NameCensus.

UK surname

Woolfall

In the 1881 census there were 193 people recorded with the Woolfall surname, ranking it #13,144 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 193, ranked #20,039, down from #13,144 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Toxteth Park, West Derby and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Torfaen, Liverpool and Monmouthshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Woolfall is 271 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 0.0%.

1881 census count

193

Ranked #13,144

Modern count

193

2016, ranked #20,039

Peak year

1911

271 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Woolfall had 193 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,144 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 193 in 2016, ranked #20,039.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 271 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Woolfall surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Woolfall surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Woolfall 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 132 #14,174
1861 historical 128 #17,375
1881 historical 193 #13,144
1891 historical 210 #14,412
1901 historical 252 #13,068
1911 historical 271 #12,237
1997 modern 250 #15,281
1998 modern 252 #15,584
1999 modern 238 #16,308
2000 modern 224 #16,934
2001 modern 225 #16,664
2002 modern 226 #16,939
2003 modern 221 #16,987
2004 modern 216 #17,331
2005 modern 214 #17,378
2006 modern 215 #17,441
2007 modern 212 #17,803
2008 modern 209 #18,114
2009 modern 211 #18,377
2010 modern 212 #18,726
2011 modern 204 #19,040
2012 modern 202 #19,084
2013 modern 190 #20,201
2014 modern 198 #19,841
2015 modern 200 #19,567
2016 modern 193 #20,039

Geography

Back to top

Where Woolfalls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Toxteth Park, West Derby, Liverpool, Blackburn and Bidstone. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Torfaen, Liverpool, Monmouthshire and Rochdale. 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 Toxteth Park Lancashire
2 West Derby Lancashire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Blackburn Lancashire
5 Bidstone Cheshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Torfaen 002 Torfaen
2 Torfaen 003 Torfaen
3 Liverpool 022 Liverpool
4 Monmouthshire 001 Monmouthshire
5 Rochdale 021 Rochdale

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Woolfall

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Woolfall

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Woolfall surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Woolfall household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Woolfall 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

Woolfall 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

Woolfall falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Woolfall families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Woolfall 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. Lancashire leads with 158 Woolfalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.07x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 158 7.07x
Yorkshire 9 0.48x
Cheshire 8 1.93x
Warwickshire 6 1.26x
Hampshire 4 1.04x
Essex 3 0.81x
Surrey 3 0.33x
Herefordshire 2 2.59x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Toxteth Park in Lancashire leads with 28 Woolfalls recorded in 1881 and an index of 37.02x.

Place Total Index
Toxteth Park 28 37.02x
Blackburn 21 35.34x
Everton 16 22.47x
West Derby 13 19.89x
Kirkdale 11 29.27x
Castleton 9 40.34x
Bury 7 27.43x
Garston 7 106.22x
Little Woolton 7 1093.75x
Wavertree 7 97.90x
Walton On Hill 6 49.59x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 5 28.77x
Rainhill 5 349.65x
Stoke 5 531.91x
Tarbock 5 1250.00x
Leeds 4 3.80x
Liverpool 4 2.95x
North Meols 4 18.29x
Tranmere 4 26.20x
Aldershot 3 23.20x
Wandsworth 3 16.56x
Great Clacton 2 158.73x
Great Sankey 2 487.80x
Latchford 2 72.46x
Leominster 2 62.70x
Liscard 2 26.70x
Little Bolton 2 6.96x
Warrington 2 7.55x
Alverstoke 1 7.16x
Aston 1 0.76x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 5.64x
Huyton With Roby 1 38.17x
Little Clacton 1 256.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ann 8
Elizabeth 8
Mary 8
Jane 6
Alice 5
Annie 4
Edith 4
Ellen 4
Emma 4
Hannah 4
Florence 3
Harriet 3
Sarah 3
Catherine 2
Emily 2
Ethel 2
Frances 2
Helen 2
Lois 2
Margaret 2
Rebecca 2
Amaile 1
Anne 1
Christiana 1
Cicila 1
Diana 1
Eliz. 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Isabella 1
Louise 1
Lucy 1
Margt. 1
Matilda 1
Maude 1
Nancy 1
Nelley 1
Nellie 1
Rachel 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Selima 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 12
Richard 11
John 10
Thomas 10
George 7
James 5
Henry 4
Arthur 3
Frederick 3
Albert 2
David 2
Edward 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Algernon 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Edmund 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
Harry 1
Hugh 1
Jno. 1
Joseph 1
Julia 1
Oswald 1
Richd. 1
Robert 1
Thos. 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Woolfall surname: questions and answers

How common was the Woolfall surname in 1881?

In 1881, 193 people were recorded with the Woolfall surname. That placed it at #13,144 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Woolfall surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 193 in 2016. That gives Woolfall a modern rank of #20,039.

What does the Woolfall map show?

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