NameCensus.

UK surname

Shore

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near the seashore or a rocky slope.

In the 1881 census there were 3,214 people recorded with the Shore surname, ranking it #1,408 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,814, ranked #1,773, down from #1,408 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Shropshire and Barnsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shore is 4,044 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 18.7%.

1881 census count

3,214

Ranked #1,408

Modern count

3,814

2016, ranked #1,773

Peak year

2002

4,044 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shore had 3,214 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,408 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,814 in 2016, ranked #1,773.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,961 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Shore surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shore surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shore 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 2,172 #1,343
1861 historical 2,147 #1,358
1881 historical 3,214 #1,408
1891 historical 3,268 #1,454
1901 historical 3,780 #1,487
1911 historical 3,961 #1,296
1997 modern 3,721 #1,740
1998 modern 3,969 #1,705
1999 modern 3,997 #1,704
2000 modern 3,972 #1,708
2001 modern 3,886 #1,706
2002 modern 4,044 #1,670
2003 modern 3,906 #1,689
2004 modern 3,869 #1,719
2005 modern 3,806 #1,715
2006 modern 3,817 #1,716
2007 modern 3,823 #1,727
2008 modern 3,820 #1,738
2009 modern 3,909 #1,737
2010 modern 3,964 #1,756
2011 modern 3,917 #1,749
2012 modern 3,857 #1,742
2013 modern 3,902 #1,755
2014 modern 3,883 #1,769
2015 modern 3,849 #1,763
2016 modern 3,814 #1,773

Geography

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Where Shores are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood, London parishes, East and West Lavington and Kirkburton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Shropshire, Barnsley and Bath and North East Somerset. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 East and West Lavington Wiltshire
5 Kirkburton Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 041 Cheshire East
2 Shropshire 005 Shropshire
3 Cheshire East 051 Cheshire East
4 Barnsley 028 Barnsley
5 Bath and North East Somerset 016 Bath and North East Somerset

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shore

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shore

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Shore, 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 Shore surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Shore 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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Shore is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Shore 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

Shore falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Shore

The surname Shore is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "scor" meaning a shore, bank, or coastline. It is thought to have emerged as a topographic name given to individuals who resided near a shoreline or coastal area.

The earliest known records of the name Shore date back to the late 12th century, with references found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire from 1194. It is likely that the name originated in these coastal regions of England.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several listings of place names that may have influenced the surname Shore, such as Shorwell in the Isle of Wight and Shoreswood in Staffordshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de la Shore, a landowner recorded in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1203. Another early mention is that of Robert atte Shore, listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296.

Notable individuals with the surname Shore throughout history include John Shore (1751-1834), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of India from 1793 to 1798. Another prominent figure was Sir John Shore Bt. (1662-1752), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for East Grinstead.

In literature, the name Shore appears in works such as the medieval poem "Piers Plowman" by William Langland, where a character named "Shores Wyf" is mentioned. The surname is also associated with Jane Shore (c. 1445-1527), a mistress of King Edward IV of England, whose life inspired several literary works.

Other historical figures include the English architect William Shore Jr. (1591-1668), who designed several notable buildings in London, and John Shore (1670-1737), an English writer and translator known for his work on Latin and Greek texts.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shore families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shore 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 723 Shores recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.94x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 723 1.94x
Yorkshire 413 1.33x
Cheshire 252 3.63x
Middlesex 239 0.76x
Somerset 183 3.62x
Staffordshire 157 1.48x
Surrey 151 0.99x
Derbyshire 119 2.42x
Wiltshire 119 4.28x
Nottinghamshire 114 2.69x
Kent 86 0.80x
Devon 75 1.15x
Warwickshire 70 0.88x
Gloucestershire 48 0.78x
Shropshire 48 1.77x
Durham 30 0.32x
Worcestershire 30 0.73x
Hertfordshire 29 1.34x
Glamorgan 27 0.49x
Leicestershire 26 0.75x
Hampshire 25 0.39x
Suffolk 25 0.65x
Norfolk 23 0.48x
Midlothian 18 0.43x
Monmouthshire 18 0.79x
Lincolnshire 16 0.32x
Essex 15 0.24x
Channel Islands 14 1.50x
Dorset 14 0.68x
Oxfordshire 13 0.67x
Berkshire 11 0.47x
Roxburghshire 9 1.58x
Cambridgeshire 8 0.40x
Sussex 8 0.15x
West Lothian 8 1.69x
Ayrshire 7 0.30x
Herefordshire 7 0.54x
Lanarkshire 7 0.07x
Northamptonshire 5 0.17x
Northumberland 5 0.11x
Fife 4 0.22x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.16x
Dumfriesshire 3 0.43x
Isle of Man 3 0.51x
Cornwall 2 0.06x
Flintshire 2 0.24x
Renfrewshire 2 0.08x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.03x
Bedfordshire 1 0.06x
Cumberland 1 0.04x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.16x
Selkirkshire 1 0.35x
Stirlingshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Castleton in Lancashire leads with 78 Shores recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.95x.

