NameCensus.

UK surname

Shovlin

An occupational surname for one who shoveled coal or dug ditches.

In the 1881 census there were 21 people recorded with the Shovlin surname, ranking it #30,609 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 261, ranked #16,309, up from #30,609 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lennoxtown, Sunderland and Milton of Campsie.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shovlin is 283 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 1142.9%.

1881 census count

21

Ranked #30,609

Modern count

261

2016, ranked #16,309

Peak year

2011

283 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shovlin had 21 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30,609 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 261 in 2016, ranked #16,309.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 26 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Shovlin surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shovlin surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shovlin 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 8 #31,867
1861 historical 26 #30,677
1881 historical 21 #30,609
1891 historical 17 #32,787
1901 historical 21 #31,686
1911 historical 18 #31,542
1997 modern 231 #16,049
1998 modern 241 #16,065
1999 modern 247 #15,932
2000 modern 251 #15,692
2001 modern 242 #15,832
2002 modern 252 #15,714
2003 modern 244 #15,861
2004 modern 240 #16,144
2005 modern 238 #16,198
2006 modern 248 #15,820
2007 modern 252 #15,815
2008 modern 255 #15,859
2009 modern 273 #15,436
2010 modern 281 #15,441
2011 modern 283 #15,193
2012 modern 277 #15,375
2013 modern 267 #16,053
2014 modern 266 #16,213
2015 modern 261 #16,318
2016 modern 261 #16,309

Geography

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Where Shovlins are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lennoxtown, Sunderland, Milton of Campsie and North Barlanark and Easterhouse South. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lennoxtown East Dunbartonshire
2 Sunderland 004 Sunderland
3 Milton of Campsie East Dunbartonshire
4 Sunderland 006 Sunderland
5 North Barlanark and Easterhouse South Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shovlin

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shovlin

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Shovlin 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

Shovlin is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Shovlin falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Shovlin 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 - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Shovlin, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Shovlin

The surname Shovlin is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name O'Siobhalan or O'Sioghbhalan, which originated in County Donegal, Ireland. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "siobh" meaning "fairy" and "bhaile" meaning "townland" or "place".

The earliest recorded spelling of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. It mentions a certain Domhnall O'Siobhalan who was a prominent chieftain in County Donegal during the 14th century.

The Shovlin surname is also found in the Fiants of the Tudor Conquest, a collection of administrative records from the 16th century reign of the Tudor monarchs in Ireland. These records document the granting of lands and titles to various Irish families, including the O'Sioghbhalans.

In the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many Irish families were displaced from their ancestral lands in County Donegal. As a result, the Shovlin name began to spread throughout Ireland and beyond. One notable figure from this period was Sir James Shovlin (1620-1688), a prominent landowner and member of the Irish Parliament.

Another historical figure of note was Patrick Shovlin (1756-1832), an Irish-born soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Pennsylvania.

In the 19th century, the Shovlin name can be found in various records and documents from both Ireland and the United States. One example is John Shovlin (1815-1890), a successful businessman and politician in New York City.

Other notable individuals with the Shovlin surname include Michael Shovlin (1892-1964), an Irish-American labor leader and politician in Pennsylvania, and Kathleen Shovlin (1919-2001), a renowned Irish artist and sculptor.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shovlin families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shovlin 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. Stirlingshire leads with 13 Shovlins recorded in 1881 and an index of 172.19x.

County Total Index
Stirlingshire 13 172.19x
Durham 3 4.92x
Yorkshire 3 1.48x
Lanarkshire 1 1.51x
Renfrewshire 1 6.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Campsie in Stirlingshire leads with 13 Shovlins recorded in 1881 and an index of 3170.73x.

Place Total Index
Campsie 13 3170.73x
Bishopwearmouth 3 57.36x
Leeds 3 26.18x
Lochwinnoch 1 416.67x
Maryhill 1 76.92x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 1
Margaret 1
Margret 1
Mary 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Hugh 1
Patrick 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Shovlin households.

FAQ

Shovlin surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shovlin surname in 1881?

In 1881, 21 people were recorded with the Shovlin surname. That placed it at #30,609 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shovlin surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 261 in 2016. That gives Shovlin a modern rank of #16,309.

What does the Shovlin surname mean?

An occupational surname for one who shoveled coal or dug ditches.

What does the Shovlin map show?

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