NameCensus.

UK surname

Sergeant

An occupational surname indicating a person of military rank.

In the 1881 census there were 1,425 people recorded with the Sergeant surname, ranking it #2,920 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,399, ranked #4,346, down from #2,920 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Preston and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, South Norfolk and Preston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sergeant is 1,957 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.8%.

1881 census count

1,425

Ranked #2,920

Modern count

1,399

2016, ranked #4,346

Peak year

1901

1,957 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sergeant had 1,425 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,920 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,399 in 2016, ranked #4,346.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,957 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sergeant surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sergeant surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sergeant 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 1,010 #2,763
1861 historical 1,102 #2,545
1881 historical 1,425 #2,920
1891 historical 1,513 #2,918
1901 historical 1,957 #2,703
1911 historical 1,613 #3,014
1997 modern 1,357 #4,239
1998 modern 1,432 #4,203
1999 modern 1,442 #4,209
2000 modern 1,426 #4,232
2001 modern 1,399 #4,221
2002 modern 1,414 #4,261
2003 modern 1,389 #4,249
2004 modern 1,374 #4,292
2005 modern 1,393 #4,206
2006 modern 1,401 #4,189
2007 modern 1,405 #4,219
2008 modern 1,430 #4,189
2009 modern 1,495 #4,130
2010 modern 1,545 #4,094
2011 modern 1,503 #4,150
2012 modern 1,407 #4,287
2013 modern 1,422 #4,314
2014 modern 1,430 #4,320
2015 modern 1,408 #4,341
2016 modern 1,399 #4,346

Geography

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Where Sergeants are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Preston, Glasgow and Blackburn. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, South Norfolk, Preston and West Lancashire. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Preston Lancashire
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Blackburn Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 034 County Durham
2 South Norfolk 008 South Norfolk
3 Preston 013 Preston
4 Preston 007 Preston
5 West Lancashire 001 West Lancashire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sergeant

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sergeant

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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Sergeant is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Sergeant is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sergeant falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Sergeant

The surname SERGEANT is of Anglo-Norman French origin, derived from the Old French word "sergent", meaning "servant" or "officer". It first emerged in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Norman families and their retainers settled in various parts of the country.

In the early days, the name was often bestowed upon individuals who served as officers or attendants in the households of noblemen or in royal service. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror.

One of the earliest documented bearers of the name was Radulfus Serjeant, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mention a John le Sergaunt residing in Oxfordshire.

The name SERGEANT can be traced to various regions in England, including Yorkshire, where the town of Sergeant near Barnsley derives its name from the surname. In Derbyshire, the surname is associated with the town of Longstone, where a family of Sergeants resided in the 13th century.

Notable historical figures with the surname SERGEANT include John Sergeant (1622-1707), an English Puritan minister and writer; Thomas Sergeant (1685-1765), an influential Quaker leader and philosopher in colonial Pennsylvania; and John Sergeant (1779-1852), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 24th United States Attorney General.

Other prominent individuals include Emily Frances Sergeant (1851-1936), a British writer and activist for women's rights; and Philip Walsingham Sergeant (1872-1952), an English art critic and painter who was a member of the Camden Town Group.

The SERGEANT surname has also been associated with several notable military figures throughout history, reflecting its origins as a term for an officer or attendant. Examples include Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant (1746-1793), an American military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War, and John Sergeant (1778-1852), an American lawyer and soldier who served in the War of 1812.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sergeant families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sergeant 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. Lancashire leads with 315 Sergeants recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.91x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 315 1.91x
Yorkshire 144 1.04x
Middlesex 142 1.02x
Lincolnshire 124 5.58x
Surrey 62 0.91x
Lanarkshire 58 1.29x
Staffordshire 53 1.13x
Kent 47 0.99x
Essex 45 1.64x
Bedfordshire 43 5.97x
Hampshire 43 1.51x
Suffolk 37 2.18x
Cheshire 35 1.14x
Devon 29 1.00x
Cambridgeshire 24 2.72x
Gloucestershire 22 0.81x
Northamptonshire 20 1.53x
Herefordshire 18 3.16x
Shropshire 18 1.50x
Sussex 17 0.72x
Glamorgan 14 0.58x
Warwickshire 14 0.40x
Norfolk 11 0.51x
Buckinghamshire 10 1.19x
Monmouthshire 10 0.99x
Somerset 10 0.45x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.37x
Ayrshire 6 0.58x
Leicestershire 6 0.39x
Renfrewshire 6 0.56x
Dorset 5 0.55x
Northumberland 5 0.24x
Worcestershire 5 0.28x
Berkshire 4 0.38x
Dunbartonshire 3 0.80x
Hertfordshire 3 0.31x
Royal Navy 3 1.81x
Cornwall 2 0.13x
Perthshire 2 0.32x
Derbyshire 1 0.05x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.36x
Westmorland 1 0.33x
Wiltshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 76 Sergeants recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.21x.

