NameCensus.

UK surname

Sewart

A surname possibly derived from an occupational name referring to a sewer or maker of sewers.

In the 1881 census there were 121 people recorded with the Sewart surname, ranking it #17,671 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 96, ranked #31,684, down from #17,671 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Paignton, Tormoham with Torquay and Arlecdon. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stockport, Bolton and Bath and North East Somerset.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sewart is 189 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 20.7%.

1881 census count

121

Ranked #17,671

Modern count

96

2016, ranked #31,684

Peak year

1911

189 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 1998

Key insights

  • Sewart had 121 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,671 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 96 in 2016, ranked #31,684.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 189 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Sewart surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sewart surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sewart 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 128 #14,474
1861 historical 164 #14,188
1881 historical 121 #17,671
1891 historical 188 #15,609
1901 historical 183 #15,996
1911 historical 189 #15,488
1997 modern 113 #25,106
1998 modern 104 #26,981
1999 modern 102 #27,468
2000 modern 105 #27,001
2001 modern 105 #26,620
2002 modern 98 #28,243
2003 modern 92 #28,974
2004 modern 92 #29,197
2005 modern 97 #28,485
2006 modern 96 #28,946
2007 modern 98 #29,019
2008 modern 96 #29,654
2009 modern 98 #29,906
2010 modern 105 #29,453
2011 modern 107 #28,979
2012 modern 104 #29,543
2013 modern 102 #30,415
2014 modern 103 #30,539
2015 modern 99 #31,168
2016 modern 96 #31,684

Geography

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Where Sewarts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Paignton, Tormoham with Torquay, Arlecdon, Dean and Childwall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stockport, Bolton, Bath and North East Somerset and Cheshire East. 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 Paignton Devon
2 Tormoham with Torquay Devon
3 Arlecdon Cumberland
4 Dean Lancashire
5 Childwall Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stockport 029 Stockport
2 Bolton 002 Bolton
3 Bath and North East Somerset 021 Bath and North East Somerset
4 Cheshire East 002 Cheshire East
5 Bolton 031 Bolton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sewart

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sewart

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

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Sewart surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Sewart household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Sewart is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sewart is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Sewart

The surname Sewart is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. Its roots can be traced back to the Old English words "sæ" meaning sea and "weard" meaning watchman or guardian. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near the coast and was responsible for keeping watch over the sea or coastal areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sewart can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landholdings and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Sewart who held property in the county of Dorset.

Over time, the name evolved and took on various spellings, such as Seward, Sewerd, and Seaward, reflecting the influence of different regional dialects and scribal interpretations. These variations often corresponded to the specific area or region where the name-bearers resided.

Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Sewart throughout history were:

1. Thomas Sewart (c. 1542-1625), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Ludgershall during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

2. William Sewart (1558-1624), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Ardfert and Aghadoe in Ireland.

3. John Sewart (1674-1743), a Scottish architect known for his work on several churches and notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Canongate Tolbooth.

4. Anne Sewart (1762-1835), a British writer and poet who published several collections of poems and novels in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

5. Robert Sewart (1810-1890), a Scottish-born engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early steam engines and railroads.

The surname Sewart has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Sewardstone in Essex, Sewerby in Yorkshire, and Sewardsley in Northamptonshire. These place names often derived from the Old English words related to the name, further reinforcing its connection to coastal or water-related locations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sewart families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sewart 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 63 Sewarts recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.54x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 63 4.54x
Yorkshire 13 1.12x
Lanarkshire 9 2.38x
Cumberland 8 7.94x
Ross-shire 8 24.89x
Westmorland 8 31.10x
Middlesex 3 0.26x
Angus 2 1.84x
East Lothian 2 12.90x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.92x
Bedfordshire 1 1.65x
Cheshire 1 0.39x
Midlothian 1 0.64x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Halliwell in Lancashire leads with 20 Sewarts recorded in 1881 and an index of 396.04x.

Place Total Index
Halliwell 20 396.04x
Glasgow 9 13.39x
Lochalsh 8 963.86x
Over Hulton 6 1538.46x
Westhoughton 6 161.73x
Heaton 5 847.46x
Burton 4 1481.48x
Cleckheaton 4 93.68x
Dalton In Furness 4 74.63x
Little Bolton 4 22.40x
Moresby 4 1052.63x
Preston Quarter 4 141.84x
Rumworth 4 202.02x
Bentham 3 340.91x
Sedbergh 3 697.67x
Walton On Hill 3 39.89x
Whittington 3 2142.86x
Dundee 2 4.94x
Habergham Eaves 2 15.76x
Liverpool 2 2.37x
Natland 2 1818.18x
St George Hanover 2 13.09x
Tonge With Haulgh 2 74.07x
Tranent 2 95.69x
Azerley 1 357.14x
Birkenhead 1 4.86x
Clerkenwell London 1 3.62x
Colton 1 138.89x
Coniston Cold 1 714.29x
Edinburgh Greenside 1 48.31x
Fyvie 1 56.50x
Heversham With Milnthorpe 1 161.29x
Lower Holker 1 370.37x
Luton 1 9.53x
Northowram 1 12.30x
Strickland Roger 1 588.24x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 6
Alice 5
Sarah 4
Ann 3
Hannah 3
Ellen 2
Isabella 2
Jane 2
Abegile 1
Agnes 1
Annie 1
Catharine 1
Edith 1
Florence 1
Kate 1
Lettice 1
Lillian 1
Lucy 1
Margret 1
Nancy 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 10
John 10
Thomas 4
William 3
Allen 2
George 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Alison 1
Allison 1
Anthony 1
Charles 1
Edw.P. 1
Edward 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Herbert 1
Joseph 1
Maud 1

FAQ

Sewart surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sewart surname in 1881?

In 1881, 121 people were recorded with the Sewart surname. That placed it at #17,671 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sewart surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 96 in 2016. That gives Sewart a modern rank of #31,684.

What does the Sewart surname mean?

A surname possibly derived from an occupational name referring to a sewer or maker of sewers.

What does the Sewart map show?

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