NameCensus.

UK surname

Willcox

From the English place name Willcott, derived from "well" and "cottage," or an occupational name for a trap maker.

In the 1881 census there were 1,603 people recorded with the Willcox surname, ranking it #2,662 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,284, ranked #2,841, down from #2,662 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sedgemoor, Mendip and Bath and North East Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Willcox is 2,561 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.5%.

1881 census count

1,603

Ranked #2,662

Modern count

2,284

2016, ranked #2,841

Peak year

1998

2,561 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Willcox had 1,603 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,662 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,284 in 2016, ranked #2,841.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,528 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Willcox surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Willcox surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Willcox 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 1,286 #2,227
1861 historical 937 #2,956
1881 historical 1,603 #2,662
1891 historical 1,776 #2,570
1901 historical 2,319 #2,344
1911 historical 2,528 #2,018
1997 modern 2,489 #2,519
1998 modern 2,561 #2,551
1999 modern 2,547 #2,588
2000 modern 2,521 #2,598
2001 modern 2,456 #2,601
2002 modern 2,442 #2,677
2003 modern 2,395 #2,669
2004 modern 2,401 #2,656
2005 modern 2,363 #2,661
2006 modern 2,324 #2,702
2007 modern 2,325 #2,725
2008 modern 2,305 #2,761
2009 modern 2,357 #2,774
2010 modern 2,375 #2,816
2011 modern 2,387 #2,769
2012 modern 2,318 #2,791
2013 modern 2,343 #2,810
2014 modern 2,357 #2,808
2015 modern 2,303 #2,835
2016 modern 2,284 #2,841

Geography

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Where Willcox' are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Sedgemoor, Mendip, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire. 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 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 Camerton, Dunkerton Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sedgemoor 003 Sedgemoor
2 Mendip 012 Mendip
3 Bath and North East Somerset 026 Bath and North East Somerset
4 Bath and North East Somerset 022 Bath and North East Somerset
5 South Gloucestershire 004 South Gloucestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Willcox

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Willcox

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

Willcox is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Willcox falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Willcox

The surname Willcox is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "wille" meaning "to wish or desire" and "cocc" referring to a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name originally referred to a person who lived near a desired or sought-after hill or mound.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Wilcoc" in the county of Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name was present in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

By the 13th century, variations of the name such as "Wilcox" and "Willcox" had emerged, likely due to regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping. The name was particularly prominent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir John Willcox, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Gloucestershire in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Thomas Willcox, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Woodstock, Oxfordshire, in the early 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appeared in various records, including parish registers and tax rolls, often associated with places like Willcox Green in Oxfordshire and Willcox Farm in Somerset.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was James Willcox (1714-1800), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London, including the reconstruction of Somerset House.

Another prominent individual was William Willcox (1778-1854), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

As the British Empire expanded, the name Willcox was carried to various parts of the world, including North America, where it became established in the colonial era. One notable American bearer of the name was Silas Willcox (1752-1832), a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a judge in New York.

Throughout its history, the surname Willcox has maintained its connection to its English roots, with variations in spelling and pronunciation reflecting the diverse regions and dialects in which it has been carried.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Willcox families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Willcox 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. Somerset leads with 336 Willcox' recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.25x.

County Total Index
Somerset 336 13.25x
Middlesex 172 1.09x
Warwickshire 129 3.25x
Surrey 115 1.50x
Gloucestershire 112 3.62x
Staffordshire 84 1.58x
Lancashire 81 0.43x
Devon 63 1.92x
Worcestershire 52 2.53x
Dorset 46 4.45x
Lincolnshire 42 1.67x
Hampshire 39 1.21x
Kent 35 0.65x
Cheshire 31 0.89x
Wiltshire 31 2.23x
Yorkshire 30 0.19x
Glamorgan 29 1.06x
Northumberland 24 1.02x
Channel Islands 15 3.21x
Northamptonshire 14 0.94x
Shropshire 14 1.03x
Sussex 14 0.53x
Leicestershire 13 0.74x
Durham 11 0.23x
Essex 10 0.32x
Pembrokeshire 9 1.80x
Royal Navy 9 4.79x
Derbyshire 8 0.32x
Herefordshire 6 0.93x
Berkshire 5 0.42x
Monmouthshire 5 0.44x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.24x
Brecknockshire 4 1.27x
Lanarkshire 4 0.08x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.14x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.21x
Cornwall 2 0.11x
Hertfordshire 2 0.18x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.55x
Renfrewshire 2 0.16x
Angus 1 0.07x
Bedfordshire 1 0.12x
Flintshire 1 0.24x
Norfolk 1 0.04x
Oxfordshire 1 0.10x

