NameCensus.

UK surname

Winsper

A surname derived from the Old English words "winnan" meaning "to win" and "spere" meaning "spear".

In the 1881 census there were 140 people recorded with the Winsper surname, ranking it #16,151 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 254, ranked #16,632, down from #16,151 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Darlaston and Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sandwell, Staffordshire Moorlands and Havering.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Winsper is 287 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 81.4%.

1881 census count

140

Ranked #16,151

Modern count

254

2016, ranked #16,632

Peak year

2010

287 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Winsper had 140 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,151 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 254 in 2016, ranked #16,632.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 214 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Winsper surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Winsper surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Winsper 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 141 #13,507
1861 historical 147 #15,539
1881 historical 140 #16,151
1891 historical 156 #17,842
1901 historical 158 #17,507
1911 historical 214 #14,333
1997 modern 255 #15,077
1998 modern 278 #14,620
1999 modern 280 #14,630
2000 modern 267 #15,055
2001 modern 269 #14,776
2002 modern 274 #14,849
2003 modern 257 #15,341
2004 modern 267 #15,038
2005 modern 263 #15,139
2006 modern 271 #14,880
2007 modern 268 #15,172
2008 modern 274 #15,063
2009 modern 283 #15,020
2010 modern 287 #15,195
2011 modern 287 #15,044
2012 modern 279 #15,289
2013 modern 286 #15,259
2014 modern 276 #15,788
2015 modern 263 #16,224
2016 modern 254 #16,632

Geography

Back to top

Where Winspers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Darlaston, Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire), Birmingham Town: Birmingham and Birmingham Town: Aston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sandwell, Staffordshire Moorlands and Havering. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Darlaston Staffordshire
3 Halesowen (all except Hunnington, Romsley; partly in Halesowen, Worcestershire) Staffordshire
4 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
5 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sandwell 013 Sandwell
2 Sandwell 010 Sandwell
3 Staffordshire Moorlands 003 Staffordshire Moorlands
4 Sandwell 039 Sandwell
5 Havering 004 Havering

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Winsper

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Winsper

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Winsper surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Winsper household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Winsper 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

Winsper 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

Winsper falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Winsper is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Winsper

The surname Winsper is believed to originate from England, with its roots traceable to the medieval period. The name is thought to derive from a geographical or locational source, which was a common practice in England during those times. Surnames were often taken from the names of places where families lived or owned land. The etymology suggests a link to Old English elements, possibly referring to a specific feature of the landscape where early bearers of the name resided.

Winsper is not a common surname and does not appear frequently in historical documents, but variations of the name can be found in old English records. One possible root word is "winn," an Old English word meaning "pasture" or "meadow," combined with "per," an old form of "pear" or a reference to a particular type of land feature. Therefore, the name Winsper could originally describe a person who lived near a pear orchard or a specific pasture.

The earliest recorded example of the name Winsper appears in parish registers and early tax records dating back to the late 16th century. A notable mention includes a John Winsper, who was recorded in the Warwickshire parish registers in 1598. The birth, marriage, and death records from this period frequently documented variations in spelling, reflecting the phonetic interpretations of the time.

One historical figure bearing the surname Winsper was Samuel Winsper, born in 1632 in Worcestershire. Samuel later became involved in the local parish activities and is noted in several church records until his death in 1694. Another notable individual was Thomas Winsper, a yeoman documented in property and land records in Staffordshire in the early 1700s, reflecting the surname's spread within the central regions of England.

In the 19th century, the name Winsper continued to appear in regional records. Mary Winsper, born in 1824, is noted in Birmingham census records, having married into a local merchant family. Her lineage provides a clear trace of the name's continuity through generations in the Midlands.

Another distinguished bearer of the Winsper name was Richard Winsper, born in 1784, who was noted for his contributions to local government in the Derbyshire area. Serving as a parish council member, Richard is remembered in records spanning from his birth until his death in 1851.

Finally, records from the late 19th to early 20th century include mention of Alice Winsper (1867-1923), who was a prominent figure in her community for her charitable work and involvement in early educational movements in Birmingham. Alice's contributions to local education reform are documented in several municipal records.

The surname Winsper, while not widely spread, carries a distinctive regional history rooted in the Midlands of England, reflecting a heritage tied to the land and local communities from the medieval period through the early modern era.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Winsper families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Winsper 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. Staffordshire leads with 88 Winspers recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.80x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 88 19.80x
Warwickshire 16 4.82x
Lancashire 11 0.70x
Surrey 7 1.09x
Middlesex 6 0.46x
Worcestershire 4 2.33x
Kent 1 0.22x
Wigtownshire 1 5.72x
Yorkshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bilston in Staffordshire leads with 24 Winspers recorded in 1881 and an index of 278.75x.

Place Total Index
Bilston 24 278.75x
Darlaston 22 358.31x
Aston 13 14.22x
Tipton 12 88.17x
Wednesbury 9 81.01x
Rugeley 8 250.78x
Battersea 7 14.45x
Handsworth 6 54.79x
Warrington 5 27.00x
Oldbury 4 47.28x
Bethnal Green London 3 5.24x
Birmingham 3 2.71x
Wolverhampton 3 8.78x
Islington London 2 1.57x
Levenshulme 2 124.22x
Moss Side 2 24.33x
Sedgley 2 12.11x
Brightside Bierlow 1 3.91x
Broughton In Salford 1 7.00x
Cannock 1 12.89x
Gillingham 1 10.80x
Gorton 1 6.81x
Inch 1 58.82x
St George Martyr 1 45.05x
Stafford St Mary 1 15.90x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 13
Thomas 9
George 8
Joseph 6
William 5
Arthur 3
Samuel 3
Edwin 2
James 2
Charles 1
Ezekial 1
Francis 1
Harry 1
Jno.Wm. 1
Job 1
Peter 1
Richard 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Winsper surname: questions and answers

How common was the Winsper surname in 1881?

In 1881, 140 people were recorded with the Winsper surname. That placed it at #16,151 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Winsper surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 254 in 2016. That gives Winsper a modern rank of #16,632.

What does the Winsper surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English words "winnan" meaning "to win" and "spere" meaning "spear".

What does the Winsper map show?

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