NameCensus.

UK surname

Wyatt

Derived from a place name meaning "wood" or "wide island" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 8,737 people recorded with the Wyatt surname, ranking it #482 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 11,852, ranked #550, down from #482 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Glossop. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bath and North East Somerset, South Northamptonshire and South Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wyatt is 12,463 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 35.7%.

1881 census count

8,737

Ranked #482

Modern count

11,852

2016, ranked #550

Peak year

1911

12,463 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wyatt had 8,737 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #482 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 11,852 in 2016, ranked #550.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 12,463 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Wyatt surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wyatt surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wyatt 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 5,595 #496
1861 historical 5,456 #507
1881 historical 8,737 #482
1891 historical 9,272 #474
1901 historical 11,323 #464
1911 historical 12,463 #393
1997 modern 11,686 #522
1998 modern 12,421 #516
1999 modern 12,424 #519
2000 modern 12,269 #521
2001 modern 11,985 #520
2002 modern 12,199 #524
2003 modern 11,831 #527
2004 modern 11,777 #534
2005 modern 11,514 #535
2006 modern 11,455 #538
2007 modern 11,525 #539
2008 modern 11,588 #539
2009 modern 11,897 #539
2010 modern 12,144 #545
2011 modern 12,032 #540
2012 modern 11,706 #552
2013 modern 11,981 #548
2014 modern 12,056 #549
2015 modern 11,918 #550
2016 modern 11,852 #550

Geography

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Where Wyatts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Glossop and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bath and North East Somerset, South Northamptonshire, South Somerset, North Somerset and Sedgemoor. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Glossop Derbyshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bath and North East Somerset 023 Bath and North East Somerset
2 South Northamptonshire 011 South Northamptonshire
3 South Somerset 024 South Somerset
4 North Somerset 006 North Somerset
5 Sedgemoor 014 Sedgemoor

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wyatt

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wyatt

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

London Fringe

Within London, Wyatt is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Wyatt is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wyatt falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Wyatt

The surname Wyatt is of English origin, derived from the Old English given name Wigheard, which was composed of the elements "wig" meaning war, and "heard" meaning hardy or brave. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 12th century, initially borne by those who held lands in Wyatville, Derbyshire.

Records from the Domesday Book of 1086 mention a landowner named Wigheard in Derbyshire, suggesting the name's antiquity in that region. Early spellings of the surname included Wihat, Wyhot, and Wyot, reflecting its evolution over time.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Wyatt dates back to 1166, when a certain Roger Wyatt was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Devonshire. Another early reference comes from the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1201, which recorded a Richard Wyatt.

In the 14th century, the surname gained prominence through Sir Thomas Wyatt, a renowned English poet and ambassador who lived from 1503 to 1542. He is best known for his contribution to the introduction of the sonnet form into English literature.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger, the son of the aforementioned poet, who was involved in a rebellion against Queen Mary I in 1554 and was subsequently executed.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Wyatt family held significant influence in Surrey, with their ancestral seat located at Allington Castle. George Wyatt, born in 1553, was a historian and author who wrote extensively on the life of Queen Anne Boleyn.

The surname also gained recognition through Sir Henry Wyatt, a British naval officer who lived from 1794 to 1853. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Navarino during the Greek War of Independence and was later appointed Governor of Grenada.

In the realm of literature, the name is associated with James Wyatt (1746-1813), a prominent English architect and garden designer who was responsible for the construction of numerous country houses and the renovation of historic buildings, including Fonthill Abbey and Ashridge Park.

