NameCensus.

UK surname

Willgoss

In the 1881 census there were 40 people recorded with the Willgoss surname, ranking it #28,011 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 67, ranked #33,884, down from #28,011 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Woking, London parishes and St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Waveney, Isle of Wight and Cheshire East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Willgoss is 110 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 67.5%.

1881 census count

40

Ranked #28,011

Modern count

67

2016, ranked #33,884

Peak year

1911

110 bearers

Map years

1

1911 to 1911

Key insights

  • Willgoss had 40 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,011 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 67 in 2016, ranked #33,884.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 110 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Willgoss surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Willgoss surname density by area, 1911 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Willgoss 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 16 #30,441
1861 historical 51 #27,498
1881 historical 40 #28,011
1891 historical 61 #29,103
1901 historical 74 #25,958
1911 historical 110 #21,519
1997 modern 100 #26,901
1998 modern 95 #28,303
1999 modern 94 #28,593
2000 modern 91 #28,952
2001 modern 99 #27,534
2002 modern 90 #29,314
2003 modern 82 #30,206
2004 modern 79 #30,799
2005 modern 73 #31,616
2006 modern 80 #31,149
2007 modern 82 #31,295
2008 modern 77 #32,181
2009 modern 84 #31,842
2010 modern 79 #32,759
2011 modern 80 #32,652
2012 modern 73 #33,431
2013 modern 80 #33,058
2014 modern 79 #33,205
2015 modern 75 #33,425
2016 modern 67 #33,884

Geography

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Where Willgoss' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Woking, London parishes, St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey, Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham and St Marylebone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Waveney, Isle of Wight, Cheshire East and Liverpool. 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 Woking Surrey
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Mary Magdalen Bermondsey London (South Districts)
4 Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham Berkshire
5 St Marylebone London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Waveney 012 Waveney
2 Waveney 005 Waveney
3 Isle of Wight 007 Isle of Wight
4 Cheshire East 051 Cheshire East
5 Liverpool 037 Liverpool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Willgoss

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Willgoss

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Willgoss surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Willgoss household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Willgoss is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Willgoss 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

Willgoss falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Willgoss families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Willgoss 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 11 Willgoss' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.82x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 11 2.82x
Surrey 11 5.79x
Kent 6 4.51x
Staffordshire 5 3.80x
Berkshire 2 6.83x
Sussex 2 3.04x
Derbyshire 1 1.64x
Northamptonshire 1 2.73x
Westmorland 1 11.67x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Marylebone London in Middlesex leads with 7 Willgoss' recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.62x.

Place Total Index
St Marylebone London 7 33.62x
Bermondsey 6 51.68x
Stafford St Mary 5 268.82x
Lambeth 4 11.76x
Ramsgate 3 138.25x
Brighton 2 15.07x
Cookham 2 219.78x
Hawkhurst 2 487.80x
Paddington London 2 13.95x
Brackley St James 1 1250.00x
Edenbridge 1 384.62x
Islington London 1 2.65x
Southwark St Olave 1 333.33x
Stanley 1 909.09x
Strickland Roger 1 1666.67x
Westminster St John 1 21.05x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Annie 2
Mary 2
Ann 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Harriet 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Nancy 1
Rose 1
Ruthe 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Henry 3
Alfred 2
Jesse 2
John 2
Richard 2
Albert 1
George 1
James 1
Thomas 1
W. 1
Walter 1

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 Willgoss households.

FAQ

Willgoss surname: questions and answers

How common was the Willgoss surname in 1881?

In 1881, 40 people were recorded with the Willgoss surname. That placed it at #28,011 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Willgoss surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 67 in 2016. That gives Willgoss a modern rank of #33,884.

What does the Willgoss map show?

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