NameCensus.

UK surname

Shard

A surname derived from a place name or geographical feature containing the word "shard."

In the 1881 census there were 128 people recorded with the Shard surname, ranking it #17,079 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 243, ranked #17,131, down from #17,079 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Prestbury, Stoneleigh and Stockport. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Warrington, Isle of Anglesey and Bournemouth.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shard is 282 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 89.8%.

1881 census count

128

Ranked #17,079

Modern count

243

2016, ranked #17,131

Peak year

1999

282 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shard had 128 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,079 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 243 in 2016, ranked #17,131.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 250 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Shard surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shard surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Shard 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 210 #10,030
1861 historical 236 #10,393
1881 historical 128 #17,079
1891 historical 250 #12,762
1901 historical 204 #14,925
1911 historical 212 #14,423
1997 modern 279 #14,175
1998 modern 273 #14,803
1999 modern 282 #14,545
2000 modern 279 #14,636
2001 modern 272 #14,654
2002 modern 281 #14,619
2003 modern 260 #15,216
2004 modern 256 #15,453
2005 modern 246 #15,802
2006 modern 245 #15,956
2007 modern 235 #16,668
2008 modern 239 #16,583
2009 modern 240 #16,896
2010 modern 248 #16,886
2011 modern 247 #16,783
2012 modern 250 #16,523
2013 modern 252 #16,689
2014 modern 247 #17,035
2015 modern 245 #17,040
2016 modern 243 #17,131

Geography

Back to top

Where Shards are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Prestbury, Stoneleigh, Stockport, Cheadle and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Warrington, Isle of Anglesey, Bournemouth, Stockport and Halton. 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 Prestbury Cheshire
2 Stoneleigh Warwickshire
3 Stockport Cheshire
4 Cheadle Cheshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Warrington 021 Warrington
2 Isle of Anglesey 002 Isle of Anglesey
3 Bournemouth 020 Bournemouth
4 Stockport 002 Stockport
5 Halton 004 Halton

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Shard

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Shard

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Shard 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

Shard 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

Shard falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Shard

The surname SHARD is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 11th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "sceard," which means a fragment or a piece of something broken off, such as a piece of pottery or a shard of glass.

This surname likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near or worked with fragments or broken pieces, such as a potter or a glassmaker. It could also have referred to someone who lived in a place where shards or fragments were found, perhaps near a site of ancient ruins or a battlefield.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname SHARD can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a census-like record from 1279, which mentions a John le Shard. The use of the French preposition "le" before the surname indicates that it was already an established surname at that time.

In the 14th century, the surname SHARD appears in various records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, which mention a Robert Shard in 1316. The name also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1346, where a William Shard is recorded.

One notable bearer of the surname SHARD was John Shard (c. 1350 - c. 1415), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Gillingham, Kent. He founded a chantry chapel and almshouses in Gillingham, which are still known as Shard's Almshouses.

Another historical figure with this surname was Sir Isaac Shard (c. 1585 - 1640), an English politician and landowner from Kent. He served as a Member of Parliament for Queenborough in 1628 and was knighted by King Charles I in 1635.

In the 17th century, the surname SHARD can be found in various parish records, such as the baptism of Richard Shard in 1639 at St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, and the marriage of John Shard and Elizabeth Smith in 1682 at St. Mary's Church in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the SHARD surname continued to be found in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Kent, Suffolk, and Yorkshire. Notable bearers during this period include William Shard (1736 - 1806), a prominent builder and architect from Kent, and John Shard (1795 - 1874), a farmer and landowner from Yorkshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Shard families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shard 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. Cheshire leads with 44 Shards recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.96x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 44 15.96x
Lancashire 38 2.56x
Surrey 11 1.81x
Warwickshire 9 2.86x
Yorkshire 9 0.73x
Middlesex 6 0.48x
Worcestershire 5 3.07x
Ayrshire 1 1.07x
Caernarfonshire 1 1.98x
Denbighshire 1 2.12x
Gloucestershire 1 0.41x
Suffolk 1 0.66x
Sussex 1 0.48x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Woodford in Cheshire leads with 15 Shards recorded in 1881 and an index of 10000.00x.

Place Total Index
Woodford 15 10000.00x
Cheadle 11 209.13x
Cholmondeley 9 7500.00x
Gorton 8 57.43x
Lambeth 8 7.35x
Ovenden 6 108.89x
Kings Norton 5 34.20x
Sharples 5 310.56x
Stoneleigh 5 961.54x
Ashton Under Lyne 4 12.35x
Kearsley 4 128.21x
Nantwich 3 93.75x
Shoreditch London 3 5.54x
Stretford 3 36.81x
West Derby 3 6.92x
Camberwell 2 2.51x
Coventry Holy Trinity 2 21.28x
Kenilworth 2 112.99x
Manchester 2 3.00x
Paddington London 2 4.36x
Reddish 2 98.04x
Wuerdle Wardle 2 44.44x
Ayr 1 22.68x
Beeston 1 714.29x
Bermondsey 1 2.69x
Bollin Fee 1 81.97x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 8.50x
Bramhall 1 87.72x
Castleton 1 6.76x
Chester St John Baptist 1 20.20x
Claughton With Grange 1 79.37x
Conway 1 102.04x
Farnworth 1 11.26x
Halesworth 1 92.59x
Halifax 1 5.51x
Hastings St Mary 1 19.08x
Hulme 1 3.23x
Llandrillo Yn Rhos 1 142.86x
Minchinhampton 1 51.28x
Norland 1 117.65x
Romiley 1 128.21x
Soyland 1 67.57x
St Marylebone London 1 1.50x
Widnes 1 9.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 6
Ann 5
Mary 5
Alice 3
Caroline 3
Ellen 3
Harriet 3
Jane 3
Annie 2
Catherine 2
Martha 2
Sarah 2
Ader 1
Anie 1
Anne 1
Bessie 1
Betty 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Emmely 1
Frances 1
Hannah 1
Helen 1
Kate 1
Lavina 1
Phoebe 1
Ruth 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 10
John 8
Robert 8
George 6
Thomas 6
Enoch 3
Henry 3
Joseph 3
Enock 2
Isaac 2
Noah 2
Walter 2
Abel 1
Alexander 1
Charles 1
Daniel 1
Dawson 1
Ebinezar 1
Frank 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Jacob 1
James 1
Jeremiah 1
Jonathen 1
Matthew 1
Nathan 1

FAQ

Shard surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shard surname in 1881?

In 1881, 128 people were recorded with the Shard surname. That placed it at #17,079 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shard surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 243 in 2016. That gives Shard a modern rank of #17,131.

What does the Shard surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name or geographical feature containing the word "shard."

What does the Shard map show?

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