NameCensus.

UK surname

Wilkinson

Derived from a patronymic name meaning "son of Wilkin," a diminutive of William, which means "resolute protection."

In the 1881 census there were 45,653 people recorded with the Wilkinson surname, ranking it #64 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 57,423, ranked #81, down from #64 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Burnley and Pendle.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wilkinson is 60,041 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 25.8%.

1881 census count

45,653

Ranked #64

Modern count

57,423

2016, ranked #81

Peak year

1999

60,041 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wilkinson had 45,653 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #64 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 57,423 in 2016, ranked #81.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 59,921 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wilkinson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wilkinson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wilkinson 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 28,575 #67
1861 historical 30,898 #63
1881 historical 45,653 #64
1891 historical 48,471 #64
1901 historical 56,358 #64
1911 historical 59,921 #56
1997 modern 57,710 #73
1998 modern 59,493 #74
1999 modern 60,041 #74
2000 modern 59,587 #74
2001 modern 58,197 #73
2002 modern 59,180 #74
2003 modern 57,569 #74
2004 modern 57,525 #75
2005 modern 56,489 #75
2006 modern 56,508 #76
2007 modern 56,833 #77
2008 modern 57,259 #78
2009 modern 58,462 #81
2010 modern 59,509 #81
2011 modern 58,464 #81
2012 modern 57,150 #81
2013 modern 58,200 #81
2014 modern 58,457 #81
2015 modern 57,799 #81
2016 modern 57,423 #81

Geography

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Where Wilkinsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Manchester, Preston and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Burnley, Pendle, East Lindsey and Northumberland. 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 Gateshead Durham
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Preston Lancashire
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 064 County Durham
2 Burnley 004 Burnley
3 Pendle 008 Pendle
4 East Lindsey 011 East Lindsey
5 Northumberland 017 Northumberland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wilkinson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wilkinson

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

Wilkinson is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Wilkinson

The surname Wilkinson originated in England, with its roots dating back to the late 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "Wil" and "cyn," which together translate to "the son of William." It was initially a patronymic surname, identifying individuals as the descendants of someone named William.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Wilkinson surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named William Wilkinson is mentioned. Over the following centuries, the name spread across various regions of England, particularly in areas like Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland.

The Wilkinson surname appears in several historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists individuals with similar spellings like "Wilchineson" and "Wilchenson." Other early references can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where the name is spelled "Wylkynson."

Notable individuals bearing the Wilkinson surname throughout history include Sir John Wilkinson (1585-1649), a prominent English politician and lawyer who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the English Civil War. Another famous Wilkinson was John Wilkinson (1728-1808), an English ironmaster and pioneer in the industrial revolution, credited with developing the first cast iron bridge in Shropshire.

Reverend John Wilkinson (1728-1808) was an English clergyman and academic who served as the headmaster of Maidstone Grammar School in Kent. In the field of literature, Tate Wilkinson (1739-1803) was an English actor and theatre manager who established the Theatre Royal in York.

Geoffrey Wilkinson (1921-1996) was a renowned English chemist who made significant contributions to the field of organometallic chemistry and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1973 for his work on chemical bonding.

