NameCensus.

UK surname

Sarsfield

A surname of Norman origin meaning "the field of the rock".

In the 1881 census there were 134 people recorded with the Sarsfield surname, ranking it #16,602 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 453, ranked #10,748, up from #16,602 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Bristol City: St Michael and Durham St Oswald. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Thanet, Denbighshire and Swansea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sarsfield is 534 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 238.1%.

1881 census count

134

Ranked #16,602

Modern count

453

2016, ranked #10,748

Peak year

1999

534 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sarsfield had 134 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,602 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 453 in 2016, ranked #10,748.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 239 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Sarsfield surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sarsfield surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sarsfield 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 62 #22,232
1861 historical 86 #22,810
1881 historical 134 #16,602
1891 historical 154 #18,004
1901 historical 198 #15,213
1911 historical 239 #13,321
1997 modern 515 #9,110
1998 modern 527 #9,222
1999 modern 534 #9,184
2000 modern 531 #9,194
2001 modern 491 #9,604
2002 modern 488 #9,802
2003 modern 488 #9,657
2004 modern 482 #9,757
2005 modern 482 #9,685
2006 modern 481 #9,750
2007 modern 480 #9,860
2008 modern 485 #9,864
2009 modern 490 #10,019
2010 modern 491 #10,192
2011 modern 485 #10,180
2012 modern 460 #10,498
2013 modern 475 #10,401
2014 modern 478 #10,428
2015 modern 464 #10,586
2016 modern 453 #10,748

Geography

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Where Sarsfields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Bristol City: St Michael, Durham St Oswald, St Marylebone and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Thanet, Denbighshire, Swansea, Rochdale and Wigan. 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 Bristol City: St Michael Gloucestershire
3 Durham St Oswald Durham
4 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Thanet 016 Thanet
2 Denbighshire 016 Denbighshire
3 Swansea 019 Swansea
4 Rochdale 023 Rochdale
5 Wigan 031 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sarsfield

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sarsfield

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Sarsfield surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Sarsfield household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Sarsfield 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

Sarsfield is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sarsfield 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 Sarsfield 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Sarsfield

The surname Sarsfield is of Irish origin, originating in the 12th century when it was recorded as Sarsefeld. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "saer" meaning "craftsman" and "feld" meaning "field", suggesting it may have referred to a skilled tradesman's field or land holding.

The Sarsfields were an Anglo-Norman family who settled in County Kildare, Ireland during the Norman invasion of the late 12th century. The name appeared in Irish records and manuscripts such as the Annals of the Four Masters, where it was recorded as "Sarsfield" from the 14th century onwards.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Sarsfield, who was appointed Lord Justice of Ireland in 1327. Another notable early bearer was Sir Patrick Sarsfield (c.1597-1675), a prominent soldier and landowner in County Kildare.

The most famous member of the family was Patrick Sarsfield (1655-1693), a prominent Jacobite soldier who fought for King James II in the Williamite War in Ireland. He was known as the "Marshal Sarsfield" and is celebrated for his defense of Limerick in 1691.

Other notable Sarsfields include Dominick Sarsfield (1572-1636), a Catholic lawyer and judge in Ireland; and William Sarsfield (1826-1893), an Irish-born soldier who fought for the Union in the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The surname Sarsfield has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Sarsfield Court in County Kildare, and Sarsfield Street in Limerick City, named after the famous Marshal Patrick Sarsfield.

Over the centuries, the Sarsfield name has also been spelled in various ways, including Sarsfeild, Sarsfyld, and Sarsfeeld, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sarsfield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sarsfield 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. Lancashire leads with 43 Sarsfields recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.75x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 43 2.75x
Middlesex 20 1.52x
Durham 18 4.60x
Gloucestershire 14 5.42x
Yorkshire 8 0.61x
Staffordshire 7 1.57x
Derbyshire 5 2.43x
Glamorgan 4 1.74x
Hampshire 3 1.11x
Somerset 3 1.42x
Denbighshire 2 4.02x
Kent 2 0.45x
Midlothian 2 1.13x
Surrey 2 0.31x
Cornwall 1 0.67x
Warwickshire 1 0.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 17 Sarsfields recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.92x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 17 17.92x
Bristol St Michael 10 452.49x
St Marylebone London 10 14.22x
Crossgate 9 526.32x
Pennington In Leigh 9 300.00x
Bradford 7 22.16x
Gateshead 6 20.46x
Westminster St John 6 37.43x
Accrington 5 35.21x
Burslem 5 39.28x
Derby All Sts 5 290.70x
Hulme 5 15.33x
Swansea Town 4 21.28x
Colne 3 64.52x
Framwellgate 3 129.31x
Oldham 3 5.95x
Paulton 3 309.28x
Bersham 2 94.34x
Camberwell 2 2.38x
Cheltenham 2 10.04x
Edinburgh Greenside 2 85.84x
Paddington London 2 4.13x
St Thomas Winchester 2 104.71x
Wednesbury 2 18.00x
Birmingham 1 0.90x
Clifton 1 7.66x
Dewsbury 1 7.47x
Horton Kirby 1 144.93x
Islington London 1 0.78x
Kensington London 1 1.37x
Madron Penzance 1 18.45x
Margate St John Baptist 1 12.15x
Northwood 1 26.04x
Salford 1 2.18x
Westbury On Trym 1 11.43x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 16
Catherine 4
Margaret 4
Jane 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Edith 2
Emma 2
Maria 2
Alexandra 1
Blanche 1
Bridget 1
Christine 1
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizath. 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Hannah 1
Hester 1
Isabel 1
Kate 1
Lavinia 1
Louisa 1
Margret 1
Marion 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Rose 1
Sarah 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Thomas 9
John 8
William 8
James 7
Michael 5
Edward 4
Augustine 2
Charles 2
George 2
Maurice 2
Patrick 2
Wm. 2
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Auguste 1
Bingham 1
Conn 1
Cornelius 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Jos. 1
Martin 1
Morris 1
Ralph 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Sarsfield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sarsfield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 134 people were recorded with the Sarsfield surname. That placed it at #16,602 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sarsfield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 453 in 2016. That gives Sarsfield a modern rank of #10,748.

What does the Sarsfield surname mean?

A surname of Norman origin meaning "the field of the rock".

What does the Sarsfield map show?

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