NameCensus.

UK surname

Shakeshaft

An English surname indicating an occupational association with shaking or poking a shaft.

In the 1881 census there were 529 people recorded with the Shakeshaft surname, ranking it #6,491 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 797, ranked #6,943, down from #6,491 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ashton, Rosthern and St Leonard Shoreditch. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wirral, Bolton and Staffordshire Moorlands.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shakeshaft is 886 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.7%.

1881 census count

529

Ranked #6,491

Modern count

797

2016, ranked #6,943

Peak year

1998

886 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shakeshaft had 529 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,491 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 797 in 2016, ranked #6,943.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 854 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Shakeshaft surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shakeshaft surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shakeshaft 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 289 #7,860
1861 historical 398 #6,441
1881 historical 529 #6,491
1891 historical 692 #5,665
1901 historical 759 #5,884
1911 historical 854 #5,191
1997 modern 881 #6,068
1998 modern 886 #6,237
1999 modern 884 #6,297
2000 modern 872 #6,325
2001 modern 845 #6,366
2002 modern 862 #6,401
2003 modern 834 #6,435
2004 modern 818 #6,546
2005 modern 804 #6,593
2006 modern 806 #6,588
2007 modern 820 #6,558
2008 modern 833 #6,533
2009 modern 849 #6,570
2010 modern 869 #6,577
2011 modern 848 #6,627
2012 modern 813 #6,749
2013 modern 821 #6,796
2014 modern 806 #6,958
2015 modern 807 #6,881
2016 modern 797 #6,943

Geography

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Where Shakeshafts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ashton, Rosthern, St Leonard Shoreditch, Manchester and Preston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wirral, Bolton, Staffordshire Moorlands and Bridgend. 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 Ashton Northamptonshire
2 Rosthern Cheshire
3 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Preston Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wirral 037 Wirral
2 Bolton 024 Bolton
3 Wirral 034 Wirral
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 013 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 Bridgend 003 Bridgend

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shakeshaft

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shakeshaft

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Shakeshaft surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Shakeshaft 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Shakeshaft is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Shakeshaft 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

Shakeshaft 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 Shakeshaft is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Shakeshaft, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Shakeshaft

The surname Shakeshaft has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Old English words "sceac" meaning shake and "sceaft" meaning pole or staff, referring to a person who was employed to shake or use a pole or staff in some capacity.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where it appears as "Shakeshaft". This suggests that the surname was already in use by this time and may have originated even earlier.

In the 14th century, the name was present in various records, such as the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where it was written as "Schakeshaft". This variation in spelling was common during this period, as standardized spelling conventions had not yet been established.

The surname Shakeshaft has also been linked to place names, particularly in areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. For example, there is a hamlet called Shakeshaft near the village of Christleton in Cheshire, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname.

Some notable individuals with the surname Shakeshaft include:

1. John Shakeshaft (c. 1530 - 1585), an English Protestant martyr who was burnt at the stake for his religious beliefs during the reign of Mary I.

2. Robert Shakeshaft (1642 - 1692), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of St John's College, Cambridge.

3. William Shakeshaft (1703 - 1772), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in Liverpool, including the Bluecoat Chambers.

4. Edward Shakeshaft (1847 - 1923), an English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.

5. Judith Shakeshaft (born 1942), an American educator and researcher known for her work on gender equity and sexual harassment in schools.

While the surname Shakeshaft has its roots in England, it has since spread across various parts of the world due to migration and other historical events. However, its earliest origins can be traced back to the English counties of Cheshire and Lancashire, where it was likely first adopted as a descriptive surname related to a specific occupation or trade.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shakeshaft families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shakeshaft 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. Lancashire leads with 176 Shakeshafts recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.87x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 176 2.87x
Cheshire 158 13.87x
Warwickshire 34 2.61x
Yorkshire 32 0.63x
Staffordshire 28 1.61x
Shropshire 26 5.83x
Northamptonshire 24 4.94x
Middlesex 22 0.43x
Surrey 6 0.24x
Buckinghamshire 5 1.60x
Herefordshire 5 2.36x
Somerset 4 0.48x
Worcestershire 3 0.45x
Cumberland 2 0.45x
Derbyshire 1 0.12x
Hertfordshire 1 0.28x
Isle of Man 1 1.04x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 31 Shakeshafts recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.92x.

