NameCensus.

UK surname

Shuter

A corruption of the Anglo-Saxon occupational surname "shooter" referring to an archer or bowman.

In the 1881 census there were 379 people recorded with the Shuter surname, ranking it #8,268 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 410, ranked #11,674, down from #8,268 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Farningham, St Leonard Shoreditch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Medway, Arun and Charnwood.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shuter is 517 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 8.2%.

1881 census count

379

Ranked #8,268

Modern count

410

2016, ranked #11,674

Peak year

1911

517 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shuter had 379 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,268 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 410 in 2016, ranked #11,674.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 517 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Shuter surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Shuter surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shuter 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 250 #8,788
1861 historical 209 #11,596
1881 historical 379 #8,268
1891 historical 424 #8,446
1901 historical 486 #8,224
1911 historical 517 #7,634
1997 modern 419 #10,625
1998 modern 441 #10,560
1999 modern 447 #10,497
2000 modern 426 #10,878
2001 modern 418 #10,860
2002 modern 422 #11,002
2003 modern 422 #10,825
2004 modern 410 #11,077
2005 modern 390 #11,397
2006 modern 386 #11,537
2007 modern 387 #11,652
2008 modern 393 #11,641
2009 modern 411 #11,480
2010 modern 422 #11,493
2011 modern 424 #11,314
2012 modern 417 #11,346
2013 modern 428 #11,304
2014 modern 421 #11,544
2015 modern 415 #11,583
2016 modern 410 #11,674

Geography

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Where Shuters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Farningham, St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes, Dartford and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Medway, Arun, Charnwood and North Norfolk. 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 Farningham Kent
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Dartford Kent
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Medway 003 Medway
2 Arun 002 Arun
3 Medway 001 Medway
4 Charnwood 006 Charnwood
5 North Norfolk 010 North Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shuter

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shuter

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Shuter surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Shuter household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Shuter 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

Shuter is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Shuter

The surname Shuter is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. Originally, it was an occupational name for someone who worked as a shooter or marksman, likely in the context of hunting or archery. The name is derived from the Middle English word "shuter," which in turn comes from the Old English "scytta," meaning shooter.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it appears as "William le Shuytere." This suggests that the name was already in use and associated with the occupation of shooting or archery in the 14th century.

In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, there is a mention of a place called "Shuteres Croft," which could be an early reference to a location or landholding associated with someone bearing the surname Shuter.

The Shuter surname also appears in various historical records and manuscripts from different parts of England, indicating its widespread use and distribution. For example, in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1524, there is a record of a "John Shuter," while in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Wiltshire from 1545, a "Thomas Shuter" is listed.

Notable individuals who bore the surname Shuter include:

1. Edward Shuter (1728-1776), an English actor and playwright who performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 2. John Shuter (1692-1768), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Heathen World Displayed" and "The Life of the Reverend Mr. George Whitefield." 3. William Shuter (1580-1626), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Master of Gresham College in London. 4. Robert Shuter (1643-1688), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Thetford in the late 17th century. 5. John Shuter (1783-1853), an English landscape painter and engraver known for his picturesque views of various English counties.

