NameCensus.

UK surname

Sayner

In the 1881 census there were 112 people recorded with the Sayner surname, ranking it #18,501 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 168, ranked #21,984, down from #18,501 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Calverley, Drypool and Pontefract. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, Selby and South Lakeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sayner is 183 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.0%.

1881 census count

112

Ranked #18,501

Modern count

168

2016, ranked #21,984

Peak year

1998

183 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sayner had 112 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,501 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 168 in 2016, ranked #21,984.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 181 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Sayner surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sayner surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sayner 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 116 #15,545
1861 historical 116 #18,751
1881 historical 112 #18,501
1891 historical 129 #20,285
1901 historical 134 #19,288
1911 historical 181 #15,911
1997 modern 181 #18,763
1998 modern 183 #19,106
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 182 #19,300
2001 modern 182 #19,039
2002 modern 176 #19,829
2003 modern 175 #19,690
2004 modern 175 #19,805
2005 modern 161 #20,799
2006 modern 160 #21,066
2007 modern 159 #21,387
2008 modern 160 #21,521
2009 modern 165 #21,552
2010 modern 171 #21,481
2011 modern 168 #21,563
2012 modern 171 #21,303
2013 modern 172 #21,575
2014 modern 173 #21,639
2015 modern 174 #21,449
2016 modern 168 #21,984

Geography

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Where Sayners are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Calverley, Drypool, Pontefract, Brayton and Snaith. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, Selby, South Lakeland, York and Kingston upon Hull. 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 Calverley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Drypool Yorkshire, East Riding
3 Pontefract Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Brayton Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Snaith Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 042 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 Selby 010 Selby
3 South Lakeland 009 South Lakeland
4 York 010 York
5 Kingston upon Hull 022 Kingston upon Hull, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sayner

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sayner

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Sayner surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Sayner household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Sayner is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sayner is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sayner falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Sayner is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Sayner families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sayner 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 98 Sayners recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.13x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 98 9.13x
Lancashire 9 0.70x
Suffolk 2 1.52x
Derbyshire 1 0.59x
Essex 1 0.47x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Clayton Le Moors in Lancashire leads with 9 Sayners recorded in 1881 and an index of 361.45x.

Place Total Index
Clayton Le Moors 9 361.45x
Leeds 9 14.86x
Goole 8 444.44x
Morley 8 143.37x
York St Giles In 8 792.08x
Gateforth 7 10000.00x
Alwoodley 6 3529.41x
Cliff Cum Lund 6 2500.00x
Southcoates 6 100.67x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 5 136.24x
Shipley 5 89.77x
Chapel Allerton 4 248.45x
Knottingley 4 211.64x
Wortley In Bramley 4 47.06x
Hunslet 3 17.93x
Hook 2 84.75x
Kirkley 2 181.82x
Norton In Malton 2 153.85x
Whitwood 2 131.58x
Yokefleet 2 5000.00x
Batley 1 9.80x
Chesterfield 1 15.75x
Harwick St Nicholas 1 294.12x
Hessle In Sculcoates 1 105.26x
Holy Trinity 1 3.87x
Sculcoates 1 5.88x
Sherburn 1 113.64x
Whitley 1 666.67x
Womersley 1 714.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 7
Mary 7
Sarah 5
Alice 4
Ann 3
Florence 3
Hannah 3
Ada 2
Edith 2
Elizth. 2
Emily 2
Anne 1
Annie 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Eleanor 1
Ellen 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Gertrude 1
Harriett 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Margaret 1
Ruth 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 8
James 5
George 4
Arthur 3
Charles 3
Thomas 3
David 2
Joseph 2
Alan 1
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Chas. 1
Christopher 1
Edward 1
Frank 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Herbit 1
Longstaff 1
Rowland 1
Samuel 1
Tom 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Sayner surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sayner surname in 1881?

In 1881, 112 people were recorded with the Sayner surname. That placed it at #18,501 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sayner surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 168 in 2016. That gives Sayner a modern rank of #21,984.

What does the Sayner map show?

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