NameCensus.

UK surname

Spanton

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "stony farmstead or village".

In the 1881 census there were 393 people recorded with the Spanton surname, ranking it #8,068 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 373, ranked #12,515, down from #8,068 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Stalham and Ruston, East. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Norfolk, Plymouth and Thanet.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Spanton is 554 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 5.1%.

1881 census count

393

Ranked #8,068

Modern count

373

2016, ranked #12,515

Peak year

1911

554 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Spanton had 393 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,068 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 373 in 2016, ranked #12,515.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 554 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Spanton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Spanton surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Spanton 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 326 #7,136
1861 historical 264 #9,385
1881 historical 393 #8,068
1891 historical 423 #8,465
1901 historical 496 #8,098
1911 historical 554 #7,244
1997 modern 439 #10,264
1998 modern 448 #10,442
1999 modern 440 #10,648
2000 modern 450 #10,433
2001 modern 429 #10,634
2002 modern 441 #10,618
2003 modern 408 #11,115
2004 modern 404 #11,199
2005 modern 398 #11,231
2006 modern 388 #11,496
2007 modern 374 #11,974
2008 modern 370 #12,182
2009 modern 369 #12,447
2010 modern 382 #12,410
2011 modern 365 #12,694
2012 modern 366 #12,520
2013 modern 379 #12,399
2014 modern 377 #12,535
2015 modern 373 #12,519
2016 modern 373 #12,515

Geography

Back to top

Where Spantons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Stalham, Ruston, East, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory and Thornton Dale, Ellerburn (Farmanby). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Norfolk, Plymouth, Thanet, Sunderland and Dover. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Stalham Norfolk
3 Ruston, East Norfolk
4 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
5 Thornton Dale, Ellerburn (Farmanby) Yorkshire, North Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Norfolk 010 North Norfolk
2 Plymouth 004 Plymouth
3 Thanet 014 Thanet
4 Sunderland 009 Sunderland
5 Dover 001 Dover

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Spanton

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Spanton

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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, Spanton 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

Spanton 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

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

Meaning and origin of Spanton

The surname Spanton is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "spann" and "tun," which together mean "a farm or settlement by the boundary ditch or stream."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Spantun." This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name was predominantly concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, where several small villages and hamlets bore variations of the name, such as Spendon, Spanden, and Spenedene.

In the 13th century, records mention a John de Spanton, who held lands in Oxfordshire. Another notable figure was Sir William Spanton, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War (1346-1353).

The 16th century saw the emergence of a prominent Spanton family in Buckinghamshire. Thomas Spanton (1525-1591) was a wealthy landowner and local magistrate, while his son, Richard Spanton (1562-1638), served as the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1620.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Spanton family settled in the American colonies. Edward Spanton (1620-1687), a Puritan from Oxfordshire, was among the early settlers of Salem, Massachusetts, arriving in 1638.

Another notable figure was Sir Henry Spanton (1678-1753), a successful merchant and Member of Parliament for the borough of Hastings in the early 18th century.

As the centuries progressed, the name continued to be found throughout England, with various spellings such as Spaunton, Spawton, and Spaynton appearing in historical records.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Spanton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Spanton 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. Norfolk leads with 151 Spantons recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.75x.

County Total Index
Norfolk 151 25.75x
Yorkshire 71 1.88x
Durham 33 2.91x
Middlesex 33 0.87x
Kent 27 2.07x
Surrey 26 1.40x
Lancashire 9 0.20x
Staffordshire 8 0.62x
Suffolk 7 1.51x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.97x
Cambridgeshire 3 1.24x
Isle of Man 3 4.24x
Leicestershire 3 0.71x
Lincolnshire 3 0.49x
Sussex 3 0.47x
Berkshire 2 0.70x
Derbyshire 1 0.17x
Essex 1 0.13x
Hampshire 1 0.13x
Warwickshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Yarmouth in Norfolk leads with 27 Spantons recorded in 1881 and an index of 55.58x.

