NameCensus.

UK surname

Shiers

An variant spelling of the English occupational surname for a woodcutter or shearer.

In the 1881 census there were 219 people recorded with the Shiers surname, ranking it #12,122 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 453, ranked #10,748, up from #12,122 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and St Werburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Knowsley, Portsmouth and Havant.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shiers is 487 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 106.8%.

1881 census count

219

Ranked #12,122

Modern count

453

2016, ranked #10,748

Peak year

2011

487 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shiers had 219 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,122 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 453 in 2016, ranked #10,748.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 377 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Shiers surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shiers surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shiers 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 180 #11,300
1861 historical 165 #14,112
1881 historical 219 #12,122
1891 historical 271 #11,992
1901 historical 334 #10,818
1911 historical 377 #9,719
1997 modern 422 #10,571
1998 modern 450 #10,409
1999 modern 453 #10,400
2000 modern 454 #10,360
2001 modern 451 #10,212
2002 modern 471 #10,076
2003 modern 455 #10,201
2004 modern 450 #10,321
2005 modern 462 #10,000
2006 modern 463 #10,015
2007 modern 457 #10,205
2008 modern 458 #10,276
2009 modern 470 #10,324
2010 modern 482 #10,319
2011 modern 487 #10,155
2012 modern 480 #10,168
2013 modern 468 #10,516
2014 modern 469 #10,570
2015 modern 455 #10,734
2016 modern 453 #10,748

Geography

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Where Shiers' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, St Werburgh and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Knowsley, Portsmouth, Havant and Tendring. 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 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Knowsley 004 Knowsley
2 Portsmouth 002 Portsmouth
3 Portsmouth 001 Portsmouth
4 Havant 009 Havant
5 Tendring 008 Tendring

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shiers

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shiers

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Shiers 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

Shiers 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

Shiers falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Shiers

The surname SHIERS is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "scir," which means "bright" or "shining." The name initially referred to someone with a bright or radiant appearance or personality.

SHIERS is also thought to be connected to the Old English word "scir," which means "shire" or "county." In this context, the name could have been given to someone who lived in a particular shire or county. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be "Shyre" in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Shiers, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Other early instances include William Shyers, listed in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkswire in 1379, and Thomas Shyres, mentioned in the Friary Rolls of York in 1408.

The name SHIERS has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Sir William Shiers (1784-1868), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

Another notable bearer of the name was John Shiers (1838-1904), an English-born Australian politician who served as the Premier of Queensland from 1888 to 1890.

In the United States, a prominent figure with the surname SHIERS was James Shiers (1816-1899), a lawyer and politician from New York who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1873 to 1877.

Additionally, the name SHIERS has been linked to various place names in England, such as Shiers Green in Staffordshire and Shiers Cross in Gloucestershire, suggesting a connection between the surname and specific geographical locations.

While the origins of the surname SHIERS can be traced back to medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and North America, through immigration and migration patterns over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shiers families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shiers 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 56 Shiers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.60x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 56 2.60x
Lancashire 55 2.15x
Surrey 15 1.43x
Yorkshire 14 0.66x
Kent 12 1.63x
Cheshire 10 2.10x
Derbyshire 10 2.96x
Warwickshire 7 1.29x
Leicestershire 6 2.51x
Staffordshire 5 0.69x
Devon 4 0.89x
Lanarkshire 4 0.57x
Northamptonshire 4 1.97x
Berkshire 3 1.85x
Essex 3 0.71x
Hampshire 3 0.68x
Royal Navy 2 7.79x
Rutland 2 12.63x
Somerset 2 0.58x
Durham 1 0.16x
Glamorgan 1 0.27x
Sussex 1 0.28x
Worcestershire 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Manchester in Lancashire leads with 20 Shiers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.39x.

Place Total Index
Manchester 20 17.39x
Lambeth 14 7.45x
Islington London 13 6.22x
St Marylebone London 10 8.69x
St Pancras London 10 5.76x
Kensington London 9 7.51x
Derby St Werburgh 8 41.05x
Bollington In 7 165.09x
Crayford 7 218.07x
North Meols 7 27.96x
Leicester St Margaret 6 10.29x
Salford 6 7.98x
Ardwick 5 21.67x
Batley 5 24.63x
Bexley 5 76.92x
Coventry Holy Trinity 5 30.81x
West Derby 5 6.68x
Accrington 4 17.20x
Barony 4 2.27x
Burton Upon Trent 4 23.50x
Shoreditch London 4 4.28x
Ashton On Mersey 3 121.95x
Hunslet 3 9.01x
Nether Heyford 3 500.00x
Plymouth St Andrew 3 8.68x
Reading St Giles 3 18.89x
St Giles In Fields 3 40.32x
Ashill 2 571.43x
Barugh 2 111.11x
Birmingham 2 1.10x
Derby St Alkmund 2 19.78x
Draughton 2 1538.46x
Lancaster 2 13.14x
Leyton 2 27.29x
Royal Navy 2 9.11x
St Andrew Holborn 2 27.36x
Uppingham 2 105.82x
Alverstoke 1 6.25x
Ashley 1 454.55x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 1 5.03x
Barton Upon Irwell 1 5.19x
Broughton In Salford 1 4.28x
Carlton In Skipton 1 80.00x
Chale 1 200.00x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 2.46x
Clapham 1 3.71x
Clerkenwell London 1 1.97x
Everton 1 1.23x
Hulme 1 1.87x
Llansamlet Lower 1 29.41x
Oldham 1 1.21x
Paddington London 1 1.26x
Redditch 1 17.51x
St Dunstan In West 1 217.39x
St George Hanover 1 3.55x
St Mary Kalendar 1 108.70x
St Sepulchre London 1 31.65x
Stafford St Mary 1 9.71x
Stranton 1 4.63x
Tormoham 1 5.27x
West Ham 1 1.06x
Westbourne 1 55.25x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 12
George 10
John 9
Thomas 9
Richard 7
Henry 5
Walter 5
Albert 4
Alfred 4
Charles 4
James 4
Arthur 3
Edward 3
Robert 3
Benjamin 2
Ed. 2
Fredk. 2
Joseph 2
Percy 2
Abert 1
Bertrame 1
Cornelius 1
Cuthbert 1
David 1
Decimus 1
Ehiram 1
F. 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Geo. 1
Henery 1
M. 1
Matthew 1
Octavius 1
Ralph 1
Samuel 1
Wilfred 1

FAQ

Shiers surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shiers surname in 1881?

In 1881, 219 people were recorded with the Shiers surname. That placed it at #12,122 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shiers surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 453 in 2016. That gives Shiers a modern rank of #10,748.

What does the Shiers surname mean?

An variant spelling of the English occupational surname for a woodcutter or shearer.

What does the Shiers map show?

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