NameCensus.

UK surname

Shade

An English occupational surname referring to a person who made coverings for windows or doors.

In the 1881 census there were 262 people recorded with the Shade surname, ranking it #10,721 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 401, ranked #11,857, down from #10,721 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Greenwich, London parishes and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tonbridge and Malling, Falkirk - Camelon West and Waveney.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shade is 423 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 53.1%.

1881 census count

262

Ranked #10,721

Modern count

401

2016, ranked #11,857

Peak year

2000

423 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shade had 262 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,721 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 401 in 2016, ranked #11,857.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 281 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Shade surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shade surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shade 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 188 #10,939
1861 historical 206 #11,725
1881 historical 262 #10,721
1891 historical 273 #11,918
1901 historical 281 #12,167
1911 historical 224 #13,914
1997 modern 408 #10,844
1998 modern 413 #11,092
1999 modern 418 #11,071
2000 modern 423 #10,941
2001 modern 413 #10,962
2002 modern 405 #11,335
2003 modern 391 #11,441
2004 modern 398 #11,321
2005 modern 378 #11,692
2006 modern 371 #11,916
2007 modern 385 #11,698
2008 modern 405 #11,351
2009 modern 413 #11,436
2010 modern 419 #11,550
2011 modern 403 #11,806
2012 modern 386 #12,037
2013 modern 401 #11,890
2014 modern 402 #11,949
2015 modern 402 #11,861
2016 modern 401 #11,857

Geography

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Where Shades are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Greenwich, London parishes, Edinburgh and St George the Martyr. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tonbridge and Malling, Falkirk - Camelon West, Waveney, Balerno and Bonnington Village and Walsall. 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 Greenwich London (South Districts)
2 London parishes London 3
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 St George the Martyr London (South Districts)
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tonbridge and Malling 003 Tonbridge and Malling
2 Falkirk - Camelon West Falkirk
3 Waveney 005 Waveney
4 Balerno and Bonnington Village City of Edinburgh
5 Walsall 031 Walsall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shade

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shade

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Shade, 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 Shade surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Shade 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, Shade 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

Shade 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

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

Meaning and origin of Shade

The surname Shade originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, derived from the medieval German word "schade," meaning "harm" or "damage." This name was likely initially bestowed as a descriptive nickname upon an individual who had suffered some form of misfortune or injury.

The earliest known record of the name Shade dates back to the late 13th century in the town of Nürnberg, where a certain Conrad Schade is mentioned in a local chronicle from the year 1287. This suggests that the name had already been in use as a hereditary surname by that time.

Shade is also believed to have been derived from the Old English word "sceadu," meaning "shade" or "shadow." This connection implies that the name may have been given to someone who lived or worked in a shaded or forested area, or perhaps someone with a darker complexion.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Johann Shade (c. 1430-1503) was a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Erfurt. His writings on logic and metaphysics were influential during the Renaissance period.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Shade. However, there are several entries related to place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as "Schadewelle" (meaning "shaded well") and "Schadeworth" (meaning "shaded enclosure").

Another noteworthy individual bearing the Shade surname was Jakob Shade (1585-1637), a German Protestant minister and author who published several religious works during the early years of the Thirty Years' War.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Samuel Shade (1718-1792) was a successful merchant and landowner in Pennsylvania, United States. He was one of the earliest settlers of German descent in the region and played a significant role in the development of the local community.

During the American Revolutionary War, a soldier named John Shade (c. 1755-1823) served in the Continental Army and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton.

In the 19th century, a German-American artist named Frederick Shade (1832-1906) gained recognition for his landscape paintings, particularly those depicting the natural beauty of the Catskill Mountains in New York.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shade families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shade 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. Midlothian leads with 63 Shades recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.12x.

County Total Index
Midlothian 63 18.12x
Surrey 32 2.53x
Suffolk 22 6.96x
Kent 21 2.37x
Berkshire 16 8.21x
Lanarkshire 15 1.79x
Essex 13 2.54x
Middlesex 12 0.46x
Channel Islands 11 14.31x
Stirlingshire 10 10.45x
Lancashire 9 0.29x
Northumberland 7 1.81x
Peeblesshire 6 49.18x
Somerset 6 1.44x
West Lothian 5 12.79x
Devon 4 0.74x
East Lothian 4 11.64x
Warwickshire 4 0.61x
Durham 2 0.26x
Ayrshire 1 0.52x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.61x
Norfolk 1 0.25x
Selkirkshire 1 4.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Corstorphine in Midlothian leads with 21 Shades recorded in 1881 and an index of 1093.75x.

Place Total Index
Corstorphine 21 1093.75x
Greenwich 20 48.41x
St Anne 11 802.92x
Bermondsey 10 12.95x
Falkirk 10 44.64x
Southwark St George Martyr 9 17.24x
Cramond 8 304.18x
Henstead 8 1666.67x
Barony 7 3.30x
Bothwell 7 30.76x
Edinburgh Tolbooth 7 346.53x
Inveresk 7 74.39x
Lasswade 7 88.05x
Newington 7 7.30x
Sonning 7 325.58x
Stanford Le Hope 7 958.90x
Frome 6 60.06x
South Leith 6 15.34x
Stobo 6 1428.57x
Blyford 5 3125.00x
Bromley London 5 8.76x
Buttsbury 5 1250.00x
Liberton 5 93.11x
Newbiggin In Morpeth 5 406.50x
Uphall 5 116.28x
Aston 4 2.22x
Prestonkirk 4 232.56x
Stoke Damerel 4 10.58x
Pendleton In Salford 3 8.18x
Penge 3 18.11x
Reading St Mary 3 19.23x
Salford 3 3.31x
Tilehurst 3 76.34x
Wargrave 3 179.64x
Blythburgh 2 273.97x
Clerkenwell London 2 3.27x
Islington London 2 0.80x
St George Hanover 2 5.90x
West Derby 2 2.22x
Westoe 2 4.57x
Wissett 2 571.43x
Alnwick 1 15.06x
Ashford 1 48.78x
Ayr 1 10.91x
Beccles 1 19.65x
Braintree 1 21.74x
Bramfield 1 178.57x
Charlton Next Woolwich 1 10.83x
Croydon 1 1.42x
Currie 1 46.95x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 0.72x
Frostenden 1 294.12x
Fulbourn 1 63.69x
Galashiels 1 11.52x
Glasgow 1 0.67x
Great Yarmouth 1 3.03x
Hartburn Grange 1 2000.00x
Henham 1 769.23x
Kingston On Thames 1 3.29x
Manchester 1 0.72x
Sutton 1 10.93x
Walpole 1 285.71x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Shade surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shade surname in 1881?

In 1881, 262 people were recorded with the Shade surname. That placed it at #10,721 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shade surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 401 in 2016. That gives Shade a modern rank of #11,857.

What does the Shade surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a person who made coverings for windows or doors.

What does the Shade map show?

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