NameCensus.

UK surname

Seal

An occupational surname for a person who hunts seals or sells sealskins.

In the 1881 census there were 2,160 people recorded with the Seal surname, ranking it #2,058 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,185, ranked #2,132, down from #2,058 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Alkmund, London parishes and Chiddingstone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tandridge, Cotswold and Amber Valley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Seal is 3,393 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 47.5%.

1881 census count

2,160

Ranked #2,058

Modern count

3,185

2016, ranked #2,132

Peak year

1998

3,393 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Seal had 2,160 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,058 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,185 in 2016, ranked #2,132.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,103 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Seal surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Seal surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Seal 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 1,297 #2,208
1861 historical 1,543 #1,841
1881 historical 2,160 #2,058
1891 historical 2,440 #1,931
1901 historical 2,719 #2,044
1911 historical 3,103 #1,679
1997 modern 3,313 #1,945
1998 modern 3,393 #1,975
1999 modern 3,357 #2,015
2000 modern 3,339 #2,018
2001 modern 3,294 #2,001
2002 modern 3,366 #2,013
2003 modern 3,271 #2,022
2004 modern 3,260 #2,021
2005 modern 3,152 #2,054
2006 modern 3,155 #2,063
2007 modern 3,140 #2,086
2008 modern 3,182 #2,078
2009 modern 3,273 #2,077
2010 modern 3,311 #2,096
2011 modern 3,243 #2,111
2012 modern 3,198 #2,106
2013 modern 3,279 #2,093
2014 modern 3,290 #2,101
2015 modern 3,209 #2,126
2016 modern 3,185 #2,132

Geography

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Where Seals are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Alkmund, London parishes, Chiddingstone and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tandridge, Cotswold, Amber Valley, Sevenoaks and East Lindsey. 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 Alkmund Derbyshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 Chiddingstone Kent
4 London parishes London 3
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tandridge 007 Tandridge
2 Cotswold 011 Cotswold
3 Amber Valley 008 Amber Valley
4 Sevenoaks 010 Sevenoaks
5 East Lindsey 013 East Lindsey

Forenames

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First names often paired with Seal

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Seal

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

Seal is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Seal falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Seal

The surname SEAL originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word 'sæl', meaning a salt-making settlement or a homestead near a salt marsh. The name was likely an occupational name for someone who lived near or worked in a salt marsh or salt works.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SEAL can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1176, where it is listed as 'Sele'. In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with names like 'Sela' and 'Sele', which may have been the origins of the surname.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as 'de Sele', 'atte Sele', and 'Sele'. These variations suggest that the name was associated with specific places or settlements. For instance, the village of Seal in Kent, England, was known as 'Sele' in the Domesday Book.

Notable bearers of the SEAL surname include William Seal (1493-1568), who was an English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Peterborough. Another notable figure was John Seal (1575-1632), an English clergyman and author who served as Rector of Clerkenwell in London.

In the 17th century, the SEAL surname can be found in various records, such as the marriage of William Seal and Elizabeth Smith in 1632 in Tottenham, Middlesex. During this period, the name also appeared in the form 'Seale', as evidenced by the birth record of John Seale in 1654 in Weston, Hertfordshire.

Other notable individuals with the SEAL surname include Sir Henry Seal (1779-1849), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars, and Thomas Seal (1833-1920), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire.

The surname SEAL continued to be found throughout England and later spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of migration and colonization.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Seal families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Seal 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. Kent leads with 408 Seals recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.68x.

County Total Index
Kent 408 5.68x
Middlesex 277 1.31x
Leicestershire 185 7.92x
Derbyshire 143 4.34x
Surrey 137 1.33x
Warwickshire 132 2.48x
Yorkshire 126 0.60x
Lancashire 110 0.44x
Sussex 80 2.25x
Hampshire 65 1.51x
Dorset 60 4.34x
Northamptonshire 47 2.37x
Staffordshire 44 0.62x
Cambridgeshire 40 3.00x
Somerset 38 1.12x
Cheshire 32 0.69x
Herefordshire 30 3.47x
Worcestershire 30 1.09x
Durham 23 0.37x
Nottinghamshire 21 0.74x
Gloucestershire 20 0.48x
Glamorgan 19 0.52x
Monmouthshire 19 1.25x
Devon 13 0.30x
Lanarkshire 11 0.16x
Essex 10 0.24x
Norfolk 7 0.22x
Bedfordshire 6 0.55x
Denbighshire 4 0.50x
Midlothian 3 0.11x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.23x
Channel Islands 2 0.32x
Hertfordshire 2 0.14x
Merionethshire 2 0.52x
Oxfordshire 2 0.15x
Royal Navy 2 0.80x
Ayrshire 1 0.06x
Berkshire 1 0.06x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.33x
Lincolnshire 1 0.03x
Morayshire 1 0.31x
Renfrewshire 1 0.06x
Selkirkshire 1 0.52x
Wiltshire 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 59 Seals recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.03x.