The surname Wyatt continues to be widely distributed across England, particularly in the counties of Surrey, Kent, and Derbyshire, reflecting its historical roots and the migration patterns of those who bore the name over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wyatt families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wyatt 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 1,363 Wyatts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.59x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,363 1.59x
Devon 788 4.42x
Surrey 703 1.68x
Somerset 646 4.68x
Hampshire 546 3.11x
Gloucestershire 428 2.55x
Oxfordshire 386 7.29x
Lancashire 350 0.34x
Warwickshire 302 1.40x
Kent 270 0.92x
Essex 252 1.49x
Derbyshire 224 1.67x
Sussex 201 1.39x
Yorkshire 194 0.23x
Cheshire 180 0.95x
Staffordshire 172 0.59x
Berkshire 170 2.64x
Northamptonshire 167 2.07x
Buckinghamshire 166 3.20x
Norfolk 158 1.20x
Wiltshire 145 1.91x
Cornwall 139 1.43x
Worcestershire 130 1.16x
Suffolk 96 0.92x
Leicestershire 95 1.00x
Dorset 73 1.30x
Monmouthshire 69 1.11x
Glamorgan 50 0.34x
Nottinghamshire 50 0.43x
Channel Islands 36 1.42x
Durham 30 0.12x
Lincolnshire 20 0.15x
Royal Navy 19 1.86x
Caernarfonshire 17 0.49x
Hertfordshire 17 0.29x
Huntingdonshire 17 1.00x
Shropshire 15 0.20x
Lanarkshire 14 0.05x
Cambridgeshire 13 0.24x
Fife 10 0.20x
Herefordshire 9 0.26x
Merionethshire 9 0.57x
Bedfordshire 8 0.18x
Flintshire 8 0.35x
Perthshire 6 0.16x
Midlothian 5 0.04x
Rutland 4 0.64x
Banffshire 2 0.11x
Buteshire 2 0.39x
Denbighshire 2 0.06x
Northumberland 2 0.02x
Westmorland 2 0.11x
Angus 1 0.01x
Argyllshire 1 0.04x
Cumberland 1 0.01x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.04x
West Lothian 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. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 162 Wyatts recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.17x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 162 2.17x
Islington London 140 1.69x
St Pancras London 134 1.94x
Portsea 118 3.43x
St Marylebone London 103 2.25x
Camberwell 89 1.63x
Birmingham 85 1.18x
Kensington London 84 1.76x
Chelsea London 78 3.02x
Plymouth Charles The 77 9.80x
Hackney London 75 1.56x
St George Hanover 74 6.62x
Southampton St Mary 71 6.43x
Bedminster 67 5.17x
Paddington London 65 2.06x
Battersea 61 1.93x
Bethnal Green London 60 1.61x
Plymouth St Andrew 57 4.15x
Aston 53 0.89x
Wotton Under Edge 53 53.50x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 51 3.22x
Hammersmith London 51 2.42x
E Adderbury 49 183.73x
Shoreditch London 48 1.29x
Glossop Dale 47 7.48x
Beard Ollerset Whitle 46 52.11x
Clapham 43 4.01x
Southwark St George Martyr 41 2.38x
Tormoham 41 5.43x
Kings Sutton 40 111.67x
Marple 38 29.26x
Stoke Damerel 38 3.04x
Taunton St Mary 37 14.61x
Bovey Tracey 36 57.70x
Ellesborough 36 201.57x
Newington 35 1.11x
West Ham 35 0.94x
Alverstoke 33 5.19x
Mile End Old Town 33 2.44x
Reading St Mary 31 6.02x
Altrincham 30 9.08x
Pennington In Leigh 30 15.38x
Sandford 30 210.82x
Walthamstow 30 4.93x
Willesden 30 3.71x
Brighton 29 0.99x
South Stoneham 29 7.61x
Kingston On Thames 27 2.69x
Uffculme 27 50.80x
Cheltenham 26 2.01x
Deptford St Paul 26 1.15x
West Harptree 26 189.37x
Woolwich 26 2.41x
Appleby 25 112.41x
Eling 25 14.05x
Newbottle 25 165.45x
Portishead 25 24.39x
Carshalton 24 15.02x
High Littleton 24 105.59x
Modbury 24 52.68x
Stoke Upon Trent 24 0.78x
Bristol St James St Paul 23 4.10x
Ermington 23 35.44x
Fawley 23 41.29x
Hove 23 3.63x
Walcot 23 3.13x
West Bromwich 23 1.39x
Westminster St 23 7.28x
Yaxham 23 160.39x
Bayton 22 177.28x
Compton Gifford 22 39.35x
Lewisham 22 1.41x
Paignton 22 16.21x
Plymstock 22 23.55x
Aylesbury 21 9.15x
Burford 21 45.74x
Croydon 21 0.91x
Chepstow 20 18.96x
Church Gresley 20 9.37x
Harborne 20 2.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 585
Elizabeth 336
Sarah 292
Ann 160
Emma 155
Alice 146
Eliza 137
Jane 134
Ellen 132
Emily 119
Annie 109
Hannah 84
Louisa 73
Florence 68
Martha 68
Maria 66
Fanny 64
Edith 61
Harriet 57
Charlotte 54
Caroline 52
Kate 49
Susan 48
Ada 43
Harriett 43
Lucy 39
Anne 36
Clara 35
Margaret 35
Amelia 33
Frances 29
Amy 28
Catherine 28
Rose 28
Julia 26
Sophia 23
Agnes 21
Bessie 21
Esther 20
Grace 20
Ethel 19
Isabella 19
Minnie 19
Jessie 18
Matilda 18
Rebecca 17
Anna 16
Lydia 15
Eleanor 14
Elizth. 14

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 569
John 474
George 345
James 282
Thomas 264
Charles 206
Henry 194
Joseph 145
Alfred 114
Edward 114
Robert 96
Samuel 96
Arthur 95
Richard 87
Frederick 85
Walter 75
Albert 69
Frank 64
Harry 47
Francis 46
Herbert 35
Edwin 34
Ernest 33
David 24
Wm. 21
Benjamin 17
Thos. 15
Percy 14
Sidney 13
Tom 12
Fred 11
Fredk. 11
Fredrick 11
Alexander 10
Frederic 9
Hugh 9
Isaac 9
Mark 9
Earnest 8
Edgar 8
Geo. 8
Harold 8
Lewis 8
Sydney 8
Willie 8
Chas. 7
Horace 7
Mathew 7
Philip 7
Elijah 6

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 Wyatt households.

FAQ

Wyatt surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wyatt surname in 1881?

In 1881, 8,737 people were recorded with the Wyatt surname. That placed it at #482 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wyatt surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 11,852 in 2016. That gives Wyatt a modern rank of #550.

What does the Wyatt surname mean?

Derived from a place name meaning "wood" or "wide island" in Old English.

What does the Wyatt map show?

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