The Wagstaff surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,037 people carried this name — #10,553 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 97,100 people counted. That is up 1% from 3,008 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Wagstaff surname

From Middle English waggen (“to move up and down”) + staff (“staff, rod”), an occupational surname for an official who carried a staff.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Wagstaff» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: Walter Waggestaf, Norfolk, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Wagstaff and Wagstaffe.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 787 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Wagstaff was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Nottinghamshire: 24 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 417. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Nottinghamshire 24
Essex 15
Derbyshire 10

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Wagstaff in American newspapers,
1911–1916.

Newspaper page from Ellsworth American carrying the name Wagstaff
Ellsworth American 1913-07-09
Newspaper page from Ellsworth American carrying the name Wagstaff
Ellsworth American 1911-06-21
Newspaper page from The Ekalaka Eagle carrying the name Wagstaff
The Ekalaka Eagle 1916-11-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 13,198 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Wagstaff in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

5,595 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wagstaff. The most, 964, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 1,619
New South Wales 1,585
Queensland 1,137
South Australia 527
Tasmania 345
Western Australia 333
ACT (Canberra) 30
Northern Territory 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wagstaff.

Who carried it

People named Wagstaff,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Alfred Wagstaff Jr.
    Alfred Wagstaff Jr. 1844–1921 · lawyer
  • Ernest Edward Wagstaff
    Ernest Edward Wagstaff 1870–1965 · businessperson
  • Cyril Wagstaff
    Cyril Wagstaff 1878–1934 · military personnel
  • Cyril Wagstaff
    Cyril Wagstaff 1878–1934 · military personnel
  • Mary Wagstaff d. 1927
  • Charles Edward Wagstaff 1808–1850 · engraver

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Wagstaff,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States368 records

368 records of the Wagstaff name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 105
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 102
  • Other U.S. records 161
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Abraham F. Wagstaff

    Born 1921 in West Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Huntington; miner from Mc Dowell County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1992, buried at Restlawn Memorial Cemetery, Bluefield, West Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Donald Wagstaff

    Born 1948; from Harpursville, New York. U.S. Marine Corps; killed in action 1968 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Woodlawn National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record U-Barone Wagstaff

    Arrived at New York in 1880 aboard the Ferdinand de Lesseps from Havre, aged 35; proprietor. From France; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 368 records for Wagstaff in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia326 records

326 records of the Wagstaff name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 137
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 78
  • Other Australian records 111
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Lawrence Wagstaff

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Layton, sailing from Sheerness in 1835. Native of Great Gransden, Huntingdonshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Henry Wagstaff

    Born 1861 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1886 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 25.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Eliza Wagstaff

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the Marco Polo, aged 29; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 326 records for Wagstaff in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada122 records

122 records of the Wagstaff name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 108
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 5
  • Other Canadian records 9
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record George E. Wagstaff

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 48; buried at St John's Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Francis Thomas Wagstaff

    Died in service in 1943.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Emma J. Wagstaff

    Married 1907 in Colchester, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 122 records for Wagstaff in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom34 records

34 records of the Wagstaff name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 27
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 6
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Wagstaff

    Buried in 1828 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 42.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Wagstaff

    Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. T. Wagstaff

    Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 34 records for Wagstaff in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand10 records

10 records of the Wagstaff name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 7
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 2
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Beatrice Byng Wagstaff

    Died 1940, aged 63; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Una Constance Wagstaff

    Died 1992, aged 84; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Wagstaff

    Died 1912; buried at Oxford Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Wagstaff in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands7 records

7 records of the Wagstaff name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 5
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Wagstaff

    Married in 1879 in Rotterdam. Died 1896 in Rotterdam, aged 48.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register John Wagstaff

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Johan Wagstaff

    In a population register; born 1847 in Manningtree.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Wagstaff in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Wagstaff.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Wagstaff is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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