NameCensus.

UK surname

Sergent

An occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant.

In the 1881 census there were 314 people recorded with the Sergent surname, ranking it #9,417 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 220, ranked #18,376, down from #9,417 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a and Bromley, Little. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Norfolk, St Edmundsbury and Warrington.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sergent is 466 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 29.9%.

1881 census count

314

Ranked #9,417

Modern count

220

2016, ranked #18,376

Peak year

1861

466 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sergent had 314 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,417 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 220 in 2016, ranked #18,376.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 466 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sergent surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sergent surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sergent 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 317 #7,308
1861 historical 466 #5,573
1881 historical 314 #9,417
1891 historical 444 #8,149
1901 historical 249 #13,172
1911 historical 300 #11,441
1997 modern 222 #16,508
1998 modern 253 #15,547
1999 modern 250 #15,802
2000 modern 241 #16,146
2001 modern 242 #15,832
2002 modern 250 #15,819
2003 modern 236 #16,236
2004 modern 242 #16,050
2005 modern 236 #16,286
2006 modern 242 #16,097
2007 modern 241 #16,341
2008 modern 240 #16,535
2009 modern 238 #17,002
2010 modern 254 #16,604
2011 modern 239 #17,138
2012 modern 223 #17,852
2013 modern 229 #17,816
2014 modern 224 #18,202
2015 modern 222 #18,225
2016 modern 220 #18,376

Geography

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Where Sergents are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a, Bromley, Little, Liverpool and Melcombe Regis. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Norfolk, St Edmundsbury, Warrington, Leicester and Hinckley and Bosworth. 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 3
2 Colchester St Botolph, St Mary at the Walls, St Giles, St Mary Magdalen, Holy Trinity, St Runwald, a Essex
3 Bromley, Little Essex
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Melcombe Regis Dorset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Norfolk 001 South Norfolk
2 St Edmundsbury 011 St Edmundsbury
3 Warrington 020 Warrington
4 Leicester 013 Leicester
5 Hinckley and Bosworth 004 Hinckley and Bosworth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sergent

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sergent

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

Sergent is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sergent 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 Sergent is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Sergent, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Sergent

The surname Sergent is of French origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "sergent," which means "servant" or "officer." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who served in a position of authority, such as a bailiff or a court officer.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Sergent can be found in various medieval records and documents from France. One notable example is Guillaume Sergent, a 13th-century nobleman and knight who fought in the Crusades. Another early bearer of the name was Jean Sergent, a merchant from Paris who lived in the 14th century.

During the Middle Ages, the Sergent surname was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of France, such as Normandy and Picardy. It was also found in some areas of southern England, likely due to the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

As the Sergent family spread across Europe, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Sargent, Sargeant, and Serjant. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sergent surname in England appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Sargent." This suggests that the name had already established a presence in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Sergent surname. One such figure was Hugues Sergent (c. 1240-1310), a French architect and sculptor who worked on the construction of the Cathedral of Reims. Another notable bearer of the name was Pierre Sergent (1625-1709), a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada and worked among the indigenous peoples.

In more recent times, the Sergent surname has continued to be prominent, with individuals such as John Singer Sergent (1856-1925), an American artist and portraitist, and Jacques Sergent (1924-2014), a French historian and linguist who specialized in the study of ancient civilizations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sergent families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sergent 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 80 Sergents recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.18x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 80 2.18x
Yorkshire 30 0.98x
Middlesex 28 0.91x
Lincolnshire 20 4.05x
Sussex 18 3.45x
Dorset 17 8.38x
Monmouthshire 15 6.71x
Cheshire 14 2.05x
Devon 12 1.86x
Glamorgan 12 2.23x
Staffordshire 12 1.15x
Essex 10 1.64x
Norfolk 8 1.68x
Gloucestershire 7 1.15x
Surrey 6 0.40x
Cornwall 5 1.43x
Durham 5 0.54x
Suffolk 5 1.33x
Kent 4 0.38x
Royal Navy 3 8.14x
Renfrewshire 2 0.83x
Hampshire 1 0.16x
Northamptonshire 1 0.34x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.24x
Shropshire 1 0.37x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Accrington in Lancashire leads with 20 Sergents recorded in 1881 and an index of 59.95x.

