NameCensus.

UK surname

Sheffield

A locational surname referring to someone from Sheffield, a city in South Yorkshire, England, known for metalworking.

In the 1881 census there were 1,569 people recorded with the Sheffield surname, ranking it #2,698 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,800, ranked #3,511, down from #2,698 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Knowsley, Bradford and Wealden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sheffield is 1,978 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 14.7%.

1881 census count

1,569

Ranked #2,698

Modern count

1,800

2016, ranked #3,511

Peak year

1911

1,978 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sheffield had 1,569 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,698 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,800 in 2016, ranked #3,511.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,978 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sheffield surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sheffield surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sheffield 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 1,086 #2,589
1861 historical 1,251 #2,278
1881 historical 1,569 #2,698
1891 historical 1,757 #2,594
1901 historical 1,814 #2,890
1911 historical 1,978 #2,509
1997 modern 1,837 #3,275
1998 modern 1,927 #3,249
1999 modern 1,920 #3,288
2000 modern 1,942 #3,241
2001 modern 1,882 #3,262
2002 modern 1,917 #3,286
2003 modern 1,844 #3,326
2004 modern 1,827 #3,353
2005 modern 1,813 #3,351
2006 modern 1,783 #3,401
2007 modern 1,778 #3,448
2008 modern 1,753 #3,511
2009 modern 1,798 #3,511
2010 modern 1,863 #3,475
2011 modern 1,817 #3,505
2012 modern 1,765 #3,530
2013 modern 1,816 #3,511
2014 modern 1,846 #3,481
2015 modern 1,821 #3,492
2016 modern 1,800 #3,511

Geography

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Where Sheffields are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Manchester and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Knowsley, Bradford, Wealden and St. Helens. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Knowsley 013 Knowsley
2 Bradford 027 Bradford
3 Wealden 011 Wealden
4 St. Helens 019 St. Helens
5 Wealden 014 Wealden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sheffield

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sheffield

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Sheffield, 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 Sheffield surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Sheffield 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Sheffield is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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 neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sheffield is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sheffield 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 Sheffield 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 Sheffield, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Sheffield

The surname Sheffield is of English origin and can be traced back to the early Middle Ages. It is a territorial name derived from the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "sceaf" meaning boundary or ridge, and "feld" meaning field or clearing.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Sheffield can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Scafeld" and "Sidefelde." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.

During the medieval period, several individuals with the surname Sheffield can be found in historical records. One notable example is Sir Robert Sheffield, who fought alongside King Edward III at the Battle of Crécy in 1346 during the Hundred Years' War.

In the 15th century, Edmund Sheffield (c. 1415-1487) served as Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire and was a prominent figure in the Wars of the Roses. His descendants would later become members of the English nobility, with the title of Duke of Buckingham and Normanby.

Another notable figure was John Sheffield, 3rd Earl of Mulgrave (1648-1722), who was a prominent English statesman and poet. He served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord President of the Council under King William III and Queen Anne.

In the 18th century, John Baker Holroyd (1735-1821), who later took the surname Sheffield after inheriting his uncle's estates, was a renowned writer and literary critic. He is best known for his work "Observations on the Resurrection" and his close friendship with Samuel Johnson.

During the 19th century, Sir Robert Sheffield, 1st Baronet (1804-1888) was an English industrialist and politician who was involved in the development of the Sheffield steel industry and served as a Member of Parliament.

