NameCensus.

UK surname

Ship

A surname derived from the occupation of a sailor or ship's captain.

In the 1881 census there were 463 people recorded with the Ship surname, ranking it #7,170 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 193, ranked #20,039, down from #7,170 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sevenoaks, Test Valley and Southampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ship is 668 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 58.3%.

1881 census count

463

Ranked #7,170

Modern count

193

2016, ranked #20,039

Peak year

1851

668 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ship had 463 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,170 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 193 in 2016, ranked #20,039.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 668 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Ship surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ship surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ship 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 668 #3,891
1861 historical 505 #5,180
1881 historical 463 #7,170
1891 historical 420 #8,528
1901 historical 382 #9,775
1911 historical 271 #12,237
1997 modern 198 #17,729
1998 modern 202 #17,991
1999 modern 200 #18,237
2000 modern 195 #18,494
2001 modern 191 #18,453
2002 modern 191 #18,817
2003 modern 186 #18,928
2004 modern 184 #19,183
2005 modern 169 #20,153
2006 modern 161 #20,972
2007 modern 164 #20,973
2008 modern 172 #20,523
2009 modern 184 #20,079
2010 modern 189 #20,171
2011 modern 180 #20,649
2012 modern 183 #20,356
2013 modern 193 #19,997
2014 modern 196 #19,961
2015 modern 194 #19,994
2016 modern 193 #20,039

Geography

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Where Ships are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch, St Pancras, Haverhill, Little Wratting and Hadham, Much. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sevenoaks, Test Valley, Southampton and Hart. 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 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Haverhill, Little Wratting Suffolk
5 Hadham, Much Hertfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sevenoaks 014 Sevenoaks
2 Test Valley 005 Test Valley
3 Southampton 003 Southampton
4 Southampton 019 Southampton
5 Hart 003 Hart

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ship

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ship

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Ship surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Ship household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Ship is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

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

Ship is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ship falls in decile 10 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.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Ship

The surname SHIP is an English occupational surname that originated in the medieval period. It derives from the Old English word "scip" or "scipu", meaning "ship" or "vessel". This surname was likely given to someone who worked on ships, such as sailors, shipbuilders, or merchant traders involved in maritime activities.

The earliest recorded instances of the SHIP surname can be found in historical records from the 13th century. One notable example is Robert le Schip, mentioned in the Cambridgeshire Hundredorum Rolls in 1279. Another early record is that of William Schip, who appears in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.

During the Middle Ages, the SHIP surname was particularly prevalent in coastal regions of England, such as Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where maritime trade and shipbuilding were thriving industries. Some early bearers of the name were likely associated with important ports like Harwich, Yarmouth, or King's Lynn.

The surname also appears in various spellings in historical documents, including Shippe, Shyppe, and Shipp. These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during that time period.

One notable bearer of the SHIP surname was Sir John Shipp (c. 1515-1586), a prominent English merchant and shipowner who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1577. Another was Captain Thomas Shipp (1555-1615), an English sea captain and explorer who is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore and map parts of the New England coastline in the early 17th century.

Other historical figures with the SHIP surname include John Ship (c. 1730-1809), an English clockmaker and inventor who patented several innovations in clock design, and William Ship (1820-1888), a British engineer and shipbuilder who founded the Ship & Armour Company in Liverpool, a major shipbuilding firm in the 19th century.

The SHIP surname is also found in various place names throughout England, such as Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire, which is derived from the Old English "Scippesstun", meaning "Ship's Town".

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ship families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ship 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 109 Ships recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.41x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 109 2.41x
Suffolk 85 15.45x
Cambridgeshire 43 15.03x
Essex 34 3.81x
Hertfordshire 27 8.67x
Hampshire 24 2.59x
Norfolk 24 3.46x
Surrey 17 0.77x
Yorkshire 16 0.36x
Gloucestershire 15 1.69x
Kent 15 0.97x
Berkshire 8 2.36x
Sussex 8 1.05x
Monmouthshire 7 2.14x
Buckinghamshire 6 2.20x
Durham 5 0.37x
Huntingdonshire 4 4.46x
Somerset 4 0.55x
Glamorgan 3 0.38x
Devon 2 0.21x
Staffordshire 2 0.13x
Cheshire 1 0.10x
Northamptonshire 1 0.24x
Renfrewshire 1 0.29x
Warwickshire 1 0.09x
Wiltshire 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Haverhill in Suffolk leads with 25 Ships recorded in 1881 and an index of 511.25x.