The Wilkinson surname has a rich history deeply rooted in England, with its patronymic origins reflecting the influence of the name William. From early records to prominent figures across various fields, the name has left an indelible mark on British history and society.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wilkinson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wilkinson 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. Yorkshire leads with 12,788 Wilkinsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.89x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 12,788 2.89x
Lancashire 10,296 1.95x
Durham 3,747 2.83x
Middlesex 2,496 0.56x
Cheshire 1,879 1.91x
Lincolnshire 1,767 2.48x
Northumberland 1,359 2.05x
Surrey 1,209 0.56x
Staffordshire 1,079 0.72x
Nottinghamshire 1,046 1.74x
Cumberland 880 2.29x
Kent 729 0.48x
Derbyshire 722 1.03x
Warwickshire 542 0.48x
Westmorland 422 4.31x
Essex 406 0.46x
Worcestershire 345 0.59x
Norfolk 344 0.50x
Leicestershire 319 0.65x
Hampshire 312 0.34x
Lanarkshire 280 0.19x
Shropshire 258 0.67x
Sussex 243 0.32x
Hertfordshire 154 0.50x
Midlothian 146 0.24x
Northamptonshire 146 0.35x
Suffolk 138 0.25x
Gloucestershire 132 0.15x
Cambridgeshire 125 0.44x
Devon 125 0.13x
Buckinghamshire 118 0.44x
Oxfordshire 95 0.35x
Somerset 90 0.13x
Bedfordshire 76 0.33x
Berwickshire 64 1.19x
Renfrewshire 62 0.18x
Berkshire 58 0.17x
Cornwall 47 0.09x
Fife 47 0.18x
Denbighshire 44 0.26x
Monmouthshire 44 0.14x
Glamorgan 40 0.05x
Dorset 39 0.13x
Selkirkshire 38 0.94x
Huntingdonshire 36 0.41x
Wiltshire 26 0.07x
Argyllshire 23 0.19x
Stirlingshire 23 0.14x
Angus 22 0.05x
Royal Navy 22 0.41x
Channel Islands 21 0.16x
Kirkcudbrightshire 19 0.29x
Flintshire 18 0.15x
Herefordshire 17 0.09x
East Lothian 16 0.27x
Rutland 16 0.49x
Isle of Man 14 0.17x
Pembrokeshire 14 0.10x
Ayrshire 13 0.04x
Dumfriesshire 13 0.13x
Perthshire 13 0.07x
Dunbartonshire 12 0.10x
Caernarfonshire 11 0.06x
Montgomeryshire 10 0.10x
Roxburghshire 10 0.12x
Brecknockshire 8 0.09x
Aberdeenshire 6 0.01x
Clackmannanshire 6 0.16x
West Lothian 4 0.06x
Ross-shire 3 0.02x
Anglesey 2 0.03x
Banffshire 2 0.02x
Inverness-shire 1 0.01x
Radnorshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 622 Wilkinsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.49x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 622 2.49x
Preston 568 4.01x
Blackburn 448 3.18x
Manchester 394 1.66x
Bowling 391 8.94x
Bradford 380 3.55x
Habergham Eaves 356 7.36x
Horton In Bradford 353 5.12x
North Bierley 345 14.46x
Islington London 327 0.76x
Padiham 320 25.04x
Burnley 303 6.80x
Sculcoates 298 4.25x
Gateshead 288 2.90x
Bishopwearmouth 284 2.49x
Holy Trinity 276 2.60x
Salford 260 1.67x
Keighley 253 5.37x
Manningham 249 4.58x
Liverpool 239 0.74x
Ecclesall Bierlow 228 2.54x
Sheffield 223 1.59x
St Pancras London 222 0.62x
Oldham 221 1.29x
Hunslet 220 3.19x
Barnsley 210 4.61x
Lambeth 199 0.51x
Accrington 198 4.12x
Everton 198 1.17x
Great Little Marsden 194 8.01x
Stoke Upon Trent 190 1.19x
Nottingham St Mary 177 1.14x
Huddersfield 173 2.69x
West Derby 169 1.09x
Kensington London 166 0.67x
Dudley 164 2.32x
Stockton On Tees 159 2.49x
Bingley 158 5.62x
Chorlton On Medlock 157 1.87x
Aston 153 0.49x
Camberwell 153 0.54x
Brightside Bierlow 151 1.74x
Hulme 151 1.37x
Bedford 150 13.56x
Wortley In Bramley 150 4.29x
Toxteth Park 145 0.81x
Haslingden 139 6.35x
Leicester St Margaret 139 1.15x
Halifax 136 2.10x
Wyke In Bradford 135 17.09x
Thornton In Craven 132 37.24x
Wigan 131 1.77x
Elswick 128 2.42x
Battersea 127 0.77x
Hackney London 123 0.49x
Shoreditch London 122 0.63x
Darlington 121 2.36x
Farnham 121 7.16x
Holbeck 121 4.13x
Spotland 120 2.04x
Barrow In Furness 118 1.64x
Lancaster 118 3.75x
Middlesbrough 114 1.98x
Newchurch 112 2.59x
Westoe 110 1.46x
Bethnal Green London 109 0.56x
Hipperholme Cum 109 5.62x
Armley 108 5.54x
Nether Hallam 108 1.81x
Newington 107 0.65x
Northowram 107 3.45x
St Marylebone London 106 0.45x
Ashton Under Lyne 104 0.90x
Ecclesfield 103 3.18x
Barony 102 0.28x
North Meols 101 1.95x
Birmingham 99 0.26x
Dukinfield 99 2.18x
Mile End Old Town 99 1.41x
Pendleton In Salford 99 1.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 3,356
Elizabeth 1,811
Sarah 1,680
Jane 1,098
Ann 1,048
Alice 732
Annie 688
Margaret 670
Hannah 644
Ellen 621
Emma 571
Martha 520
Eliza 505
Emily 415
Isabella 279
Harriet 275
Edith 255
Ada 247
Florence 216
Catherine 201
Maria 199
Clara 192
Louisa 184
Fanny 183
Charlotte 179
Frances 161
Caroline 149
Anne 148
Kate 146
Lucy 146
Agnes 143
Rebecca 124
Eleanor 122
Susannah 119
Susan 103
Esther 102
Amelia 101
Grace 93
Betsy 89
Elizth. 88
Sophia 88
Nancy 86
Ruth 83
Amy 79
Harriett 79
Ethel 76
Rachel 75
Dorothy 71
Rose 71
Bertha 66

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 3,084
William 2,498
Thomas 1,725
George 1,399
James 1,364
Joseph 1,047
Henry 815
Robert 754
Charles 616
Edward 407
Richard 407
Arthur 406
Samuel 356
Alfred 323
Frederick 259
Walter 251
Albert 234
Harry 218
Wm. 187
Benjamin 175
Frank 173
Fred 171
Herbert 168
David 153
Thos. 145
Isaac 140
Francis 127
Ernest 126
Edwin 99
Tom 94
Matthew 84
Geo. 81
Peter 78
Christopher 76
Daniel 66
Ralph 64
Sam 61
Abraham 53
Stephen 52
Chas. 49
Mark 49
Jno. 46
Jonathan 46
Robt. 46
Joshua 43
Percy 43
Michael 40
Joe 39
Jas. 38
Edmund 37

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 Wilkinson households.

FAQ

Wilkinson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wilkinson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 45,653 people were recorded with the Wilkinson surname. That placed it at #64 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wilkinson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 57,423 in 2016. That gives Wilkinson a modern rank of #81.

What does the Wilkinson surname mean?

Derived from a patronymic name meaning "son of Wilkin," a diminutive of William, which means "resolute protection."

What does the Wilkinson map show?

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