NameCensus.

UK surname

Sheaff

A surname derived from an Old English word referring to a reaper or harvester.

In the 1881 census there were 62 people recorded with the Sheaff surname, ranking it #24,843 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 86, ranked #32,570, down from #24,843 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Nonington, London parishes and Dover St James, Dover St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dover, Suffolk Coastal and Wiltshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sheaff is 138 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 38.7%.

1881 census count

62

Ranked #24,843

Modern count

86

2016, ranked #32,570

Peak year

1911

138 bearers

Map years

3

1901 to 1998

Key insights

  • Sheaff had 62 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #24,843 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 86 in 2016, ranked #32,570.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 138 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Sheaff surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sheaff surname density by area, 1998 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sheaff 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 13 #30,970
1861 historical 32 #29,944
1881 historical 62 #24,843
1891 historical 94 #24,820
1901 historical 105 #22,179
1911 historical 138 #18,811
1997 modern 108 #25,788
1998 modern 112 #25,856
1999 modern 100 #27,757
2000 modern 95 #28,441
2001 modern 90 #28,793
2002 modern 94 #28,797
2003 modern 97 #28,217
2004 modern 86 #30,019
2005 modern 84 #30,359
2006 modern 81 #31,044
2007 modern 80 #31,527
2008 modern 81 #31,713
2009 modern 85 #31,717
2010 modern 88 #31,875
2011 modern 86 #32,006
2012 modern 89 #31,934
2013 modern 87 #32,472
2014 modern 88 #32,495
2015 modern 87 #32,514
2016 modern 86 #32,570

Geography

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Where Sheaffs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Nonington, London parishes, Dover St James, Dover St Mary, St Mary Northgate, St John's Hospital and Lympne. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dover, Suffolk Coastal, Wiltshire, East Hampshire and Bath and North East Somerset. 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 Nonington Kent
2 London parishes London 3
3 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent
4 St Mary Northgate, St John's Hospital Kent
5 Lympne Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dover 011 Dover
2 Suffolk Coastal 010 Suffolk Coastal
3 Wiltshire 035 Wiltshire
4 East Hampshire 016 East Hampshire
5 Bath and North East Somerset 007 Bath and North East Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sheaff

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sheaff

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Sheaff surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Sheaff household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Sheaff is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Sheaff 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

Sheaff falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Sheaff is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Sheaff

The surname SHEAFF is believed to have originated in England. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place called Shefford or Shefford Hardwicke in Berkshire. The name is derived from the Old English words 'sceaf' meaning sheaf or bundle of corn and 'ford' meaning a shallow river crossing.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest known record of the name is found as 'Sefford'. Over time, the spelling evolved to Shefford and eventually SHEAFF. The areas around Berkshire are where the earliest bearers of the name likely resided, before it spread to other parts of England.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname SHEAFF was John Sheaff, who was born in Yorkshire, England in the late 16th century. Records show he had a son named William Sheaff, born in 1603.

Another early bearer of the name was Thomas SHEAFF, a wealthy merchant from London, who lived from 1630 to 1698. He amassed a considerable fortune through his trading ventures and left a sizable inheritance to his descendants.

In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname SHEAFF was Sir Roger SHEAFF (1718-1787), a Member of Parliament for the borough of Heytesbury in Wiltshire. He was a influential landowner and played a role in local politics during his time.

A famous military figure with the SHEAFF name was General Sir Roger Hale SHEAFFE (1763-1851). He served as a British Army officer during the Napoleonic Wars and later became Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) from 1812 to 1813.

In literature, one of the earliest references to the name SHEAFF can be found in the works of William Shakespeare. In his play 'Henry VI, Part 2', a character named 'Sheafe' is mentioned, likely a variant spelling of the surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sheaff families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sheaff 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. Kent leads with 46 Sheaffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 21.60x.

County Total Index
Kent 46 21.60x
Sussex 7 6.65x
Cheshire 5 3.63x
Royal Navy 2 26.88x
Surrey 2 0.66x
Yorkshire 2 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wingham in Kent leads with 14 Sheaffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 5600.00x.

Place Total Index
Wingham 14 5600.00x
Guston 8 10000.00x
New Shoreham 7 1111.11x
Nonington 6 3529.41x
Wye 6 1818.18x
Chester St Oswald 5 200.00x
Grange Gillingham 3 3333.33x
Huddersfield 2 22.20x
Newington 2 8.67x
Royal Navy 2 31.45x
Barham 1 454.55x
Charlton 1 70.92x
Denton In Dover 1 3333.33x
Dover St James 1 107.53x
Dover St Mary Virgin 1 48.54x
Faversham 1 49.26x
Hougham 1 78.74x
Loose 1 322.58x
Maidstone 1 15.77x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 3
Mary 2
Alice 1
Ann 1
Annie 1
Benedicta 1
Charlotte 1
Constance 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Emmaline 1
Florence 1
Jane 1
John 1
Kate 1
Maria 1
Mildred 1

Top male names

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

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 Sheaff households.

FAQ

Sheaff surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sheaff surname in 1881?

In 1881, 62 people were recorded with the Sheaff surname. That placed it at #24,843 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sheaff surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 86 in 2016. That gives Sheaff a modern rank of #32,570.

What does the Sheaff surname mean?

A surname derived from an Old English word referring to a reaper or harvester.

What does the Sheaff map show?

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