Clerkenwell London 22 5.82x
Holy Trinity 22 5.77x
Islington London 22 1.42x
Ecclesall Bierlow 20 6.20x
St Marylebone London 20 2.34x
St Pancras London 20 1.55x
Bury St Edmunds St James 19 36.48x
Aldborough 18 932.64x
Eston 18 52.10x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 17 23.01x
Bishopwearmouth 16 3.91x
Fen Ditton 16 437.16x
Laceby 15 269.30x
Bedlington 14 17.60x
Mickley 14 186.42x
Mile End Old Town 14 5.54x
Everton 13 2.15x
Great Ryburgh 13 342.11x
Ipswich St Margaret 13 19.65x
Lakenham 13 37.17x
Llandebie 13 66.43x
Lytham 13 44.83x
Bermondsey 12 2.52x
Hackney London 12 1.34x
Kensington London 12 1.35x
Kidwelly 12 87.08x
Marton 12 95.01x
Northwold 12 181.82x
Paull 12 400.00x
Bardwell 11 265.06x
Barrington 11 321.64x
Norwich St John Sepulchre 11 68.88x
Bethnal Green London 10 1.44x
Bristol St Paul In 10 11.96x
Chatham 10 6.66x
Coxlodge 10 55.22x
Great Grimsby 10 6.16x
Hampstead London 10 4.01x
Belchamp St Paul 9 231.96x
Earls Colne 9 103.21x
St Agnes 9 35.46x
St Luke London 9 3.51x
Witchford 9 371.90x
Dalton Upon Tees 8 754.72x
Downton 8 43.17x
East Donyland 8 105.12x
Leyton Low 8 12.46x
Llanarthney 8 78.59x
Middlesbrough 8 3.87x
Monk Bretton 8 49.81x
Paddington London 8 1.36x
Uxbridge 8 43.74x
Westoe 8 2.96x
Whitley 8 104.03x
Bersham 7 27.14x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 7 19.13x
Chesterton 7 22.39x
East Ham 7 11.94x
Glasgow 7 0.76x
Kimberworth 7 7.95x
Kirkbean 7 156.95x
Little Yeldham 7 443.04x
Lowestoft 7 7.60x
Margaret Roothing 7 569.11x
Openshaw 7 7.87x
Patrington 7 93.21x
Sandy 7 47.91x
South Frodingham 7 700.00x
St Giles Cripplegate 7 32.94x
Stockton On Tees 7 3.05x
Swallow 7 538.46x
Thornaby 7 11.81x
Thornton Le Moor 7 1320.75x
Westminster St John 7 3.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 102
Elizabeth 64
Sarah 62
Jane 34
Alice 28
Emma 27
Eliza 25
Ellen 23
Ann 21
Emily 21
Margaret 16
Annie 15
Harriet 15
Hannah 14
Maria 13
Martha 13
Kate 10
Susannah 10
Charlotte 9
Isabella 9
Clara 8
Edith 8
Florence 8
Lucy 8
Caroline 7
Frances 7
Lydia 7
Matilda 7
Rebecca 7
Ada 6
Eleanor 6
Ruth 6
Catherine 5
Esther 5
Fanny 5
Francis 5
Georgina 5
Julia 5
Rachel 5
Susan 5
Amelia 4
Elizth. 4
Ethel 4
Laura 4
Louisa 4
Margt. 4
Minnie 4
Rose 4
Anna 3
Rosa 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 92
William 92
George 70
Thomas 53
James 51
Charles 44
Robert 44
Henry 29
Joseph 15
Alfred 14
Albert 13
Frederick 12
Walter 12
Arthur 11
Richard 11
Edward 9
Harry 9
David 7
Frank 6
Matthew 6
Samuel 6
Herbert 5
Stephen 5
Gilbert 4
Martin 4
Benjamin 3
Daniel 3
Ernest 3
Fred 3
Geo. 3
Horace 3
Luke 3
Peter 3
Robt. 3
Wm. 3
Adam 2
Algernon 2
Anthony 2
Chas. 2
Cornelius 2
Edwd. 2
Edwin 2
Francis 2
Fredk. 2
Jeremiah 2
Lancelot 2
Michael 2
Septimus 2
Timothy 2
Edmund 1

FAQ

Wilkin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wilkin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,641 people were recorded with the Wilkin surname. That placed it at #2,614 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wilkin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,952 in 2016. That gives Wilkin a modern rank of #3,288.

What does the Wilkin surname mean?

Derived from a diminutive of William, meaning "son of Wilkin" or "little Will."

What does the Wilkin map show?

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