NameCensus.

UK surname

Willies

In the 1881 census there were 122 people recorded with the Willies surname, ranking it #17,602 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 112, ranked #28,844, down from #17,602 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Tarvin and Wednesbury. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Somerset, Herefordshire and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Willies is 235 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 8.2%.

1881 census count

122

Ranked #17,602

Modern count

112

2016, ranked #28,844

Peak year

1861

235 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Willies had 122 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,602 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016, ranked #28,844.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 235 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Willies surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Willies surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Willies 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 115 #15,634
1861 historical 235 #10,427
1881 historical 122 #17,602
1891 historical 216 #14,107
1901 historical 202 #15,010
1911 historical 189 #15,488
1997 modern 151 #21,034
1998 modern 154 #21,316
1999 modern 150 #21,826
2000 modern 151 #21,684
2001 modern 148 #21,664
2002 modern 164 #20,687
2003 modern 145 #22,172
2004 modern 153 #21,528
2005 modern 138 #22,999
2006 modern 135 #23,486
2007 modern 135 #23,824
2008 modern 133 #24,350
2009 modern 129 #25,314
2010 modern 136 #25,009
2011 modern 127 #25,926
2012 modern 120 #26,961
2013 modern 117 #27,838
2014 modern 123 #27,206
2015 modern 120 #27,561
2016 modern 112 #28,844

Geography

Back to top

Where Willies' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Tarvin, Wednesbury, Martock and Epperstone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Somerset, Herefordshire, Sheffield, Bedford and Cherwell. 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 Tarvin Cheshire
3 Wednesbury Staffordshire
4 Martock Somerset
5 Epperstone Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Somerset 012 North Somerset
2 Herefordshire 005 Herefordshire, County of
3 Sheffield 011 Sheffield
4 Bedford 009 Bedford
5 Cherwell 015 Cherwell

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Willies

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Willies

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Willies surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Willies household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

City Support Workers

Within London, Willies is most associated with areas classed as City Support Workers, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

Scattered throughout Inner London, these areas house relatively few workers in the most senior roles within organisations, and greater prevalence of administrative roles relative to the Supergroup mean. Residents are less likely to be of Chinese ethnicity and are more likely to have been born in Africa. Relative to the Supergroup average, residents are also more likely to live in social housing and live in overcrowded conditions.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Willies is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Willies falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Willies families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Willies 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 25 Willies' recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.59x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 25 15.59x
Devon 16 6.46x
Staffordshire 14 3.49x
Worcestershire 11 7.08x
Lanarkshire 10 2.60x
Essex 8 3.41x
Somerset 6 3.13x
Warwickshire 6 2.00x
Yorkshire 4 0.34x
Derbyshire 3 1.61x
Middlesex 3 0.25x
Wiltshire 3 2.85x
Kent 2 0.49x
Monmouthshire 2 2.33x
Sussex 2 1.00x
Berkshire 1 1.12x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.33x
Cheshire 1 0.38x
Cornwall 1 0.74x
Lancashire 1 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 1 2.64x
Surrey 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Plymouth St Andrew in Devon leads with 14 Willies' recorded in 1881 and an index of 73.38x.

Place Total Index
Plymouth St Andrew 14 73.38x
Feckenham 11 617.98x
Govan 10 10.51x
Wednesbury 10 99.60x
Oxton 7 3333.33x
Syerston 7 10000.00x
Birmingham 6 6.00x
Martock 6 480.00x
Flintham 5 3125.00x
West Thurrock 5 641.03x
Car Colston 4 3636.36x
Tipton 4 32.52x
Calne 3 138.25x
Elmton 3 1428.57x
Shoreditch London 3 5.82x
West Ham 3 5.78x
Brightside Bierlow 2 8.65x
Broadwater 2 43.48x
Keighley 2 15.91x
Totnes 2 137.93x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 8.92x
Chapel Hill 1 588.24x
Greenwich 1 5.28x
Gulval 1 114.94x
Herne 1 55.56x
Holbeck 1 1000.00x
Lambeth 1 0.96x
Leckhampstead 1 769.23x
Manley 1 769.23x
Mansfield 1 18.02x
Newport 1 24.39x
Prendergast 1 172.41x
Trumpington 1 263.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 6
Sarah 6
Mary 5
Eliza 4
Jane 4
Emily 3
Annie 2
Ellen 2
Hannah 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Amelia 1
Anna 1
Bertha 1
Catherine 1
E. 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
Helena 1
Lillian 1
M.M. 1
Rebecca 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
Joseph 7
George 5
James 5
William 5
Herbert 4
Charles 3
Thomas 3
Arthur 2
Henry 2
Samuel 2
Benjamin 1
Cornelius 1
Daniel 1
Edgar 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
G.W. 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Hurbert 1
Robert 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Willies surname: questions and answers

How common was the Willies surname in 1881?

In 1881, 122 people were recorded with the Willies surname. That placed it at #17,602 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Willies surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 112 in 2016. That gives Willies a modern rank of #28,844.

What does the Willies map show?

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