NameCensus.

UK surname

Shackleford

English habitational name derived from places named Shackleford, meaning "ford by a shackle or loop in a river."

In the 1881 census there were 173 people recorded with the Shackleford surname, ranking it #14,112 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 233, ranked #17,625, down from #14,112 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Bradwell. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Reading, Wiltshire and Chichester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shackleford is 270 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.7%.

1881 census count

173

Ranked #14,112

Modern count

233

2016, ranked #17,625

Peak year

1999

270 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shackleford had 173 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,112 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016, ranked #17,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 265 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Shackleford surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shackleford surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shackleford 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 81 #19,457
1861 historical 67 #25,342
1881 historical 173 #14,112
1891 historical 211 #14,366
1901 historical 240 #13,461
1911 historical 265 #12,422
1997 modern 259 #14,912
1998 modern 266 #15,053
1999 modern 270 #14,992
2000 modern 250 #15,741
2001 modern 245 #15,721
2002 modern 246 #15,988
2003 modern 244 #15,861
2004 modern 249 #15,739
2005 modern 232 #16,480
2006 modern 231 #16,636
2007 modern 238 #16,505
2008 modern 241 #16,481
2009 modern 228 #17,486
2010 modern 248 #16,886
2011 modern 236 #17,279
2012 modern 233 #17,339
2013 modern 233 #17,606
2014 modern 238 #17,480
2015 modern 225 #18,050
2016 modern 233 #17,625

Geography

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Where Shacklefords are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Bradwell and Reading St Giles, Shinfield (East and West Side, Hartley Dammer), Sonning (Early),. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Reading, Wiltshire, Chichester and Gwynedd. 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 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Bradwell Buckinghamshire
5 Reading St Giles, Shinfield (East and West Side, Hartley Dammer), Sonning (Early), Berkshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Reading 018 Reading
2 Wiltshire 018 Wiltshire
3 Reading 017 Reading
4 Chichester 013 Chichester
5 Gwynedd 013 Gwynedd

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shackleford

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shackleford

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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Shackleford surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Shackleford household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Shackleford 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.

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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

Shackleford is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Shackleford falls in decile 3 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Shackleford

The surname Shackleford is believed to have originated in England, possibly during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name referring to a village or town where the first bearers of the name lived or came from.

One theory suggests that the name Shackleford is derived from the Old English words "sceacol," meaning a shake or rattle, and "ford," referring to a shallow river crossing. This could potentially indicate that the name originated from a place near a ford where the river made a rattling or shaking sound.

Another possible origin is the combination of the Old English words "sceacga," meaning a thicket or small wood, and "ford," which would suggest the name originated from a place near a ford surrounded by a thicket or small wooded area.

While the exact origin and meaning of the name are not definitively known, it is clear that Shackleford has deep roots in England, potentially dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period or earlier.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Shackleford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

Notable individuals with the surname Shackleford include Sir Walter Shackleford (1535-1608), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Thomas Shackleford (1617-1692), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Clare College, Cambridge.

In the 18th century, Samuel Shackleford (1690-1768) was a notable English clergyman and philosopher, known for his work on moral philosophy and natural theology. Later, in the 19th century, John Shackleford (1811-1879) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the St. James's Church in Piccadilly.

Another notable individual was Charles Shackleford (1865-1939), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Shackleford-Upham Company, a successful lumber and sawmill operation in Mississippi.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Shackleford, highlighting its long-standing presence and significance across various fields and regions.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shackleford families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shackleford 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. Middlesex leads with 48 Shacklefords recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.84x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 48 2.84x
Berkshire 35 27.63x
Lancashire 24 1.20x
Surrey 13 1.58x
Buckinghamshire 12 11.76x
Staffordshire 9 1.58x
Dorset 8 7.22x
Hampshire 6 1.73x
Kent 6 1.04x
Essex 4 1.20x
Derbyshire 3 1.14x
Yorkshire 2 0.12x
Devon 1 0.28x
Hertfordshire 1 0.86x
Sussex 1 0.35x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Reading St Giles in Berkshire leads with 28 Shacklefords recorded in 1881 and an index of 225.26x.

Place Total Index
Reading St Giles 28 225.26x
St Pancras London 22 16.20x
Lancaster 14 117.55x
Bradwell 12 833.33x
Walsall Foreign 9 30.59x
Battersea 8 12.88x
Lyme Regis 8 601.50x
Deptford St Paul 6 13.51x
Portsea 6 8.85x
St George Hanover 6 27.24x
Mile End Old Town 5 18.77x
Moston 5 248.76x
Ardwick 4 22.15x
Hammersmith London 4 9.62x
Islington London 4 2.45x
West Ham 4 5.44x
Lambeth 3 2.04x
Reading St Lawrence 3 110.70x
Ripley 3 91.74x
Westminster St John 3 14.60x
Camberwell 2 1.86x
Ingleton 2 212.77x
Mile End New Town 2 86.96x
Reading St Mary 2 19.72x
Burghfield 1 133.33x
Chiswick 1 10.85x
Harting 1 135.14x
Kensington London 1 1.07x
Liverpool 1 0.82x
Plymouth St Andrew 1 3.70x
Watford 1 11.09x
Wokingham 1 34.60x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
John 9
Charles 8
Alfred 6
George 6
Arthur 5
Henry 5
Thomas 5
James 3
Edward 2
Ernest 2
Samuel 2
Abraham 1
Bertram 1
Crawford 1
Edwd. 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Harry 1
Horace 1
Joseph 1
Lewis 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Thos. 1
Victor 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Shackleford surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shackleford surname in 1881?

In 1881, 173 people were recorded with the Shackleford surname. That placed it at #14,112 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shackleford surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016. That gives Shackleford a modern rank of #17,625.

What does the Shackleford surname mean?

English habitational name derived from places named Shackleford, meaning "ford by a shackle or loop in a river."

What does the Shackleford map show?

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