NameCensus.

UK surname

Sarney

In the 1881 census there were 161 people recorded with the Sarney surname, ranking it #14,801 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 151, ranked #23,615, down from #14,801 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Little and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Luton, Mid Sussex and Ceredigion.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sarney is 187 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 6.2%.

1881 census count

161

Ranked #14,801

Modern count

151

2016, ranked #23,615

Peak year

1911

187 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sarney had 161 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,801 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016, ranked #23,615.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 187 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sarney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sarney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sarney 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 97 #17,484
1861 historical 140 #16,169
1881 historical 161 #14,801
1891 historical 161 #17,473
1901 historical 151 #17,988
1911 historical 187 #15,600
1997 modern 137 #22,301
1998 modern 145 #22,139
1999 modern 144 #22,405
2000 modern 149 #21,874
2001 modern 140 #22,441
2002 modern 145 #22,392
2003 modern 134 #23,260
2004 modern 138 #22,997
2005 modern 131 #23,737
2006 modern 127 #24,384
2007 modern 134 #23,931
2008 modern 127 #25,020
2009 modern 136 #24,485
2010 modern 143 #24,247
2011 modern 128 #25,793
2012 modern 134 #25,059
2013 modern 144 #24,323
2014 modern 148 #24,075
2015 modern 145 #24,246
2016 modern 151 #23,615

Geography

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Where Sarneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Little, London parishes, Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Luton, Mid Sussex, Ceredigion and Windsor and Maidenhead. 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 Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire
2 Marlow, Little Buckinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Bray, Maidenhead, Cookham Berkshire
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Luton 016 Luton
2 Mid Sussex 008 Mid Sussex
3 Luton 020 Luton
4 Ceredigion 007 Ceredigion
5 Windsor and Maidenhead 014 Windsor and Maidenhead

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sarney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sarney

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Sarney, 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 Sarney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Sarney 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Sarney is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sarney is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sarney falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Sarney is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Sarney, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Sarney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sarney 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. Oxfordshire leads with 53 Sarneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 55.00x.

County Total Index
Oxfordshire 53 55.00x
Berkshire 29 24.76x
Surrey 18 2.37x
Warwickshire 12 3.05x
Buckinghamshire 11 11.66x
Middlesex 11 0.70x
Kent 8 1.50x
Gloucestershire 7 2.29x
Lancashire 3 0.16x
Cornwall 2 1.13x
Hampshire 2 0.63x
Yorkshire 2 0.13x
Hertfordshire 1 0.93x
Staffordshire 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Rotherfield Greys in Oxfordshire leads with 24 Sarneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2352.94x.

Place Total Index
Rotherfield Greys 24 2352.94x
Nettlebed 18 5142.86x
Leamington Priors 12 123.97x
Bray 10 290.70x
Sonning 10 775.19x
Lambeth 9 6.61x
Islington London 8 5.29x
Deptford St Paul 6 14.61x
Camberwell 5 5.02x
Little Marlow 5 961.54x
Reading St Giles 5 43.52x
Swyncombe 5 2631.58x
Battersea 4 6.97x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 3 10.41x
Liverpool 3 2.67x
Antony 2 116.96x
Bristol St George 2 14.12x
Fawley 2 1250.00x
Frampton Cotterell 2 186.92x
Goring 2 363.64x
Kensington London 2 2.30x
North Stainley Cum 2 909.09x
Oxford St Thomas 2 44.44x
St Peters 2 81.30x
Turville 2 909.09x
Twyford 2 263.16x
Beaconsfield 1 114.94x
Bennington 1 322.58x
Burton Upon Trent 1 8.12x
Hambleden 1 123.46x
Henley On Thames 1 50.76x
S Stoke 1 222.22x
Sandhurst 1 44.05x
Shinfield 1 144.93x
St George Hanover 1 4.91x
Wantage 1 53.48x
Wargrave 1 99.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 11
Mary 7
Elizabeth 5
Ellen 5
Emily 4
Eliza 3
Jane 3
Julia 3
Annie 2
Emma 2
Martha 2
...e 1
Ada 1
Adelaide 1
Amey 1
Ann 1
Anna 1
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Dinah 1
Emmeline 1
Ester 1
Esther 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Han.Jane 1
Jemima 1
Jessie 1
Katherine 1
Lillie 1
Mabel 1
Margt. 1
Maryann 1
Minnie 1
Rose 1
Rossanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Henry 11
William 10
Frederick 8
George 7
Charles 6
John 5
Thomas 5
Alfred 4
Edmund 4
Albert 3
Francis 3
Harry 3
Edward 2
Samuel 2
Adam 1
Alick 1
David 1
Edwin 1
Elijah 1
Fredric 1
Herbert 1
Heugh 1
Horace 1
Hughes 1
Patrick 1
Richard 1
Septimus 1

FAQ

Sarney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sarney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 161 people were recorded with the Sarney surname. That placed it at #14,801 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sarney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 151 in 2016. That gives Sarney a modern rank of #23,615.

What does the Sarney map show?

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