NameCensus.

UK surname

Willer

A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "wil," meaning "veil" or "headscarf," likely referring to a veil-maker.

In the 1881 census there were 116 people recorded with the Willer surname, ranking it #18,126 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 184, ranked #20,731, down from #18,126 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Norfolk, Luton and Hackney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Willer is 815 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 58.6%.

1881 census count

116

Ranked #18,126

Modern count

184

2016, ranked #20,731

Peak year

1861

815 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Willer had 116 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,126 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 184 in 2016, ranked #20,731.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 815 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Willer surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Willer surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Willer 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 299 #7,675
1861 historical 815 #3,376
1881 historical 116 #18,126
1891 historical 651 #5,962
1901 historical 351 #10,415
1911 historical 279 #12,018
1997 modern 186 #18,448
1998 modern 210 #17,600
1999 modern 210 #17,712
2000 modern 191 #18,752
2001 modern 184 #18,907
2002 modern 185 #19,212
2003 modern 178 #19,489
2004 modern 173 #19,937
2005 modern 176 #19,667
2006 modern 174 #19,921
2007 modern 172 #20,321
2008 modern 178 #20,094
2009 modern 177 #20,560
2010 modern 177 #21,034
2011 modern 173 #21,172
2012 modern 175 #20,984
2013 modern 185 #20,575
2014 modern 181 #21,033
2015 modern 179 #21,069
2016 modern 184 #20,731

Geography

Back to top

Where Willers are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to South Norfolk, Luton, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Cheshire East. 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 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Walsham, North Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Norfolk 008 South Norfolk
2 Luton 011 Luton
3 Hackney 016 Hackney
4 Waltham Forest 027 Waltham Forest
5 Cheshire East 049 Cheshire East

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Willer

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Willer

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Willer is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Willer is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Willer falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Willer is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Willer

The surname Willer is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German occupational surname "Wollner," which referred to a wool worker or wool merchant. This is supported by the presence of similar spellings such as "Wullner" and "Wollner" in historical records.

In the late 16th century, the name Willer appeared in the town records of Augsburg, a prominent city in Bavaria, Germany. These early mentions suggest that the name may have its roots in southern Germany, where the wool trade was particularly significant during that time period.

The earliest recorded example of the surname Willer can be found in the baptismal records of St. Michael's Church in Augsburg, where a child named Hans Willer was baptized in 1587. This entry provides one of the earliest documented instances of the name in its modern spelling.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Willer continued to appear in various German records, including church registers and municipal documents. One notable individual bearing this surname was Johann Georg Willer, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Ulm in the late 17th century.

As the wool trade flourished in Germany during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, the surname Willer likely gained recognition as a marker of this profession. It is possible that the name was also associated with certain locations or villages where wool production was a dominant industry.

Over time, the Willer surname spread beyond Germany, with individuals bearing this name emigrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One such individual was Peter Willer, who was born in Bavaria in 1721 and later settled in Pennsylvania, USA, in the mid-18th century.

Other notable individuals with the surname Willer include Friedrich Willer, a German philosopher and writer who lived in the early 19th century, and Wilhelm Willer, a prominent German architect known for his work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Willer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Willer 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. Middlesex leads with 39 Willers recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.45x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 39 3.45x
Norfolk 26 14.95x
Lancashire 12 0.89x
Surrey 12 2.18x
Sussex 8 4.19x
Buckinghamshire 3 4.39x
Worcestershire 3 2.03x
Essex 2 0.90x
Hampshire 2 0.86x
Warwickshire 2 0.70x
Cornwall 1 0.78x
Devon 1 0.42x
Gloucestershire 1 0.45x
Kent 1 0.26x
Monmouthshire 1 1.22x
Northumberland 1 0.59x
Yorkshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. North Walsham in Norfolk leads with 19 Willers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1520.00x.

Place Total Index
North Walsham 19 1520.00x
Bethnal Green London 8 16.28x
Brighton 8 20.78x
Hammersmith London 8 28.70x
Bacton 5 2777.78x
Barrow In Furness 5 27.38x
Camberwell 5 6.92x
Oldham 5 11.54x
St Bartholomew Less 4 689.66x
Chelsea London 3 8.80x
Farnham Royal 3 731.71x
St Luke London 3 16.53x
Willesden 3 28.12x
Coventry Holy Trinity 2 23.47x
Friern Barnet 2 80.32x
Isleworth 2 39.76x
Islington London 2 1.82x
Kings Norton 2 15.09x
Newington 2 4.78x
Portsea 2 4.40x
St Giles Cripplegate 2 133.33x
Walton On Hill 2 833.33x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 4.79x
Claines 1 24.63x
Cressing 1 476.19x
Esher 1 129.87x
Gresham 1 666.67x
Heigham 1 10.71x
High Laver 1 555.56x
Holy Trinity 1 3.71x
Kilmington 1 526.32x
Lambeth 1 1.01x
Llanvihangel Llantarnam 1 64.10x
Manchester 1 1.66x
Margate St John Baptist 1 14.14x
North Shields 1 29.76x
Poplar London 1 4.68x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 4.39x
St Blazey 1 89.29x
St George In East 1 12.99x
West Derby 1 2.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 7
Mary 6
Elizabeth 5
Jane 5
Anna 3
Alice 2
Kate 2
Lornia 2
Virtue 2
(Miles) 1
(Mrs) 1
Agnes 1
Ann 1
Caroline 1
Carry 1
Clara 1
Clare 1
E. 1
Eleanor 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Hester 1
Isabel 1
Letiha 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Margareta 1
Maria 1
Marianne 1
Mellene 1
Rosa 1
Rosina 1
Ruth 1
Thirza 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 10
James 5
John 4
George 3
Henry 3
Thomas 3
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Frederick 2
Robert 2
Andrew 1
Barney 1
Edward 1
Elijah 1
F. 1
Fred 1
H. 1
Herbert 1
Oliver 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Rueben 1
Samuel 1
Thos. 1
Thos.H.R. 1
Valentine 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Willer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Willer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 116 people were recorded with the Willer surname. That placed it at #18,126 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Willer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 184 in 2016. That gives Willer a modern rank of #20,731.

What does the Willer surname mean?

A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "wil," meaning "veil" or "headscarf," likely referring to a veil-maker.

What does the Willer map show?

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