NameCensus.

UK surname

Sawley

In the 1881 census there were 110 people recorded with the Sawley surname, ranking it #18,695 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 123, ranked #27,115, down from #18,695 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Newchurch, Bingley and Kildwick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Burnley, Bradford and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sawley is 273 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.8%.

1881 census count

110

Ranked #18,695

Modern count

123

2016, ranked #27,115

Peak year

1861

273 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sawley had 110 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,695 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 123 in 2016, ranked #27,115.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 273 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Sawley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sawley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sawley 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 80 #19,558
1861 historical 273 #9,134
1881 historical 110 #18,695
1891 historical 225 #13,714
1901 historical 161 #17,324
1911 historical 150 #17,866
1997 modern 125 #23,567
1998 modern 122 #24,556
1999 modern 128 #24,017
2000 modern 125 #24,351
2001 modern 126 #23,883
2002 modern 125 #24,492
2003 modern 122 #24,628
2004 modern 133 #23,528
2005 modern 123 #24,663
2006 modern 123 #24,873
2007 modern 123 #25,208
2008 modern 125 #25,249
2009 modern 132 #24,929
2010 modern 128 #26,036
2011 modern 128 #25,793
2012 modern 131 #25,439
2013 modern 129 #26,211
2014 modern 131 #26,089
2015 modern 128 #26,356
2016 modern 123 #27,115

Geography

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Where Sawleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Newchurch, Bingley, Kildwick, Brading and Wedmore. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Burnley, Bradford and County Durham. 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 Newchurch Hampshire
2 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Kildwick Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Brading Hampshire
5 Wedmore Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Burnley 003 Burnley
2 Burnley 014 Burnley
3 Bradford 009 Bradford
4 County Durham 052 County Durham
5 Burnley 010 Burnley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sawley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sawley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Sawley, 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 Sawley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Sawley 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Sawley 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

Sawley 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

Sawley 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 Sawley is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Sawley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sawley 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 41 Sawleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.86x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 41 3.86x
Hampshire 15 6.82x
Warwickshire 15 5.54x
Lancashire 10 0.79x
Staffordshire 9 2.48x
Nottinghamshire 4 2.77x
Somerset 4 2.32x
Derbyshire 3 1.79x
Middlesex 3 0.28x
Sussex 2 1.11x
Bedfordshire 1 1.80x
Cheshire 1 0.42x
Kent 1 0.27x
Worcestershire 1 0.71x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brading in Hampshire leads with 15 Sawleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 513.70x.

Place Total Index
Brading 15 513.70x
Birmingham 13 14.41x
Kildwick 10 1030.93x
Harborne 8 68.91x
Keighley 7 61.78x
Dewsbury 5 45.83x
Hunslet 5 30.16x
Idle 5 101.42x
Bingley 4 59.08x
Burnley 3 27.99x
Padiham 3 97.40x
Wedmore 3 267.86x
Basford 2 29.99x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 2 54.95x
Glossop Dale 2 25.41x
Heaton Norris 2 27.59x
Leamington Priors 2 30.03x
Radford 2 27.21x
Silsden 2 645.16x
Astley 1 344.83x
Bridgewater 1 21.32x
Chatham 1 9.93x
Cheetham 1 10.53x
Hastings St Mary In The 1 25.91x
Islington London 1 0.96x
Kempston 1 79.37x
Macclesfield 1 9.50x
New Brentford 1 178.57x
Newchurch 1 9.60x
Saddleworth 1 12.20x
Spitalfields London 1 12.39x
Staveley 1 33.56x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 2.60x
Subdeanery 1 72.99x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 8
Mary 7
Emily 4
Ann 3
Annie 3
Eliza 3
Fanny 3
Maria 3
Alice 2
Charlotte 2
Elizabeth 2
Elizh. 2
Hannah 2
Harriet 2
Kate 2
Martha 2
Emma 1
Fany 1
Florence 1
Grace 1
Harriott 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Margarett 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 8
George 6
Joseph 4
Thomas 4
Alfred 3
Edward 3
Harry 2
Henry 2
Thos. 2
William 2
Albert 1
Athur 1
Edwin 1
Hugh 1
James 1
Jeremiah 1
Michael 1
Owin 1
Patric 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Tom 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Sawley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sawley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 110 people were recorded with the Sawley surname. That placed it at #18,695 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sawley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 123 in 2016. That gives Sawley a modern rank of #27,115.

What does the Sawley map show?

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