NameCensus.

UK surname

Salway

A surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from Salway in Somerset, England.

In the 1881 census there were 478 people recorded with the Salway surname, ranking it #7,000 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 456, ranked #10,705, down from #7,000 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Langport, Drayton with Middleney, Curry Rivell, Swell, Aller and Fivehead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sedgemoor, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Salway is 622 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.6%.

1881 census count

478

Ranked #7,000

Modern count

456

2016, ranked #10,705

Peak year

1911

622 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Salway had 478 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,000 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 456 in 2016, ranked #10,705.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 622 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Salway surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Salway surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Salway 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 295 #7,737
1861 historical 302 #8,393
1881 historical 478 #7,000
1891 historical 502 #7,408
1901 historical 546 #7,568
1911 historical 622 #6,652
1997 modern 481 #9,584
1998 modern 518 #9,342
1999 modern 506 #9,574
2000 modern 514 #9,424
2001 modern 507 #9,364
2002 modern 514 #9,451
2003 modern 484 #9,717
2004 modern 484 #9,729
2005 modern 461 #10,022
2006 modern 457 #10,127
2007 modern 463 #10,130
2008 modern 470 #10,102
2009 modern 476 #10,227
2010 modern 493 #10,161
2011 modern 477 #10,319
2012 modern 443 #10,796
2013 modern 474 #10,421
2014 modern 472 #10,525
2015 modern 466 #10,552
2016 modern 456 #10,705

Geography

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Where Salways are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Langport, Drayton with Middleney, Curry Rivell, Swell, Aller, Fivehead, Cardiff St John and St Mary and Pewsham, Chippenham, Langley Burrell, Hardenhuish, Kington, Slaughterford, Biddestone St Nicholas an. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sedgemoor, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Cornwall. 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 Langport, Drayton with Middleney, Curry Rivell, Swell, Aller Somerset
3 Fivehead Somerset
4 Cardiff St John and St Mary Glamorganshire
5 Pewsham, Chippenham, Langley Burrell, Hardenhuish, Kington, Slaughterford, Biddestone St Nicholas an Wiltshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sedgemoor 001 Sedgemoor
2 Rhondda Cynon Taf 005 Rhondda Cynon Taf
3 Sedgemoor 005 Sedgemoor
4 Sedgemoor 006 Sedgemoor
5 Cornwall 049 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Salway

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Salway

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Salway, 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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Salway surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Salway household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Salway is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Salway is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Salway falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Salway

The surname Salway is of English origin, deriving from a locational name associated with the village of Salway in Lancashire. It likely emerged sometime in the 12th or 13th century. The name is believed to stem from the Old English words "sælh" meaning willow tree and "wæg" meaning path or way, suggesting the name refers to a willow-lined path or road.

Early variations of the spelling included Salwey, Salweye, and Salewei. The name appears in records as early as the 13th century, with references to a Roger de Salwey in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279. The Salway family can also be found mentioned in the Wills at Chester dating back to 1554.

One notable figure was Sir Henry Salway (c.1592-1672), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire in the 17th century. Another was Richard Salway (1764-1838), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

In the 16th century, the Salway family held lands in Staffordshire, with records indicating John Salway as a landowner in Swinfen and Whittington around 1550. The name is also associated with the village of Salway Ash in Shropshire, which likely derived its name from the Salway family who resided there.

Other historical figures with the Salway surname include John Salway (1693-1763), an English printer and publisher in the 18th century, and Thomas Salway (1758-1838), a British Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Guernsey.

The Salway name has a rich history rooted in the English countryside, reflecting its origins as a locational surname derived from a willow-lined path or road in the county of Lancashire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Salway families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Salway 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. Somerset leads with 193 Salways recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.82x.

County Total Index
Somerset 193 25.82x
Devon 124 12.83x
Middlesex 50 1.08x
Wiltshire 31 7.55x
Glamorgan 21 2.60x
Surrey 12 0.53x
Berkshire 8 2.30x
Sussex 8 1.02x
Gloucestershire 7 0.77x
Hampshire 5 0.53x
Lancashire 3 0.05x
Essex 2 0.22x
Hertfordshire 2 0.62x
Shropshire 2 0.50x
Herefordshire 1 0.53x
Kent 1 0.06x
Lanarkshire 1 0.07x
Monmouthshire 1 0.30x
Norfolk 1 0.14x
Renfrewshire 1 0.28x
Staffordshire 1 0.06x
Worcestershire 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Curry Rivell in Somerset leads with 26 Salways recorded in 1881 and an index of 1040.00x.

