NameCensus.

UK surname

Wooff

In the 1881 census there were 163 people recorded with the Wooff surname, ranking it #14,689 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 323, ranked #13,997, up from #14,689 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Beetham, Warton and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lancaster, Bolton and Mid Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wooff is 333 in 2003. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 98.2%.

1881 census count

163

Ranked #14,689

Modern count

323

2016, ranked #13,997

Peak year

2003

333 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wooff had 163 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,689 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 323 in 2016, ranked #13,997.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 331 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wooff surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wooff surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wooff 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 102 #16,933
1861 historical 139 #16,263
1881 historical 163 #14,689
1891 historical 212 #14,318
1901 historical 242 #13,392
1911 historical 331 #10,654
1997 modern 303 #13,433
1998 modern 311 #13,550
1999 modern 311 #13,642
2000 modern 311 #13,588
2001 modern 311 #13,423
2002 modern 325 #13,275
2003 modern 333 #12,875
2004 modern 329 #13,027
2005 modern 317 #13,323
2006 modern 316 #13,402
2007 modern 314 #13,618
2008 modern 310 #13,834
2009 modern 311 #14,069
2010 modern 321 #14,066
2011 modern 317 #14,059
2012 modern 299 #14,537
2013 modern 312 #14,332
2014 modern 322 #14,113
2015 modern 320 #14,090
2016 modern 323 #13,997

Geography

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Where Wooffs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Beetham, Warton, London parishes, Slaidburn and Orton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lancaster, Bolton, Mid Devon, Swindon and Richmondshire. 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 Beetham Westmorland
2 Warton Lancashire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Slaidburn Lancashire
5 Orton Westmorland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lancaster 001 Lancaster
2 Bolton 004 Bolton
3 Mid Devon 002 Mid Devon
4 Swindon 025 Swindon
5 Richmondshire 002 Richmondshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wooff

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wooff

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wooff is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wooff is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wooff falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Wooff families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wooff 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 23 Wooffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.45x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 23 1.45x
Westmorland 23 65.83x
Lancashire 18 0.95x
Durham 14 2.96x
Kent 14 2.58x
Yorkshire 14 0.89x
Berkshire 13 10.89x
Hampshire 10 3.07x
Cumberland 9 6.58x
Surrey 9 1.16x
Wiltshire 9 6.40x
Glamorgan 4 1.45x
Oxfordshire 3 3.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bolton in Westmorland leads with 13 Wooffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 5909.09x.

Place Total Index
Bolton 13 5909.09x
Lower Booths 12 355.03x
Lewisham 11 38.04x
Orton 9 865.38x
Salisbury St Edmund 9 398.23x
Whicham 9 4285.71x
Bromley London 8 22.87x
Sulhamstead Abbots 8 5000.00x
Staindrop 7 972.22x
Christchurch 6 84.87x
Clitheroe 6 108.11x
Newington 6 10.22x
Cockfield 5 757.58x
Middlesbrough 5 24.37x
Bethnal Green London 4 5.79x
Frilsham 4 3636.36x
Llantrisant 4 57.31x
Westminster St John 4 20.66x
Basingstoke 3 80.00x
Bramley In Bramley 3 49.75x
Croydon 3 6.98x
Shirburn 3 1764.71x
Gainford 2 408.16x
Hackney London 2 2.24x
Lee 2 25.38x
Long Preston 2 526.32x
Barnoldswick 1 45.45x
Bradfield 1 158.73x
Brough 1 294.12x
Hammersmith London 1 2.55x
Harrow On The Hill 1 31.45x
Heckmondwike 1 19.72x
Mile End Old Town 1 3.98x
Nappa 1 10000.00x
Paddington London 1 1.71x
Rochester St Margaret 1 17.48x
Sheffield 1 1.99x
St John Winchester 1 147.06x
Willesden 1 6.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Sarah 11
Elizabeth 6
Jane 5
Alice 4
Ann 4
Annie 4
Ellen 3
Edith 2
Eleanor 2
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Esther 2
Hannah 2
Isabella 2
Ada 1
Beatrice 1
Bessie 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Elizth. 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Florabel 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Lilly 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Margret 1
May 1
Priscilla 1
Rebecca 1
Rosina 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Wooff 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
William 7
Richard 5
Thomas 5
Albert 4
Charles 4
George 4
Herbert 3
James 3
Robert 3
Edward 2
Frank 2
Abraham 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Earnest 1
Emanuel 1
Fred 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Isaac 1
Lancelot 1
Marshall 1
Nicholas 1
Patrick 1
Richd.Thos. 1
Sidney 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Wharton 1
Wyndham 1

FAQ

Wooff surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wooff surname in 1881?

In 1881, 163 people were recorded with the Wooff surname. That placed it at #14,689 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wooff surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 323 in 2016. That gives Wooff a modern rank of #13,997.

What does the Wooff map show?

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