NameCensus.

UK surname

Selvester

In the 1881 census there were 65 people recorded with the Selvester surname, ranking it #24,420 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 95, ranked #31,782, down from #24,420 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Seighford, Worston, Cresswell, Yarlett, Tamworth and Hagworthingham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Plymouth, Badenoch and Strathspey South and Flintshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Selvester is 169 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.2%.

1881 census count

65

Ranked #24,420

Modern count

95

2016, ranked #31,782

Peak year

1861

169 bearers

Map years

1

1861 to 1861

Key insights

  • Selvester had 65 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,420 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 95 in 2016, ranked #31,782.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 169 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Selvester surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Selvester surname density by area, 1861 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Selvester 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 87 #18,695
1861 historical 169 #13,823
1881 historical 65 #24,420
1891 historical 84 #26,229
1901 historical 34 #30,281
1911 historical 62 #26,622
1997 modern 101 #26,774
1998 modern 98 #27,923
1999 modern 93 #28,711
2000 modern 92 #28,832
2001 modern 94 #28,246
2002 modern 92 #29,040
2003 modern 92 #28,974
2004 modern 92 #29,197
2005 modern 101 #27,854
2006 modern 94 #29,264
2007 modern 89 #30,383
2008 modern 85 #31,247
2009 modern 94 #30,538
2010 modern 99 #30,397
2011 modern 92 #31,301
2012 modern 89 #31,934
2013 modern 100 #30,773
2014 modern 96 #31,667
2015 modern 96 #31,624
2016 modern 95 #31,782

Geography

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Where Selvesters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Seighford, Worston, Cresswell, Yarlett, Tamworth, Hagworthingham, Sausthorpe and Walsall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Plymouth, Badenoch and Strathspey South and Flintshire. 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 Seighford, Worston, Cresswell, Yarlett Staffordshire
2 Tamworth Staffordshire
3 Hagworthingham Lincolnshire
4 Sausthorpe Lincolnshire
5 Walsall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Plymouth 005 Plymouth
2 Badenoch and Strathspey South Highland
3 Plymouth 010 Plymouth
4 Flintshire 013 Flintshire
5 Flintshire 014 Flintshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Selvester

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Selvester

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Selvester surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Selvester 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Selvester is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Selvester is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Selvester 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 Selvester 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 Selvester, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Selvester families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Selvester 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. Staffordshire leads with 34 Selvesters recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.66x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 34 16.66x
Devon 9 7.15x
Yorkshire 8 1.33x
Lincolnshire 6 6.21x
Leicestershire 2 2.98x
Cambridgeshire 1 2.61x
Merionethshire 1 9.03x
Somerset 1 1.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wigginton in Staffordshire leads with 14 Selvesters recorded in 1881 and an index of 8235.29x.

Place Total Index
Wigginton 14 8235.29x
Plymouth Charles The 9 162.16x
Swinfen Packington 9 11250.00x
Walsall Foreign 9 85.39x
Ecclesfield 8 182.23x
Croft 5 3125.00x
Snarestone 2 2857.14x
Chard 1 84.75x
Gedney 1 256.41x
Hints 1 2500.00x
March 1 78.13x
Tamworth 1 91.74x
Towyn 1 142.86x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Ellen 2
Harriett 2
Jane 2
Maria 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Clara 1
Elizabeth 1
Emily 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Kate 1
Margarett 1
Martha 1

Top male names

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

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 Selvester households.

FAQ

Selvester surname: questions and answers

How common was the Selvester surname in 1881?

In 1881, 65 people were recorded with the Selvester surname. That placed it at #24,420 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Selvester surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 95 in 2016. That gives Selvester a modern rank of #31,782.

What does the Selvester map show?

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