NameCensus.

UK surname

Smallshaw

In the 1881 census there were 180 people recorded with the Smallshaw surname, ranking it #13,735 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 253, ranked #16,671, down from #13,735 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wigan, Manchester and Standish. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolton, Chorley and Wigan.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Smallshaw is 319 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.6%.

1881 census count

180

Ranked #13,735

Modern count

253

2016, ranked #16,671

Peak year

1911

319 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Smallshaw had 180 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,735 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 253 in 2016, ranked #16,671.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 319 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Smallshaw surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Smallshaw surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Smallshaw 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 78 #19,840
1861 historical 145 #15,715
1881 historical 180 #13,735
1891 historical 249 #12,813
1901 historical 313 #11,319
1911 historical 319 #10,967
1997 modern 249 #15,319
1998 modern 244 #15,947
1999 modern 240 #16,226
2000 modern 244 #16,004
2001 modern 238 #16,004
2002 modern 244 #16,085
2003 modern 233 #16,394
2004 modern 229 #16,684
2005 modern 231 #16,529
2006 modern 234 #16,493
2007 modern 227 #17,041
2008 modern 226 #17,238
2009 modern 248 #16,509
2010 modern 246 #16,975
2011 modern 236 #17,279
2012 modern 236 #17,187
2013 modern 233 #17,606
2014 modern 242 #17,285
2015 modern 246 #16,994
2016 modern 253 #16,671

Geography

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Where Smallshaws are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wigan, Manchester, Standish and Leigh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolton, Chorley, Wigan 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 Wigan Lancashire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Standish Lancashire
4 Leigh Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolton 030 Bolton
2 Chorley 006 Chorley
3 Wigan 003 Wigan
4 South Lakeland 001 South Lakeland
5 Wigan 014 Wigan

Forenames

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First names often paired with Smallshaw

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Smallshaw

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Smallshaw surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Smallshaw household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Smallshaw is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Smallshaw 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

Smallshaw falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Smallshaw 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 - British

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

1881 census detail

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Smallshaw families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Smallshaw 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 151 Smallshaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.25x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 151 7.25x
Staffordshire 15 2.53x
Cheshire 5 1.29x
Yorkshire 5 0.29x
Middlesex 3 0.17x
Kent 1 0.17x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Upholland in Lancashire leads with 26 Smallshaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 973.78x.

Place Total Index
Upholland 26 973.78x
Pemberton 21 252.71x
Standish With Langtree 15 583.66x
Orrell 10 386.10x
Manchester 9 9.61x
Dalton In Wigan 8 2666.67x
Hulme 8 18.39x
Stafford St Mary 8 95.35x
West Derby 7 11.48x
Wigan 7 24.05x
Huyton With Roby 6 245.90x
Blackburn 5 9.02x
Burnley 5 28.51x
Ecclesall Bierlow 5 14.13x
Winstanley 5 1515.15x
Hurdsfield 4 168.07x
Rainford 4 177.78x
Salford 4 6.53x
Hackney London 3 3.05x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 4.77x
Eccleston In Prescot 2 19.12x
Everton 2 3.01x
Wolstanton 2 11.11x
Atherton 1 13.19x
Church Eaton 1 250.00x
Great Bolton 1 3.62x
Halewood 1 89.29x
Hythe St Leonard 1 47.17x
Latchford 1 38.91x
Liverpool 1 0.79x
Oldham 1 1.49x
Shevington 1 105.26x
Sutton 1 14.31x
Walsall Foreign 1 3.27x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 13
Ellen 7
Martha 7
Jane 6
Ann 5
Sarah 5
Alice 4
Esther 3
Margaret 3
Anna 2
Annie 2
Charlotte 2
Eleanor 2
Hannah 2
Margt. 2
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Emily 1
Harriet 1
Lilly 1
Louise 1
Mar.Ellen 1
Matilda 1
Maude 1
Phebe 1
Selina 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 16
James 12
John 12
Robert 9
Henry 7
George 6
Samuel 3
Thomas 3
Edward 2
Francis 2
Robt. 2
Wm. 2
Aaron 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
C. 1
Charles 1
Christopher 1
Geo. 1
Hugh 1
Joseph 1
Peter 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Smallshaw surname: questions and answers

How common was the Smallshaw surname in 1881?

In 1881, 180 people were recorded with the Smallshaw surname. That placed it at #13,735 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Smallshaw surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 253 in 2016. That gives Smallshaw a modern rank of #16,671.

What does the Smallshaw map show?

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