NameCensus.

UK surname

Sharkey

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Searcaigh, meaning "descendant of Searcach," a personal name meaning "loving."

In the 1881 census there were 685 people recorded with the Sharkey surname, ranking it #5,275 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,341, ranked #2,035, up from #5,275 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Gateshead, Manchester and Liverpool. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Helensburgh East, Helensburgh Centre and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sharkey is 3,402 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 387.7%.

1881 census count

685

Ranked #5,275

Modern count

3,341

2016, ranked #2,035

Peak year

2014

3,402 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sharkey had 685 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,275 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,341 in 2016, ranked #2,035.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,161 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Sharkey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sharkey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sharkey 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 194 #10,662
1861 historical 270 #9,216
1881 historical 685 #5,275
1891 historical 719 #5,487
1901 historical 1,161 #4,201
1911 historical 887 #5,020
1997 modern 2,940 #2,202
1998 modern 3,030 #2,226
1999 modern 3,110 #2,177
2000 modern 3,121 #2,156
2001 modern 3,080 #2,133
2002 modern 3,152 #2,128
2003 modern 3,091 #2,124
2004 modern 3,092 #2,124
2005 modern 3,078 #2,098
2006 modern 3,088 #2,090
2007 modern 3,108 #2,102
2008 modern 3,134 #2,105
2009 modern 3,258 #2,084
2010 modern 3,351 #2,077
2011 modern 3,347 #2,051
2012 modern 3,316 #2,035
2013 modern 3,373 #2,039
2014 modern 3,402 #2,033
2015 modern 3,324 #2,053
2016 modern 3,341 #2,035

Geography

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Where Sharkeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Gateshead, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow 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 Helensburgh East, Helensburgh Centre, Copeland, Wigan and Toryglen and Oatlands. 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 Gateshead Durham
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Liverpool Lancashire
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Helensburgh East Argyll and Bute
2 Helensburgh Centre Argyll and Bute
3 Copeland 006 Copeland
4 Wigan 015 Wigan
5 Toryglen and Oatlands Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sharkey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sharkey

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Sharkey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Sharkey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Sharkey 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

Sharkey is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sharkey 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 Sharkey 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Sharkey

The surname Sharkey has its origins in Ireland, where it is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name O'Searcaigh. This name is derived from the Irish word "searcach," meaning "lover" or "sweetheart." The name likely originated in County Donegal in the northwest of Ireland sometime during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sharkey can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a Turlough O'Searcaigh, who was a chieftain of the O'Searcaigh clan in the late 14th century.

The name Sharkey has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent was Patrick Sharkey (1770-1852), an Irish-born American politician who served as a United States Representative from Pennsylvania in the early 19th century.

Another notable figure with the surname Sharkey was Jack Sharkey (1902-1994), an American professional boxer who held the world heavyweight championship from 1932 to 1933. He was born Joseph Paul Zukauskas in Binghamton, New York.

In the literary world, Seamus Sharkey (1936-2009) was an Irish poet and author, best known for his collection "Love's Covenant Renewed." He was born in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

The surname Sharkey has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Ireland. For example, there is a townland called Sharkey's Town in County Donegal, which likely derived its name from the O'Searcaigh clan.