Place Total Index
Preston 76 17.21x
Walton On Hill 29 32.43x
Blackburn 27 6.15x
Bedford St Mary 25 134.77x
St Pancras London 23 2.05x
Barrow On Humber 22 170.41x
Broughton 22 353.13x
Shettleston 22 54.62x
Stoke Upon Trent 20 4.02x
Kensington London 19 2.46x
Liverpool 19 1.90x
Govan 18 1.62x
Walton Le Dale 17 38.33x
Goxhill 16 291.97x
Kington 16 113.31x
Toxteth Park 14 2.50x
New Monkland 13 9.78x
Sculcoates 13 5.95x
Fordham 12 210.90x
Holy Trinity 11 3.32x
Wolverhampton 11 3.05x
Aylesford 10 76.05x
Bristol St Paul In 10 13.76x
Hunsingore 10 1149.43x
Kingston On Thames 10 6.14x
Ormesby 10 26.99x
Thornton Curtis 10 446.43x
Bermondsey 9 2.17x
Camberwell 9 1.01x
Cottingham 9 30.29x
Linthorpe 9 10.94x
Peterborough 9 9.50x
Portsea 9 1.61x
St John Near Swansea 9 30.05x
St Marylebone London 9 1.21x
Syresham 9 236.22x
Wharton 9 53.83x
Great Oakley 8 182.23x
Greenstead 8 200.00x
Lambeth 8 0.66x
Leeds 8 1.03x
Macclesfield 8 5.86x
Southcoates 8 10.45x
St George In East 8 8.45x
Upholland 8 37.83x
West Derby 8 1.66x
West Ham 8 1.32x
Witton 8 38.52x
Worfield 8 95.92x
Aston 7 0.72x
Beckley 7 119.45x
Bethnal Green London 7 1.16x
Brighton 7 1.48x
East Stonehouse 7 12.27x
Everton 7 1.33x
Hammersmith London 7 2.04x
Lathom 7 35.12x
Olney 7 60.19x
St Lawrence Winchester 7 603.45x
Turvey 7 153.85x
Ayr 6 12.21x
Bideford 6 19.34x
Bromley London 6 1.96x
Clerkenwell London 6 1.83x
Dewsbury 6 4.24x
Droxford 6 55.15x
Ealing 6 4.83x
Horfield 6 21.85x
Hutton 6 324.32x
Islington London 6 0.45x
Longton 6 86.46x
Newington 6 1.17x
Newton 6 4.72x
North Meols 6 3.71x
Scarisbrick 6 31.32x
Shoreditch London 6 1.00x
Wrawby 6 99.67x
Chatham 5 3.83x
Dover St James 5 24.04x
Great Finborough 5 255.10x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 87
Elizabeth 48
Sarah 40
Alice 39
Ellen 29
Ann 23
Eliza 23
Jane 23
Margaret 20
Annie 18
Emma 18
Martha 17
Harriet 13
Emily 12
Lucy 12
Maria 12
Hannah 11
Louisa 10
Caroline 9
Ada 8
Frances 8
Fanny 7
Edith 6
Matilda 6
Amelia 5
Sophia 5
Agnes 4
Amy 4
Catherine 4
Charlotte 4
Julia 4
Kate 4
Bertha 3
Clara 3
Constance 3
Elizth. 3
Ethel 3
Grace 3
Laura 3
Lilly 3
Lizzie 3
Rose 3
Selina 3
Adeline 2
Angelina 2
Bessie 2
Hilda 2
Isabella 2
Katie 2
Lillian 2

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 90
William 75
Thomas 55
George 48
James 33
Joseph 32
Charles 27
Robert 25
Richard 22
Henry 20
Arthur 14
Alfred 13
Frederick 13
Walter 12
Edward 11
Samuel 10
Harry 7
Herbert 6
David 5
Frank 5
Matthew 5
Albert 4
Philip 4
Wm. 4
Ernest 3
Fred 3
Mathew 3
Percy 3
Alexander 2
Archibald 2
Benjamin 2
Edwd. 2
Edwin 2
Fredk. 2
Fredrick 2
G. 2
Horace 2
Infant 2
Laurence 2
Major 2
Michael 2
Richd. 2
Robt. 2
Stephen 2
Tom 2
Bernard 1
Erbert 1
Erederic 1
F. 1
Wm.Thos. 1

FAQ

Sergeant surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sergeant surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,425 people were recorded with the Sergeant surname. That placed it at #2,920 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sergeant surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,399 in 2016. That gives Sergeant a modern rank of #4,346.

What does the Sergeant surname mean?

An occupational surname indicating a person of military rank.

What does the Sergeant map show?

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