NameCensus.

UK surname

Shaftoe

In the 1881 census there were 68 people recorded with the Shaftoe surname, ranking it #23,950 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 184, ranked #20,731, up from #23,950 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to King's Lynn St Margaret, Gateshead and Newcastle All Saints. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newcastle upon Tyne, Balfron and Drymen and North Tyneside.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shaftoe is 192 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 170.6%.

1881 census count

68

Ranked #23,950

Modern count

184

2016, ranked #20,731

Peak year

2010

192 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shaftoe had 68 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,950 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 184 in 2016, ranked #20,731.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 131 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Shaftoe surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shaftoe surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shaftoe 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 71 #20,875
1861 historical 55 #27,007
1881 historical 68 #23,950
1891 historical 77 #27,169
1901 historical 131 #19,552
1911 historical 112 #21,274
1997 modern 164 #19,944
1998 modern 178 #19,452
1999 modern 182 #19,317
2000 modern 188 #18,916
2001 modern 190 #18,520
2002 modern 190 #18,889
2003 modern 189 #18,738
2004 modern 191 #18,723
2005 modern 188 #18,866
2006 modern 190 #18,898
2007 modern 184 #19,485
2008 modern 181 #19,875
2009 modern 187 #19,868
2010 modern 192 #19,960
2011 modern 177 #20,874
2012 modern 182 #20,440
2013 modern 184 #20,643
2014 modern 181 #21,033
2015 modern 178 #21,149
2016 modern 184 #20,731

Geography

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Where Shaftoes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around King's Lynn St Margaret, Gateshead, Newcastle All Saints, Bishop Wearmouth and Pentney. 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, Balfron and Drymen and North Tyneside. 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 Gateshead Durham
3 Newcastle All Saints Northumberland
4 Bishop Wearmouth Durham
5 Pentney Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newcastle upon Tyne 030 Newcastle upon Tyne
2 Balfron and Drymen Stirling
3 Newcastle upon Tyne 015 Newcastle upon Tyne
4 Newcastle upon Tyne 020 Newcastle upon Tyne
5 North Tyneside 030 North Tyneside

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shaftoe

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shaftoe

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

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Shaftoe surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Shaftoe household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial 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, Shaftoe 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

Shaftoe 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

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

1881 census detail

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Shaftoe families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shaftoe 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. Durham leads with 28 Shaftoes recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.19x.

County Total Index
Durham 28 14.19x
Yorkshire 17 2.59x
Norfolk 13 12.75x
Northumberland 10 10.13x

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 12 Shaftoes recorded in 1881 and an index of 392.16x.

Place Total Index
Kings Lynn St Margaret 12 392.16x
Leeds 9 24.25x
Sunderland 9 258.62x
Southwick 7 374.33x
Byker 6 122.95x
Gateshead 5 33.85x
Bishopwearmouth 4 23.63x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 4 67.91x
York St Maurice 4 322.58x
Heworth 2 51.41x
Scarborough 2 33.50x
Hessle In Sculcoates 1 172.41x
Houghton Le Spring 1 73.53x
Pentney 1 833.33x
York St Mary 1 36.76x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 4
Mary 4
Jane 3
Agnes 2
Ann 2
Catherine 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Anne 1
Cecilia 1
Charlotte 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Esther 1
Gertrude 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Rachel 1
Rosa 1
Sarah 1
Ursala 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 6
Thomas 6
William 3
Frederick 2
Henry 2
Robert 2
Anthony 1
Francis 1
Fredk.Jno.Geo. 1
George 1
Harold 1
Herbert 1
J. 1
Joseph 1
Lewis 1
Wm. 1
Wm.Brown 1

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 Shaftoe households.

FAQ

Shaftoe surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shaftoe surname in 1881?

In 1881, 68 people were recorded with the Shaftoe surname. That placed it at #23,950 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shaftoe surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 184 in 2016. That gives Shaftoe a modern rank of #20,731.

What does the Shaftoe map show?

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