The Wainwright surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,114 people carried this name — #4,948 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 41,500 people counted. That is up 4% from 6,824 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Wainwright surname

An English surname originating as an occupation.

From Old English wægnwyrhta, equivalent to wain (“large wagon for farm use”) + wright (“worker; maker”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Wainwright» (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

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the wainwright’.

His entry covers Wainwright and Wainewright.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 788 · public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Wainwright was found among the farmers of 6 counties.

It was most frequent in Cheshire: 20 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 500. 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

Cheshire 20
Derbyshire 17
Suffolk 16
Shropshire 14
Worcestershire 14
Yorkshire, West Riding 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

Wainwright in American newspapers,
1848–1906.

Newspaper page from The Daily Crescent carrying the name Wainwright
The Daily Crescent 1848-10-25
Newspaper page from The Weekly Herald carrying the name Wainwright
The Weekly Herald 1878-11-21
Newspaper page from Rock Springs Miner carrying the name Wainwright
Rock Springs Miner 1906-12-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,361 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Wainwright in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1980s.

15,586 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wainwright. The most, 2,702, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 4,348
South Australia 3,759
Victoria 2,580
Queensland 2,249
Tasmania 1,348
Western Australia 1,136
ACT (Canberra) 86
Northern Territory 21

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

Who carried it

People named Wainwright,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Mary Dudley Wainwright Atkins
    Mary Dudley Wainwright Atkins 1692–1774
  • Richard Wainwright
    Richard Wainwright 1817–1862 · military officer
  • Ann Overing Wainwright Townsend
    Ann Overing Wainwright Townsend 1821–1917
  • James Wainwright
    James Wainwright 1837–1929
  • John Wainwright
    John Wainwright 1839–1915

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 203 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Wainwright,
in the records of 7 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 States825 records

825 records of the Wainwright name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 231
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 171
  • Other U.S. records 423
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Michael James Wainwright

    Born 1949; from Vancouver, Washington. U.S. Army, field artillery basic; killed in action 1970 in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Sitmon L. Wainwright

    Born 1918 in Louisiana. Enlisted 1943 at New Orleans; construction laborer. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1968, buried at Port Hudson National Cemetery, Louisiana.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (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 Elizth Wainwright

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the Western World from Liverpool, aged 19; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 825 records for Wainwright in the United States.

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

Australia626 records

626 records of the Wainwright name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 342
  • Tasmanian Names Index 139
  • Other Australian records 145
  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 William Wainwright

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Bangalore, sailing from Bermuda in 1848. Native of Middlewich, Cheshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849. Married 1849 in Brighton, Tasmania, aged 36.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Wainwright

    Died 1903 in General Hospital, Hobart, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1903.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Martha Sophia Wainwright

    Born 1866 in Launceston, Tasmania. Married 1889 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 23.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 626 records for Wainwright 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada87 records

87 records of the Wainwright name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 50
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 15
  • Other Canadian records 22
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Rich'd Wainwright

    Came to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Sardinian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record George Wainwright

    Buried in 1963 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 83.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Catherine T. Wainwright

    Died 1900 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 87 records for Wainwright in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · 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. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom46 records

46 records of the Wainwright name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 31
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 9
  • Welsh wills index cards 6
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Thomas Wainwright

    Will proved in 1936; of Tarvin, Chester.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Martha Wainwright

    Buried in 1813 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 52.

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

    Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 46 records for Wainwright 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 Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); 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 Zealand7 records

7 records of the Wainwright name in New Zealand
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 3
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 3
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Harriet Elizabeth Wainwright

    Died 1987, aged 83; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Susannah B. Wainwright

    Died 1934, aged 63; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Winifred Mary Wainwright

    Born 1913, died 1998; buried at Oxford Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Wainwright in New Zealand.

Counts: Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Christchurch City 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).

France4 records

4 records of the Wainwright name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jacqueline Georgette Jeannie Wainwright

    Born 1948 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Saint-Hilaire (Isère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record William Ward Wainwright

    Born 1908 in the United States; died 1991 in Tourrettes-sur-Loup (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Lucy Wainwright

    Born 1906 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Illiers-l'Évêque (Eure).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Wainwright in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Wainwright name in the Netherlands Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Adelaide Theresa Wainwright

    Died 1922 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 68.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Edeth Wainwright

    Married in 1946 in 's-Hertogenbosch.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Wainwright.

When the index is not enough

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