NameCensus.

UK surname

Sandifer

A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "sandy pasture" in Old English.

In the 1881 census there were 55 people recorded with the Sandifer surname, ranking it #25,862 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 98, ranked #31,470, down from #25,862 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Central Bedfordshire, Barrow-in-Furness and West Berkshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sandifer is 107 in 2005. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 78.2%.

1881 census count

55

Ranked #25,862

Modern count

98

2016, ranked #31,470

Peak year

2005

107 bearers

Map years

1

1998 to 1998

Key insights

  • Sandifer had 55 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,862 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016, ranked #31,470.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 78 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Sandifer surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sandifer surname density by area, 1998 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sandifer 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 36 #26,838
1861 historical 28 #30,405
1881 historical 55 #25,862
1891 historical 75 #27,414
1901 historical 78 #25,500
1911 historical 74 #25,423
1997 modern 101 #26,774
1998 modern 104 #26,981
1999 modern 105 #27,035
2000 modern 106 #26,848
2001 modern 102 #27,093
2002 modern 105 #27,123
2003 modern 105 #26,940
2004 modern 102 #27,637
2005 modern 107 #26,875
2006 modern 96 #28,946
2007 modern 96 #29,339
2008 modern 90 #30,567
2009 modern 95 #30,393
2010 modern 94 #31,111
2011 modern 89 #31,659
2012 modern 87 #32,180
2013 modern 86 #32,557
2014 modern 92 #32,132
2015 modern 94 #31,872
2016 modern 98 #31,470

Geography

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Where Sandifers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Central Bedfordshire, Barrow-in-Furness and West Berkshire. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Central Bedfordshire 009 Central Bedfordshire
2 Barrow-in-Furness 005 Barrow-in-Furness
3 Barrow-in-Furness 007 Barrow-in-Furness
4 West Berkshire 020 West Berkshire
5 Barrow-in-Furness 002 Barrow-in-Furness

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sandifer

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sandifer

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Sandifer is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Sandifer 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

Sandifer falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Sandifer

The surname Sandifer is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest records dating back to the early 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "sand" and "fær," meaning "sandy traveler" or "one who journeys through sandy regions."

The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset, where the terrain is characterized by sandy soils and coastal regions. Some historians suggest that the name may have been borne by individuals who lived or worked in these sandy areas, perhaps as traders or travelers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230, where a person named William Sandifer is mentioned. This document provides evidence of the name's existence in medieval England.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Feet of Fines for Cornwall, a legal record of land transactions, further cementing its presence in the region. The entry mentions a John Sandifer who was involved in a property dispute.

By the 16th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, with records showing variations such as Sandyford and Sandyforth. This suggests that the name may have evolved from a place name or a descriptive reference to a person's occupation or location.

Notable individuals with the surname Sandifer include:

1. John Sandifer (c. 1580-1644), an English clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Ipswich. 2. William Sandifer (1692-1768), a prominent merchant and landowner in colonial Virginia. 3. Mary Sandifer (1734-1810), an American Revolutionary War heroine who helped defend a fort against British forces in South Carolina. 4. James Sandifer (1798-1879), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament. 5. Elizabeth Sandifer (1842-1918), an American educator and activist who championed women's rights and founded a school in Tennessee.

While the name Sandifer has evolved over the centuries and spread to various parts of the world, its origins can be traced back to the sandy regions of southwestern England, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for individuals associated with those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sandifer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sandifer 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. Sussex leads with 19 Sandifers recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.01x.

County Total Index
Sussex 19 21.01x
Huntingdonshire 15 140.85x
Middlesex 9 1.68x
Lancashire 6 0.94x
Nottinghamshire 4 5.53x
Cambridgeshire 1 2.94x
Staffordshire 1 0.55x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Eastbourne in Sussex leads with 19 Sandifers recorded in 1881 and an index of 456.73x.

Place Total Index
Eastbourne 19 456.73x
Holywell Cum Needingworth 15 11538.46x
Toxteth Park 6 27.84x
Islington London 5 9.62x
Edmonton 4 92.59x
Weston 4 6666.67x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 5.21x
Wisbech St Peter 1 58.82x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Elizabeth 3
Charlotte 2
Florence 2
Maud 2
Ada 1
Catherine 1
Ellen 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Gertrude 1
Hilder 1
Isabella 1
Martha 1
Nelly 1
Rebecca 1
Rhoda 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 7
Robert 4
Alfred 2
Henry 2
James 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Charles 1
Clifford 1
Frederick 1
George 1
Harmer 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Jabez 1
Sidney 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Sandifer households.

FAQ

Sandifer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sandifer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 55 people were recorded with the Sandifer surname. That placed it at #25,862 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sandifer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 98 in 2016. That gives Sandifer a modern rank of #31,470.

What does the Sandifer surname mean?

A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "sandy pasture" in Old English.

What does the Sandifer map show?

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