NameCensus.

UK surname

Shepstone

In the 1881 census there were 174 people recorded with the Shepstone surname, ranking it #14,042 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 107, ranked #29,762, down from #14,042 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Llandaff (incl. Canton), Leckwith and Winscombe. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, South Kesteven and Low Blantyre and Bardykes.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shepstone is 218 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 38.5%.

1881 census count

174

Ranked #14,042

Modern count

107

2016, ranked #29,762

Peak year

1911

218 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shepstone had 174 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,042 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 107 in 2016, ranked #29,762.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 218 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Shepstone surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shepstone surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shepstone 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 83 #19,181
1861 historical 116 #18,751
1881 historical 174 #14,042
1891 historical 203 #14,754
1901 historical 201 #15,059
1911 historical 218 #14,177
1997 modern 130 #23,021
1998 modern 134 #23,202
1999 modern 137 #23,083
2000 modern 136 #23,155
2001 modern 136 #22,855
2002 modern 129 #24,021
2003 modern 130 #23,672
2004 modern 131 #23,756
2005 modern 134 #23,406
2006 modern 131 #23,942
2007 modern 123 #25,208
2008 modern 124 #25,371
2009 modern 127 #25,564
2010 modern 128 #26,036
2011 modern 126 #26,060
2012 modern 115 #27,717
2013 modern 115 #28,176
2014 modern 114 #28,608
2015 modern 109 #29,327
2016 modern 107 #29,762

Geography

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Where Shepstones are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Llandaff (incl. Canton), Leckwith, Winscombe, St Philip and Jacob and Nailsea. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, South Kesteven, Low Blantyre and Bardykes, Powys and East Riding of Yorkshire. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Llandaff (incl. Canton), Leckwith Glamorganshire
3 Winscombe Somerset
4 St Philip and Jacob Gloucestershire
5 Nailsea Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 021 Cornwall
2 South Kesteven 016 South Kesteven
3 Low Blantyre and Bardykes South Lanarkshire
4 Powys 020 Powys
5 East Riding of Yorkshire 014 East Riding of Yorkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shepstone

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shepstone

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Shepstone is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Shepstone is most concentrated in decile 4 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.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Shepstone falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Shepstone families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shepstone 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. Somerset leads with 78 Shepstones recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.72x.

County Total Index
Somerset 78 28.72x
Gloucestershire 51 15.41x
Glamorgan 17 5.79x
Surrey 10 1.22x
Nottinghamshire 5 2.20x
Lancashire 2 0.10x
Monmouthshire 2 1.64x
Shropshire 2 1.37x
Derbyshire 1 0.38x
Devon 1 0.28x
Isle of Man 1 3.19x
Middlesex 1 0.06x
Warwickshire 1 0.24x
Wiltshire 1 0.67x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Winscombe in Somerset leads with 22 Shepstones recorded in 1881 and an index of 3013.70x.

Place Total Index
Winscombe 22 3013.70x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 16 51.35x
Nailsea 12 1121.50x
Bristol St George 11 71.85x
Llandaff 9 92.12x
Westbury On Trym 9 80.29x
Shipham 8 3333.33x
Weston Super Mare 7 102.04x
Ystradyfodwg 7 27.16x
Lambeth 6 4.08x
Axbridge 5 1923.08x
Bristol St Michael 5 176.06x
Portishead 5 247.52x
Bristol St James St Paul 4 36.23x
Hucknall Torkard 4 69.32x
Long Ashton 4 296.30x
Stapleton 4 63.69x
Stone Easton 4 1904.76x
Wraxall 4 769.23x
Penge 3 27.83x
Walton In Gordano 3 1034.48x
Cheddar 2 145.99x
Clitheroe 2 33.96x
Madeley 2 37.38x
Abergavenny 1 21.88x
Battersea 1 1.61x
Bedminster 1 3.92x
Bedwellty 1 4.64x
Birmingham 1 0.71x
Bristol Temple 1 45.87x
Buxton 1 44.64x
Cardiff St John 1 10.42x
Dartmouth Townstall 1 69.93x
Horfield 1 30.03x
Kensington London 1 1.07x
Malew 1 36.50x
Stapleford 1 54.05x
Swindon 1 8.64x
Wells St Cuthbert Out 1 45.66x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 7
Ann 6
Sarah 6
Mary 5
Annie 4
Caroline 4
Eliza 4
Ada 3
Charlotte 3
Emily 3
Emma 3
Clara 2
Ellen 2
Fanny 2
Flora 2
Florance 2
Ida 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Priscilla 2
Adeline 1
Alice 1
Alma 1
Amelia 1
Amy 1
Blanch 1
Catherine 1
Elisa 1
Elizath. 1
Elizth. 1
Florence 1
Georgeiana 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Henrietta 1
J. 1
Jemima 1
Julia 1
Lavinia 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Minni 1
Rose 1
Sealey 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
George 10
John 6
Charles 4
Edward 4
Alfred 3
Edmund 3
Henry 3
James 3
Joseph 3
Sidney 3
Thomas 3
Cornelius 2
Oliver 2
Albert 1
Arthur 1
Aurther 1
Frank 1
Geo. 1
Gilbert 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Hartley 1
Idris 1
Isaac 1
Jesse 1
Lawrence 1
Nicholas 1
Phillip 1
Rudolf 1
Saml. 1
Theophilus 1
Theopiulus 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Shepstone surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shepstone surname in 1881?

In 1881, 174 people were recorded with the Shepstone surname. That placed it at #14,042 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shepstone surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 107 in 2016. That gives Shepstone a modern rank of #29,762.

What does the Shepstone map show?

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