While the surname Sheffield is primarily associated with England, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and intermarriage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sheffield families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sheffield 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 257 Sheffields recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.68x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 257 1.68x
Lancashire 189 1.04x
Warwickshire 172 4.45x
Yorkshire 170 1.12x
Leicestershire 96 5.65x
Northamptonshire 94 6.52x
Surrey 80 1.07x
Nottinghamshire 52 2.52x
Hertfordshire 40 3.79x
Kent 37 0.71x
Lincolnshire 36 1.47x
Cheshire 35 1.03x
Essex 34 1.12x
Staffordshire 32 0.62x
Bedfordshire 30 3.78x
Shropshire 28 2.11x
Durham 23 0.50x
Worcestershire 22 1.10x
Buckinghamshire 18 1.94x
Derbyshire 18 0.75x
Rutland 16 14.22x
Cumberland 14 1.06x
Hampshire 14 0.45x
Huntingdonshire 9 2.96x
Sussex 9 0.35x
Lanarkshire 7 0.14x
Berkshire 6 0.52x
Oxfordshire 6 0.63x
Flintshire 5 1.21x
Northumberland 5 0.22x
Cambridgeshire 4 0.41x
Somerset 3 0.12x
Devon 2 0.06x
Gloucestershire 2 0.07x
Royal Navy 2 1.10x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.79x
Dorset 1 0.10x
Herefordshire 1 0.16x
Wiltshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 34 Sheffields recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.64x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 34 2.64x
St Marylebone London 31 3.79x
Blackburn 27 5.58x
Islington London 27 1.82x
Pickering 24 125.52x
Chelsea London 22 4.76x
Earls Barton 22 178.86x
Moss Side 21 21.95x
Leicester St Mary 18 13.11x
Aston 17 1.60x
Hunslet 17 7.18x
Lambeth 17 1.27x
Standish With Langtree 17 75.93x
Nottingham St Mary 16 2.99x
Churchover 15 887.57x
Coventry Holy Trinity 15 13.00x
Bromley London 14 4.15x
Fulham London 14 6.30x
Hackney London 14 1.63x
Ampthill 13 109.70x
Salford 13 2.43x
Stanton Lacy 13 113.64x
Bengeo 12 97.88x
Kidderminster Borough 12 10.25x
Loughborough 12 15.56x
Basford 11 11.55x
Brightside Bierlow 11 3.69x
Chilvers Coton 11 69.23x
Coventry St Michael 11 8.86x
East Leake 11 221.77x
Fulshaw 11 176.57x
Hampstead London 11 4.61x
Kensington London 11 1.29x
Leicester St Margaret 11 2.65x
Peterborough 11 10.54x
Pudsey 11 13.55x
Syston 11 69.14x
Chorlton On Medlock 10 3.46x
Clapham 10 5.22x
Elland Cum Greetland 10 14.62x
Leyton 10 19.19x
Shoreditch London 10 1.51x
Tottenham 10 4.10x
Camberwell 9 0.92x
Great Oakley 9 789.47x
Halliwell 9 13.60x
Horton In Bradford 9 3.80x
Nuneaton 9 20.10x
Quorndon 9 94.34x
Stranton 9 5.86x
Beverley St Mary 8 36.07x
Croydon 8 1.93x
Drayton Bassett 8 341.88x
Eccleston In Prescot 8 8.76x
Great Bolton 8 3.32x
Hooton 8 952.38x
Liverpool 8 0.72x
Mile End Old Town 8 3.31x
Poplar London 8 2.77x
Rugby 8 15.30x
Sutton Coldfield 8 19.69x
Walthamstow 8 7.35x
Whitwick 8 37.04x
Carlton 7 281.12x
Crosscanonby 7 16.04x
Diseworth 7 321.10x
Foleshill 7 17.22x
Geddington 7 150.86x
Great Addington 7 421.69x
Horbury 7 26.36x
Hulme 7 1.84x
Hutton Bushell 7 267.18x
Market Overton 7 343.14x
Meole Brace 7 102.04x
Old Stratford 7 31.99x
Pinchbeck 7 44.56x
St Botolph Lincoln 7 39.73x
Stoke Newington London 7 5.86x
Swanbourne 7 276.68x
Wormley 7 181.35x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 102
Elizabeth 64
Sarah 53
Emma 36
Ann 31
Eliza 31
Ellen 26
Jane 24
Emily 19
Alice 17
Edith 15
Annie 14
Florence 14
Hannah 12
Harriet 12
Margaret 12
Maria 12
Martha 12
Catherine 11
Charlotte 11
Fanny 11
Ada 10
Louisa 10
Caroline 9
Harriett 8
Isabella 7
Kate 7
Lucy 7
Rebecca 7
Agnes 6
Anne 6
Clara 6
Grace 6
Amelia 5
Amy 5
Elizth. 5
Esther 5
Gertrude 5
Rose 5
Sophia 5
Susan 5
Eleanor 4
Julia 4
Matilda 4
Jessie 3
Laura 3
Margret 3
Nancy 3
Ruth 3
Susannah 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 107
John 93
Thomas 57
George 47
Henry 39
James 34
Joseph 33
Charles 29
Arthur 21
Edward 20
Alfred 17
Robert 17
Samuel 16
Frederick 13
Harry 12
Walter 10
Albert 9
Frank 9
Ernest 7
Thos. 7
Richard 6
Wm. 6
David 5
Herbert 5
Percy 5
Daniel 4
Edwin 4
Fred 4
Isaac 4
Tom 4
Amos 3
Christopher 3
Fredk. 3
Peter 3
Sydney 3
Benjamin 2
Chas. 2
Douglas 2
Edmund 2
Francis 2
Fredrick 2
Harold 2
Jno. 2
Leonard 2
Matthew 2
Noah 2
Oscar 2
Robt. 2
Willm. 2
Wilm. 2

FAQ

Sheffield surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sheffield surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,569 people were recorded with the Sheffield surname. That placed it at #2,698 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sheffield surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,800 in 2016. That gives Sheffield a modern rank of #3,511.

What does the Sheffield surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from Sheffield, a city in South Yorkshire, England, known for metalworking.

What does the Sheffield map show?

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