NameCensus.

UK surname

Smitheram

In the 1881 census there were 101 people recorded with the Smitheram surname, ranking it #19,636 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 163, ranked #22,407, down from #19,636 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Illogan, Pentyrch and Stoke St Gregory. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Smitheram is 173 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 61.4%.

1881 census count

101

Ranked #19,636

Modern count

163

2016, ranked #22,407

Peak year

2013

173 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Smitheram had 101 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,636 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 163 in 2016, ranked #22,407.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 160 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Smitheram surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Smitheram surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Smitheram 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 47 #24,810
1861 historical 79 #23,702
1881 historical 101 #19,636
1891 historical 144 #18,842
1901 historical 97 #23,227
1911 historical 160 #17,151
1997 modern 157 #20,513
1998 modern 155 #21,227
1999 modern 160 #20,943
2000 modern 159 #20,975
2001 modern 159 #20,710
2002 modern 161 #20,925
2003 modern 161 #20,697
2004 modern 151 #21,720
2005 modern 157 #21,128
2006 modern 158 #21,229
2007 modern 154 #21,804
2008 modern 163 #21,238
2009 modern 162 #21,791
2010 modern 167 #21,835
2011 modern 162 #22,101
2012 modern 162 #22,078
2013 modern 173 #21,486
2014 modern 170 #21,914
2015 modern 159 #22,796
2016 modern 163 #22,407

Geography

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Where Smitherams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Illogan, Pentyrch, Stoke St Gregory, Millom, Muncaster and Breage. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall. 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 Illogan Cornwall
2 Pentyrch Glamorganshire
3 Stoke St Gregory Somerset
4 Millom, Muncaster Cumberland
5 Breage Cornwall

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 057 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 061 Cornwall
3 Cornwall 052 Cornwall
4 Cornwall 053 Cornwall
5 Cornwall 071 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Smitheram

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Smitheram

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

Smitheram 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

Smitheram falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Smitheram is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 20-25 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

4
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Smitheram families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Smitheram 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. Cornwall leads with 51 Smitherams recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.73x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 51 45.73x
Somerset 27 17.03x
Cumberland 9 10.61x
Durham 8 2.73x
Glamorgan 2 1.17x
Middlesex 2 0.20x
Devon 1 0.49x
Lancashire 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. Redruth in Cornwall leads with 15 Smitherams recorded in 1881 and an index of 476.19x.

Place Total Index
Redruth 15 476.19x
Breage 11 1078.43x
Abbas Combe 10 8333.33x
Gwennap 10 476.19x
Millom 9 346.15x
West Herrington 8 776.70x
Illogan 5 169.49x
Martock 5 485.44x
Stoke St Gregory 5 1041.67x
Wedmore 4 388.35x
Camborne 3 65.22x
Pentyrch 2 281.69x
Callington 1 153.85x
Glastonbury 1 77.52x
Gunwalloe 1 1666.67x
Helston 1 86.21x
Landewednack 1 500.00x
Madron Penzance 1 24.63x
Perranarworthal 1 270.27x
Prestwich 1 34.25x
St George Hanover 1 7.78x
St Keverne 1 163.93x
Tormoham 1 11.52x
Wellington 1 46.51x
Wembdon 1 212.77x
Westminster St John 1 8.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Elizabeth 5
Jane 4
Emily 3
Amelia 2
Caroline 2
Elizth.Ann 2
Julia 2
Sarah 2
Ann 1
Annie 1
Bessie 1
Catherine 1
Cathne.J. 1
Elizth. 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Helen 1
Joanna 1
Kate 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Nanny 1
Phillippa 1
Rosilia 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 9
James 7
Thomas 7
John 6
Henry 3
Edward 2
George 2
Richard 2
Augustus 1
Ernest 1
Fred 1
Harry 1
Jas.Hy. 1
Joseph 1
Matthew 1
Nicholas 1
Paul 1
Sidney 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Smitheram surname: questions and answers

How common was the Smitheram surname in 1881?

In 1881, 101 people were recorded with the Smitheram surname. That placed it at #19,636 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Smitheram surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 163 in 2016. That gives Smitheram a modern rank of #22,407.

What does the Smitheram map show?

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