NameCensus.

UK surname

Shelbourne

A place name referring to someone from Shelburn, Wiltshire or a "sheltered place".

In the 1881 census there were 148 people recorded with the Shelbourne surname, ranking it #15,611 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 393, ranked #12,032, up from #15,611 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Basford, Hope and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wiltshire, Newark and Sherwood and Chesterfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shelbourne is 416 in 2007. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 165.5%.

1881 census count

148

Ranked #15,611

Modern count

393

2016, ranked #12,032

Peak year

2007

416 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shelbourne had 148 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,611 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 393 in 2016, ranked #12,032.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 233 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Shelbourne surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shelbourne surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shelbourne 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 60 #22,584
1861 historical 73 #24,492
1881 historical 148 #15,611
1891 historical 192 #15,383
1901 historical 209 #14,712
1911 historical 233 #13,560
1997 modern 387 #11,275
1998 modern 401 #11,319
1999 modern 400 #11,439
2000 modern 393 #11,540
2001 modern 386 #11,509
2002 modern 400 #11,443
2003 modern 399 #11,284
2004 modern 390 #11,495
2005 modern 401 #11,165
2006 modern 409 #11,032
2007 modern 416 #11,020
2008 modern 414 #11,160
2009 modern 412 #11,461
2010 modern 411 #11,723
2011 modern 411 #11,617
2012 modern 394 #11,854
2013 modern 404 #11,833
2014 modern 401 #11,979
2015 modern 396 #11,994
2016 modern 393 #12,032

Geography

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Where Shelbournes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Basford, Hope, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, St Anne Limehouse and Chesterfield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wiltshire, Newark and Sherwood, Chesterfield, Liverpool and Medway. 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 Basford Nottinghamshire
2 Hope Denbighshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 St Anne Limehouse London (East Districts)
5 Chesterfield Derbyshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wiltshire 040 Wiltshire
2 Newark and Sherwood 001 Newark and Sherwood
3 Chesterfield 003 Chesterfield
4 Liverpool 002 Liverpool
5 Medway 024 Medway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shelbourne

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shelbourne

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Shelbourne surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Shelbourne household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Shelbourne is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Shelbourne 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

Shelbourne falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Shelbourne

The surname Shelbourne has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "sceald" meaning shallow and "burna" meaning stream or brook, referring to a shallow stream or brook. The name was initially spelled in various ways, such as Shaldeburn, Shaldburn, and Sheldborne.

One of the earliest recorded references to the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where a John de Sheldburne is mentioned. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also list a William de Sheldburn. These early records suggest that the name originated in the region of Worcestershire, likely from a place name that no longer exists.

Another early reference to the surname is found in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1344, where a Robert de Shaldburn is mentioned. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of England by that time.

In the 16th century, the spelling of the name became more standardized as Shelbourne. One notable individual with this surname was John Shelbourne, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1550 and served as a member of parliament for Banbury in 1588.

Over the centuries, various branches of the Shelbourne family established themselves in different parts of England, as well as in other parts of the British Isles. One notable figure was Sir John Shelbourne (1619-1691), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Derbyshire, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1675.

Another prominent individual was Robert Shelbourne (1736-1816), an English clergyman and author who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, from 1795 until his death.

In the literary world, Mary Shelbourne (1797-1851) was a notable English novelist and poet, best known for her work "The Last Days of Herculaneum" published in 1821.

The Shelbourne surname also found its way to the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of William Shelbourne, who immigrated to Virginia in 1635 and was granted land in what is now Henrico County.

Another notable figure was Samuel Shelbourne (1721-1792), a merchant and landowner from Pennsylvania, who played a significant role in the American Revolution as a member of the Continental Congress.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shelbourne families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shelbourne 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 22 Shelbournes recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.31x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 22 11.31x
Flintshire 18 46.39x
Hertfordshire 14 14.07x
Kent 11 2.23x
Derbyshire 10 4.43x
Essex 9 3.16x
Lancashire 9 0.53x
Middlesex 9 0.62x
Leicestershire 7 4.37x
Lincolnshire 7 3.03x
Norfolk 6 2.70x
Suffolk 6 3.41x
Durham 4 0.93x
Sussex 4 1.64x
Yorkshire 3 0.21x
Cheshire 2 0.63x
Surrey 2 0.28x
Hampshire 1 0.34x
Herefordshire 1 1.69x
Northamptonshire 1 0.74x
Northumberland 1 0.47x
Rutland 1 9.43x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Basford in Nottinghamshire leads with 17 Shelbournes recorded in 1881 and an index of 189.52x.

Place Total Index
Basford 17 189.52x
Hope 13 673.58x
Brimington 9 523.26x
Plumstead 8 48.72x
West Derby 8 15.96x
North Mimms 7 1111.11x
West Ham 7 11.13x
Belvoir 6 8571.43x
Bracon Ash 6 4285.71x
Hitchin 6 133.63x
Levington 6 7500.00x
Higher Kinnerton 5 2500.00x
Kensington London 5 6.23x
Brighton 4 8.15x
North Collingham 4 869.57x
Winston 4 2352.94x
Limehouse London 3 18.93x
Birkenhead 2 7.87x
Chiddingfold 2 303.03x
Gravesend 2 47.96x
Somerby In Grantham 2 338.98x
Spittlegate 2 62.70x
Woodford 2 61.92x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 1 20.45x
Brading 1 25.45x
Elswick 1 5.83x
Empingham 1 243.90x
Heage 1 83.33x
Leicester St Margaret 1 2.56x
Little Ponton 1 909.09x
Market Rasen 1 77.52x
Middlesbrough 1 5.37x
New Malton 1 58.48x
North Meols 1 5.96x
Oundle 1 65.79x
Rempstone 1 625.00x
St George Hanover 1 5.31x
Stamford All Sts 1 77.52x
Swingfield 1 526.32x
Tupsley 1 200.00x
Watford 1 12.97x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 10
John 9
Arthur 6
William 6
Edward 3
Joseph 3
Thomas 3
Alfred 2
Henry 2
James 2
Alexander 1
Burneride 1
Charles 1
Cyril 1
David 1
Eli 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Fredk.Edwin 1
Herbert 1
Hugh 1
J.H. 1
Joe 1
Michael 1
Nathan 1
Richd. 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Shelbourne surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shelbourne surname in 1881?

In 1881, 148 people were recorded with the Shelbourne surname. That placed it at #15,611 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shelbourne surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 393 in 2016. That gives Shelbourne a modern rank of #12,032.

What does the Shelbourne surname mean?

A place name referring to someone from Shelburn, Wiltshire or a "sheltered place".

What does the Shelbourne map show?

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