Place Total Index
Preston 31 18.92x
Thornton Hough 21 2592.59x
Blackburn 19 11.66x
Ercall Magna 16 501.57x
Poulton With Fearnhead 15 1145.04x
High Leigh 14 933.33x
Shoreditch London 14 6.26x
Warrington 14 19.29x
Coventry St Michael 13 31.10x
Brimstage 12 3636.36x
Wicken 12 1666.67x
Birkenhead 11 12.11x
Grappenhall 11 791.37x
Nantwich 11 83.08x
Hulme 10 7.82x
Alrewas 9 532.54x
Edgmond 9 183.30x
Livesey 9 83.72x
Middlesbrough 9 13.52x
Stretton In Runcorn 9 1285.71x
Cheadle 8 95.58x
Liverpool 8 2.15x
Oldham 8 4.05x
Widnes 8 18.11x
Coventry Holy Trinity 7 18.01x
Everton 7 3.59x
Poulton Cum Spital 7 1000.00x
Ashton In Potterspury 6 1052.63x
Aston 6 1.67x
Birmingham 6 1.38x
Brightside Bierlow 6 5.98x
Burton Extra 6 60.06x
Droylsden 6 30.03x
Heswall Cum Oldfield 6 382.17x
Lymm 6 72.46x
Raby 6 1428.57x
Thingwell 6 2068.97x
Hatherton 5 892.86x
Ledbury 5 68.78x
Linthorpe 5 16.38x
Ravenstone 5 769.23x
Salford 5 2.78x
Storeton 5 1162.79x
Whitby 5 29.02x
Eston 4 35.91x
Garston 4 22.14x
Gayton 4 1052.63x
Halewood 4 121.95x
Hammersmith London 4 3.15x
Runcorn 4 15.23x
Appleton 3 116.28x
Ardwick 3 5.43x
Higher Bebington 3 41.15x
Latchford 3 39.63x
Northampton St Giles 3 16.23x
Paddington London 3 1.58x
Prestwich 3 19.63x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 2.89x
Taunton St James 3 24.77x
Tranmere 3 7.17x
Atherton 2 8.97x
Barton Upon Irwell 2 4.34x
Chester St Oswald 2 9.69x
Ditton 2 80.00x
Lytham 2 21.39x
Newington 2 1.05x
Normanby In 2 14.63x
North Meols 2 3.34x
Northampton Priory St 2 6.87x
Rickergate 2 21.28x
Rocester 2 92.59x
Toxteth Park 2 0.96x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 2 19.72x
Great Neston 1 26.60x
Kenilworth 1 13.62x
Pershore Holy Cross 1 23.15x
Pilling 1 34.84x
Rock 1 37.17x
Walton On Trent 1 128.21x
Willaston In Nantwich 1 28.41x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 38
Sarah 29
Elizabeth 23
Hannah 13
Alice 12
Jane 10
Ann 9
Annie 9
Margaret 6
Anne 5
Ellen 5
Catherine 4
Edith 4
Harriet 4
Louisa 4
Ada 3
Agnes 3
Caroline 3
Emma 3
Lily 3
Martha 3
Rebecca 3
Betsy 2
Catharine 2
Dorothy 2
Emily 2
Frances 2
Francis 2
Jessy 2
Lizzie 2
Lucy 2
Lydia 2
Maria 2
Rhoda 2
Theresa 2
Winifred 2
Anngelena 1
C.E. 1
E.A. 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliza 1
Esther 1
Florence 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Laura 1
Leah 1
Letitia 1
Lois 1
Louesia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 39
John 24
Thomas 22
Charles 18
Joseph 13
George 12
James 12
Alfred 9
Henry 8
Richard 7
Robert 7
Samuel 6
Edward 5
Arthur 4
Frederick 4
Herbert 4
Peter 4
Walter 4
Wm. 4
Frank 3
Geo. 3
Harry 3
Matthew 3
David 2
Dean 2
Ernest 2
Saml. 2
Willm. 2
Benjman 1
Charley 1
Daniel 1
E.W. 1
Earnest 1
Edmond 1
Evan 1
F.H. 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Henery 1
Hugh 1
Jas. 1
Jerome 1
Jos. 1
Judah 1
Lawrence 1
Louis 1
Mary 1
R.A. 1
R.F. 1
Richd. 1

FAQ

Shakeshaft surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shakeshaft surname in 1881?

In 1881, 529 people were recorded with the Shakeshaft surname. That placed it at #6,491 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shakeshaft surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 797 in 2016. That gives Shakeshaft a modern rank of #6,943.

What does the Shakeshaft surname mean?

An English surname indicating an occupational association with shaking or poking a shaft.

What does the Shakeshaft map show?

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