NameCensus.

UK surname

Shevlin

A surname possibly derived from an Irish Gaelic personal name meaning "descendant of the peaceful one".

In the 1881 census there were 72 people recorded with the Shevlin surname, ranking it #23,371 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 691, ranked #7,785, up from #23,371 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hamilton, Liverpool and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolsover, Sheffield and Laighstonehall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shevlin is 691 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 859.7%.

1881 census count

72

Ranked #23,371

Modern count

691

2016, ranked #7,785

Peak year

2016

691 bearers

Map years

4

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shevlin had 72 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,371 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 691 in 2016, ranked #7,785.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 162 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Shevlin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shevlin surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shevlin 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 7 #32,070
1861 historical 47 #28,023
1881 historical 72 #23,371
1891 historical 91 #25,239
1901 historical 162 #17,271
1911 historical 93 #23,492
1997 modern 585 #8,291
1998 modern 606 #8,329
1999 modern 600 #8,438
2000 modern 609 #8,347
2001 modern 578 #8,506
2002 modern 584 #8,598
2003 modern 567 #8,645
2004 modern 566 #8,685
2005 modern 581 #8,461
2006 modern 593 #8,359
2007 modern 613 #8,224
2008 modern 615 #8,252
2009 modern 630 #8,271
2010 modern 654 #8,199
2011 modern 654 #8,115
2012 modern 650 #8,072
2013 modern 667 #8,042
2014 modern 677 #7,989
2015 modern 687 #7,839
2016 modern 691 #7,785

Geography

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Where Shevlins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hamilton, Liverpool, Glasgow, Paisley Abbey and Bishop Wearmouth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolsover, Sheffield, Laighstonehall, Hamilton Centre and Low Parks and Halton. 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 Hamilton Lanark
2 Liverpool Lancashire
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Paisley Abbey Renfrew
5 Bishop Wearmouth Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolsover 006 Bolsover
2 Sheffield 015 Sheffield
3 Laighstonehall South Lanarkshire
4 Hamilton Centre and Low Parks South Lanarkshire
5 Halton 010 Halton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shevlin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shevlin

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Shevlin, 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 Shevlin surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Shevlin 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Shevlin 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

Shevlin is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Shevlin 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 Shevlin 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Shevlin

The surname Shevlin is of Irish origin and has its roots in County Cavan, located in the northwestern part of Ireland. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic personal name "Siadhail," meaning "hawk-like" or "hunting hawk."

Historically, the name Shevlin can be traced back to the 16th century in County Cavan, where it was recorded in various legal documents and land records. The earliest known mention of the name dates back to 1599 when a Patrick Shevlin was listed in the Fiants of Queen Elizabeth I.

One notable historical reference to the Shevlin name is found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1409, a "John O'Shevlin" is mentioned as a member of the O'Reilly clan, a prominent Gaelic family in County Cavan.

The name Shevlin has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded examples is Richard Shevlin, born in 1690 in County Cavan, who served as a captain in the Irish Brigades of the French Army during the 18th century.

Another prominent figure with the Shevlin surname was Michael Shevlin (1783-1856), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for the County Cavan constituency in the early 19th century.

In the United States, Thomas Shevlin (1854-1935) was a successful businessman and lumber baron from Minnesota, who played a significant role in the development of the timber industry in the Pacific Northwest.

Moving to the literary world, Dermot Shevlin (1920-1998) was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known for his works exploring the complexities of life in rural Ireland.

Finally, in the realm of sports, John Shevlin (born 1948) was a professional soccer player from Northern Ireland who represented his country at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

Throughout its history, the Shevlin surname has undergone various spellings, such as Shevlin, Shevelin, Sheevelin, and Shevelan, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic influences of the areas where it was prevalent.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shevlin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shevlin 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. Lancashire leads with 27 Shevlins recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.24x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 27 3.24x
Lanarkshire 10 4.40x
Midlothian 9 9.57x
Northumberland 9 8.61x
Durham 5 2.39x
Shropshire 5 8.24x
Yorkshire 3 0.43x
Renfrewshire 2 3.67x
Isle of Man 1 7.67x
Wigtownshire 1 10.72x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 8 Shevlins recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.81x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 8 15.81x
Inveresk 7 274.51x
Wallsend 6 181.27x
Govan 5 8.90x
Brompton Rhiston 4 10000.00x
Gateshead 4 25.58x
Openshaw 4 102.56x
Toxteth Park 4 14.17x
Everton 3 11.30x
New Monkland 3 44.71x
Normanby In 3 161.29x
Clayton Le Moors 2 123.46x
Gorbals 2 148.15x
Liberton 2 137.93x
Newcastle On Tyne St 2 36.90x
Paisley High Church 2 46.19x
Spotland 2 21.58x
Alnham 1 3333.33x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 15.11x
Chirbury 1 277.78x
Crumpsall 1 51.02x
German Peel 1 133.33x
Newfield 1 357.14x
Sefton 1 1111.11x
Tottington Lower End 1 25.25x
Wigtown 1 188.68x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Margaret 3
Ann 2
Bridget 2
Margt. 2
Catherine 1
Cathrine 1
Cecilia 1
Ellen 1
Isabella 1
Jane 1
Julia 1
Maggie 1
Rosanna 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 4
Patrick 3
Thomas 3
John 2
Arthur 1
Bernard 1
Cornelius 1
Corney 1
Edw. 1
Edward 1
Henry 1
Jno. 1
Joseph 1
Martin 1
Michael 1
Peter 1
Phillip 1
Stephen 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 Shevlin households.

FAQ

Shevlin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shevlin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 72 people were recorded with the Shevlin surname. That placed it at #23,371 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shevlin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 691 in 2016. That gives Shevlin a modern rank of #7,785.

What does the Shevlin surname mean?

A surname possibly derived from an Irish Gaelic personal name meaning "descendant of the peaceful one".

What does the Shevlin map show?

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