NameCensus.

UK surname

Shennan

In the 1881 census there were 156 people recorded with the Shennan surname, ranking it #15,114 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 382, ranked #12,292, up from #15,114 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kelton, Rerrick and Colvend and Southwick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carrick South, Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shennan is 393 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 144.9%.

1881 census count

156

Ranked #15,114

Modern count

382

2016, ranked #12,292

Peak year

1999

393 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shennan had 156 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,114 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 382 in 2016, ranked #12,292.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 248 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Shennan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shennan surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shennan 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 138 #13,745
1861 historical 205 #11,769
1881 historical 156 #15,114
1891 historical 235 #13,316
1901 historical 248 #13,204
1911 historical 96 #23,193
1997 modern 340 #12,428
1998 modern 378 #11,871
1999 modern 393 #11,602
2000 modern 389 #11,645
2001 modern 375 #11,774
2002 modern 381 #11,865
2003 modern 368 #11,963
2004 modern 358 #12,252
2005 modern 364 #12,008
2006 modern 362 #12,151
2007 modern 373 #12,005
2008 modern 373 #12,104
2009 modern 371 #12,399
2010 modern 372 #12,651
2011 modern 374 #12,464
2012 modern 362 #12,615
2013 modern 365 #12,766
2014 modern 382 #12,408
2015 modern 380 #12,364
2016 modern 382 #12,292

Geography

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Where Shennans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kelton, Rerrick, Colvend and Southwick, Edinburgh and Annan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Carrick South, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, Wirral and Sefton. 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 Kelton Kirkcudbright
2 Rerrick Kirkcudbright
3 Colvend and Southwick Kirkcudbright
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Annan Dumfries

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carrick South South Ayrshire
2 Castle Douglas Dumfries and Galloway
3 Dalbeattie Dumfries and Galloway
4 Wirral 023 Wirral
5 Sefton 017 Sefton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shennan

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shennan

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

Established but Challenged

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

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, Shennan 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

Shennan 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

Shennan 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 Shennan 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 - Irish

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

1881 census detail

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Shennan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shennan 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. Kirkcudbrightshire leads with 77 Shennans recorded in 1881 and an index of 351.76x.

County Total Index
Kirkcudbrightshire 77 351.76x
Dumfriesshire 17 50.90x
Lancashire 17 0.95x
Wigtownshire 15 74.74x
Cumberland 7 5.38x
Midlothian 7 3.46x
Surrey 5 0.68x
Cheshire 4 1.20x
Ayrshire 2 1.77x
Northumberland 2 0.89x
Kent 1 0.19x
Sussex 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Annan in Dumfriesshire leads with 14 Shennans recorded in 1881 and an index of 487.80x.

Place Total Index
Annan 14 487.80x
Kirkdale 14 46.39x
Kelton 13 722.22x
Balmaclellan 8 1632.65x
Troqueer 8 278.75x
Caldewgate 7 98.18x
Colvend 7 1060.61x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 7 8.59x
Kirkpatrick Durham 7 1029.41x
Rerrick 7 744.68x
Balmaghie 6 1250.00x
Kirkinner 6 722.89x
Newabbey 6 1276.60x
Godalming 5 107.76x
Kirkcolm 5 520.83x
Birkenhead 4 15.04x
Kirkgunzeon 3 882.35x
Urr 3 105.26x
Crossmichael 2 289.86x
Elswick 2 11.14x
Mochrum 2 166.67x
West Derby 2 3.81x
Buittle 1 196.08x
Carsphairn 1 400.00x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.51x
Girthon 1 135.14x
Girvan 1 35.21x
Glasserton 1 161.29x
Glencairn 1 111.11x
Great Crosby 1 20.45x
Hastings St Leonards 1 26.67x
Kirkcudbright 1 55.25x
Kirkmabreck 1 104.17x
Kirkmahoe 1 153.85x
Largs 1 37.45x
Mouswald 1 344.83x
Penninghame 1 48.78x
Tongland 1 232.56x
Twynholm 1 285.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 2
Jannet 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Elizth. 1
Emma 1
Jane 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 5
John 4
Andrew 3
Robert 3
James 2
Alex 1
Basil 1
David 1
Peter 1

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 Shennan households.

FAQ

Shennan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shennan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 156 people were recorded with the Shennan surname. That placed it at #15,114 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shennan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 382 in 2016. That gives Shennan a modern rank of #12,292.

What does the Shennan map show?

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