Place Total Index
Castleton 78 20.95x
Sutton In Ashfield 77 83.79x
Spotland 72 17.37x
West Lavington 57 427.61x
Wardleworth 56 26.28x
Butterworth 54 59.45x
Stoke Upon Trent 53 4.71x
Stockport 52 14.57x
Wuerdle Wardle 50 44.18x
Ecclesall Bierlow 40 6.32x
Oldham 38 3.16x
Birmingham 37 1.40x
Salford 35 3.19x
Aston 30 1.37x
Southowram 30 31.57x
Heage 28 107.57x
Croydon 26 3.06x
Long Ashton 25 99.68x
Wickersley 25 290.02x
Bromley London 24 3.47x
Bedminster 22 4.63x
Wolverhampton 22 2.70x
Bethnal Green London 21 1.54x
Manchester 21 1.25x
Almondbury 20 13.28x
Blatchinworth 20 23.56x
Crompton 20 18.84x
Heap 20 10.11x
Lambeth 20 0.73x
Wellington 20 13.11x
Glossop Dale 19 8.25x
Hulme 19 2.44x
Newington 19 1.64x
Plumstead 19 5.32x
Dudley 18 3.61x
Pendleton In Salford 18 4.05x
Batley 17 5.75x
Islington London 17 0.56x
Mile End Old Town 17 3.43x
Wooldale 17 32.19x
Bury 16 3.76x
Hepworth 16 127.29x
Llanwonno 16 8.14x
Halifax 15 3.28x
Linthwaite 15 22.92x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 14 3.46x
Kensington London 14 0.80x
Brightside Bierlow 13 2.13x
Chadderton 13 7.13x
Claylane 13 19.01x
Darlaston 13 8.87x
Hackney London 13 0.74x
Leicester St Mary 13 4.62x
Liverpool 13 0.57x
Lyncombe Widcombe 13 9.82x
Middlesbrough 13 3.21x
Newton 13 4.52x
Whittington 13 19.10x
Birkenhead 12 2.17x
Leicester St Margaret 12 1.41x
Marksbury 12 485.83x
Shoreditch London 12 0.88x
St Pancras London 12 0.47x
Tattenhall 12 101.69x
West Derby 12 1.10x
Bedwellty 11 2.74x
Brinnington 11 16.98x
Broughton In Salford 11 3.23x
Codnor Loscoe 11 28.23x
Deptford St Paul 11 1.33x
Devizes St Mary 11 39.17x
Disley Stanley 11 30.80x
Saddleworth 11 4.58x
St Peter Port 11 6.39x
Stockton 11 424.71x
Austonley 10 56.72x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 10 0.59x
Everton 10 0.84x
Harpenden 10 30.28x
Netherthong 10 99.30x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 215
Sarah 145
Elizabeth 137
Ann 78
Jane 72
Alice 54
Ellen 52
Emma 52
Martha 50
Hannah 43
Annie 42
Eliza 40
Emily 35
Harriet 29
Edith 26
Ada 20
Caroline 18
Louisa 18
Maria 15
Fanny 14
Florence 14
Frances 14
Charlotte 13
Esther 13
Margaret 13
Susan 12
Catherine 11
Eleanor 10
Harriett 10
Lucy 10
Clara 9
Lydia 9
Amelia 8
Betty 8
Matilda 8
Agnes 7
Bertha 7
Grace 7
Nancy 7
Rebecca 7
Selina 7
Anne 6
Isabella 6
Julia 6
Minnie 6
Rose 6
Beatrice 5
Betsy 5
Ethel 5
Jessie 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 176
William 166
Thomas 118
James 105
George 90
Henry 68
Charles 64
Joseph 62
Samuel 46
Edward 44
Alfred 37
Arthur 32
Richard 30
Walter 30
Albert 24
Robert 22
Frederick 21
Herbert 20
Harry 19
Fred 17
Frank 15
Edwin 13
Ernest 12
Isaac 10
Jacob 9
Benjamin 8
David 8
Sidney 8
Stephen 8
Edmund 7
Wm. 7
Eli 6
Francis 6
Fredk. 6
Thos. 5
Aaron 4
Ben 4
Jesse 4
Job 4
Jonas 4
Joshua 4
Levi 4
Nathaniel 4
Peter 4
Reuben 4
Robt. 4
Sydney 4
Anthony 3
Geo. 3
Sam 3

FAQ

Shore surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shore surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,214 people were recorded with the Shore surname. That placed it at #1,408 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shore surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,814 in 2016. That gives Shore a modern rank of #1,773.

What does the Shore surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near the seashore or a rocky slope.

What does the Shore map show?

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