NameCensus.

UK surname

Woolley

A surname referring to someone who worked with wool or lived near a meadow.

In the 1881 census there were 5,948 people recorded with the Woolley surname, ranking it #745 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,988, ranked #643, up from #745 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes and Nottingham St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Derbyshire Dales, East Staffordshire and Derby.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Woolley is 10,732 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 67.9%.

1881 census count

5,948

Ranked #745

Modern count

9,988

2016, ranked #643

Peak year

1999

10,732 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Woolley had 5,948 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #745 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,988 in 2016, ranked #643.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,836 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Woolley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Woolley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Woolley 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 3,833 #738
1861 historical 3,769 #749
1881 historical 5,948 #745
1891 historical 7,072 #634
1901 historical 8,620 #614
1911 historical 9,836 #501
1997 modern 10,058 #613
1998 modern 10,686 #600
1999 modern 10,732 #600
2000 modern 10,715 #596
2001 modern 10,491 #596
2002 modern 10,629 #603
2003 modern 10,406 #599
2004 modern 10,291 #611
2005 modern 10,157 #611
2006 modern 10,132 #614
2007 modern 10,179 #617
2008 modern 10,179 #620
2009 modern 10,336 #626
2010 modern 10,496 #630
2011 modern 10,354 #628
2012 modern 10,111 #632
2013 modern 10,195 #637
2014 modern 10,188 #643
2015 modern 10,022 #645
2016 modern 9,988 #643

Geography

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Where Woolleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes, Nottingham St Mary and Stockport. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Derbyshire Dales, East Staffordshire and Derby. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
4 Stockport Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Derbyshire Dales 010 Derbyshire Dales
2 East Staffordshire 003 East Staffordshire
3 Derbyshire Dales 008 Derbyshire Dales
4 East Staffordshire 004 East Staffordshire
5 Derby 025 Derby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Woolley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Woolley

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

Woolley is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Woolley falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Woolley

The surname Woolley has its origins in medieval England, deriving from various place names containing the Old English word 'wudu,' meaning wood, and 'leah,' meaning a woodland clearing or meadow. It is believed to have emerged during the 11th or 12th century as a habitational name, given to individuals who resided near such wooded areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Wuluelei' and 'Wulveleia,' referring to locations in Wiltshire and Somerset, respectively. These early spellings highlight the variation in how the name was recorded during that period.

During the 13th century, the name was commonly spelled as 'Wulveley' or 'Wolveley,' reflecting the linguistic evolution of the Old English elements. By the 14th century, the spelling had evolved closer to its modern form, appearing in records as 'Wolley' and 'Woolley.'

Notable individuals bearing the Woolley surname include John Woolley (c. 1537-1594), an English linguist and translator who was one of the earliest scholars to study the Anglo-Saxon language. Another prominent figure was Joseph Woolley (1638-1711), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Rector of Coventry.

In the literary realm, John Woolley (1651-1719) was an English dramatist and poet, best known for his satirical play "The Gentleman Dancing-Master." Meanwhile, Edward Woolley (1807-1882) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons.

One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Sir Leonard Woolley (1880-1960), a British archaeologist renowned for his excavations at ancient sites such as Ur in Mesopotamia and the Royal Cemetery at Ur. His discoveries shed significant light on the Sumerian civilization and influenced our understanding of the region's history.

