NameCensus.

UK surname

Sapwell

In the 1881 census there were 85 people recorded with the Sapwell surname, ranking it #21,573 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 134, ranked #25,636, down from #21,573 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes and Linford, Great. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Milton Keynes and Central Bedfordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sapwell is 146 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 57.6%.

1881 census count

85

Ranked #21,573

Modern count

134

2016, ranked #25,636

Peak year

1998

146 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sapwell had 85 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,573 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016, ranked #25,636.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 121 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sapwell surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sapwell surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sapwell 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 52 #23,915
1861 historical 94 #21,883
1881 historical 85 #21,573
1891 historical 97 #24,447
1901 historical 91 #23,921
1911 historical 121 #20,336
1997 modern 145 #21,571
1998 modern 146 #22,031
1999 modern 144 #22,405
2000 modern 143 #22,457
2001 modern 140 #22,441
2002 modern 135 #23,398
2003 modern 133 #23,359
2004 modern 131 #23,756
2005 modern 134 #23,406
2006 modern 122 #25,010
2007 modern 119 #25,747
2008 modern 115 #26,635
2009 modern 118 #26,766
2010 modern 119 #27,250
2011 modern 121 #26,789
2012 modern 125 #26,298
2013 modern 130 #26,074
2014 modern 134 #25,711
2015 modern 134 #25,607
2016 modern 134 #25,636

Geography

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Where Sapwells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes, Linford, Great, Aylsham and Dunstable. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Milton Keynes and Central Bedfordshire. 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 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
2 London parishes London 3
3 Linford, Great Buckinghamshire
4 Aylsham Norfolk
5 Dunstable Bedfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Milton Keynes 002 Milton Keynes
2 Milton Keynes 008 Milton Keynes
3 Milton Keynes 004 Milton Keynes
4 Milton Keynes 006 Milton Keynes
5 Central Bedfordshire 016 Central Bedfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sapwell

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sapwell

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Sapwell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sapwell is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sapwell falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Sapwell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sapwell 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. Buckinghamshire leads with 23 Sapwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.89x.

County Total Index
Buckinghamshire 23 45.89x
Bedfordshire 20 46.59x
Middlesex 18 2.17x
Derbyshire 7 5.39x
Norfolk 7 5.49x
Hertfordshire 5 8.75x
Surrey 4 0.99x
Berkshire 1 1.61x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Linford in Buckinghamshire leads with 17 Sapwells recorded in 1881 and an index of 13076.92x.

Place Total Index
Great Linford 17 13076.92x
Shoreditch London 13 36.17x
Luton 12 161.51x
Leighton Buzzard 8 432.43x
Alvaston 7 1891.89x
Aylsham 6 789.47x
Wheathampstead 4 606.06x
Iver 3 461.54x
Kensington London 2 4.34x
Penge 2 37.74x
Wolverton 2 192.31x
Buckland 1 400.00x
Croydon 1 4.46x
Harpenden 1 114.94x
Hornsey 1 9.54x
Hungerford 1 119.05x
Norwich St Mary In Marsh 1 714.29x
Pinner 1 136.99x
Reigate Foreign 1 22.88x
Stoke Newington London 1 15.48x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Jane 3
Sarah 3
Amelia 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
E. 2
Elizabeth 2
Louisa 2
Alice 1
Clara 1
Daisy 1
Dorcas 1
Eleanor 1
Elizebth. 1
Elizebth.E. 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Faney 1
Francess 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Lucy 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Rachell 1
Rosamond 1
Sophia 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Sapwell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sapwell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 85 people were recorded with the Sapwell surname. That placed it at #21,573 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sapwell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016. That gives Sapwell a modern rank of #25,636.

What does the Sapwell map show?

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