NameCensus.

UK surname

Shippen

An English surname referring to someone who lived near a cattle shed or sheep pen.

In the 1881 census there were 155 people recorded with the Shippen surname, ranking it #15,174 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 206, ranked #19,183, down from #15,174 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Bees, Whitworth and Barwick-in-Elmett. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Tyneside, County Durham and Isle of Anglesey.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shippen is 240 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 32.9%.

1881 census count

155

Ranked #15,174

Modern count

206

2016, ranked #19,183

Peak year

1998

240 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shippen had 155 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,174 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 206 in 2016, ranked #19,183.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 178 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Shippen surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shippen surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shippen 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 129 #14,406
1861 historical 145 #15,715
1881 historical 155 #15,174
1891 historical 155 #17,920
1901 historical 178 #16,284
1911 historical 170 #16,510
1997 modern 235 #15,895
1998 modern 240 #16,117
1999 modern 240 #16,226
2000 modern 229 #16,695
2001 modern 224 #16,716
2002 modern 232 #16,637
2003 modern 228 #16,663
2004 modern 221 #17,066
2005 modern 209 #17,629
2006 modern 205 #18,005
2007 modern 206 #18,142
2008 modern 203 #18,470
2009 modern 216 #18,120
2010 modern 227 #17,895
2011 modern 214 #18,436
2012 modern 200 #19,207
2013 modern 205 #19,218
2014 modern 208 #19,194
2015 modern 207 #19,155
2016 modern 206 #19,183

Geography

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Where Shippens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Bees, Whitworth, Barwick-in-Elmett, Gateshead and Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Tyneside, County Durham and Isle of Anglesey. 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 St Bees Cumberland
2 Whitworth Durham
3 Barwick-in-Elmett Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Tynemouth (Chirton, Preston, Murton, Whitley, Monkseaton), Earsdon (Earsdon) Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Tyneside 012 South Tyneside
2 South Tyneside 020 South Tyneside
3 South Tyneside 009 South Tyneside
4 County Durham 033 County Durham
5 Isle of Anglesey 005 Isle of Anglesey

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shippen

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shippen

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

London Fringe

Within London, Shippen 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

Shippen is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Shippen falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Shippen

The surname Shippen has its origins in England, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "scipen," which means a cattle shed or a barn. The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near or worked in a cattle shed.

The earliest known record of the name Shippen can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Scipene" in the county of Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was already established in northern England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

Over the centuries, the name evolved into various spellings, including Shippen, Shippon, Shippan, and Shippens. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes or record keepers.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Shippen was Robert Shippen, who was born around 1305 in Yorkshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Justice of the Peace in the county.

In the late 16th century, the Shippen family established itself in Pennsylvania, where they became influential Quakers. Edward Shippen, born in 1639 in Yorkshire, emigrated to Boston in 1668 and later settled in Philadelphia. His grandson, Edward Shippen IV (1703-1781), was a prominent merchant and served as the Mayor of Philadelphia.

Another notable figure with the Shippen surname was William Shippen (1637-1693), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford. He was known for his controversial writings on religious topics.

In the 18th century, Margaret Shippen (1753-1801), also known as Peggy Shippen, gained notoriety as the wife of Benedict Arnold, the American Revolutionary War general who defected to the British. Her marriage to Arnold and her alleged role in his treason made her a controversial figure in American history.

During the American Civil War, Robert Grier Shippen (1820-1888) served as a Major General in the Union Army. He participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Chancellorsville.

Throughout its history, the Shippen surname has maintained its connection to its Old English roots, reflecting the family's origins in the cattle sheds and barns of medieval England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shippen families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shippen 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 62 Shippens recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.14x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 62 4.14x
Northumberland 27 12.00x
Cumberland 20 15.37x
Durham 15 3.34x
Devon 5 1.59x
Lancashire 5 0.28x
Suffolk 5 2.72x
Hertfordshire 4 3.84x
Middlesex 4 0.26x
Sussex 3 1.18x
Kent 2 0.39x
Oxfordshire 2 2.14x
Surrey 1 0.14x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 43 Shippens recorded in 1881 and an index of 50.83x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 43 50.83x
Whitehaven 13 187.32x
Wallsend 9 126.23x
Crosscanonby 7 162.79x
Prudhoe Castle 7 1590.91x
Heworth 6 67.72x
Whitley Monkseaton 6 10000.00x
Baylham 5 1724.14x
Exeter St Sidwell 5 69.35x
Newsham 5 3571.43x
Wakefield 5 43.48x
West Derby 5 9.53x
Barwick In Elmet 4 347.83x
Hertford St John 4 258.06x
Ryton 3 189.87x
St Giles 3 106.76x
Brighton 2 3.89x
Cawood 2 350.88x
Chollerton 2 317.46x
Dorchester 2 384.62x
Edmonton 2 16.42x
Headingley Cum Burley 2 20.75x
Longbenton 2 20.99x
Chapel Allerton 1 44.64x
Darlington 1 5.76x
Dorking 1 20.20x
Jesmond 1 31.55x
Lamesley 1 41.32x
Lewes St Ann 1 114.94x
Minster In Sheppey 1 11.70x
Paddington London 1 1.80x
St Pancras London 1 0.82x
Stella 1 256.41x
Tonbridge 1 5.38x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Sarah 8
Jane 7
Ann 5
Elizabeth 5
Ada 3
Alice 3
Annie 2
Catherine 2
Ellen 2
Kate 2
Agnes 1
Anna 1
Arabella 1
Bertha 1
Bessie 1
Betsey 1
Eliz 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Eva 1
Florence 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Hetty 1
Isabella 1
Jeannie 1
Jessie 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
Margt. 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
May 1
Meggy 1
Nancy 1
Polly 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
William 9
Thomas 8
Charles 5
George 5
Joseph 5
Henry 3
Richard 3
Anthony 2
Edmund 2
Edward 2
James 2
Paul 2
Walter 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Clifford 1
Douglas 1
Earnest 1
Harry 1
Nathaniel 1
Percy 1
Robert 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
Thos.W. 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Shippen surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shippen surname in 1881?

In 1881, 155 people were recorded with the Shippen surname. That placed it at #15,174 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shippen surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 206 in 2016. That gives Shippen a modern rank of #19,183.

What does the Shippen surname mean?

An English surname referring to someone who lived near a cattle shed or sheep pen.

What does the Shippen map show?

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