NameCensus.

UK surname

Withers

An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of withies, which are willows used for basketry.

In the 1881 census there were 4,907 people recorded with the Withers surname, ranking it #906 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,184, ranked #1,093, down from #906 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cumnock Rural, Dudley and Blaenau Gwent.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Withers is 6,507 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 26.0%.

1881 census count

4,907

Ranked #906

Modern count

6,184

2016, ranked #1,093

Peak year

1999

6,507 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Withers had 4,907 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #906 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,184 in 2016, ranked #1,093.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,979 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Withers surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Withers surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Withers 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 2,878 #1,012
1861 historical 2,616 #1,124
1881 historical 4,907 #906
1891 historical 4,778 #976
1901 historical 5,930 #935
1911 historical 5,979 #867
1997 modern 6,167 #1,064
1998 modern 6,416 #1,066
1999 modern 6,507 #1,058
2000 modern 6,487 #1,055
2001 modern 6,308 #1,058
2002 modern 6,382 #1,072
2003 modern 6,257 #1,069
2004 modern 6,276 #1,067
2005 modern 6,127 #1,073
2006 modern 6,086 #1,073
2007 modern 6,123 #1,076
2008 modern 6,144 #1,076
2009 modern 6,244 #1,087
2010 modern 6,376 #1,092
2011 modern 6,354 #1,077
2012 modern 6,273 #1,067
2013 modern 6,350 #1,073
2014 modern 6,343 #1,079
2015 modern 6,260 #1,084
2016 modern 6,184 #1,093

Geography

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Where Withers' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cumnock Rural, Dudley, Blaenau Gwent and Mendip. 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 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cumnock Rural East Ayrshire
2 Dudley 034 Dudley
3 Dudley 039 Dudley
4 Blaenau Gwent 002 Blaenau Gwent
5 Mendip 012 Mendip

Forenames

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First names often paired with Withers

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Withers

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Withers is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Withers is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Withers 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 Withers 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 Withers, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Withers

The surname Withers is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "withre," meaning "to twist" or "to bend." It was initially an occupational surname given to those who worked with willow branches or other flexible materials, twisting and bending them to create baskets, fences, or other woven items.

The name Withers can be traced back to the 13th century, with records showing individuals bearing this surname living in various parts of England, such as Gloucestershire, Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to 1273, when a Robert le Withers was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire.

In the 14th century, the surname Withers appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Withers was listed. During this time, variations in spelling were common, with the name being recorded as Wythers, Wythyrs, and Wytheres in different historical documents.

The Withers surname gained prominence in the 16th century, with notable individuals like John Withers (born in 1561), an English clergyman and author of the book "A Shorte Dictionary for Yonge Begynners." Another prominent figure was George Withers (1588-1667), an English poet and satirist known for his works such as "The Shepherds Hunting" and "Abuses Stript and Whipt."

In the 17th century, the name Withers was associated with several prominent figures, including Sir Thomas Withers (1613-1692), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament. Another notable individual was William Withers (1635-1703), an English clergyman and author of the book "A Discourse concerning the Confusion of Languages at Babel."

During the 18th century, the Withers surname continued to gain recognition. One notable example is Reverend John Withers (1720-1794), an English clergyman and author of the book "A Vindication of the Doctrine of Scripture, and Embracing the Whole Economy of God Towards Man."

In the 19th century, William Bateman Withers (1805-1887) was a prominent English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in Birmingham, including the Birmingham Town Hall and the Greek Revival-style Birmingham Central Library.

Throughout history, the Withers surname has been associated with various place names, such as Withers Field in Gloucestershire and Withers Clough in Yorkshire, reflecting the geographical distribution of the name across England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Withers families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Withers 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 687 Withers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.43x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 687 1.43x
Hampshire 410 4.18x
Somerset 344 4.46x
Worcestershire 342 5.47x
Gloucestershire 324 3.45x
Staffordshire 305 1.89x
Lancashire 304 0.53x
Surrey 234 1.00x
Berkshire 209 5.81x
Norfolk 162 2.20x
Leicestershire 142 2.67x
Warwickshire 142 1.18x
Kent 124 0.76x
Wiltshire 112 2.64x
Nottinghamshire 107 1.66x
Yorkshire 96 0.20x
Essex 83 0.88x
Lincolnshire 72 0.94x
Oxfordshire 68 2.30x
Sussex 57 0.71x
Glamorgan 54 0.65x
Monmouthshire 49 1.41x
Shropshire 49 1.18x
Cheshire 47 0.44x
Devon 44 0.44x
Lanarkshire 44 0.28x
Montgomeryshire 30 2.73x
Durham 27 0.19x
Ayrshire 26 0.73x
Hertfordshire 23 0.70x
Buckinghamshire 17 0.59x
Cornwall 17 0.31x
Northamptonshire 17 0.38x
Northumberland 17 0.24x
Westmorland 17 1.61x
Suffolk 16 0.27x
Brecknockshire 12 1.25x
Dorset 12 0.38x
Derbyshire 10 0.13x
Cambridgeshire 9 0.30x
Herefordshire 7 0.36x
Midlothian 6 0.09x
Morayshire 6 0.81x
Royal Navy 5 0.88x
Caithness 4 0.61x
Cumberland 4 0.10x
Denbighshire 4 0.22x
Argyllshire 3 0.23x
Bedfordshire 2 0.08x
Flintshire 2 0.16x
Huntingdonshire 2 0.21x
Wigtownshire 2 0.31x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hasbury in Worcestershire leads with 99 Withers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 241.99x.

