NameCensus.

UK surname

Sharman

An occupational surname derived from the term for a performer of shamanic rituals or spiritual practices.

In the 1881 census there were 4,118 people recorded with the Sharman surname, ranking it #1,100 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,655, ranked #1,187, down from #1,100 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mid Suffolk, Kettering and South Norfolk.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sharman is 6,258 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.3%.

1881 census count

4,118

Ranked #1,100

Modern count

5,655

2016, ranked #1,187

Peak year

1999

6,258 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sharman had 4,118 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,100 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,655 in 2016, ranked #1,187.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,018 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sharman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sharman surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Sharman 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 2,567 #1,149
1861 historical 2,399 #1,224
1881 historical 4,118 #1,100
1891 historical 4,430 #1,066
1901 historical 5,355 #1,052
1911 historical 6,018 #860
1997 modern 6,027 #1,089
1998 modern 6,210 #1,095
1999 modern 6,258 #1,092
2000 modern 6,169 #1,103
2001 modern 6,041 #1,100
2002 modern 6,126 #1,109
2003 modern 5,944 #1,116
2004 modern 5,905 #1,122
2005 modern 5,722 #1,139
2006 modern 5,759 #1,134
2007 modern 5,780 #1,136
2008 modern 5,810 #1,137
2009 modern 5,918 #1,138
2010 modern 6,024 #1,147
2011 modern 5,937 #1,150
2012 modern 5,690 #1,169
2013 modern 5,804 #1,164
2014 modern 5,802 #1,170
2015 modern 5,704 #1,183
2016 modern 5,655 #1,187

Geography

Back to top

Where Sharmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mid Suffolk, Kettering, South Norfolk, Wakefield and South Holland. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mid Suffolk 002 Mid Suffolk
2 Kettering 002 Kettering
3 South Norfolk 015 South Norfolk
4 Wakefield 045 Wakefield
5 South Holland 007 South Holland

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Sharman

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Sharman

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Sharman surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Sharman 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Sharman is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sharman is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sharman falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Sharman

The surname Sharman is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "scir" meaning "bright" or "shining" and "mann" meaning "man". It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

The name is thought to have first appeared in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia, where it was initially used as a descriptive surname for individuals with a bright or radiant appearance or personality. The earliest recorded instance of the surname dates back to the 13th century, when a William Sharman was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327, where a John Sharman is listed. The Sharman family is also mentioned in the Visitation of Essex in 1612, indicating their presence in the county.

One of the earliest notable figures bearing the surname was Sir Ralph Sharman, a merchant and Member of Parliament for Norwich in the 16th century, who lived from around 1520 to 1580. Another prominent individual was Richard Sharman, a 17th-century English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1662 to 1663.

In the 18th century, the Sharman family had a presence in Yorkshire, with William Sharman (1704-1771) being a notable figure who served as the Mayor of Leeds in 1757. The name also appeared in other parts of England, such as Warwickshire, where John Sharman (1729-1810) was a prominent landowner and farmer.

Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname was Henry Burton Sharman (1828-1893), a British civil engineer and railway contractor who was instrumental in the construction of several major rail lines in India during the British Raj.

Throughout history, the Sharman surname has been recorded with various spellings, including Shearman, Shurman, and Schurman, reflecting the influence of local dialects and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Sharman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sharman 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. Suffolk leads with 472 Sharmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.63x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 472 9.63x
Northamptonshire 423 11.18x
Middlesex 391 0.97x
Leicestershire 267 5.98x
Yorkshire 265 0.66x
Norfolk 254 4.11x
Surrey 248 1.26x
Bedfordshire 189 9.07x
Lincolnshire 174 2.70x
Staffordshire 145 1.07x
Warwickshire 118 1.16x
Lancashire 112 0.23x
Derbyshire 107 1.70x
Somerset 100 1.54x
Kent 96 0.70x
Essex 91 1.15x
Huntingdonshire 87 10.89x
Cambridgeshire 86 3.37x
Sussex 73 1.08x
Nottinghamshire 65 1.20x
Rutland 47 15.91x
Cheshire 39 0.44x
Oxfordshire 37 1.49x
Hertfordshire 27 0.97x
Buckinghamshire 25 1.03x
Worcestershire 23 0.44x
Berkshire 21 0.70x
Devon 19 0.23x
Hampshire 17 0.21x
Durham 16 0.13x
Shropshire 15 0.43x
Carmarthenshire 11 0.65x
Glamorgan 10 0.14x
Monmouthshire 10 0.34x
East Lothian 9 1.69x
Northumberland 6 0.10x
Flintshire 5 0.46x
Wiltshire 5 0.14x
Channel Islands 4 0.34x
Cornwall 3 0.07x
Lanarkshire 3 0.02x
Gloucestershire 2 0.03x
Renfrewshire 2 0.06x
Wigtownshire 2 0.37x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.06x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.09x
Midlothian 1 0.02x
Royal Navy 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Yarmouth in Norfolk leads with 93 Sharmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.15x.

