UK surname

Shankster

A surname referring to someone who played pranks or tricks.

In the 1881 census there were 32 people recorded with the Shankster surname, ranking it #29,082 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 110, ranked #29,225, down from #29,082 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Bucks, Rugby and Warrington.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shankster is 110 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 243.8%.

1881 census count

Ranked #29,082

Modern count

110

2016, ranked #29,225

Peak year

2016

110 bearers

Map years

2016 to 2016

Key insights

• Shankster had 32 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,082 surname in that year.
• The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016, ranked #29,225.
• Within the historical census years, the highest count was 66 in 1911.
• The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Outer Suburbs.

Map

Shankster surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shankster surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Year

Loading map

Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Shankster 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	26	#28,667
1861	historical	23	#31,039
1881	historical	32	#29,082
1891	historical	44	#30,838
1901	historical	38	#29,914
1911	historical	66	#26,249
1997	modern	98	#27,179
1998	modern	95	#28,303
1999	modern	102	#27,468
2000	modern	98	#27,988
2001	modern	101	#27,252
2002	modern	104	#27,303
2003	modern	101	#27,561
2004	modern	98	#28,297
2005	modern	102	#27,689
2006	modern	94	#29,264
2007	modern	96	#29,339
2008	modern	99	#29,181
2009	modern	100	#29,597
2010	modern	103	#29,780
2011	modern	102	#29,759
2012	modern	104	#29,543
2013	modern	107	#29,561
2014	modern	108	#29,658
2015	modern	109	#29,327
2016	modern	110	#29,225

Geography

Where Shanksters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Bucks, Rugby, Warrington, Wealden and Waveney. 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	No data	No data

Top modern areas

Rank	Area	District
1	South Bucks 005	South Bucks
2	Rugby 001	Rugby
3	Warrington 015	Warrington
4	Wealden 009	Wealden
5	Waveney 003	Waveney

Forenames

First names often paired with Shankster

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

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Recent female names

Margaret Sara Melanie Jane Leigh Alison Joyce Sarah Jacqueline Carole

Recent male names

Andrew Michael Anthony Raymond Keith Paul Stephen Guy Simon John

Modern profile

Neighbourhood profile for Shankster

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Outer Suburbs

Nationally, the Shankster surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Outer Suburbs, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Shankster 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 are found on the outer edges of many towns and cities. Many residents were born outside the UK. Indian ethnic group representation is high. There are high numbers of families with dependent children aged 5 to 14. Incidences of disability and of provision of unpaid care are low. Neighbourhoods provide a mix of detached housing and flats, and terraced housing is not uncommon. Levels of overcrowding are low and homeownership rates are high. Professional and managerial occupations are prevalent: unemployment is low and education to degree level is the norm.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Shankster is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Shankster is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Shankster falls in decile 9 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.

More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Shankster is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate: White - British

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

Origin

Meaning and origin of Shankster

The surname Shankster has its origins in the Scottish Lowlands, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle Scots word "shank," meaning leg or shank, and the occupational suffix "-ster," denoting a person involved in a particular trade or activity. Thus, the name initially referred to someone who worked with shanks or legs, possibly a butcher or tanner.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Burgh Records of Stirling from 1586, where a William Shankster is mentioned as a resident of the town. In the late 16th century, the name also appears in the Parish Registers of Lanarkshire, with entries for the Shankster family in the village of Dalserf.

The Shankster name has a strong connection to the parish of Kilwinning in Ayrshire. In the 17th century, several families bearing this surname resided in the area, including the Shanksters of Auchenharvie. This lineage produced notable individuals like John Shankster (1640-1712), a prominent merchant and landowner who served as a Bailie (magistrate) of Kilwinning.

Another significant figure in the history of the name was Robert Shankster (1720-1795), a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Haddington, East Lothian. Shankster made significant contributions to the calculation of planetary orbits and authored several works on astronomy and mathematics.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name spread to other parts of Scotland and beyond, with Shankster families settling in cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen. One notable bearer was James Shankster (1802-1879), a prominent Glasgow merchant and shipowner who played a crucial role in the city's maritime trade.

The Shankster surname also found its way to England, with records showing families bearing the name in counties like Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland from the 18th century onwards. Reverend Thomas Shankster (1760-1842), a clergyman and author from Yorkshire, was a distinguished bearer of the name during this period.

While the name has Scottish roots, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, carried by Shankster families who emigrated from the British Isles in search of new opportunities.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Shankster families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shankster 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. Lincolnshire leads with 22 Shanksters recorded in 1881 and an index of 44.10x.

County	Total	Frequency	Index
Lincolnshire	22	0.00%	44.10x
Middlesex	8	0.00%	2.56x
Lancashire	2	0.00%	0.54x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Grimsby in Lincolnshire leads with 18 Shanksters recorded in 1881 and an index of 567.82x.

Place	Total	Frequency	Index
Great Grimsby	18	0.06%	567.82x
Willesden	8	0.03%	272.11x
Winterton	4	0.25%	2352.94x
Salford	2	0.00%	18.37x

Top female names

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

Name	Count
Elizabeth	3
Ada	2
Janet	2
Sarah	2
Eliza	1
Ellen	1
Hannah	1
Maria	1
Treza	1

Top male names

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

Name	Count
George	7
William	2
Charles	1
Edward	1
Frank	1
Frederick	1
Isaac	1
John	1
Percival	1
Sidney	1
Thomas	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 Shankster households.

Occupation	Count
Joiner	3
Mate	2
Scholar	2
Ag Lab	1
Basket Maker	1
Carter	1
Fish Curer (Monger)	1
General Painter	1
Grandfather Assistant	1
Insurance Agent	1
Life Insurance Agent	1
Packer (Fact Lab)	1
Painter	1
School	1
Wife	1
Winder In Mill (C)	1

FAQ

Shankster surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shankster surname in 1881?

In 1881, 32 people were recorded with the Shankster surname. That placed it at #29,082 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shankster surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016. That gives Shankster a modern rank of #29,225.

What does the Shankster surname mean?

A surname referring to someone who played pranks or tricks.

What does the Shankster map show?

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