NameCensus.

UK surname

Shafto

A locational surname derived from a place name in County Durham, England.

In the 1881 census there were 137 people recorded with the Shafto surname, ranking it #16,358 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 148, ranked #23,958, down from #16,358 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to King's Lynn St Margaret, Newcastle All Saints and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newcastle upon Tyne, Shropshire and Maidstone.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shafto is 164 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 8.0%.

1881 census count

137

Ranked #16,358

Modern count

148

2016, ranked #23,958

Peak year

2013

164 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shafto had 137 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,358 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 148 in 2016, ranked #23,958.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 161 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Shafto surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shafto surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shafto 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 85 #18,940
1861 historical 37 #29,339
1881 historical 137 #16,358
1891 historical 161 #17,473
1901 historical 113 #21,296
1911 historical 92 #23,580
1997 modern 150 #21,119
1998 modern 144 #22,221
1999 modern 141 #22,702
2000 modern 139 #22,855
2001 modern 140 #22,441
2002 modern 150 #21,913
2003 modern 153 #21,406
2004 modern 155 #21,352
2005 modern 154 #21,396
2006 modern 142 #22,724
2007 modern 142 #23,025
2008 modern 142 #23,270
2009 modern 145 #23,473
2010 modern 156 #22,886
2011 modern 157 #22,574
2012 modern 155 #22,762
2013 modern 164 #22,236
2014 modern 162 #22,624
2015 modern 160 #22,701
2016 modern 148 #23,958

Geography

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Where Shaftos are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around King's Lynn St Margaret, Newcastle All Saints, Manchester, Seaham and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newcastle upon Tyne, Shropshire, Maidstone, Darlington and King's Lynn and West Norfolk. 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 King's Lynn St Margaret Norfolk
2 Newcastle All Saints Northumberland
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Seaham Durham
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newcastle upon Tyne 020 Newcastle upon Tyne
2 Shropshire 012 Shropshire
3 Maidstone 018 Maidstone
4 Darlington 003 Darlington
5 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 018 King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shafto

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shafto

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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, Shafto 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

Shafto 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

Shafto falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Shafto

The surname SHAFTO is an English name that originated in the county of Northumberland. It is derived from the Old English words "sceaft" meaning shaft or spear, and "hoh" meaning a heel-shaped ridge or promontory. The earliest known spelling of the name was Shafto, appearing in records from the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the SHAFTO name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Radulf de Shafto is listed as holding estates in Northumberland. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 13th century, a branch of the SHAFTO family settled in the village of Bavington, near the town of Alnwick. This village was known as Shafto-Bavington for several centuries, indicating the prominence of the family in the area. The earliest recorded example of this place name spelling is from 1242.

One of the most famous members of the SHAFTO family was Sir Robert Shafto (1732-1797), a wealthy coal magnate and politician who served as the High Sheriff of Northumberland. His name is immortalized in the popular folk song "Bobby Shafto", which is believed to have been written about him in the late 18th century.

Another notable SHAFTO was Sir Cuthbert Shafto (1559-1629), a prominent landowner and member of Parliament during the reign of King James I. He was involved in several disputes over land and mining rights in Northumberland.

In the 17th century, a SHAFTO family member named Thomas Shafto (1616-1676) emigrated to the American colonies and settled in Virginia. His descendants went on to establish themselves as prominent figures in the state's history.

The SHAFTO surname has also been found in other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lancashire, though these branches are believed to have originated from the Northumberland family.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shafto families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shafto 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. Norfolk leads with 33 Shaftos recorded in 1881 and an index of 16.06x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 33 16.06x
Northumberland 31 15.59x
Durham 26 6.54x
Yorkshire 16 1.21x
Lancashire 13 0.82x
Angus 5 4.04x
Surrey 4 0.61x
Middlesex 3 0.22x
Berwickshire 1 6.18x
Cornwall 1 0.66x
Cumberland 1 0.87x
Hampshire 1 0.37x
Suffolk 1 0.61x
Sussex 1 0.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Kings Lynn St Margaret in Norfolk leads with 14 Shaftos recorded in 1881 and an index of 226.90x.

Place Total Index
Kings Lynn St Margaret 14 226.90x
Byker 12 122.08x
Cheetham 9 76.08x
Seaham 9 620.69x
Pentney 7 2916.67x
Bowling 6 45.73x
Houghton Le Spring 6 218.18x
Humshaugh 6 2727.27x
Jesmond 6 214.29x
Keighley 6 42.52x
West Bilney 6 6000.00x
Dundee 5 10.82x
Battersea 4 8.14x
Brancepeth 4 555.56x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 4 33.70x
South Lynn 4 172.41x
Bishopwearmouth 3 8.79x
Everton 2 3.96x
Framwellgate 2 84.75x
Holy Trinity 2 6.28x
Newcastle On Tyne St 2 19.40x
Scarborough 2 16.63x
Alverstoke 1 10.09x
Bodmin 1 40.00x
Brighton 1 2.20x
Coldstream 1 85.47x
Elvet 1 34.84x
Framlingham 1 86.21x
Gateshead 1 3.36x
Islington London 1 0.77x
Salford 1 2.14x
St Cuthbert Within 1 75.19x
St Marylebone London 1 1.40x
St Pancras London 1 0.93x
Swaffham 1 59.88x
Watton 1 153.85x
Westgate 1 8.12x
Withington 1 19.57x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Eliza 6
Louisa 4
Ann 3
Charlotte 3
Isabella 3
Margaret 3
Caroline 2
Harriett 2
Jane 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Dorothy 1
E. 1
Edith 1
Elizabeth 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Helen 1
Infant 1
Isabel 1
Jenny 1
Jessie 1
Lilly 1
M. 1
Martha 1
Medora 1
Rebecca 1
Richael 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Selina 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Robert 8
George 7
John 7
James 4
Henry 3
Thomas 3
William 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Edward 2
Herbert 2
Shipley 2
A. 1
Anthony 1
Charles 1
Chas.D. 1
Earnest 1
Eward 1
Francis 1
Harry 1
Infant 1
Jame. 1
Joseph 1
Nathaniel 1
Percy 1
Ralph 1
Richd. 1
Rueben 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Willie 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Shafto surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shafto surname in 1881?

In 1881, 137 people were recorded with the Shafto surname. That placed it at #16,358 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shafto surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 148 in 2016. That gives Shafto a modern rank of #23,958.

What does the Shafto surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name in County Durham, England.

What does the Shafto map show?

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