Place Total Index
Great Yarmouth 27 55.58x
East Ruston 21 2413.79x
Tunstead 12 2181.82x
York St Saviour 11 304.71x
Lambeth 10 3.01x
Shoreditch London 10 6.05x
Blofield 8 536.91x
Bradford 8 37.77x
Stoke Upon Trent 8 5.86x
Tonbridge 8 17.04x
Washington 8 168.07x
Battersea 7 4.99x
Greencroft 7 336.54x
Heigham 7 22.24x
Seaham 7 169.08x
Surlingham 7 1111.11x
Camberwell 6 2.46x
Clifton In York 6 75.85x
Dersingham 6 454.55x
Gate Fulford 6 67.95x
Leeds 6 2.81x
Richmond 6 101.52x
Sloley 6 1714.29x
Stalham 6 535.71x
Whitby 6 47.10x
Barfreston 5 3333.33x
Bethnal Green London 5 3.02x
Bury St Edmunds St James 5 40.29x
East Dereham 5 67.48x
Finchley 5 34.20x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 5 28.39x
South Walsham St Mary 5 1041.67x
Southcoates 5 23.83x
Ashford 4 31.57x
Bishopwearmouth 4 4.11x
Dilham 4 714.29x
Farmanby 4 625.00x
Nafferton 4 248.45x
Thornton Dale 4 400.00x
Brighton 3 2.31x
Caythorpe 3 769.23x
Coundon 3 65.22x
Gateshead 3 3.53x
Kensington London 3 1.41x
Leavening 3 588.24x
Leicester St Margaret 3 2.91x
Maughold 3 54.84x
Neatishead 3 400.00x
Nonington 3 288.46x
Cawston 2 139.86x
Ealing 2 5.87x
Hevingham 2 200.00x
Higham 2 113.64x
Honing 2 476.19x
Hoveton St John 2 512.82x
Hunstanton 2 101.01x
Ludham 2 192.31x
Manthorpe Cum Little 2 42.92x
North Clifton 2 833.33x
Norwich St Martin At Oak 2 56.02x
Norwich St Paul 2 56.98x
Smallburgh 2 289.86x
St Pancras London 2 0.65x
Wiggenhall St Peter 2 1052.63x
Wintringham 2 476.19x
Wokingham 2 30.63x
Bromley London 1 1.19x
Chesterfield 1 4.47x
Clapham 1 2.10x
Croydon 1 0.97x
Ellingham 1 227.27x
Eltham 1 13.11x
Erringden 1 40.98x
Great Kelk 1 416.67x
Horsey 1 384.62x
Milton In Milton 1 18.08x
Skipsea 1 192.31x
Southwark St Olave 1 34.36x
St George Hanover 1 2.01x
St Marylebone London 1 0.49x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 25
Sarah 22
Elizabeth 18
Eliza 7
Ann 6
Caroline 6
Charlotte 6
Hannah 6
Annie 5
Catherine 5
Louisa 5
Maria 5
Ellen 4
Martha 4
Alice 3
Emily 3
Harriet 3
Isabella 3
Jane 3
Lydia 3
Emma 2
Frances 2
Isabel 2
Lucy 2
Margret 2
Minnie 2
Nellie 2
Rebecca 2
Selina 2
Bessie 1
Carthne 1
Cecily 1
Christiana 1
Cicily 1
Elizbeth 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizth. 1
Ethel 1
Hanah 1
Harriett 1
Infant 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Liliam 1
Louise 1
Mabel 1
Maggie 1
Margaret 1
Marianne 1
Unah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 26
William 23
Robert 18
George 13
Charles 10
Arthur 8
Thomas 7
Benjamin 6
Edward 6
Albert 5
Henry 5
Alfred 4
James 4
Harry 3
Samuel 3
Wm. 3
Ernest 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Frederick 2
Fredk. 2
Humphrey 2
Richard 2
Thos. 2
Tom 2
Walter 2
Authur 1
Carlton 1
Christopher 1
Francis 1
Harbert 1
Harold 1
Jonath 1
Jonathan 1
Joseph 1
Matthew 1
Owen 1
Percy 1
Porter 1
Robt. 1
Samual 1
Sizer 1
Victor 1
W.H. 1
Wm.W. 1

FAQ

Spanton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Spanton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 393 people were recorded with the Spanton surname. That placed it at #8,068 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Spanton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 373 in 2016. That gives Spanton a modern rank of #12,515.

What does the Spanton surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "stony farmstead or village".

What does the Spanton map show?

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