NameCensus.

UK surname

Shackleton

An English surname derived from a geographic name or placename.

In the 1881 census there were 3,381 people recorded with the Shackleton surname, ranking it #1,347 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,955, ranked #2,279, down from #1,347 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, Bingley and Bradford. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, Calderdale and Burnley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shackleton is 4,076 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 12.6%.

1881 census count

3,381

Ranked #1,347

Modern count

2,955

2016, ranked #2,279

Peak year

1911

4,076 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shackleton had 3,381 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,347 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,955 in 2016, ranked #2,279.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,076 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Shackleton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shackleton surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Shackleton 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 2,070 #1,404
1861 historical 2,124 #1,370
1881 historical 3,381 #1,347
1891 historical 3,664 #1,306
1901 historical 4,024 #1,402
1911 historical 4,076 #1,258
1997 modern 2,973 #2,177
1998 modern 3,076 #2,182
1999 modern 3,093 #2,191
2000 modern 3,062 #2,201
2001 modern 3,012 #2,191
2002 modern 3,054 #2,202
2003 modern 2,936 #2,233
2004 modern 2,968 #2,212
2005 modern 2,909 #2,225
2006 modern 2,897 #2,235
2007 modern 2,889 #2,269
2008 modern 2,889 #2,286
2009 modern 2,964 #2,282
2010 modern 2,998 #2,305
2011 modern 2,957 #2,306
2012 modern 2,961 #2,256
2013 modern 2,991 #2,276
2014 modern 3,031 #2,260
2015 modern 2,973 #2,279
2016 modern 2,955 #2,279

Geography

Back to top

Where Shackletons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, Bingley, Bradford, Keighley and Whalley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, Calderdale, Burnley and Craven. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Whalley Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 004 Bradford
2 Bradford 023 Bradford
3 Calderdale 004 Calderdale
4 Burnley 004 Burnley
5 Craven 008 Craven

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Shackleton

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Shackleton

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Shackleton 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

Shackleton is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Shackleton falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Shackleton

The surname Shackleton is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "sceacol" meaning "bracket" or "band" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "homestead". It is believed to have originated in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded a settlement named "Sachevertune" in the county of Derbyshire.

The earliest recorded spelling of the surname appears to be Schakylton in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176. Throughout the centuries, various spellings emerged, including Shacklton, Shakelton, and Shakleton, before the modern spelling of Shackleton became standardized.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir William Shackleton, a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Borough of Wolverhampton from 1640 to 1648 during the English Civil War.

In the 17th century, the Shackleton family was well-established in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. John Shackleton (1642-1696), a Quaker minister from Cumberworth, Yorkshire, was an influential figure in the early development of the Religious Society of Friends.

During the 19th century, several Shackletons gained prominence. Abraham Shackleton (1800-1867), born in County Meath, Ireland, was a renowned poet and scholar who taught at the University of Oxford. His cousin, Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), was a celebrated Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic region, including the famous Endurance expedition of 1914-1917.

Another notable figure was Sir Walter Shackleton (1846-1909), a British civil servant and educator who served as the Principal of Hartley University College in Southampton, England, and played a key role in the establishment of the University of Southampton.

The Shackleton name has also been associated with various place names, such as Shackleton Glacier and Shackleton Ice Shelf in Antarctica, which were named after the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton, as well as Shackleton Crater on the Moon, which was named in his honor by the International Astronomical Union.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Shackleton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shackleton 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. Yorkshire leads with 2,330 Shackletons recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.15x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2,330 7.15x
Lancashire 733 1.88x
Middlesex 40 0.12x
Kent 39 0.35x
Cheshire 29 0.40x
Surrey 23 0.14x
Durham 16 0.16x
Bedfordshire 15 0.88x
Derbyshire 15 0.29x
Leicestershire 13 0.36x
Lanarkshire 10 0.09x
Devon 9 0.13x
Somerset 9 0.17x
Staffordshire 9 0.08x
Northamptonshire 8 0.26x
Nottinghamshire 8 0.18x
Lincolnshire 6 0.11x
Roxburghshire 5 0.84x
Buckinghamshire 4 0.20x
Dunbartonshire 4 0.45x
Inverness-shire 4 0.41x
Shropshire 4 0.14x
Wiltshire 4 0.14x
Midlothian 3 0.07x
Monmouthshire 3 0.13x
Selkirkshire 3 1.01x
Sussex 3 0.05x
Warwickshire 3 0.04x
Worcestershire 3 0.07x
Cumberland 2 0.07x
Denbighshire 2 0.16x
Gloucestershire 2 0.03x
Herefordshire 2 0.15x
Hertfordshire 2 0.09x
Northumberland 2 0.04x
Berkshire 1 0.04x
Cornwall 1 0.03x
Dorset 1 0.05x
Royal Navy 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Keighley in Yorkshire leads with 324 Shackletons recorded in 1881 and an index of 93.28x.