One of the earliest recorded spellings of the name was "O'Searcaigh," which can be found in the Irish annals and other historical records. Over time, the name evolved into various anglicized forms, such as Sharkey, Sharkye, and Sharkee.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sharkey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sharkey 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 227 Sharkeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.87x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 227 2.87x
Lanarkshire 88 4.08x
Yorkshire 67 1.01x
Durham 48 2.42x
Cheshire 41 2.78x
Staffordshire 39 1.73x
Warwickshire 23 1.37x
Derbyshire 19 1.82x
Renfrewshire 18 3.48x
Midlothian 14 1.57x
Northumberland 13 1.31x
Devon 11 0.79x
Middlesex 11 0.16x
Ayrshire 7 1.40x
Shropshire 7 1.21x
Surrey 7 0.22x
Stirlingshire 6 2.44x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.56x
Cumberland 4 0.70x
Dunbartonshire 3 1.67x
Kent 3 0.13x
Selkirkshire 3 4.97x
Sussex 3 0.27x
Denbighshire 2 0.79x
Dumfriesshire 2 1.36x
Leicestershire 2 0.27x
Roxburghshire 2 1.65x
Berkshire 1 0.20x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.24x
Cornwall 1 0.13x
Essex 1 0.08x
Flintshire 1 0.56x
Hampshire 1 0.07x
Oxfordshire 1 0.24x
Royal Navy 1 1.26x
Westmorland 1 0.68x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 73 Sharkeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.18x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 73 15.18x
Glasgow 29 7.57x
Barony 28 5.13x
Manchester 23 6.46x
Stoke Upon Trent 22 9.21x
Newton 19 31.14x
Bradford 18 11.25x
Chesterfield 17 43.41x
Toxteth Park 15 5.60x
Gateshead 13 8.75x
Appleton 11 329.34x
Govan 11 2.06x
Leeds 11 2.95x
West Derby 11 4.75x
Sedgley 10 11.95x
Stockport 10 13.19x
Stoke Damerel 10 10.29x
Tottington Lower End 9 23.92x
Blackrod 8 81.30x
Edinburgh Old Church 8 111.42x
Failsworth 8 44.17x
Gorton 8 10.75x
Northowram 8 17.26x
Widnes 8 14.01x
Wolviston 8 579.71x
Birmingham 7 1.25x
Bothwell 7 11.96x
Middle Greenock 7 49.61x
Sheffield 7 3.33x
Stevenston 7 53.76x
Tudhoe 7 40.30x
Bowling 6 9.16x
Conside Knitsley 6 38.89x
Falkirk 6 10.42x
Leamington 6 53.81x
Runcorn 6 17.67x
Camberwell 5 1.17x
East Greenock 5 10.24x
Garston 5 21.40x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 5 5.82x
Nottingham St Mary 5 2.15x
Oldham 5 1.96x
St Sepulchre London 5 51.18x
Westgate 5 8.13x
Whiston 5 80.91x
Abbey 4 5.07x
Coventry St Michael 4 7.40x
Egremont 4 29.20x
Greasbrough 4 45.82x
Northenden 4 148.70x
Shrewsbury St Chad 4 19.77x
Sutton 4 15.07x
Walsall Foreign 4 3.44x
Alnwick 3 17.57x
Blantyre 3 13.36x
Bolehall Glascote 3 42.08x
Bradford 3 8.10x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 3 0.83x
Galashiels 3 13.44x
Hamilton 3 4.99x
Hulme 3 1.82x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 3 5.06x
Preston 3 1.42x
Rainhill 3 59.17x
Rugby 3 13.18x
Rye 3 28.06x
Scarborough 3 4.99x
Bramley In Bramley 2 7.90x
Dukinfield 2 2.94x
Dumbarton 2 8.01x
Edinburgh Tron Church 2 47.73x
Hawick 2 7.39x
Huddersfield 2 2.08x
Islington London 2 0.31x
Iveston 2 21.88x
Keighley 2 2.84x
Ormskirk 2 13.20x
St Giles In Fields 2 8.69x
St Marylebone London 2 0.56x
Wrexham Abbot 2 31.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 55
Bridget 22
Ann 19
Catherine 16
Elizabeth 15
Margaret 13
Annie 11
Ellen 9
Jane 8
Sarah 8
Maria 7
Kate 6
Anne 5
Alice 3
Emma 3
Martha 3
Rose 3
Susan 3
Agnes 2
Caroline 2
Eliza 2
Harriet 2
Katherine 2
Rachel 2
Winifred 2
Agness 1
Barbara 1
Beatrice 1
Betsey 1
C. 1
Cecelia 1
Clen 1
Eleanor 1
Elizh.Ann 1
Elizth. 1
Esther 1
Hannah 1
Helena 1
Honoria 1
Janie 1
Jemima 1
Joanna 1
Katie 1
Mar.A. 1
Margreat 1
Margt. 1
Marianne 1
Norah 1
Rachael 1
Winney 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 51
James 32
Thomas 28
Michael 22
Patrick 22
William 13
Joseph 11
Richard 9
Edward 7
Francis 6
Martin 6
George 5
Thos. 5
Arthur 4
Charles 4
Peter 4
Albert 3
Andrew 3
Henry 3
Philip 3
B. 2
Daniel 2
Edwin 2
Jno. 2
Luke 2
Nicholas 2
Owen 2
Bartholemew 1
Dennis 1
Dinnis 1
Dominick 1
Domnick 1
Edmond 1
Ernest 1
F. 1
Fenton 1
Frances 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Hugh 1
Joshua 1
Mark 1
Micheal 1
Miles 1
Pat 1
Patk. 1
Pattrick 1
Robert 1
Robt. 1
Stephen 1

FAQ

Sharkey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sharkey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 685 people were recorded with the Sharkey surname. That placed it at #5,275 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sharkey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,341 in 2016. That gives Sharkey a modern rank of #2,035.

What does the Sharkey surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Searcaigh, meaning "descendant of Searcach," a personal name meaning "loving."

What does the Sharkey map show?

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