NameCensus.

UK surname

Sharpless

A surname derived from the Old English "scearp-laes," meaning lacking sharpness or dull.

In the 1881 census there were 90 people recorded with the Sharpless surname, ranking it #20,965 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 174, ranked #21,466, down from #20,965 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Matthew Bethnal Green, Barkby and Bywell St Peter, Bywell St Andrew (Stocksfield Hall), Ovingham (Ovington, Mickley, Prudhoe, Prudhoe. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Sutton and Broxbourne.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sharpless is 204 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 93.3%.

1881 census count

90

Ranked #20,965

Modern count

174

2016, ranked #21,466

Peak year

1997

204 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sharpless had 90 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,965 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 174 in 2016, ranked #21,466.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 158 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Sharpless surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sharpless surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sharpless 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 99 #17,294
1861 historical 93 #22,009
1881 historical 90 #20,965
1891 historical 149 #18,420
1901 historical 158 #17,507
1911 historical 158 #17,277
1997 modern 204 #17,409
1998 modern 195 #18,397
1999 modern 198 #18,343
2000 modern 180 #19,425
2001 modern 175 #19,484
2002 modern 179 #19,598
2003 modern 162 #20,624
2004 modern 168 #20,300
2005 modern 164 #20,552
2006 modern 162 #20,886
2007 modern 163 #21,050
2008 modern 163 #21,238
2009 modern 172 #20,950
2010 modern 177 #21,034
2011 modern 176 #20,957
2012 modern 175 #20,984
2013 modern 176 #21,237
2014 modern 180 #21,115
2015 modern 175 #21,372
2016 modern 174 #21,466

Geography

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Where Sharpless' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Matthew Bethnal Green, Barkby, Bywell St Peter, Bywell St Andrew (Stocksfield Hall), Ovingham (Ovington, Mickley, Prudhoe, Prudhoe, London parishes and Croydon, Battersea (Penge), Sanderstead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Sutton, Broxbourne, Kingston upon Hull and North Lincolnshire. 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 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
2 Barkby Leicestershire
3 Bywell St Peter, Bywell St Andrew (Stocksfield Hall), Ovingham (Ovington, Mickley, Prudhoe, Prudhoe Northumberland
4 London parishes London 2
5 Croydon, Battersea (Penge), Sanderstead Surrey

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 024 Northumberland
2 Sutton 002 Sutton
3 Broxbourne 002 Broxbourne
4 Kingston upon Hull 009 Kingston upon Hull, City of
5 North Lincolnshire 001 North Lincolnshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sharpless

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sharpless

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Sharpless, 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 Sharpless surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Sharpless 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Sharpless is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sharpless is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sharpless 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 Sharpless is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Sharpless

The surname Sharpless originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be an occupational surname, derived from the Old English word "scearp," meaning sharp or keen, and the suffix "-less," indicating a lack or absence.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record compiled in 1273, which mentions a "William Scharples." This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the late 13th century.

The Sharpless family is thought to have originated in the county of Cheshire, where the name was closely associated with the townships of Sharpies and Sharpies Bank, located near the town of Bolton. These place names likely derived from the same Old English root as the surname, indicating a connection between the family and the local geography.

In the 16th century, records show the presence of Sharpless families in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Gloucestershire. One notable individual from this period was John Sharpless, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who lived from approximately 1520 to 1585.

The 17th century saw the Sharpless name gain prominence in the religious community of the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. John Sharpless (1615-1685), a Quaker minister from Cheshire, was among the earliest recorded members of this faith to bear the surname.

As the Quaker movement spread to the American colonies, several Sharpless families emigrated from England to Pennsylvania in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. One of the first to arrive was John Sharpless (1624-1685), who settled in what is now Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in 1682.

Other notable individuals with the Sharpless surname include:

1. James Sharpless (1751-1818), an American merchant and politician from Pennsylvania. 2. Benjamin Sharpless (1787-1867), an American botanist and Quaker minister. 3. Isaac Sharpless (1848-1920), an American educator who served as the president of Haverford College from 1887 to 1917. 4. Philena Fouch Sharpless (1830-1911), an American artist and educator known for her landscape paintings. 5. Alfred Sharpless (1837-1924), an English-born American chemist and inventor who developed the Sharpless epoxidation reaction, a widely used chemical process in organic synthesis.

While the Sharpless name has its roots in England, it has since spread across the globe, with families bearing this surname found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sharpless families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sharpless 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. Middlesex leads with 35 Sharpless' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.99x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 35 3.99x
Leicestershire 16 16.44x
Yorkshire 10 1.15x
Surrey 8 1.87x
Lancashire 7 0.67x
Northumberland 6 4.59x
Cumberland 4 5.29x
Westmorland 2 10.37x
Fife 1 1.92x
Gloucestershire 1 0.58x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 14 Sharpless' recorded in 1881 and an index of 36.71x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 14 36.71x
Barkby 12 6315.79x
Hackney London 9 18.29x
Croydon 8 33.70x
Hawes 7 1228.07x
Prudhoe 6 659.34x
Islington London 5 5.88x
Whittington 5 5000.00x
Little Clifton 4 3076.92x
Shoreditch London 4 10.51x
Holy Trinity 3 14.34x
Leicester St Mary 3 38.17x
Kirkby Lonsdale 2 384.62x
Burntisland 1 68.97x
Heaton Norris 1 16.86x
Hendon 1 31.65x
Leicester St Margaret 1 4.21x
Mile End Old Town 1 7.22x
Newland 1 68.97x
Paddington London 1 3.10x
West Derby 1 3.28x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Jane 5
Alice 2
Ann 2
Eliza 2
Hannah 2
Laura 2
Sarah 2
Susannah 2
Ada 1
Annie 1
Barry 1
Caroline 1
Comfort 1
Elizabeth 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Flowrence 1
Francis 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Sharpless surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sharpless surname in 1881?

In 1881, 90 people were recorded with the Sharpless surname. That placed it at #20,965 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sharpless surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 174 in 2016. That gives Sharpless a modern rank of #21,466.

What does the Sharpless surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English "scearp-laes," meaning lacking sharpness or dull.

What does the Sharpless map show?

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