Place Total Index
Hasbury 99 241.99x
West Bromwich 91 9.83x
Birmingham 79 1.96x
St Pancras London 68 1.76x
Bedminster 62 8.56x
Camberwell 59 1.93x
Hackney London 58 2.16x
Leicester St Margaret 56 4.32x
Northfield 56 47.18x
Andover 54 58.21x
Harborne 54 10.42x
Lambeth 53 1.27x
St Marylebone London 52 2.03x
Westbury On Trym 45 14.14x
Islington London 44 0.95x
Aston 39 1.17x
Oldbury 37 12.02x
Walsall Foreign 37 4.43x
Blockley 36 101.78x
Paddington London 36 2.04x
Reading St Giles 36 10.20x
Southampton St Mary 34 5.51x
Barony 32 0.82x
Kensington London 32 1.20x
Newbury 32 27.78x
Salford 32 1.91x
Bethnal Green London 31 1.49x
Chelsea London 31 2.15x
Portsea 31 1.61x
Leicester St Mary 29 6.76x
Olveston 29 109.77x
Westminster St John 27 4.63x
Bristol St James St Paul 26 8.30x
Liverpool 26 0.75x
Manchester 26 1.02x
Holy Trinity 25 2.19x
Shoreditch London 25 1.20x
Great Grimsby 24 4.94x
Great Yarmouth 24 3.93x
Romsey Extra 24 41.10x
Bristol St Paul In 22 8.79x
Romsey Infra 22 66.13x
Pendleton In Salford 21 3.10x
Wolverhampton 21 1.69x
Cardiff St Mary 20 4.35x
Chipping Norton 20 29.24x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 20 9.04x
Newington 20 1.13x
Wednesbury 20 4.95x
Basford 19 6.38x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 19 2.15x
Bromley 19 7.63x
Ealing 19 4.44x
Earley 19 31.72x
Nottingham St Mary 19 1.14x
Reading St Mary 19 6.60x
Weston Super Mare 19 9.76x
Blofield 18 96.05x
Enborne 18 267.06x
Hammersmith London 18 1.53x
Leicester Newarke 18 64.98x
Battersea 17 0.96x
Handsworth 17 4.27x
Horfield 17 17.98x
Nazeing 17 139.92x
Thornbury 17 26.47x
Alverstoke 16 4.50x
Bury 16 2.46x
Chester St John Baptist 16 8.42x
Glastonbury 16 25.42x
Millbrook 16 6.47x
Rowley Regis 16 3.55x
Sedgley 16 2.66x
Westminster St 16 9.06x
Alton 15 20.27x
Chorlton On Medlock 15 1.66x
Clifton 15 3.16x
Gt Rollright 15 235.11x
Henbury 15 32.72x
Shrewsbury St Mary 15 9.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 311
Elizabeth 175
Sarah 172
Ann 90
Jane 89
Alice 80
Eliza 77
Emma 74
Ellen 73
Emily 68
Annie 67
Louisa 51
Harriet 41
Martha 39
Florence 37
Hannah 37
Caroline 35
Charlotte 34
Kate 34
Edith 33
Fanny 30
Margaret 30
Maria 30
Ada 29
Lucy 29
Agnes 24
Anne 22
Clara 21
Frances 21
Rose 20
Amelia 19
Susan 18
Gertrude 14
Matilda 14
Esther 13
Julia 12
Amy 11
Harriett 11
Ethel 10
Lydia 10
Sophia 10
Anna 9
Helen 9
Minnie 9
Bertha 8
Jessie 8
Mabel 8
Selina 8
Laura 7
Maud 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 264
John 225
George 197
Thomas 141
Henry 138
James 132
Charles 120
Joseph 77
Alfred 69
Edward 55
Samuel 54
Arthur 52
Albert 51
Robert 51
Frederick 48
Frank 40
Richard 38
Harry 33
Walter 32
Ernest 29
Edwin 27
Herbert 18
Francis 14
Benjamin 12
David 12
Thos. 12
Fred 10
Fredrick 10
Daniel 9
Sidney 9
Edgar 8
Edmund 8
Alexander 7
Geo. 7
Josiah 7
Leonard 7
Percy 7
Tom 7
Wm. 7
Earnest 6
Harold 6
Isaac 6
Jesse 6
Peter 5
Ralph 5
Ambrose 4
Fredk. 4
Jabez 4
Oliver 4
Reuben 4

FAQ

Withers surname: questions and answers

How common was the Withers surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,907 people were recorded with the Withers surname. That placed it at #906 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Withers surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,184 in 2016. That gives Withers a modern rank of #1,093.

What does the Withers surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of withies, which are willows used for basketry.

What does the Withers map show?

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