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 47 Willcox' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.55x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 47 3.55x
Aston 34 3.11x
Camerton 28 379.40x
Islington London 26 1.70x
Lambeth 25 1.82x
Bishops Cleeve 23 293.37x
Portsea 23 3.63x
Doulting 22 674.85x
Stoke Upon Trent 20 3.55x
Battersea 19 3.28x
Deptford St Paul 19 4.58x
Walcot 19 14.07x
Holcombe 18 620.69x
Lyncombe Widcombe 18 27.11x
Bedminster 17 7.13x
Oldbury 17 16.80x
Bermondsey 16 3.41x
Knowle 16 196.08x
Spalding 15 30.01x
Yardley 15 28.50x
Kings Norton 14 7.59x
Leamington Priors 14 14.32x
Bristol St George 13 9.10x
Chorlton Cum Hardy 13 104.84x
Everton 13 2.18x
Hackney London 13 1.47x
Bathwick 12 42.77x
Bitton Oldland 12 37.99x
Clifton 12 7.68x
Kilmersdon 12 95.77x
Meare 12 157.69x
Sedgley 12 6.08x
Tamerton Foliott 12 190.17x
Alnwick 11 27.30x
Brixham 11 28.95x
Chelsea London 11 2.32x
Altrincham 10 16.46x
Ealing 10 7.10x
Fivehead 10 446.43x
Radstock 10 59.99x
Southwark St George Martyr 10 3.15x
St Marylebone London 10 1.19x
St Pancras London 10 0.79x
West Ham 10 1.46x
Weston Super Mare 10 15.62x
Bristol St James St Paul 9 8.74x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 9 3.09x
Clevedon 9 34.13x
Hulme 9 2.31x
Royal Navy 9 5.61x
St George Hanover 9 4.38x
Bilston 8 7.76x
Brighton 8 1.49x
Cardiff St John 8 8.93x
Chippenham 8 27.38x
Frome 8 13.19x
Hammersmith London 8 2.06x
Kingswinford 8 4.14x
Llansamlet Higher 8 39.08x
Tranmere 8 6.26x
Aston Cum Aughton 7 54.82x
East Stoke 7 222.22x
Fulham London 7 3.06x
Gorton 7 3.98x
Middlezoy 7 225.08x
Morden 7 183.73x
Putney 7 9.75x
Road 7 228.01x
St Helier 7 4.61x
St Sampson 7 33.27x
Stranton 7 4.44x
Stratton On The Fosse 7 469.80x
Tottenham 7 2.79x
Tyneham 7 472.97x
Warminster 7 22.93x
Wells St Cuthbert 7 40.44x
Wells St Cuthbert Out 7 34.28x
Westbury On Trym 7 6.69x
Whitechapel London 7 4.51x
Wrockwardine 7 23.39x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 113
Elizabeth 66
Sarah 49
Annie 34
Jane 29
Eliza 28
Ellen 27
Emma 24
Ann 23
Alice 22
Emily 17
Louisa 15
Florence 13
Fanny 12
Martha 12
Edith 11
Harriet 11
Caroline 10
Frances 10
Margaret 10
Hannah 9
Lucy 9
Ada 8
Clara 8
Beatrice 7
Catherine 7
Susan 7
Charlotte 6
Kate 6
Matilda 6
Amelia 5
Anne 5
Bertha 5
Isabella 5
Maria 5
Minnie 5
Rachel 5
Sophia 5
Agnes 4
Ethel 4
Flora 4
Harriett 4
Julia 4
Laura 4
Amy 3
Bessie 3
Betsy 3
Elizth. 3
Lily 3
Nelly 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 107
William 97
George 54
James 45
Thomas 45
Charles 30
Henry 26
Joseph 26
Alfred 21
Edward 21
Arthur 19
Robert 19
Frederick 18
Walter 17
Samuel 16
Richard 14
Frank 11
Albert 9
Benjamin 9
Harry 8
Edmund 7
Edwin 7
Francis 7
Fred 7
Herbert 7
Job 6
Ernest 5
Chas. 4
Wm. 4
Alexander 3
Andrew 3
Hubert 3
Hugh 3
Oliver 3
Reuben 3
Sidney 3
Thos. 3
Benjn. 2
Daniel 2
Fredk. 2
Fredrick 2
Isaac 2
Jas. 2
Josiah 2
Mark 2
Percival 2
Percy 2
Philip 2
Reginald 2
Tyrrell 2

FAQ

Willcox surname: questions and answers

How common was the Willcox surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,603 people were recorded with the Willcox surname. That placed it at #2,662 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Willcox surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,284 in 2016. That gives Willcox a modern rank of #2,841.

What does the Willcox surname mean?

From the English place name Willcott, derived from "well" and "cottage," or an occupational name for a trap maker.

What does the Willcox map show?

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