NameCensus.

UK surname

Sercombe

In the 1881 census there were 439 people recorded with the Sercombe surname, ranking it #7,455 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 426, ranked #11,279, down from #7,455 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), Modbury, Bigbury, Ermington, Kingston and St Thomas the Apostle, Whitestone. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Teignbridge and Exeter.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sercombe is 632 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.0%.

1881 census count

439

Ranked #7,455

Modern count

426

2016, ranked #11,279

Peak year

1911

632 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sercombe had 439 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,455 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 426 in 2016, ranked #11,279.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 632 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sercombe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sercombe surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sercombe 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 347 #6,781
1861 historical 409 #6,283
1881 historical 439 #7,455
1891 historical 512 #7,283
1901 historical 536 #7,663
1911 historical 632 #6,574
1997 modern 490 #9,435
1998 modern 493 #9,702
1999 modern 488 #9,846
2000 modern 487 #9,819
2001 modern 493 #9,574
2002 modern 517 #9,418
2003 modern 474 #9,865
2004 modern 473 #9,905
2005 modern 459 #10,053
2006 modern 445 #10,319
2007 modern 440 #10,533
2008 modern 444 #10,535
2009 modern 454 #10,590
2010 modern 451 #10,897
2011 modern 445 #10,880
2012 modern 426 #11,139
2013 modern 428 #11,304
2014 modern 431 #11,308
2015 modern 427 #11,292
2016 modern 426 #11,279

Geography

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Where Sercombes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), Modbury, Bigbury, Ermington, Kingston, St Thomas the Apostle, Whitestone, Cornwood and Doddiscombsleigh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Teignbridge and Exeter. 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 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
2 Modbury, Bigbury, Ermington, Kingston Devon
3 St Thomas the Apostle, Whitestone Devon
4 Cornwood Devon
5 Doddiscombsleigh Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Teignbridge 004 Teignbridge
2 Exeter 013 Exeter
3 Exeter 003 Exeter
4 Exeter 010 Exeter
5 Exeter 004 Exeter

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sercombe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sercombe

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Sercombe 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

Sercombe 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

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

1881 census detail

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Sercombe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sercombe 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. Devon leads with 312 Sercombes recorded in 1881 and an index of 34.30x.

County Total Index
Devon 312 34.30x
Middlesex 35 0.80x
Somerset 28 3.98x
Surrey 16 0.75x
Kent 9 0.60x
Gloucestershire 8 0.93x
Cornwall 7 1.41x
Glamorgan 7 0.92x
Norfolk 7 1.04x
Channel Islands 5 3.86x
Lancashire 5 0.10x
Royal Navy 3 5.76x
Leicestershire 2 0.41x
Dorset 1 0.35x
Herefordshire 1 0.56x
Sussex 1 0.14x
Yorkshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dunsford in Devon leads with 53 Sercombes recorded in 1881 and an index of 4568.97x.

Place Total Index
Dunsford 53 4568.97x
Cornwood 34 1954.02x
Exeter St Thomas The 19 204.96x
Exeter Holy Trinity 16 449.44x
Doddiscombsleigh 15 3947.37x
Exeter St Sidwell 13 62.41x
Plympton St Mary 11 209.13x
Bridford 10 1538.46x
Dawlish 10 147.28x
Plymouth St Andrew 10 14.27x
Totnes 10 187.97x
Lewisham 9 11.32x
Barnstaple 8 56.02x
Bovey Tracey 8 251.57x
Tormoham 8 20.78x
Great Yarmouth 7 12.58x
Exeter St David 6 77.22x
Holy Trinity 6 314.14x
Westminster St James 6 13.36x
Yeovil 6 41.99x
Burnham 5 93.28x
Cardynham 5 1190.48x
Croydon 5 4.23x
Ermington 5 151.06x
Roath 5 14.47x
St Luke London 5 7.13x
Upton Pyne 5 819.67x
Westminster St John 5 9.40x
Wolborough 5 43.48x
Exeter St Mary Major 4 72.99x
Harberton 4 193.24x
Kenton 4 139.37x
South Tawton 4 212.77x
Whitestone 4 579.71x
Bridgewater 3 15.71x
Bristol St James St Paul 3 10.50x
Bristol Temple 3 53.19x
Camberwell 3 1.07x
Christow 3 340.91x
Exeter St Lawrence 3 441.18x
Exeter St Paul 3 166.67x
Hardington Mandeville 3 315.79x
Hulme 3 2.77x
Islington London 3 0.71x
Plymouth Charles The 3 7.49x
Putney 3 15.06x
Royal Navy 3 6.74x
St Helier 3 7.12x
St Marylebone London 3 1.29x
St Pancras London 3 0.85x
St Stephen Coleman 3 258.62x
Stokeinteignhead 3 306.12x
Walcot 3 8.01x
Weston Super Mare 3 16.89x
Barrow Upon Soar 2 50.00x
Bromley London 2 2.08x
Dartington 2 210.53x
Exeter Heavitree 2 29.50x
Exeter St Leonard 2 80.32x
Hackney London 2 0.82x
Hampstead London 2 2.94x
Lambeth 2 0.52x
Moreton Hampstead 2 85.11x
Sutton 2 12.98x
Ashton 1 344.83x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 1 1.24x
Cardiff St John 1 4.02x
Cheetham 1 2.59x
Cuerdley 1 285.71x
Drewsteignton 1 83.33x
Dulverton 1 48.54x
Exminster 1 30.58x
Falmouth 1 5.71x
Hastings Holy Trinity 1 18.42x
Kingston On Thames 1 1.96x
Leominster 1 13.48x
Portland 1 6.49x
Sidmouth 1 19.19x
Staplegrove 1 116.28x
Stapleton 1 6.15x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 37
Elizabeth 20
Ellen 17
Emma 15
Emily 12
Ann 11
Sarah 11
Jane 9
Annie 7
Alice 6
Louisa 6
Jessie 5
Maria 5
Caroline 4
Florence 4
Edith 3
Eliza 3
Eva 3
Laura 3
Lucy 3
Anna 2
Bertha 2
Bessie 2
Charlotte 2
Fanny 2
Harriet 2
Honor 2
Kate 2
Amy 1
Dinah 1
Eliz 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.A. 1
Elzie 1
Francis 1
George 1
Georgina 1
Henerietta 1
Hertha 1
Hester 1
Hesther 1
Hilda 1
Ida 1
Jasmette 1
Jeannette 1
Julia 1
Louie 1
Lydia 1
Susanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 41
John 31
George 18
Henry 11
Samuel 9
Joseph 7
Robert 6
Thomas 6
Edward 5
Frederick 5
Richard 5
Walter 5
Elias 4
James 4
Francis 3
Fred 3
Harry 3
Wm. 3
Albert 2
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Athelstone 1
Aurthur 1
Brink 1
Charlie 1
Chas. 1
Cournelious 1
Edgar 1
Edmund 1
F.W. 1
Frances 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Horatio 1
Michael 1
R.J.Walson 1
Trowbridge 1
W.M. 1
Wilfred 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Sercombe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sercombe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 439 people were recorded with the Sercombe surname. That placed it at #7,455 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sercombe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 426 in 2016. That gives Sercombe a modern rank of #11,279.

What does the Sercombe map show?

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