NameCensus.

UK surname

Window

A surname potentially derived from an occupational nickname or place name relating to windows.

In the 1881 census there were 199 people recorded with the Window surname, ranking it #12,880 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 346, ranked #13,291, down from #12,880 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Horsley and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Caerphilly, Havering and North Lincolnshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Window is 377 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 73.9%.

1881 census count

199

Ranked #12,880

Modern count

346

2016, ranked #13,291

Peak year

1998

377 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Window had 199 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,880 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 346 in 2016, ranked #13,291.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 264 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Window surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Window surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Window 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 218 #9,754
1861 historical 181 #12,997
1881 historical 199 #12,880
1891 historical 164 #17,205
1901 historical 251 #13,102
1911 historical 264 #12,449
1997 modern 345 #12,291
1998 modern 377 #11,894
1999 modern 374 #12,026
2000 modern 355 #12,430
2001 modern 348 #12,419
2002 modern 347 #12,699
2003 modern 355 #12,285
2004 modern 360 #12,205
2005 modern 347 #12,436
2006 modern 335 #12,883
2007 modern 337 #12,950
2008 modern 344 #12,874
2009 modern 345 #13,107
2010 modern 363 #12,878
2011 modern 365 #12,694
2012 modern 367 #12,499
2013 modern 370 #12,626
2014 modern 366 #12,823
2015 modern 353 #13,086
2016 modern 346 #13,291

Geography

Back to top

Where Windows are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Horsley, Manchester, Brockworth and Minchinhampton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Caerphilly, Havering, North Lincolnshire, Flintshire and Newham. 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 Horsley Gloucestershire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Brockworth Gloucestershire
5 Minchinhampton Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Caerphilly 016 Caerphilly
2 Havering 013 Havering
3 North Lincolnshire 022 North Lincolnshire
4 Flintshire 014 Flintshire
5 Newham 020 Newham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Window

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Window

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Window surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Window 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Window is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Window is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Window 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 Window is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Window

The surname Window has its roots in England and dates back to the medieval period. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "wind" and "eage," which combined mean "wind eye" or "hole through which the wind enters," likely referring to an aperture or window.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Window appear in church and legal documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. The name was primarily found in regions such as Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, areas known for their ancient settlements and architectural structures. Historical references to the surname can be found in various medieval charters and rolls, with variations in spelling such as Windeye and Wyndow.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname is John de Windeye, mentioned in the Assize Rolls for Worcestershire in 1244. Another notable early bearer was Richard Wyndow, recorded in Gloucestershire in 1302.

The Window name can also be traced in various place names, suggesting a topographical origin. For example, the village of Windey Cross in Worcestershire likely contributed to the surname's usage in the surrounding areas.

Christian Windowe, born in 1432 and documented in Somerset, represents an early example of the name's expansion beyond its initial regions. Robert Wyndow, a merchant from London, born in 1501 and mentioned in borough records, exemplifies the name's presence in urban centers during the Tudor period.

Later, James Window, a yeoman from Kent, born in 1620, appeared in civil and parish records, further demonstrating the surname's geographical spread. Mary Window, an early emigrant, born in 1675, moved to the American colonies, reflecting the surname's transatlantic journey during the era of British colonial expansion.

These historical records collectively illustrate the rich etymological and geographical journey of the Window surname, alongside the lives of various individuals who bore the name through the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Window families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Window 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. Gloucestershire leads with 84 Windows recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.95x.

County Total Index
Gloucestershire 84 21.95x
Essex 25 6.49x
Lancashire 22 0.95x
Monmouthshire 14 9.93x
Surrey 10 1.05x
Kent 8 1.20x
Middlesex 8 0.41x
Derbyshire 7 2.29x
Glamorgan 6 1.77x
Somerset 4 1.27x
Devon 2 0.49x
Berkshire 1 0.68x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.85x
Cheshire 1 0.23x
Cumberland 1 0.60x
Denbighshire 1 1.36x
Oxfordshire 1 0.83x
Royal Navy 1 4.30x
Sussex 1 0.30x
Wiltshire 1 0.58x
Yorkshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Ham in Essex leads with 25 Windows recorded in 1881 and an index of 29.40x.

Place Total Index
West Ham 25 29.40x
Horsley 20 1183.43x
Manchester 11 10.57x
Brockworth 8 2666.67x
Kemeys Commander 8 16000.00x
Butterworth 7 124.11x
Derby St Peter 7 71.94x
Woolwich 7 28.47x
Cardiff St John 6 54.05x
Gloucester St John Baptist 6 242.92x
Westbury On Severn 6 394.74x
Arlingham 5 1190.48x
Lambeth 5 2.94x
Painswick 5 184.50x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 4 114.61x
Minchinhampton 4 131.15x
Rodborough 4 216.22x
Stroud 4 53.69x
Trevethin 4 30.03x
Wotton Under Edge 4 176.99x
Cheltenham 3 10.16x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 3 42.86x
Bedminster 2 6.78x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 2 5.55x
Wandsworth 2 10.65x
Weston Super Mare 2 25.22x
Willesden 2 10.88x
Abergavenny 1 18.94x
Bettws Newydd 1 1428.57x
Bollington In 1 26.11x
Bristol Temple 1 39.68x
Churchdown 1 131.58x
Dursley 1 63.69x
East Budleigh 1 52.36x
Ellesborough 1 243.90x
Fulham London 1 3.53x
Great Bolton 1 3.26x
Haslemere 1 133.33x
Hesket In Forest 1 76.34x
Hurstpierpoint 1 54.64x
Kensington London 1 0.92x
Melksham 1 33.33x
Mitcham 1 16.64x
Mortlake 1 23.58x
North Tawton 1 80.00x
Oldham 1 1.34x
Olveston 1 92.59x
Oxford St Giles 1 17.39x
Paddington London 1 1.39x
Prestbury 1 105.26x
Salford 1 1.47x
Sandhurst 1 35.21x
Sheffield 1 1.62x
St George Hanover 1 3.93x
St George In East 1 7.54x
St Marylebone London 1 0.96x
Tonbridge 1 4.16x
West Derby 1 1.48x
Weston Birt 1 1250.00x
Wrexham Regis 1 18.28x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 8
Eliza 7
Jane 7
Emma 6
Alice 4
Ellen 4
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Kate 3
Lizzie 3
Annie 2
Catherine 2
Fanny 2
Julia 2
Margaret 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Phoebe 2
Agnes 1
Astren 1
Beta 1
Betsy 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Ester 1
Ethel 1
Frederick 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Hester 1
Jemima 1
Katherine 1
Kizih 1
Lillie 1
Lucy 1
Matilda 1
Milbrow 1
Pamela 1
Rachel 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Window surname: questions and answers

How common was the Window surname in 1881?

In 1881, 199 people were recorded with the Window surname. That placed it at #12,880 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Window surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 346 in 2016. That gives Window a modern rank of #13,291.

What does the Window surname mean?

A surname potentially derived from an occupational nickname or place name relating to windows.

What does the Window map show?

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