Place Total Index
Haverhill 25 511.25x
Shoreditch London 21 10.73x
Enfield 14 47.25x
Wivenhoe 14 395.48x
Portsea 13 7.17x
West Ham 11 5.59x
Fawley 10 340.14x
Great Hadham 10 497.51x
Hoxne 10 641.03x
St Luke London 9 12.42x
Burwell 8 233.24x
Middlesbrough 8 13.73x
Oakley 8 1860.47x
Brighton 7 4.56x
Cheshunt 7 64.34x
Kelsale 7 457.52x
Wortley In Bramley 7 19.75x
Acton 6 22.66x
Aston Clinton 6 259.74x
Chiswick 6 24.31x
Doddington 6 285.71x
Epsom 6 55.97x
Loddon 6 335.20x
St Pancras London 6 1.65x
Witham 6 130.72x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 5 6.00x
Burnham Westgate 5 333.33x
Ealing 5 12.39x
Little Hadham 5 378.79x
St Marylebone London 5 2.07x
Stetchworth 5 531.91x
Wisbech St Peter 5 34.84x
Barking 4 140.35x
Chesterton 4 45.35x
Christchurch 4 39.60x
Clewer 4 28.80x
Clifton 4 8.93x
Coddenham 4 317.46x
Hartlepool 4 20.94x
Laxfield 4 291.97x
Paddington London 4 2.41x
St Andrewthe Less 4 12.24x
St Ives 4 86.02x
Upchurch 4 229.89x
Westbury On Trym 4 13.33x
Bethnal Green London 3 1.53x
Bromley London 3 3.02x
Combe Hay 3 1034.48x
Eye 3 84.51x
Henley On Thames 3 789.47x
Islington London 3 0.69x
Occold 3 370.37x
Otley 3 306.12x
Redenhall 3 111.11x
Risca 3 48.78x
St Martin In Fields 3 11.09x
St Martin Vintry 3 2727.27x
Thundridge 3 410.96x
Bray 2 20.08x
Camberwell 2 0.69x
Clerkenwell London 2 1.88x
Debenham 2 109.29x
Diss 2 33.61x
East Dereham 2 22.81x
Gaywood 2 160.00x
Great Yarmouth 2 3.48x
Greenwich 2 2.78x
Hertford St Andrew 2 52.08x
Lambeth 2 0.51x
Lewisham 2 2.43x
Linton 2 73.53x
Llandaff 2 7.65x
New Windsor 2 17.54x
Penge 2 6.93x
Poplar London 2 2.35x
Rotherhithe 2 3.58x
Stretham 2 97.56x
Teddington London 2 19.55x
Willesden 2 4.70x
Woolwich 2 3.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 34
Elizabeth 19
Sarah 14
Eliza 13
Ann 11
Caroline 8
Emily 8
Alice 7
Ellen 6
Harriet 6
Harriett 6
Jane 6
Louisa 6
Emma 5
Hannah 5
Kate 5
Clara 4
Catherine 3
Fanny 3
Martha 3
Selina 3
Elizth. 2
Isabella 2
Jemima 2
Katie 2
Lizzie 2
Minnie 2
Phoebe 2
Rosa 2
Amelia 1
Annie 1
Arabella 1
Charlotte 1
Constance 1
Dinah 1
Edith 1
Esther 1
Florence 1
Flower 1
Gertrede 1
Julia 1
Karen 1
Laura 1
Lilly 1
Liza 1
Lucy 1
Mabel 1
Mable 1
Maria 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 27
James 19
John 17
Charles 15
George 13
Henry 13
Robert 13
Joseph 11
Alfred 7
Samuel 7
Thomas 7
Arthur 6
Harry 5
Richard 5
Walter 5
Edward 4
Frederick 4
Fredrick 3
Benjamin 2
Frank 2
Mark 2
Peter 2
Saml. 2
Solomon 2
Danial 1
Eli 1
Francis 1
Fredk 1
Geo. 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Jacob 1
Jesse 1
Job 1
Jonas 1
Joshua 1
Lisle 1
Michael 1
Mike 1
Nelson 1
Norah 1
Paul 1
Philliph 1
Richd. 1
Robt. 1
Rowland 1
Saville 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Ship surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ship surname in 1881?

In 1881, 463 people were recorded with the Ship surname. That placed it at #7,170 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ship surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 193 in 2016. That gives Ship a modern rank of #20,039.

What does the Ship surname mean?

A surname derived from the occupation of a sailor or ship's captain.

What does the Ship map show?

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