The surname Shuter has also been associated with various place names and localities throughout England, further reflecting its historical presence and distribution across the country.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shuter families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shuter 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 77 Shuters recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.08x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 77 2.08x
Surrey 50 2.78x
Kent 43 3.41x
Worcestershire 39 8.08x
Lancashire 33 0.75x
Warwickshire 29 3.11x
Yorkshire 17 0.46x
Devon 10 1.30x
Leicestershire 10 2.44x
Radnorshire 9 30.17x
Berkshire 8 2.88x
Somerset 8 1.34x
Dorset 7 2.88x
Hertfordshire 6 2.35x
Sussex 5 0.80x
Gloucestershire 3 0.41x
Oxfordshire 3 1.31x
Rutland 3 11.05x
Staffordshire 3 0.24x
Herefordshire 2 1.32x
Lanarkshire 2 0.17x
Lincolnshire 2 0.34x
Norfolk 2 0.35x
Shropshire 2 0.63x
Suffolk 2 0.44x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.43x
Cheshire 1 0.12x
Essex 1 0.14x
Northumberland 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 18 Shuters recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.58x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 18 5.58x
Aston 17 6.62x
Shoreditch London 16 9.98x
Camberwell 14 5.93x
Farningham 14 1238.94x
Yardley 13 105.26x
Leeds 12 5.80x
Birmingham 10 3.22x
Islington London 10 2.79x
Strood 10 138.89x
Hammersmith London 9 9.88x
Rochester St Nicholas 9 229.59x
Hampstead London 8 13.89x
Salford 8 6.20x
Worcester St Peter 8 87.53x
Buckhorn Weston 7 1060.61x
Leicester All Sts 7 86.96x
New Radnor 7 1166.67x
Thatcham 7 163.55x
Broxbourne 6 118.81x
Croydon 6 6.00x
Mile End Old Town 6 10.28x
Newington 6 4.39x
Whitechapel London 6 16.47x
Little Bolton 5 8.87x
Moss Side 5 21.66x
North Cray 5 625.00x
Plymouth Charles The 5 14.75x
Toxteth Park 5 3.37x
Hackney London 4 1.93x
Halifax 4 7.44x
Ratcliffe London 4 19.59x
Stoke Damerel 4 7.43x
Stoke Under Hambdon 4 205.13x
Sutton 4 27.19x
Westminster St John 4 8.88x
Worcester St Andrew 4 245.40x
Worcester St John 4 69.32x
Bristol St James St Paul 3 12.41x
Claines 3 22.64x
Layton With Warbreck 3 18.63x
Ore 3 64.66x
Barony 2 0.66x
Bermondsey 2 1.82x
Bethnal Green London 2 1.25x
Bushbury 2 89.29x
Cradley 2 90.09x
Gorleston 2 17.48x
Hallow 2 84.75x
Heigham 2 6.56x
Horton Kirby 2 102.56x
Kings Norton 2 4.62x
Leicester St Mary 2 6.04x
Ludlow St Lawrence 2 31.50x
Monckton Combe 2 105.26x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 2 73.80x
Presteigne 2 105.82x
Preston 2 571.43x
St Luke London 2 3.37x
Thornton In Fylde 2 20.83x
Westminster St James 2 5.26x
Barking 1 4.68x
Barrowden 1 131.58x
Battersea 1 0.74x
Cholsey 1 45.45x
Cleeve Prior 1 277.78x
Farnham 1 7.14x
Horsham 1 8.26x
Ilminster 1 24.04x
Leamington Priors 1 4.36x
Leicester St Margaret 1 1.00x
Market Deeping 1 65.36x
Oxford St Thomas 1 9.39x
Scarborough 1 3.00x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 1.34x
St Mary Woolnoth 1 500.00x
Stamford St George 1 37.59x
Twickenham 1 6.31x
West Bromwich 1 1.40x
Wouldham 1 62.50x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 21
Elizabeth 18
Sarah 18
Jane 9
Ann 7
Eliza 7
Louisa 7
Alice 5
Emma 5
Fanny 5
Margaret 5
Annie 4
Minnie 4
Agnes 3
Edith 3
Ellen 3
Esther 3
Florence 3
Matilda 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Catherine 2
Charlotte 2
Dinah 2
Ethel 2
Gertrude 2
Hannah 2
Isabel 2
Kate 2
Lydia 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Maryann 2
Selina 2
Sophia 2
Charlott 1
Elsie 1
Emily 1
Frances 1
George 1
Harrel 1
Jessica 1
Jessie 1
Larra 1
Lavinia 1
Letitia 1
Lily 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 30
James 17
George 13
Henry 10
John 10
Thomas 10
Alfred 7
Charles 6
Edward 6
Samuel 6
Joseph 4
Daniel 3
Frank 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
David 2
Ernest 2
Leonard 2
Robert 2
Walter 2
A.H. 1
Baun 1
Bert 1
Christr. 1
Edwin 1
Eleaser 1
Enoch 1
Ezekel 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Fredric.W. 1
Fredrick 1
Hy. 1
Isance 1
Jim 1
Jonathen 1
Percy 1
Reginald 1
Richard 1
Ruben 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Shuter surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shuter surname in 1881?

In 1881, 379 people were recorded with the Shuter surname. That placed it at #8,268 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shuter surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 410 in 2016. That gives Shuter a modern rank of #11,674.

What does the Shuter surname mean?

A corruption of the Anglo-Saxon occupational surname "shooter" referring to an archer or bowman.

What does the Shuter map show?

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