NameCensus.

UK surname

Sill

Derived from Old Norse "sil," referring to a stream or brook, likely indicating someone who lived near one.

In the 1881 census there were 354 people recorded with the Sill surname, ranking it #8,701 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 301, ranked #14,696, down from #8,701 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Upleatham, London parishes and Kelloe. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Redcar and Cleveland, Scarborough and Kirklees.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sill is 445 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 15.0%.

1881 census count

354

Ranked #8,701

Modern count

301

2016, ranked #14,696

Peak year

1901

445 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sill had 354 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,701 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 301 in 2016, ranked #14,696.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 445 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Sill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sill 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 271 #8,257
1861 historical 386 #6,638
1881 historical 354 #8,701
1891 historical 431 #8,330
1901 historical 445 #8,782
1911 historical 439 #8,671
1997 modern 306 #13,353
1998 modern 322 #13,248
1999 modern 332 #13,075
2000 modern 330 #13,066
2001 modern 319 #13,168
2002 modern 319 #13,448
2003 modern 318 #13,291
2004 modern 327 #13,094
2005 modern 316 #13,351
2006 modern 318 #13,348
2007 modern 323 #13,351
2008 modern 322 #13,487
2009 modern 332 #13,458
2010 modern 332 #13,745
2011 modern 337 #13,463
2012 modern 318 #13,926
2013 modern 299 #14,780
2014 modern 302 #14,772
2015 modern 301 #14,727
2016 modern 301 #14,696

Geography

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Where Sills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Upleatham, London parishes, Kelloe, Easington and Kirkby Lonsdale. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Redcar and Cleveland, Scarborough, Kirklees and South Lakeland. 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 Upleatham Yorkshire, North Riding
2 London parishes London 3
3 Kelloe Durham
4 Easington Durham
5 Kirkby Lonsdale Westmorland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Redcar and Cleveland 004 Redcar and Cleveland
2 Scarborough 014 Scarborough
3 Kirklees 002 Kirklees
4 Kirklees 055 Kirklees
5 South Lakeland 012 South Lakeland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sill

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

Sill 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

Sill falls in decile 1 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.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Sill

The surname SILL is of English origin, emerging in the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "syll," meaning a threshold or the base of a doorway. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked on a threshold or doorway.

The earliest recorded instances of the name SILL can be found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards. For example, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, where it is recorded as "Sille." It is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, written as "Sylle."

In the Middle Ages, the SILL surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire, indicating that these areas may have been the original strongholds of the name. The name was also associated with certain place names, such as Silloth in Cumbria, which was derived from the Old Norse words "sill" (a causeway or pool) and "haugr" (a mound or hill).

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname SILL was Sir John Sill, who lived in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He was a renowned English knight and landowner, holding estates in Gloucestershire. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Sill, a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 16th century, born around 1510.

In the 17th century, the SILL surname gained prominence with the birth of Richard Sill (1609-1677), an English colonist and one of the founders of Windsor, Connecticut. His descendants played a significant role in the early history of the American colonies.

Other notable individuals with the SILL surname include John Sill (1638-1695), an English clergyman and author, and Thomas Sill (1701-1789), a prominent Philadelphia merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Philadelphia from 1786 to 1788.

While the SILL surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, through various waves of migration and settlement.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sill 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 77 Sills recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.25x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 77 2.25x
Westmorland 61 80.38x
Lancashire 60 1.46x
Middlesex 25 0.72x
Durham 21 2.04x
Lincolnshire 15 2.72x
Warwickshire 15 1.72x
Kent 12 1.02x
Worcestershire 11 2.44x
Cheshire 9 1.18x
Lanarkshire 8 0.72x
Staffordshire 7 0.60x
Surrey 6 0.36x
Gloucestershire 5 0.74x
Northumberland 5 0.97x
Angus 4 1.25x
Northamptonshire 3 0.92x
Cumberland 2 0.67x
Derbyshire 2 0.37x
Somerset 2 0.36x
Dorset 1 0.44x
Essex 1 0.15x
Glamorgan 1 0.17x
Hampshire 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. Kendal in Westmorland leads with 17 Sills recorded in 1881 and an index of 122.39x.