Place Total Index
Great Yarmouth 93 18.15x
Lambeth 72 2.05x
Leicester St Margaret 72 6.62x
Islington London 68 1.74x
Wellingborough 63 33.11x
Rothwell 39 102.58x
Kettering 34 22.21x
Ipswich St Mathew 33 24.03x
Framsden 32 294.39x
Peterborough 31 11.31x
Hackney London 30 1.33x
Bridgewater 29 16.49x
Lowestoft 29 12.53x
Sheffield 29 2.28x
Camberwell 28 1.09x
Belton 27 314.32x
Newington 27 1.82x
Spalding 27 21.15x
Ecclesall Bierlow 26 3.21x
Bethnal Green London 25 1.43x
Clophill 25 163.61x
Leicester St Mary 25 6.94x
Yaxley 25 133.76x
Riseley 24 181.82x
Birmingham 22 0.65x
March 22 25.78x
Northampton Priory St 22 9.69x
Battersea 21 1.42x
Northampton St Giles 21 14.57x
Brighton 20 1.46x
Brightside Bierlow 20 2.56x
Burslem 20 5.14x
Dunstable 20 31.24x
Cranoe 19 1301.37x
Little Bolton 19 3.09x
Paddington London 19 1.28x
Walsham Le Willows 19 116.14x
Willington 19 555.56x
Humberstone 18 49.11x
Kensington London 18 0.80x
Leicester All Sts 18 20.54x
St Pancras London 18 0.56x
Westminster St John 18 3.67x
Whissendine 18 178.57x
Middlezoy 17 214.38x
Ranworth 17 409.64x
Shotteswell 17 507.46x
Croydon 16 1.47x
Ipswich St Clement 16 12.84x
Towcester 16 40.98x
Apethorpe 15 506.76x
Belgrave 15 14.90x
Northampton All Sts 15 11.68x
Nottingham St Mary 15 1.07x
Shoreditch London 15 0.86x
West Ham 15 0.86x
Amblecote 14 36.16x
Bedingfield 14 306.35x
Finchley 14 9.08x
Hornsey 14 2.75x
Horton In Bradford 14 2.25x
Kingswinford 14 2.84x
Lewisham 14 1.91x
Northampton St Sepulchre 14 7.27x
Stoke Upon Trent 14 0.97x
Worsbrough 14 11.98x
Wortwell 14 244.33x
Broughton Astley 13 133.33x
Chipping Norton 13 22.63x
Eaton Socon 13 39.76x
Graffham 13 278.37x
Great Easton 13 174.73x
Hoyland Nether 13 13.29x
Lindfield 13 45.33x
Orford 13 82.28x
Streatham 13 4.35x
Woodbridge 13 20.75x
Halifax 12 2.05x
Hollesley 12 169.49x
Ipswich St Helen 12 20.65x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 267
Sarah 152
Elizabeth 147
Ann 90
Eliza 81
Emma 74
Annie 62
Alice 59
Ellen 55
Jane 52
Emily 51
Hannah 48
Harriet 39
Martha 39
Florence 30
Maria 30
Charlotte 28
Fanny 28
Lucy 28
Caroline 25
Edith 23
Louisa 22
Susan 22
Kate 21
Margaret 18
Rebecca 18
Ada 16
Agnes 15
Amy 15
Clara 14
Harriett 14
Rose 14
Sophia 13
Catherine 12
Frances 12
Susannah 12
Amelia 11
Anne 11
Matilda 11
Lydia 10
Ethel 9
Helen 9
Anna 8
Elizth. 7
Isabella 7
Maud 7
Rosa 7
Susanna 7
Gertrude 6
Minnie 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 257
John 231
George 160
Thomas 104
Charles 100
James 97
Henry 79
Edward 64
Joseph 61
Samuel 56
Robert 47
Alfred 45
Walter 45
Arthur 44
Harry 43
Richard 40
Frederick 39
Albert 31
Herbert 24
David 22
Ernest 21
Frank 21
Benjamin 14
Edwin 14
Daniel 10
Wm. 10
Francis 9
Thos. 9
Fred 8
Isaac 7
Mark 7
Percy 7
Tom 7
Amos 6
Frederic 6
Fredrick 6
Geo. 6
Michael 5
Peter 5
Philip 5
Sidney 5
Stephen 5
Christopher 4
Jabez 4
Matthew 4
Alexander 3
Chas. 3
J. 3
Jesse 3
Shadrach 3

FAQ

Sharman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sharman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,118 people were recorded with the Sharman surname. That placed it at #1,100 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sharman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,655 in 2016. That gives Sharman a modern rank of #1,187.

What does the Sharman surname mean?

An occupational surname derived from the term for a performer of shamanic rituals or spiritual practices.

What does the Sharman map show?

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