Place Total Index
Keighley 324 93.28x
Horton In Bradford 213 41.86x
Bingley 157 75.66x
Bradford 149 18.89x
Manningham 119 29.64x
Burnley 92 28.00x
Stansfield 83 69.22x
Haworth 72 92.96x
Thornton In Bradford 69 63.61x
Heptonstall 67 146.54x
Northowram 67 29.32x
Bowling 62 19.21x
Shipley 53 31.34x
Wadsworth 51 96.15x
Habergham Eaves 50 14.02x
Great Little Marsden 46 25.73x
Padiham 44 46.67x
Leeds 39 2.12x
Blackburn 37 3.56x
Oldham 34 2.70x
Cowling 31 146.71x
Spotland 31 7.15x
Todmorden Walsden 31 29.65x
Clayton 30 37.62x
Elland Cum Greetland 27 18.39x
Hunslet 27 5.31x
Colne 26 22.37x
Briercliffe Cum 24 185.61x
Kildwick 24 80.89x
Langfield 22 38.59x
Halifax 21 4.39x
Midgley 21 60.47x
Soothill 21 17.84x
Worsthorne Cum 21 169.35x
Accrington 20 5.64x
Batley 20 6.46x
Cleckheaton 20 16.66x
Glusburn 19 103.26x
Blatchinworth 18 20.26x
Wardleworth 18 8.07x
Idle 17 11.25x
North Bierley 17 9.66x
Ovenden 16 11.03x
Armley 15 10.44x
Great Harwood 15 21.27x
Luton 15 5.09x
Preston 15 1.44x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 15 9.91x
Warley 15 15.93x
Eccleshill 14 17.65x
Wortley In Bramley 14 5.42x
Gargrave 13 89.53x
Sowerby In Halifax 13 12.20x
Golcar 12 13.93x
Guiseley 12 28.76x
Newton 12 3.99x
Tong 12 19.06x
Castleton 11 2.82x
Ecclesall Bierlow 11 1.66x
Islington London 11 0.35x
Pudsey 11 6.32x
Ashton Under Lyne 10 1.17x
Bradford Girlington 10 68.63x
Haslingden 10 6.19x
Holbeck 10 4.63x
Steeton Cum Eastburn 10 89.29x
Wakefield 10 4.00x
Broughton In Salford 9 2.52x
Kippax 9 31.40x
Liversedge 9 6.20x
Otley 9 11.38x
Salford 9 0.78x
Allerton 8 19.26x
Glass Houghton 8 67.68x
Higher Booths 8 11.37x
Lower Bebington 8 18.55x
Over Darwen 8 2.57x
Pontefract 8 11.40x
Towcester 8 25.08x
York St Maurice 8 13.04x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 255
Sarah 171
Elizabeth 116
Ann 65
Jane 59
Annie 56
Emma 55
Martha 54
Alice 51
Hannah 51
Ellen 47
Margaret 32
Clara 31
Ada 30
Eliza 25
Edith 24
Grace 22
Susannah 22
Harriet 20
Emily 19
Betty 18
Louisa 14
Maria 13
Ruth 13
Lucy 12
Florence 10
Isabella 10
Susan 10
Caroline 9
Fanny 9
Anne 8
Frances 8
Lydia 8
Rebecca 8
Esther 7
Lilly 7
Nancy 7
Bertha 6
Charlotte 6
Lily 6
Minnie 6
Selina 6
Susey 6
Agnes 5
Amy 5
Beatrice 5
Maggie 5
Matilda 5
Sally 5
Sophia 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 237
William 182
James 117
Joseph 88
Thomas 87
George 52
Arthur 41
Henry 41
Fred 33
Robert 30
Charles 27
Albert 26
Samuel 25
Richard 24
Herbert 23
Harry 22
Ernest 20
Alfred 19
Edward 18
Abraham 16
Walter 16
Frederick 15
Willie 15
David 13
Jonas 13
Tom 12
Wm. 12
Benjamin 11
Frank 11
Roger 10
Sam 10
Isaac 9
Matthew 9
Thos. 8
Edwin 7
Francis 7
Christopher 6
Edmund 6
Joe 6
Levi 6
Luke 6
Percy 6
Peter 6
Jas. 5
Jonathan 5
Mark 5
Abram 4
Daniel 4
Mitchell 4
Sidney 4

FAQ

Shackleton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shackleton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,381 people were recorded with the Shackleton surname. That placed it at #1,347 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shackleton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,955 in 2016. That gives Shackleton a modern rank of #2,279.

What does the Shackleton surname mean?

An English surname derived from a geographic name or placename.

What does the Shackleton map show?

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