Place Total Index
Aston 59 4.03x
Birmingham 49 2.77x
Chiddingstone 46 489.36x
Wrotham 42 176.32x
Leigh 41 436.17x
Markfield 41 354.06x
Edenbridge 35 248.23x
Ackworth 34 211.97x
Hever 34 691.06x
Leicester St Margaret 31 5.44x
Portsea 31 3.66x
Brighton 30 4.19x
Horsley 28 141.06x
Bedminster 26 8.16x
Tonbridge 25 9.64x
Alderminster 24 676.06x
Hackney London 24 2.03x
Oldham 24 2.97x
Little Eaton 23 337.24x
Plumstead 23 9.60x
St Pancras London 22 1.30x
Islington London 21 1.03x
Shoreditch London 21 2.30x
Lewisham 20 5.22x
Camberwell 19 1.41x
Croydon 19 3.33x
Duffield 19 73.08x
Edmonton 18 10.60x
Kensington London 18 1.54x
Pentrich 17 91.59x
Deptford St Paul 16 2.89x
Limehouse London 16 6.92x
Soham 16 55.71x
Tamworth 16 42.07x
Bridport 15 52.69x
Brightside Bierlow 15 3.66x
Erith 15 21.18x
Leicester St Mary 15 7.95x
Carshalton 14 35.63x
Macclesfield 14 6.77x
Chippenham 13 278.97x
Clapham 13 4.94x
Fordington 13 43.64x
Hulme 13 2.49x
Clerkenwell London 12 2.41x
Merthyr Tydfil 12 3.40x
Nottingham St Mary 12 1.63x
Sutton 12 16.16x
Bethnal Green London 11 1.20x
Eastbourne 11 6.73x
St Marylebone London 11 0.98x
Bromley 10 9.13x
Bromley London 10 2.16x
East Kilbride 10 34.27x
Southampton St Mary 10 3.68x
Wadsworth 10 29.42x
Westminster St 10 12.87x
Great Bowden 9 42.35x
Northampton All Sts 9 13.38x
Northampton St Sepulchre 9 8.93x
Spitalfields London 9 5.68x
Thurcaston 9 555.56x
Thurnby 9 538.92x
Wisbech St Mary 9 58.75x
Wolverhampton 9 1.65x
Brotton 8 29.36x
Chelsea London 8 1.26x
Cwmcarvan 8 462.43x
Holy Trinity 8 1.59x
Ightham 8 88.50x
Market Bosworth 8 94.90x
Mayfield 8 38.08x
Seaton Carew 8 63.44x
Solihull 8 20.94x
St Woollos 8 4.71x
West Haddon 8 124.42x
Eltham 7 16.62x
Hove 7 4.49x
Preston On Wye 7 426.83x
West Ham 7 0.76x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 114
Elizabeth 80
Sarah 61
Ann 51
Eliza 39
Emma 37
Annie 35
Ellen 33
Alice 31
Emily 27
Jane 26
Martha 25
Ada 21
Edith 20
Hannah 20
Louisa 20
Caroline 15
Fanny 15
Florence 15
Harriet 14
Maria 14
Lucy 13
Rose 13
Susan 12
Amelia 11
Charlotte 11
Kate 10
Harriett 9
Sophia 9
Anne 8
Clara 8
Margaret 8
Susannah 8
Frances 7
Georgina 6
Julia 6
Amy 5
Beatrice 5
Ethel 5
Lizzie 5
Rebecca 5
Selina 5
Agnes 4
Anna 4
Bertha 4
Gertrude 4
Grace 4
Minnie 4
Rachel 4
Ruth 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 138
John 112
Thomas 81
George 67
Henry 57
James 45
Joseph 44
Charles 40
Edward 32
Albert 28
Arthur 28
Walter 28
Robert 27
Samuel 27
Alfred 23
Frederick 23
Harry 17
Richard 14
Herbert 13
Francis 12
Benjamin 11
Frank 11
David 9
Edwin 9
Ernest 8
Fred 8
Jno. 5
Josiah 5
Tom 5
Alexander 4
Daniel 4
Job 4
Leonard 4
Stephen 4
Wm. 4
Elias 3
Horace 3
Levi 3
Oliver 3
Thos. 3
Ambrose 2
Ann 2
Chas. 2
Christopher 2
Edmund 2
Fredk. 2
Fredrick 2
Harold 2
Richd. 2
Sydney 2

FAQ

Seal surname: questions and answers

How common was the Seal surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,160 people were recorded with the Seal surname. That placed it at #2,058 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Seal surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,185 in 2016. That gives Seal a modern rank of #2,132.

What does the Seal surname mean?

An occupational surname for a person who hunts seals or sells sealskins.

What does the Seal map show?

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