NameCensus.

UK surname

Sanderson

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Alexander, meaning "son of Alexander" or "son of Sander."

In the 1881 census there were 12,425 people recorded with the Sanderson surname, ranking it #341 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 16,934, ranked #369, down from #341 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Hartlepool, Rotherham and Doncaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sanderson is 17,224 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.3%.

1881 census count

12,425

Ranked #341

Modern count

16,934

2016, ranked #369

Peak year

2010

17,224 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sanderson had 12,425 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #341 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 16,934 in 2016, ranked #369.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 15,309 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Sanderson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sanderson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sanderson 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 8,084 #342
1861 historical 8,536 #326
1881 historical 12,425 #341
1891 historical 13,123 #331
1901 historical 14,980 #354
1911 historical 15,309 #317
1997 modern 16,642 #360
1998 modern 17,076 #366
1999 modern 17,192 #363
2000 modern 17,087 #366
2001 modern 16,699 #365
2002 modern 16,978 #365
2003 modern 16,500 #368
2004 modern 16,438 #368
2005 modern 16,161 #368
2006 modern 16,172 #368
2007 modern 16,387 #367
2008 modern 16,404 #370
2009 modern 16,851 #369
2010 modern 17,224 #370
2011 modern 16,963 #369
2012 modern 16,634 #369
2013 modern 17,031 #370
2014 modern 17,183 #371
2015 modern 17,031 #370
2016 modern 16,934 #369

Geography

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Where Sandersons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, London parishes, Gateshead, Edinburgh and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Hartlepool, Rotherham and Doncaster. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Hartlepool 002 Hartlepool
2 Rotherham 001 Rotherham
3 Rotherham 009 Rotherham
4 Doncaster 034 Doncaster
5 Hartlepool 014 Hartlepool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sanderson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sanderson

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Sanderson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Sanderson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Sanderson is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sanderson is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sanderson falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Sanderson

The surname Sanderson is an English patronymic name derived from the given name "Sanders" or "Saunder", which itself is a variant of the name Alexander. The name originates from the 12th century and is believed to have been first used in northern England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The earliest recorded instance of the Sanderson surname dates back to the 13th century, with a mention of a William Saunderson in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire from 1219. The name also appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were records of landowners in England.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Saunderson, Saundirson, and Saundyrson, reflecting the flexible nature of English spelling at the time. The standardized spelling of "Sanderson" became more common in the 16th and 17th centuries.

One of the earliest notable figures with the Sanderson surname was Robert Sanderson (1587-1663), an English theologian and bishop who served as the Bishop of Lincoln from 1660 until his death. He was known for his scholarly works on logic and theology.

Another prominent individual was Sir William Sanderson (1586-1676), an English statesman and diplomat who served as the Secretary of State for the Northern Department under King Charles I and played a significant role in the English Civil War.

In the literary world, Thomas Sanderson (1759-1829) was a British poet and writer who published several volumes of poetry and prose works, including "The American Songster" and "Biographical Memoirs of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland".

James Sanderson (1769-1841) was a Scottish botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and authored several works, including "A Biographical Notice of the Late Thomas Jenkins".

Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Sanderson (1891-1962), a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Governor of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) from 1933 to 1937 and later as the Governor of Victoria, Australia, from 1949 to 1954.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sanderson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sanderson 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. Yorkshire leads with 3,752 Sandersons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.14x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 3,752 3.14x
Lancashire 1,827 1.28x
Durham 1,535 4.28x
Northumberland 709 3.95x
Lincolnshire 493 2.55x
Cumberland 465 4.48x
Middlesex 463 0.38x
Midlothian 407 2.52x
Lanarkshire 276 0.71x
Surrey 245 0.42x
Nottinghamshire 205 1.26x
Selkirkshire 181 16.58x
Cheshire 159 0.60x
Westmorland 146 5.50x
Cambridgeshire 113 1.48x
Derbyshire 107 0.57x
Kent 107 0.26x
East Lothian 102 6.38x
Hampshire 80 0.32x
Warwickshire 76 0.25x
Leicestershire 73 0.55x
Essex 71 0.30x
Peeblesshire 48 8.46x
Angus 42 0.38x
Northamptonshire 41 0.36x
Sussex 41 0.20x
Berwickshire 39 2.67x
Roxburghshire 39 1.78x
Ayrshire 35 0.39x
Renfrewshire 31 0.33x
Hertfordshire 29 0.35x
Bedfordshire 28 0.45x
Staffordshire 28 0.07x
Stirlingshire 28 0.63x
West Lothian 24 1.32x
Dunbartonshire 21 0.65x
Gloucestershire 20 0.08x
Dumfriesshire 19 0.71x
Glamorgan 19 0.09x
Morayshire 17 0.91x
Norfolk 17 0.09x
Denbighshire 16 0.35x
Shropshire 16 0.15x
Devon 15 0.06x
Somerset 12 0.06x
Cornwall 11 0.08x
Fife 11 0.15x
Suffolk 11 0.07x
Worcestershire 11 0.07x
Perthshire 10 0.18x
Huntingdonshire 9 0.38x
Kirkcudbrightshire 9 0.52x
Caernarfonshire 8 0.16x
Wiltshire 8 0.08x
Berkshire 7 0.08x
Buckinghamshire 7 0.10x
Argyllshire 6 0.18x
Monmouthshire 6 0.07x
Rutland 6 0.68x
Dorset 5 0.06x
Shetland 5 0.41x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.04x
Buteshire 4 0.55x
Inverness-shire 3 0.08x
Isle of Man 3 0.13x
Royal Navy 3 0.21x
Clackmannanshire 2 0.20x
Flintshire 2 0.06x
Orkney 2 0.15x
Kinross-shire 1 0.33x
Oxfordshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ecclesall Bierlow in Yorkshire leads with 195 Sandersons recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.02x.