While the Woolley surname originated in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, carried by descendants of English emigrants over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Woolley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Woolley 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. Staffordshire leads with 890 Woolleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.55x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 890 4.55x
Cheshire 680 5.31x
Lancashire 628 0.91x
Derbyshire 516 5.69x
Nottinghamshire 405 5.18x
Kent 386 1.95x
Warwickshire 351 2.40x
Middlesex 338 0.58x
Leicestershire 214 3.33x
Yorkshire 211 0.37x
Surrey 186 0.66x
Shropshire 144 2.88x
Gloucestershire 140 1.23x
Lincolnshire 138 1.49x
Worcestershire 121 1.60x
Sussex 75 0.77x
Somerset 70 0.75x
Essex 48 0.42x
Montgomeryshire 41 3.09x
Hampshire 40 0.34x
Durham 34 0.20x
Herefordshire 32 1.35x
Devon 29 0.24x
Hertfordshire 29 0.73x
Huntingdonshire 29 2.52x
Northamptonshire 28 0.51x
Rutland 21 4.93x
Cambridgeshire 17 0.46x
Glamorgan 16 0.16x
Bedfordshire 13 0.43x
Suffolk 13 0.18x
Monmouthshire 8 0.19x
Flintshire 7 0.45x
Norfolk 7 0.08x
Wiltshire 7 0.14x
Stirlingshire 5 0.23x
Midlothian 4 0.05x
Lanarkshire 3 0.02x
Radnorshire 3 0.64x
Denbighshire 2 0.09x
Dorset 2 0.05x
Dunbartonshire 2 0.13x
Northumberland 2 0.02x
Royal Navy 2 0.29x
Angus 1 0.02x
Berkshire 1 0.02x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.03x
Cumberland 1 0.02x
Renfrewshire 1 0.02x
Westmorland 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 168 Woolleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.45x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 168 3.45x
Dukinfield 144 24.35x
Nottingham St Mary 138 6.83x
Aston 114 2.83x
Stoke Upon Trent 97 4.67x
Ashton Under Lyne 70 4.66x
Walsall Foreign 64 6.33x
Burton Upon Trent 60 13.11x
Wolverhampton 57 3.79x
Tutbury 55 115.28x
Stone 51 20.38x
Hyde 50 13.24x
Lambeth 50 0.99x
Dudley 46 5.00x
Oldham 45 2.03x
Radford 42 10.58x
Derby St Werburgh 38 7.25x
Kegworth 38 88.93x
Islington London 37 0.66x
Salford 37 1.83x
Leicester St Mary 35 6.74x
Brighton 33 1.67x
Wednesfield 33 11.46x
Broughton In Salford 32 5.09x
Manchester 32 1.03x
Leeds 31 0.96x
Shoreditch London 31 1.23x
Tonbridge 31 4.35x
Uttoxeter 31 30.94x
Kensington London 30 0.93x
Stayley 30 20.51x
Lenton 29 15.76x
Newton In Ashton Under 29 22.97x
West Derby 29 1.44x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 27 2.52x
Cannock 27 7.91x
Bermondsey 26 1.51x
Chatham 26 4.78x
Codnor Loscoe 25 34.78x
Preston 25 1.36x
Sudbury 25 241.31x
West Bromwich 25 2.23x
Basford 24 6.66x
Toxteth Park 24 1.03x
Bilston 23 6.06x
Hulme 23 1.60x
Hackney London 22 0.68x
Leicester St Margaret 22 1.40x
Spalding 22 11.96x
Horsley 21 38.45x
Stockport 21 3.19x
Tipton 21 3.50x
Branstone 20 101.68x
Chorlton On Medlock 20 1.83x
Kings Bromley 20 177.78x
Litchurch 20 5.48x
Poplar London 20 1.83x
West Dean 20 10.83x
Camberwell 19 0.51x
Everton 19 0.87x
Ilkeston 19 7.47x
Liverpool 19 0.45x
Newington 19 0.89x
Waters Upton 19 490.96x
Denton 18 11.81x
Glossop Dale 18 4.23x
Sidmouth 18 26.06x
Stapenhill 18 13.32x
Derby St Peter 17 5.88x
Greenwich 17 1.84x
Hunslet 17 1.90x
Loughborough 17 5.83x
Maidstone 17 2.89x
North Meols 17 2.52x
Ardwick 16 2.58x
Eckington 16 7.26x
Kings Norton 16 2.36x
Snenton 16 5.21x
Spotland 16 2.09x
St Pancras London 16 0.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 393
Sarah 227
Elizabeth 218
Ann 129
Eliza 111
Emma 105
Jane 100
Annie 91
Ellen 78
Hannah 77
Emily 73
Alice 66
Martha 56
Harriet 52
Fanny 49
Florence 42
Louisa 42
Maria 41
Edith 40
Ada 35
Clara 34
Charlotte 32
Margaret 31
Anne 30
Caroline 29
Catherine 26
Frances 25
Agnes 22
Harriett 22
Kate 20
Lucy 20
Susan 19
Rebecca 17
Rose 17
Gertrude 16
Ruth 16
Amelia 15
Isabella 15
Jessie 15
Susannah 14
Lizzie 13
Lydia 13
Eleanor 12
Ethel 12
Julia 12
Minnie 11
Sophia 11
Esther 10
Laura 9
Mabel 9

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 380
John 374
Thomas 241
George 231
James 163
Joseph 146
Charles 111
Henry 102
Samuel 82
Edward 74
Arthur 69
Alfred 64
Robert 64
Frederick 59
Harry 44
Albert 40
Richard 35
Frank 27
Walter 26
Edwin 24
Herbert 24
Ernest 23
Francis 20
Wm. 19
David 17
Geo. 14
Tom 14
Benjamin 13
Fred 13
Thos. 13
Daniel 10
Peter 9
Fredk. 8
Fredrick 8
Isaac 8
Matthew 8
Stephen 8
Edgar 7
Enoch 7
Harold 7
Percy 7
Willm. 7
Chas. 6
Josiah 6
Saml. 6
Abraham 5
Eli 5
Frederic 5
Jesse 5
Ralph 5

FAQ

Woolley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Woolley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,948 people were recorded with the Woolley surname. That placed it at #745 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Woolley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,988 in 2016. That gives Woolley a modern rank of #643.

What does the Woolley surname mean?

A surname referring to someone who worked with wool or lived near a meadow.

What does the Woolley map show?

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