Past UK Distribution of the Surname

It is quite clear that the name Wallator or one of its variants existed in the UK from at least 1540.  I find it hard to believe that all, if any, of these derived from Cadwalladers.  It is just as likely that the name is a corruption of Walter or Wallter.  In the future I shall try and address the distribution of names before 1800.

But for now this page contains data on the distribution of the various Wallator surnames in Great Britain only during the 19th Century, drawn from a superceded database. The name appears only in six counties and was clearly most common in Shropshire.  It is also clear that the names Wallator/Wallater and Wallador/Wallader were those most often recorded.  I have only included phonetically alike variants.

UK Censuses

The name Wallator first appears in the 1851 census - a Martha Wallator, aged 20 and living in Ludlow district.  However, the 1841 census wrongly recorded Richard & Maria Wallator as "Walletton" and in the 1861 census as "Walater", clear evidence of potential corruption of the spelling.

Woliter also first appears in the 1851 census - a Thomas Woliter, aged 25 and living in Macclesfield district.

The table below compiles data originally published in the Federation of Family History Societies database of surname entries by county - this is no longer available.  A future task is to update this table from other sources, but for now an indication of distribution by name is given here.

Source: The Federation of Family History Societies database of surname entries by county compiled from Census data (especially 1881), Baptism & Birth, Marriages Burials & Death, Memorial Inscriptions, Wills & Probate, Miscellaneous records (correct as at 2nd March 2009, when it closed) www.familyhistoryonline.net [N.B. Site now closed].