NameCensus.

UK surname

Seavers

An English surname derived from the Old English word "sæfe" meaning "sea rush" or "rush by the sea."

In the 1881 census there were 64 people recorded with the Seavers surname, ranking it #24,561 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 107, ranked #29,762, down from #24,561 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Scarborough, York and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Seavers is 123 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 67.2%.

1881 census count

64

Ranked #24,561

Modern count

107

2016, ranked #29,762

Peak year

1999

123 bearers

Map years

2

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Seavers had 64 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,561 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 107 in 2016, ranked #29,762.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 93 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established Mature Families.

Seavers surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Seavers surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Seavers 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 31 #27,734
1861 historical 74 #24,370
1881 historical 64 #24,561
1891 historical 61 #29,103
1901 historical 80 #25,251
1911 historical 93 #23,492
1997 modern 120 #24,158
1998 modern 110 #26,129
1999 modern 123 #24,643
2000 modern 111 #26,111
2001 modern 112 #25,644
2002 modern 105 #27,123
2003 modern 111 #26,091
2004 modern 121 #24,939
2005 modern 109 #26,583
2006 modern 97 #28,793
2007 modern 103 #28,187
2008 modern 108 #27,684
2009 modern 119 #26,637
2010 modern 123 #26,728
2011 modern 122 #26,647
2012 modern 109 #28,689
2013 modern 110 #29,028
2014 modern 113 #28,779
2015 modern 109 #29,327
2016 modern 107 #29,762

Geography

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Where Seavers' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Scarborough, York, Cornwall, Chelmsford and Tameside. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Scarborough 007 Scarborough
2 York 022 York
3 Cornwall 062 Cornwall
4 Chelmsford 020 Chelmsford
5 Tameside 002 Tameside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Seavers

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Seavers

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

Established Mature Families

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Married couples predominate, many with older dependent children. Detached housing is common. Homeownership rates are the highest within this Supergroup. The presence of some students suggests that households are towards the end of a child rearing phase. Many residents have degree level qualifications, and the occupational profile is heavily skewed towards managerial and professional occupations. Residential developments commonly occur on the periphery of major urban cities or conurbations.

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

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

City Support Workers

Within London, Seavers is most associated with areas classed as City Support Workers, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

Scattered throughout Inner London, these areas house relatively few workers in the most senior roles within organisations, and greater prevalence of administrative roles relative to the Supergroup mean. Residents are less likely to be of Chinese ethnicity and are more likely to have been born in Africa. Relative to the Supergroup average, residents are also more likely to live in social housing and live in overcrowded conditions.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Seavers 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

Seavers falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Seavers

The surname Seavers is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word 'sæfær', which referred to a sailor or a traveler by sea. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as an occupational surname to someone who worked on ships or traveled frequently by sea.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Seavers can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, where a person named Radulfus Seuare is mentioned. This is likely an early spelling variation of the surname Seavers. The name also appears in other historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled as 'Sevare'.

In the 16th century, the surname Seavers appears to have been concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, with various spellings like 'Severs', 'Seviors', and 'Seaveors' being used. One notable individual from this time period was John Seavers, a merchant from Bristol who was born around 1520 and played a role in the city's trade with the Netherlands.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Seavers surname started to spread to other parts of England, with records showing families bearing the name in counties like Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and Lancashire. A prominent figure from this era was William Seavers (1642-1701), a wealthy landowner and member of parliament for Tewkesbury.

In the 19th century, the surname Seavers continued to be found across various regions of England, with individuals like Thomas Seavers (1808-1886), a successful industrialist from Birmingham, and Mary Anne Seavers (1842-1920), a notable author and poet from Gloucestershire.

Throughout its history, the surname Seavers has undergone various spelling variations, including Severs, Seviors, Sevears, and Seaveors, among others. However, the common thread linking these variations seems to be the connection to the Old English word 'sæfær', which reflects the surname's possible origins as an occupational name for those involved in maritime activities or travel by sea.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Seavers families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Seavers 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 51 Seavers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.24x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 51 8.24x
Nottinghamshire 5 5.94x
Durham 3 1.62x
Middlesex 2 0.32x
Surrey 2 0.66x
Sussex 1 0.95x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bradford in Yorkshire leads with 14 Seavers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 93.46x.

Place Total Index
Bradford 14 93.46x
Leeds 8 22.90x
Easingwold 6 1363.64x
York St Mary 6 234.38x
Nottingham St Mary 5 22.98x
York St Saviour 5 847.46x
Thirsk 4 563.38x
York St Lawrence 4 615.38x
York St Denis In 3 1111.11x
Bishop Auckland 2 80.32x
Hackney London 2 5.71x
Brighton 1 4.71x
Darlington 1 13.95x
Petersham 1 833.33x
Ripon 1 69.44x
Stoke 1 69.44x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 7
William 6
John 3
Arthur 2
Thomas 2
Edwin 1
Fred 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
Jno. 1
Robert 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Seavers households.

FAQ

Seavers surname: questions and answers

How common was the Seavers surname in 1881?

In 1881, 64 people were recorded with the Seavers surname. That placed it at #24,561 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Seavers surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 107 in 2016. That gives Seavers a modern rank of #29,762.

What does the Seavers surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English word "sæfe" meaning "sea rush" or "rush by the sea."

What does the Seavers map show?

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