NameCensus.

UK surname

Sewter

In the 1881 census there were 65 people recorded with the Sewter surname, ranking it #24,420 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 145, ranked #24,293, up from #24,420 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Paston, Yaxley and Sculthorpe. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Amber Valley, North Norfolk and Rotherham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sewter is 180 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 123.1%.

1881 census count

65

Ranked #24,420

Modern count

145

2016, ranked #24,293

Peak year

1911

180 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sewter had 65 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,420 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 145 in 2016, ranked #24,293.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 180 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Sewter surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sewter surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sewter 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 21 #29,550
1861 historical 51 #27,498
1881 historical 65 #24,420
1891 historical 109 #22,701
1901 historical 120 #20,545
1911 historical 180 #15,961
1997 modern 147 #21,393
1998 modern 144 #22,221
1999 modern 149 #21,924
2000 modern 148 #21,971
2001 modern 152 #21,294
2002 modern 162 #20,839
2003 modern 150 #21,669
2004 modern 147 #22,094
2005 modern 137 #23,110
2006 modern 144 #22,520
2007 modern 138 #23,478
2008 modern 135 #24,123
2009 modern 140 #24,033
2010 modern 147 #23,809
2011 modern 151 #23,204
2012 modern 143 #24,019
2013 modern 147 #23,977
2014 modern 143 #24,621
2015 modern 144 #24,369
2016 modern 145 #24,293

Geography

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Where Sewters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Paston, Yaxley, Sculthorpe, Ormsby and Peterborough St John the Baptist. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Amber Valley, North Norfolk, Rotherham, Huntingdonshire and Wirral. 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 Paston Northamptonshire
2 Yaxley Northamptonshire
3 Sculthorpe Norfolk
4 Ormsby Yorkshire, North Riding
5 Peterborough St John the Baptist Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Amber Valley 009 Amber Valley
2 North Norfolk 011 North Norfolk
3 Rotherham 014 Rotherham
4 Huntingdonshire 001 Huntingdonshire
5 Wirral 014 Wirral

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sewter

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sewter

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

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Sewter surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Sewter household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Sewter is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Sewter is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sewter falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Sewter families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sewter 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. Northamptonshire leads with 27 Sewters recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.28x.

County Total Index
Northamptonshire 27 45.28x
Norfolk 16 16.42x
Yorkshire 15 2.39x
Huntingdonshire 5 39.71x
Nottinghamshire 1 1.17x
Surrey 1 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Paston in Northamptonshire leads with 19 Sewters recorded in 1881 and an index of 7600.00x.

Place Total Index
Paston 19 7600.00x
Peterborough 8 185.19x
Kimberworth 7 200.57x
Fryton 5 25000.00x
Sculthorpe 5 3846.15x
Yaxley 5 1724.14x
Downham Market 3 447.76x
Eston 3 218.98x
Heigham 3 57.36x
Lyng 3 2727.27x
Byfleet 1 370.37x
Drayton 1 1111.11x
Fakenham 1 208.33x
Nottingham St Mary 1 4.52x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 4
Hannah 3
Sarah 3
Annie 2
Elizabeth 2
Bertha 1
Dinah 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Grace 1
Jane 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Sewter 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 Sewter households.

FAQ

Sewter surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sewter surname in 1881?

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

How common is the Sewter surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 145 in 2016. That gives Sewter a modern rank of #24,293.

What does the Sewter map show?

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