Place Total Index
Curry Rivell 26 1040.00x
Chelsea London 22 15.72x
Fivehead 21 3181.82x
Chippenham 18 209.06x
South Leigh 13 3714.29x
Cullompton 12 284.36x
Holbeton 12 677.97x
Taunton St Mary 12 87.46x
Combe St Nicholas 11 607.73x
Ottery St Mary 11 173.50x
Swell 10 4347.83x
Langford Budville 9 1551.72x
Moorlinch 9 2250.00x
Musbury 9 1058.82x
Taunton St James 9 82.57x
Langport Eastover 8 740.74x
Maiden Bradley 8 842.11x
Newbury 8 71.68x
St Anne Soho London 8 30.17x
Axminster 7 154.53x
Llantrisant 7 34.35x
Pitney 7 1372.55x
Widworthy 7 3333.33x
Ystradyfodwg 7 9.87x
Battersea 6 3.51x
Drayton 6 895.52x
Ilminster 6 114.94x
Llandaff 6 22.30x
Ruishton 6 800.00x
Seaton 6 160.86x
Axmouth 5 462.96x
Ealing 5 12.05x
Isle Abbotts 5 909.09x
Kilve 5 1428.57x
Telscombe 5 3333.33x
Tiverton 5 30.03x
West Buckland 5 347.22x
Aller 4 533.33x
Clist Hydon 4 909.09x
Colyton 4 107.82x
Milverton 4 144.93x
North Curry 4 157.48x
Southwark St George Martyr 4 4.28x
St Luke London 4 5.37x
St Pancras London 4 1.07x
Stoke Damerel 4 5.91x
Weston Super Mare 4 21.20x
Bristol St Mary Redcliff 3 36.14x
Exeter Heavitree 3 41.61x
Exeter St Leonard 3 113.64x
Hastings St Mary 3 15.40x
Huish Episcopi 3 283.02x
Luppitt 3 312.50x
Oldham 3 1.69x
Plymouth St Andrew 3 4.03x
Tottenham 3 4.06x
West Chinnock 3 454.55x
Broadway 2 277.78x
Cheddon Fitzpaine 2 425.53x
Clifton 2 4.34x
Islington London 2 0.44x
Long Newnton 2 434.78x
Ludlow St Lawrence 2 25.06x
Norton Fitzwarren 2 190.48x
Uffculme 2 69.44x
Winterbourne Stoke 2 416.67x
Barkway 1 79.37x
Camberwell 1 0.34x
Cardiff St John 1 3.79x
Govan 1 0.27x
Great Malvern 1 7.91x
Greenock Oldor West 1 102.04x
Hornchurch 1 22.27x
Ilfracombe 1 10.05x
Langport 1 277.78x
Portsea 1 0.54x
Putney 1 4.73x
Westminster St 1 5.84x
Wolborough 1 8.18x
Yeovilton 1 263.16x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 41
Sarah 20
Elizabeth 15
Alice 11
Ann 10
Annie 10
Emma 10
Jane 9
Eliza 7
Charlotte 6
Ellen 6
Edith 5
Emily 4
Fanny 4
Louisa 4
Minnie 4
Ada 3
Florence 3
Harriet 3
Lucy 3
Agnes 2
Bertha 2
Caroline 2
Clara 2
Georgina 2
Hannah 2
Helena 2
Henrietta 2
Matilda 2
Rebecca 2
Ruth 2
Selina 2
Sophia 2
Catherine 1
Charlett 1
Elgiva 1
Elizabet 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizth. 1
Elsie 1
Ethel 1
Harriett 1
Harriott 1
Ida 1
Jessie 1
Katherine 1
Keziah 1
Laura 1
Lidia 1
Vingline 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 29
John 24
Henry 16
Samuel 15
James 13
Charles 11
Edward 9
Thomas 9
Francis 8
Richard 8
Alfred 7
George 7
Arthur 5
Frederick 5
Frank 3
Harry 3
Job 3
Mark 3
Adolphus 2
Ernest 2
Fred 2
Herbert 2
Reginald 2
Worthy 2
Berthy 1
Cedric 1
Cornes 1
Cyril 1
Daniel 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Eli 1
Eligah 1
Fred. 1
Fredrick 1
Geoffrey 1
Hubert 1
Isaac 1
Jesse 1
Jo.E. 1
Joseph 1
Lazarus 1
Luther 1
Nathaniel 1
Octavious 1
Oliver 1
Reuben 1
Roper 1
Soloman 1
Symon 1

FAQ

Salway surname: questions and answers

How common was the Salway surname in 1881?

In 1881, 478 people were recorded with the Salway surname. That placed it at #7,000 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Salway surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 456 in 2016. That gives Salway a modern rank of #10,705.

What does the Salway surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from Salway in Somerset, England.

What does the Salway map show?

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