NameCensus.

UK surname

Sheather

In the 1881 census there were 151 people recorded with the Sheather surname, ranking it #15,419 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 89, ranked #32,297, down from #15,419 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Catsfield, Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Plymouth, Cheltenham and Dover.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sheather is 224 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 41.1%.

1881 census count

151

Ranked #15,419

Modern count

89

2016, ranked #32,297

Peak year

1901

224 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2006

Key insights

  • Sheather had 151 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,419 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 89 in 2016, ranked #32,297.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 224 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Sheather surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sheather surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sheather 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 104 #16,746
1861 historical 121 #18,148
1881 historical 151 #15,419
1891 historical 172 #16,663
1901 historical 224 #14,091
1911 historical 223 #13,951
1997 modern 123 #23,792
1998 modern 135 #23,118
1999 modern 124 #24,508
2000 modern 123 #24,585
2001 modern 119 #24,733
2002 modern 119 #25,231
2003 modern 114 #25,664
2004 modern 108 #26,741
2005 modern 98 #28,325
2006 modern 101 #28,125
2007 modern 100 #28,669
2008 modern 98 #29,355
2009 modern 104 #28,982
2010 modern 104 #29,618
2011 modern 103 #29,589
2012 modern 92 #31,528
2013 modern 94 #31,656
2014 modern 94 #31,909
2015 modern 91 #32,153
2016 modern 89 #32,297

Geography

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Where Sheathers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Catsfield, Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew, London parishes and St George the Martyr. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Plymouth, Cheltenham, Dover and Waverley. 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 Catsfield Sussex
2 Hastings St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings St Andrew Sussex
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 St George the Martyr London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Plymouth 031 Plymouth
2 Cheltenham 014 Cheltenham
3 Dover 010 Dover
4 Dover 014 Dover
5 Waverley 013 Waverley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sheather

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sheather

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Sheather is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sheather 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

Sheather falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Sheather families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sheather 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. Sussex leads with 65 Sheathers recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.17x.

County Total Index
Sussex 65 26.17x
Middlesex 41 2.78x
Kent 18 3.58x
Surrey 13 1.81x
Cornwall 5 3.00x
Essex 3 1.03x
Lancashire 2 0.11x
Warwickshire 2 0.54x
Hampshire 1 0.33x
Hertfordshire 1 0.98x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Marylebone London in Middlesex leads with 28 Sheathers recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.61x.

Place Total Index
St Marylebone London 28 35.61x
Hastings St Mary 13 210.36x
Hastings St Leonards 10 273.97x
Hooe 8 3333.33x
St Pancras London 8 6.75x
Peasmarsh 7 1666.67x
Catsfield 6 1666.67x
Lee 6 82.19x
Bodmin 5 181.16x
Beckley 3 483.87x
Hastings St Mary In The 3 56.60x
Isleworth 3 45.80x
Kingston On Thames 3 17.40x
Ninfield 3 1000.00x
Southwark St George Martyr 3 10.12x
Ticehurst 3 197.37x
Bexhill 2 161.29x
Birmingham 2 1.62x
Godalming 2 44.25x
Hastings All Sts 2 85.47x
Lambeth 2 1.56x
Liverpool 2 1.88x
Loughton 2 138.89x
Maidstone 2 13.36x
Minster In Sheppey 2 24.01x
Newhaven 2 99.01x
Plumstead 2 11.94x
Woolwich 2 10.77x
Wrotham 2 120.48x
Aldenham 1 108.70x
Aldington 1 294.12x
Bermondsey 1 2.28x
Brighton 1 2.00x
Hornsey 1 5.37x
Kensington London 1 1.22x
Millbrook 1 13.16x
Ore 1 54.05x
Shelley 1 1000.00x
Tonbridge 1 5.52x
Willingdon 1 158.73x
Wimbledon 1 12.41x
Woking 1 23.09x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Alice 5
Ellen 5
Julia 4
Emma 3
Frances 3
Jane 3
Sarah 3
Agnes 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Susannah 2
Adelaide 1
Amy 1
Catherine 1
Daisy 1
Eliz. 1
Eliza 1
Elsie 1
Enfield 1
Evangeline 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Harriot 1
Harrod 1
Isabella 1
Lilian 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Marion 1
Rosie 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Henry 9
William 9
Charles 8
John 7
James 6
Albert 4
Thomas 4
Alfred 3
Edward 3
Ernest 3
George 3
Harry 3
Stephen 3
Chas. 2
Robert 2
Afled 1
Austin 1
Benjamin 1
Edwin 1
Frances 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Infant 1
Leyton 1
Percivall 1
Reuben 1
Tilden 1

FAQ

Sheather surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sheather surname in 1881?

In 1881, 151 people were recorded with the Sheather surname. That placed it at #15,419 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sheather surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 89 in 2016. That gives Sheather a modern rank of #32,297.

What does the Sheather map show?

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