Place Total Index
Kendal 17 122.39x
Huddersfield 13 26.08x
Strickland Roger 11 2156.86x
Aston 9 3.75x
Bradford 9 10.86x
Castleford 9 72.23x
Huttoft 9 1267.61x
Hamilton 8 25.68x
Middlesbrough 8 17.95x
Redcar 8 294.12x
Speldhurst 8 133.33x
Upleatham 8 1379.31x
Elvet 7 94.34x
Hollingworth 7 222.93x
Kings Norton 7 17.31x
Little Bolton 7 13.29x
Tipton 6 16.81x
Birmingham 5 1.72x
Docker 5 6250.00x
Everton 5 3.83x
Islington London 5 1.49x
Kirkby Lonsdale 5 243.90x
Paddington London 5 3.94x
Skelsmergh 5 1136.36x
Tudhoe 5 55.62x
West Derby 5 4.17x
Barrow In Furness 4 7.18x
Dewsbury 4 11.40x
Great Lever 4 91.95x
Haswell 4 54.35x
Kirkdale 4 5.80x
Montrose 4 20.63x
Thurstonland 4 338.98x
Armley 3 19.88x
Ashton Under Lyne 3 3.35x
Askham 3 491.80x
Beetham 3 256.41x
Boston 3 17.91x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 3 4.71x
Broughton In Salford 3 8.01x
Byker 3 11.81x
Camberwell 3 1.36x
Clerkenwell London 3 3.68x
Crosthwaite Lyth 3 329.67x
Hetton Le Hole 3 23.04x
Kettering 3 22.83x
Lea Ashton Ingol 3 110.29x
Mile End Old Town 3 5.50x
Walton On Hill 3 13.51x
Westminster St 3 23.57x
Batley 2 6.15x
Bermondsey 2 1.95x
Birkenhead 2 3.29x
Clee With Weelsby 2 16.54x
Crosby Ravensworth 2 215.05x
Derby St Werburgh 2 6.41x
Gateshead 2 2.60x
Great Bolton 2 3.69x
Hackney London 2 1.03x
Kaber 2 833.33x
Kidderminster Borough 2 7.58x
Lockwood 2 16.25x
Long Ashton 2 72.46x
Manchester 2 1.09x
Pudsey 2 10.93x
Toxteth Park 2 1.44x
Wallsend 2 12.28x
Westbury On Severn East 2 13.06x
Brotton 1 22.37x
Dudley 1 1.82x
Glassonby 1 500.00x
Hesket In Forest 1 43.10x
Kelvedon 1 54.95x
Leamington 1 17.33x
Lewisham 1 1.59x
Orton 1 44.05x
Sowerby In Thirsk 1 48.54x
Thorne 1 23.58x
Yanwath Eamont Bridge 1 294.12x
Yardley 1 8.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 21
Elizabeth 20
Sarah 12
Ann 11
Margaret 11
Jane 8
Eliza 5
Hannah 5
Agnes 4
Alice 4
Emily 4
Annie 3
Isabella 3
Betsy 2
Caroline 2
Lavinia 2
M. 2
Martha 2
Susan 2
Amy 1
Bertha 1
Blanche 1
C.A. 1
Catharine 1
Charley 1
Charlotte 1
Dorothy 1
Edith 1
Elenor 1
Eliz. 1
Elizth. 1
Esther 1
Fanny 1
Fausby 1
Florance 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
H. 1
Jenny 1
Jessie 1
Kate 1
Katie 1
Laura 1
Lillian 1
Louisa 1
Louisia 1
Lucy 1
M.A. 1
Maria 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 29
Thomas 20
William 20
James 15
George 10
Robert 8
Joseph 6
Richard 4
Alfred 3
Charles 3
Edward 3
Frank 3
Simon 3
Walter 3
Arthur 2
Francis 2
Fred 2
Frederick 2
Henry 2
Jonathan 2
Miles 2
Samuel 2
Thos. 2
Aaron 1
Alonzo 1
Aron 1
Bertie 1
Christopher 1
Edman 1
Edmund 1
Elijah 1
Enoch 1
Ernest 1
F.L. 1
Fletcher 1
Harold 1
Jothan 1
Leonard 1
M. 1
Mathew 1
Matthew 1
Myles 1
Nathaniel 1
Nicholas 1
Reginald 1
Ritchard 1
Robt.C. 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Sill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 354 people were recorded with the Sill surname. That placed it at #8,701 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 301 in 2016. That gives Sill a modern rank of #14,696.

What does the Sill surname mean?

Derived from Old Norse "sil," referring to a stream or brook, likely indicating someone who lived near one.

What does the Sill map show?

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