NameCensus.

UK surname

Witton

In the 1881 census there were 607 people recorded with the Witton surname, ranking it #5,775 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 814, ranked #6,810, down from #5,775 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sedgley, London parishes and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Doncaster, Dudley and Cannock Chase.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Witton is 888 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.1%.

1881 census count

607

Ranked #5,775

Modern count

814

2016, ranked #6,810

Peak year

1998

888 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Witton had 607 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,775 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 814 in 2016, ranked #6,810.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 783 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Witton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Witton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Witton 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 540 #4,666
1861 historical 695 #3,885
1881 historical 607 #5,775
1891 historical 682 #5,739
1901 historical 689 #6,361
1911 historical 783 #5,559
1997 modern 867 #6,143
1998 modern 888 #6,222
1999 modern 886 #6,289
2000 modern 874 #6,316
2001 modern 844 #6,373
2002 modern 856 #6,431
2003 modern 837 #6,417
2004 modern 848 #6,362
2005 modern 837 #6,373
2006 modern 852 #6,307
2007 modern 836 #6,460
2008 modern 853 #6,406
2009 modern 857 #6,532
2010 modern 875 #6,543
2011 modern 868 #6,508
2012 modern 813 #6,749
2013 modern 832 #6,737
2014 modern 827 #6,797
2015 modern 817 #6,815
2016 modern 814 #6,810

Geography

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Where Wittons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sedgley, London parishes, Lambeth, Lichfield St Michael and Blackburn. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Doncaster, Dudley, Cannock Chase and Lichfield. 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 Sedgley Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lambeth London (South Districts)
4 Lichfield St Michael Staffordshire
5 Blackburn Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Doncaster 003 Doncaster
2 Dudley 008 Dudley
3 Cannock Chase 012 Cannock Chase
4 Dudley 006 Dudley
5 Lichfield 006 Lichfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Witton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Witton

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Witton is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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 neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Witton is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Witton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Witton 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. Yorkshire leads with 107 Wittons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.84x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 107 1.84x
Staffordshire 90 4.53x
Lancashire 58 0.83x
Middlesex 49 0.83x
Surrey 41 1.43x
Suffolk 40 5.58x
Warwickshire 34 2.29x
Norfolk 26 2.87x
Durham 24 1.37x
Worcestershire 22 2.86x
Derbyshire 19 2.06x
Devon 19 1.55x
Hampshire 12 1.00x
Somerset 10 1.06x
Essex 9 0.78x
Cheshire 6 0.46x
Lanarkshire 6 0.32x
Glamorgan 4 0.39x
Sussex 4 0.40x
Kent 3 0.15x
Cornwall 2 0.30x
Isle of Man 2 1.83x
Lincolnshire 2 0.21x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.25x
Shropshire 2 0.39x
Wiltshire 2 0.38x
Berkshire 1 0.23x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.27x
Cumberland 1 0.20x
Dorset 1 0.26x
Gloucestershire 1 0.09x
Leicestershire 1 0.15x
Northumberland 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Blackburn in Lancashire leads with 27 Wittons recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.54x.

Place Total Index
Blackburn 27 14.54x
Aston 26 6.37x
Sedgley 26 35.25x
Burntwood Edial 18 141.96x
Dudley 16 17.13x
Brightside Bierlow 14 12.25x
West Bromwich 14 12.32x
Horsley 12 216.61x
Hoxne 11 541.87x
Cobham 10 212.77x
Kelston 10 2702.70x
Crook Billy Row 9 40.16x
Hopton 9 508.47x
Leeds 9 2.73x
Mile End Old Town 9 9.69x
Thrandeston 9 1578.95x
Wednesbury 9 18.14x
Camberwell 8 2.13x
Lambeth 8 1.56x
Holbeck 7 18.13x
Hunslet 7 7.70x
Slaidburn 7 700.00x
South Lopham 7 642.20x
Cambuslang 6 31.28x
Eling 6 49.14x
Hulme 6 4.12x
Islington London 6 1.05x
Little Wakering 6 923.08x
Poltimore 6 1034.48x
Westminster St John 6 8.38x
Barnoldswick 5 61.43x
Birmingham 5 1.01x
Croft 5 462.96x
Dorking 5 25.97x
Edgeworth 5 133.33x
Halifax 5 5.84x
Hornsey 5 6.72x
Kirkley 5 83.47x
Knottingley 5 48.83x
Leek Lowe 5 18.93x
Oswaldtwistle 5 20.28x
Stoke Upon Trent 5 2.37x
Westminster St 5 23.05x
Winfarthing 5 409.84x
Andover 4 35.12x
Armley 4 15.56x
Attleborough 4 87.53x
Bethnal Green London 4 1.57x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 4 20.06x
Brandon Byshottles 4 18.25x
Dawlish 4 43.81x
Kings Norton 4 5.81x
Livesey 4 32.65x
Llandaff 4 11.74x
Lockngtn In Kilnwck 4 388.35x
Upper Penn 4 80.48x
Bowling 3 5.20x
Chelsea London 3 1.69x
Colwich 3 63.56x
Coventry St Michael 3 6.30x
Gislingham 3 270.27x
Hunwick Helmington 3 71.43x
North Skirlaugh 3 526.32x
Pilton 3 74.26x
Runcorn 3 10.02x
Shipley 3 9.92x
St Pancras London 3 0.63x
Whickham 3 18.63x
Barnes 2 16.50x
Brighton 2 1.00x
Burnham Westgate 2 102.56x
Hinstock 2 114.94x
Holy Trinity 2 1.43x
Liverpool 2 0.47x
Manningham 2 2.79x
Rotherhithe 2 2.75x
Sherston Magna 2 63.69x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 1.69x
Toxteth Park 2 0.85x
Wolverhampton 2 1.31x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 36
Elizabeth 29
Sarah 25
Ann 16
Alice 12
Emily 12
Jane 12
Eliza 11
Ellen 9
Emma 9
Margaret 7
Ada 6
Annie 6
Charlotte 5
Clara 5
Florence 5
Hannah 5
Harriet 5
Susan 5
Anne 4
Louisa 4
Lucy 4
Martha 4
Matilda 4
Maria 3
Rebecca 3
Susannah 3
Agnes 2
Anna 2
Betsy 2
Bridget 2
Catharine 2
Catherine 2
Grace 2
Isabella 2
Julia 2
Kate 2
Priscilla 2
Ruth 2
Sophia 2
Ady 1
Alma 1
Berta 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizh. 1
Ellenor 1
Ellinor 1
Emila 1
Jessie 1
Winifrid 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 35
William 29
James 21
Thomas 21
George 17
Joseph 17
Henry 10
Edward 9
Charles 8
Arthur 7
David 7
Frederick 7
Robert 5
Harry 4
Isaiah 4
Sidney 4
Alfred 3
Amos 3
Christopher 3
Herbert 3
Job 3
Matthew 3
Richard 3
Walter 3
Alexander 2
Eli 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Mathew 2
Robt. 2
Sargent 2
Simon 2
Thos. 2
Annie 1
Chas.Wm. 1
Edmond 1
Edmund 1
Enock 1
Ernest 1
Essex 1
Frederic 1
Gilbert 1
Infant 1
Leonard 1
Lot 1
Peter 1
Phillip 1
Seth 1
Wyndham 1

FAQ

Witton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Witton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 607 people were recorded with the Witton surname. That placed it at #5,775 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Witton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 814 in 2016. That gives Witton a modern rank of #6,810.

What does the Witton map show?

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