Place Total Index
Ecclesall Bierlow 195 8.02x
Spotland 188 11.81x
Bradfield 151 32.75x
Bishopwearmouth 146 4.74x
Sheffield 134 3.52x
Westoe 131 6.44x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 124 1.91x
Gateshead 122 4.54x
Leeds 117 1.73x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 109 7.01x
Galashiels 96 23.78x
Holy Trinity 80 2.78x
Barony 75 0.76x
Brightside Bierlow 73 3.11x
Nottingham St Mary 69 1.64x
Blackburn 68 1.78x
Govan 68 0.70x
Preston 68 1.77x
Stanhope 67 18.07x
Darlington 65 4.69x
Huddersfield 64 3.67x
Melrose 64 23.29x
Doncaster 61 6.98x
Middlesbrough 61 3.92x
Caldewgate 60 10.54x
South Leith 59 3.24x
Sculcoates 58 3.06x
Lambeth 56 0.53x
Stranton 56 4.63x
Manchester 55 0.85x
Marton 54 56.71x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 54 5.04x
Thornaby 54 12.08x
Nether Hallam 52 3.21x
Ecclesfield 50 5.70x
Stockton On Tees 48 2.77x
Toxteth Park 46 0.95x
Worsbrough 46 13.13x
York St Mary 46 9.29x
Portsea 45 0.93x
Scarborough 44 4.05x
Camberwell 43 0.56x
Liverpool 43 0.49x
Honley 42 20.06x
West Ham 42 0.80x
Habergham Eaves 40 3.06x
Allendale 39 23.42x
Berwick Upon Tweed 38 9.99x
Hartlepool 37 7.25x
Glasgow 36 0.52x
Newington 36 0.81x
Cottenham 35 34.45x
Workington 35 5.88x
Hunslet 34 1.82x
Innerleithen 34 22.57x
Kensington London 34 0.51x
Newchurch 34 2.90x
Whitby 34 8.44x
Lofthouse 33 18.48x
Lowick 33 52.79x
Tynemouth 33 3.43x
Upperthong 33 32.45x
Bethnal Green London 32 0.61x
Cartworth 32 32.36x
Tanfield 32 7.49x
Barrow In Furness 31 1.59x
Hoyland Nether 31 10.57x
Islington London 31 0.27x
Leicester St Margaret 31 0.95x
Market Rasen 31 28.74x
St Pancras London 31 0.32x
Great Grimsby 30 2.45x
Hackney London 30 0.44x
Chorley 29 3.61x
Danby 29 59.99x
East Retford 29 20.55x
Penwortham 29 42.75x
Rotherhithe 29 1.94x
Southwick 29 8.53x
Wooldale 29 14.30x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 817
Elizabeth 457
Sarah 395
Jane 303
Ann 284
Margaret 220
Annie 182
Hannah 160
Alice 153
Ellen 143
Eliza 109
Emma 108
Isabella 105
Emily 83
Martha 82
Harriet 66
Ada 60
Catherine 59
Edith 54
Charlotte 48
Frances 48
Louisa 45
Agnes 44
Fanny 42
Clara 41
Kate 39
Maria 39
Anne 34
Florence 32
Lucy 31
Esther 30
Betsy 29
Eleanor 28
Elizth. 28
Caroline 25
Gertrude 25
Susannah 25
Amy 23
Barbara 23
Rebecca 22
Dorothy 20
Ethel 19
Matilda 19
Ruth 19
Harriett 18
Amelia 17
Betty 17
Grace 17
Minnie 17
Rose 16

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 802
William 604
Thomas 442
George 427
James 337
Robert 244
Joseph 229
Henry 176
Charles 152
Richard 105
Edward 101
Arthur 94
Alfred 81
Walter 66
Samuel 56
Harry 54
Albert 51
Wm. 48
Frederick 46
Herbert 44
Francis 43
Frank 40
Tom 39
Fred 38
David 37
Thos. 34
Benjamin 32
Ralph 25
Christopher 24
Andrew 23
Edwin 23
Ernest 23
Mark 21
Stephen 19
Alexander 17
Geo. 17
Jno. 17
Robt. 17
Isaac 16
Peter 16
Daniel 15
Anthony 12
Harold 12
Matthew 12
Michael 11
Edgar 10
Chas. 9
Jacob 9
Jas. 9
Jonathan 9

FAQ

Sanderson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sanderson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 12,425 people were recorded with the Sanderson surname. That placed it at #341 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sanderson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 16,934 in 2016. That gives Sanderson a modern rank of #369.

What does the Sanderson surname mean?

A patronymic surname derived from the given name Alexander, meaning "son of Alexander" or "son of Sander."

What does the Sanderson map show?

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