NameCensus.

UK surname

Woolaway

In the 1881 census there were 67 people recorded with the Woolaway surname, ranking it #24,104 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 93, ranked #31,945, down from #24,104 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Tiverton and Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Devon, Gravesham and Birmingham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Woolaway is 112 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.8%.

1881 census count

67

Ranked #24,104

Modern count

93

2016, ranked #31,945

Peak year

1911

112 bearers

Map years

3

1901 to 1998

Key insights

  • Woolaway had 67 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,104 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 93 in 2016, ranked #31,945.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 112 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Woolaway surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Woolaway surname density by area, 1998 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Woolaway 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 70 #21,020
1861 historical 67 #25,342
1881 historical 67 #24,104
1891 historical 94 #24,820
1901 historical 107 #21,955
1911 historical 112 #21,274
1997 modern 98 #27,179
1998 modern 103 #27,141
1999 modern 98 #28,050
2000 modern 99 #27,845
2001 modern 91 #28,670
2002 modern 89 #29,428
2003 modern 90 #29,260
2004 modern 92 #29,197
2005 modern 89 #29,683
2006 modern 86 #30,425
2007 modern 91 #30,061
2008 modern 90 #30,567
2009 modern 89 #31,235
2010 modern 94 #31,111
2011 modern 96 #30,721
2012 modern 101 #30,078
2013 modern 101 #30,591
2014 modern 100 #31,033
2015 modern 94 #31,872
2016 modern 93 #31,945

Geography

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Where Woolaways are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Tiverton, Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton, Hendon and Lapford, Meshaw. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Devon, Gravesham, Birmingham and Dacorum. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Tiverton Devon
3 Barnstaple, Bishops Tawton Devon
4 Hendon Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
5 Lapford, Meshaw Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Devon 011 North Devon
2 North Devon 006 North Devon
3 Gravesham 012 Gravesham
4 Birmingham 064 Birmingham
5 Dacorum 010 Dacorum

Forenames

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First names often paired with Woolaway

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Woolaway

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Woolaway surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Woolaway household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Woolaway 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

Woolaway 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

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

1881 census detail

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Woolaway families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Woolaway 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. Devon leads with 36 Woolaways recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.46x.

County Total Index
Devon 36 26.46x
Middlesex 12 1.84x
Somerset 10 9.51x
Hampshire 5 3.73x
Wiltshire 2 3.46x
Glamorgan 1 0.88x
Kent 1 0.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Exeter St Thomas The in Devon leads with 6 Woolaways recorded in 1881 and an index of 431.65x.

Place Total Index
Exeter St Thomas The 6 431.65x
Islington London 6 9.47x
Plymouth St Andrew 6 57.25x
Aldershot 5 111.36x
Buckfastleigh 5 793.65x
Chulmleigh 5 1612.90x
Taunton St Mary 5 259.07x
Bedminster 3 30.36x
Brixham 3 189.87x
Ashburton 2 307.69x
Devizes St Mary 2 344.83x
Ermington 2 408.16x
High Bickington 2 1333.33x
South Molton 2 266.67x
St Pancras London 2 3.80x
Westminster St 2 82.99x
Wiveliscombe 2 338.98x
Eltham 1 76.34x
Fulham London 1 10.55x
Merthyr Tydfil 1 9.14x
Meshaw 1 2500.00x
St Marylebone London 1 2.87x
Stoke Damerel 1 10.50x
Tavistock 1 64.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Ann 3
Alice 2
Blanche 2
Elizabeth 2
Fanny 2
Amelia 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Dorothy 1
Edith 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Hilda 1
Isabella 1
Jane 1
Lucy 1
Marg. 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Maude 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Woolaway households.

FAQ

Woolaway surname: questions and answers

How common was the Woolaway surname in 1881?

In 1881, 67 people were recorded with the Woolaway surname. That placed it at #24,104 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Woolaway surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 93 in 2016. That gives Woolaway a modern rank of #31,945.

What does the Woolaway map show?

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