NameCensus.

UK surname

Shipman

An occupational surname referring to a sailor, mariner, or one who works on or owns ships.

In the 1881 census there were 1,107 people recorded with the Shipman surname, ranking it #3,595 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,539, ranked #4,020, down from #3,595 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Nottingham St Mary and Alfreton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Melton, North Lincolnshire and Bolsover.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shipman is 1,664 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.0%.

1881 census count

1,107

Ranked #3,595

Modern count

1,539

2016, ranked #4,020

Peak year

2000

1,664 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shipman had 1,107 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,595 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,539 in 2016, ranked #4,020.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,625 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Shipman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shipman surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shipman 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 740 #3,560
1861 historical 905 #3,060
1881 historical 1,107 #3,595
1891 historical 1,292 #3,349
1901 historical 1,457 #3,498
1911 historical 1,625 #2,990
1997 modern 1,631 #3,633
1998 modern 1,635 #3,756
1999 modern 1,660 #3,744
2000 modern 1,664 #3,709
2001 modern 1,607 #3,761
2002 modern 1,628 #3,783
2003 modern 1,569 #3,841
2004 modern 1,591 #3,804
2005 modern 1,543 #3,861
2006 modern 1,544 #3,849
2007 modern 1,567 #3,827
2008 modern 1,560 #3,881
2009 modern 1,625 #3,831
2010 modern 1,646 #3,863
2011 modern 1,629 #3,854
2012 modern 1,571 #3,915
2013 modern 1,580 #3,955
2014 modern 1,577 #3,989
2015 modern 1,551 #4,009
2016 modern 1,539 #4,020

Geography

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Where Shipmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Nottingham St Mary, Alfreton, Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Melton, North Lincolnshire, Bolsover and Harborough. 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 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
2 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
3 Alfreton Derbyshire
4 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Melton 001 Melton
2 North Lincolnshire 006 North Lincolnshire
3 Bolsover 007 Bolsover
4 Harborough 010 Harborough
5 Bolsover 006 Bolsover

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shipman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shipman

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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, Shipman 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

Shipman is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Shipman 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 Shipman 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 Shipman, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Shipman

The surname Shipman is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "scip" meaning ship and "mann" meaning man, referring to a person who worked on ships, possibly as a sailor or shipbuilder.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Shipman appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it is listed as Schipman. During the medieval period, variations of the spelling included Shippman, Shipeman, and Schypman.

The name is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which records several place names containing the element "ship," such as Shipley in Yorkshire and Shiplake in Oxfordshire, suggesting that the surname may have originated from these locations.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Shipman, born around 1350 in Wiltshire. He was a merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the wool trade between England and the Low Countries.

Another notable figure was Sir Abraham Shipman (c. 1566-1643), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1619. He was heavily involved in the East India Company and the Virginia Company.

In the 17th century, Edward Shipman (1616-1681) was a prominent Puritan minister in New England, known for his involvement in the Salem Witch Trials. He served as a minister in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts.

The surname Shipman also has connections to the British Royal Navy. Admiral Sir Richmond Shipman (1778-1837) was a distinguished naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was later appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Abraham Shipman (1662-1738), a British lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1727 to 1730.

While the surname Shipman originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, largely due to immigration patterns.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shipman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shipman 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. Yorkshire leads with 210 Shipmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.96x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 210 1.96x
Nottinghamshire 162 11.10x
Middlesex 145 1.34x
Leicestershire 123 10.25x
Lincolnshire 58 3.35x
Derbyshire 52 3.07x
Surrey 52 0.99x
Essex 49 2.29x
Warwickshire 39 1.43x
Kent 37 1.00x
Lancashire 32 0.25x
Wiltshire 21 2.19x
Durham 18 0.56x
Devon 14 0.62x
Cheshire 13 0.54x
Worcestershire 13 0.92x
Northamptonshire 12 1.18x
Shropshire 12 1.28x
Gloucestershire 11 0.52x
Suffolk 9 0.68x
Sussex 6 0.33x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.46x
Royal Navy 3 2.33x
Staffordshire 3 0.08x
Angus 2 0.20x
Cornwall 2 0.16x
Glamorgan 2 0.11x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.15x
Dorset 1 0.14x
Hampshire 1 0.05x
Lanarkshire 1 0.03x
Oxfordshire 1 0.15x
Somerset 1 0.06x
Westmorland 1 0.42x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Nottingham St Mary in Nottinghamshire leads with 55 Shipmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.57x.