Place Total Index
Accrington 20 59.95x
West Derby 15 13.97x
Ince In Makerfield 10 58.58x
Llanvihangel Llantarnam 8 187.79x
North Bierley 8 48.37x
Pancrasweek 8 2285.71x
Bracebridge 7 311.11x
Paddington London 7 6.16x
Winterborne Herringstone 7 8750.00x
Acton 6 33.09x
Ashburnham 6 731.71x
Bishopston Higher 6 2857.14x
Bristol St Paul In 6 37.13x
Kirkdale 6 9.72x
Newport 6 56.29x
Sculcoates 6 12.35x
Boxted 5 574.71x
Chedgrave 5 1282.05x
Hastings St Mary In The 5 44.96x
Kinson 5 125.94x
Marsh Chapel 5 819.67x
Pownall Fee 5 163.93x
Preston 5 5.09x
Toxteth Park 5 4.02x
Brighton 4 3.80x
Clerkenwell London 4 5.48x
Mile End Old Town 4 8.20x
Monkwearmouth Shore 4 22.27x
St Pancras London 4 1.61x
Stockport 4 11.39x
Swansea Town 4 9.06x
Woodplumpton 4 305.34x
Boston 3 20.00x
Eccleston In Chorley 3 315.79x
Elland Cum Greetland 3 21.74x
Harborne 3 8.97x
Harlow 3 114.07x
Leyland 3 47.02x
Melcombe Regis 3 35.67x
Preston 3 177.51x
Royal Navy 3 9.52x
Southcoates 3 17.64x
Sutton Stoneferry 3 34.21x
Upper Penn 3 114.94x
Wolverhampton 3 3.74x
Woolwich 3 7.70x
Atherton 2 14.97x
Blaenhonddan 2 79.68x
Brinnington 2 31.35x
Callington 2 98.04x
Camberwell 2 1.01x
Eastbourne 2 8.34x
Fordington 2 45.77x
Haverhill 2 59.70x
Inverkip 2 35.40x
Kingston On Thames 2 5.53x
Lathom 2 45.15x
Liverpool 2 0.90x
Long Melford 2 57.14x
Lower Bebington 2 49.26x
Walsall Borough 2 24.69x
Wootton 2 327.87x
Beyton 1 277.78x
Bishop Norton 1 263.16x
Blackawton 1 89.29x
Buckland Brewer 1 128.21x
Clifton 1 3.26x
Congham 1 285.71x
Exeter Holy Trinity 1 39.68x
Farforth Cum Maidenwell 1 666.67x
Hackney London 1 0.58x
Hammersmith London 1 1.31x
Harby 1 270.27x
Newton In Makerfield 1 8.90x
Patrck Brmptn Newton 1 181.82x
Portsea 1 0.81x
Shoreditch London 1 0.75x
South Shoebury 1 40.82x
Southill 1 185.19x
Windlesham 1 35.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Jane 13
Elizabeth 8
Emma 7
Ann 6
Emily 5
Margaret 5
Eliza 4
Ellen 4
Lucy 4
Sarah 4
Alice 3
Catherine 3
Gertrude 3
Maria 3
Annie 2
Fanny 2
Hannah 2
Hellen 2
Louisa 2
Martha 2
Vashti 2
Amelia 1
Amellia 1
Anne 1
Bessy 1
Betsy 1
Carolina 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Ealenor 1
Edith 1
Elisa 1
Elizth. 1
Ellenor 1
Ellin 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eveline 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
M.A. 1
Marguerithe 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 23
John 14
Thomas 13
James 11
Charles 10
George 10
Henry 9
Joseph 7
Robert 5
Arthur 4
Frederick 4
Albert 3
Francis 3
Stephen 3
Ebenezer 2
Edward 2
Fred 2
Horace 2
J. 2
Peter 2
Samiel 2
Samuel 2
Tom 2
Wm. 2
Benjimen 1
Daniel 1
David 1
Edmond 1
Edwd. 1
Edwin 1
Ernast 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Isaac 1
Jeremiah 1
Jethro 1
Johnathan 1
Matthew 1
Paul 1
Percival 1
Philip 1
Richard 1
Sidney 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Sergent surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sergent surname in 1881?

In 1881, 314 people were recorded with the Sergent surname. That placed it at #9,417 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sergent surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 220 in 2016. That gives Sergent a modern rank of #18,376.

What does the Sergent surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant.

What does the Sergent map show?

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