Place Total Index
Nottingham St Mary 55 14.57x
Alfreton 33 64.08x
Ecclesall Bierlow 26 11.91x
Leicester St Mary 21 21.65x
Nether Hallam 21 14.47x
Kneeton 20 4651.16x
Sheffield 19 5.56x
Bethnal Green London 18 3.83x
Mile End Old Town 18 10.53x
Hinckley 17 59.69x
Leeds 17 2.81x
Shoreditch London 17 3.62x
St Pancras London 15 1.72x
Bentley Cum Arksey 14 250.00x
Leicester St Margaret 13 4.44x
Beckenham 12 24.85x
Birmingham 12 1.32x
Mile End New Town 12 81.19x
Shrewsbury St Mary 12 32.51x
Battersea 11 2.76x
Spalding 11 32.01x
Lambeth 10 1.06x
Newington 10 2.50x
Northampton All Sts 10 28.94x
Radford 10 13.49x
Skipwith 10 970.87x
Spitalfields London 10 12.28x
West Ham 10 2.12x
Aston 9 1.20x
Balderton 9 225.56x
Belgrave 9 33.22x
Bow London 9 6.53x
Grays Thurrock 9 45.29x
Great Grimsby 9 8.19x
Leicester All Sts 9 38.17x
Lutterworth 9 122.95x
Ratby 9 149.50x
Stathern 9 450.00x
Webheath 9 357.14x
Beddington 8 39.22x
Brinklow 8 274.91x
Chawleigh 8 321.29x
Gloucester St Owen 8 343.35x
Greasley 8 24.29x
Hackney London 8 1.32x
Heeley 8 24.53x
Plumstead 8 6.50x
Toxteth Park 8 1.84x
Chelsea London 7 2.15x
Doncaster 7 8.93x
Lenton 7 20.36x
Sculcoates 7 4.12x
Selby 7 31.22x
South Ockendon 7 158.01x
Tadcaster West 7 82.35x
Ashton Under Lyne 6 2.14x
Carlton In Selby 6 216.61x
Harby 6 273.97x
Hickling 6 327.87x
Hunslet 6 3.59x
Kirkby In Ashfield 6 38.44x
Middleton St George 6 148.88x
Sutton Stoneferry 6 19.54x
Upper Hallam 6 64.38x
Waltham Holy Cross 6 30.03x
Brightside Bierlow 5 2.38x
Calne 5 25.37x
East Bridgford 5 150.15x
Grantham 5 22.16x
Great Warley 5 103.31x
Liddiard Tregooze 5 204.08x
Little Baddow 5 247.52x
Liverpool 5 0.64x
Mansfield 5 9.90x
Snaith Cowick 5 77.88x
Spittlegate 5 20.88x
Stoughton 5 943.40x
Whaplode Drove 5 171.23x
Whitwood 5 32.81x
Woolwich 5 3.66x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 74
John 68
Thomas 45
George 42
James 29
Joseph 29
Henry 22
Alfred 21
Charles 18
Arthur 15
Walter 13
Edward 12
Andrew 9
Albert 7
Benjamin 7
Herbert 7
Richard 7
Robert 6
Edwin 5
Ernest 5
Frederick 5
Wm. 5
Frank 4
Harry 4
Matthew 4
Samuel 4
Francis 3
Jabez 3
Louis 3
Sydney 3
Thos. 3
Caleb 2
Enoch 2
Fred 2
Fredk. 2
Horace 2
Hy. 2
Jno. 2
Levi 2
Luke 2
Michael 2
Noah 2
Percy 2
Sidney 2
Tom 2
Willm. 2
David 1
Fredrick 1
G. 1
Geo. 1

FAQ

Shipman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shipman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,107 people were recorded with the Shipman surname. That placed it at #3,595 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shipman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,539 in 2016. That gives Shipman a modern rank of #4,020.

What does the Shipman surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a sailor, mariner, or one who works on or owns ships.

What does the Shipman map show?

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