NameCensus.

UK surname

Sparks

An occupational surname referring to someone who works with metals, often producing sparks from striking metals.

In the 1881 census there were 4,503 people recorded with the Sparks surname, ranking it #995 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,642, ranked #1,466, down from #995 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and St Pancras. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Taunton Deane, Swale and Westminster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sparks is 5,364 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 3.1%.

1881 census count

4,503

Ranked #995

Modern count

4,642

2016, ranked #1,466

Peak year

1911

5,364 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sparks had 4,503 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #995 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,642 in 2016, ranked #1,466.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,364 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Sparks surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sparks surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sparks 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 3,108 #930
1861 historical 2,963 #973
1881 historical 4,503 #995
1891 historical 4,780 #974
1901 historical 5,082 #1,108
1911 historical 5,364 #973
1997 modern 4,777 #1,372
1998 modern 4,939 #1,382
1999 modern 4,909 #1,394
2000 modern 4,874 #1,399
2001 modern 4,740 #1,398
2002 modern 4,816 #1,411
2003 modern 4,658 #1,429
2004 modern 4,549 #1,464
2005 modern 4,437 #1,475
2006 modern 4,428 #1,481
2007 modern 4,370 #1,517
2008 modern 4,374 #1,523
2009 modern 4,547 #1,503
2010 modern 4,647 #1,505
2011 modern 4,576 #1,503
2012 modern 4,526 #1,491
2013 modern 4,632 #1,488
2014 modern 4,700 #1,470
2015 modern 4,632 #1,475
2016 modern 4,642 #1,466

Geography

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Where Sparks' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, St Pancras 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 Taunton Deane, Swale, Westminster and Gravesham. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Pancras London (North Districts)
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Taunton Deane 014 Taunton Deane
2 Taunton Deane 013 Taunton Deane
3 Swale 015 Swale
4 Westminster 023 Westminster
5 Gravesham 007 Gravesham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sparks

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sparks

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Sparks 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

Sparks is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sparks falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Sparks

The surname Sparks has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It derived from an occupational name for someone who worked as a smith or maker of sparks. The name likely came from the Old English word "spearhawoc," which referred to a sparrowhawk, a small hawk known for its agility and speed in hunting.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199, where one Robert Sparke was mentioned. Another early record was in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1317, which referenced a William Spark.

During the Middle Ages, the Sparks surname was particularly prominent in the counties of Yorkshire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire. The place name "Sparken" in Derbyshire may have influenced the surname's spelling variations.

Notable historical figures with the surname Sparks include:

1. Jared Sparks (1789-1866), an American historian, educator, and editor who served as the president of Harvard University. 2. Sir Tobie Matthew Sparks (1828-1898), a British diplomat and courtier during the reign of Queen Victoria. 3. John Sparks (1632-1705), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works. 4. William Sparks (1570-1642), an English theologian and author of the book "A Recovering for the Schisme" published in 1617. 5. Edward Sparks (1685-1756), an English clockmaker who established a successful business in London during the early 18th century.

The surname Sparks can be found in various historical records, including parish registers, court rolls, and tax records from medieval and early modern England. However, it is important to note that the spelling of surnames was not standardized until much later, leading to numerous variations such as Spark, Sparke, and Sparkes.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sparks families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sparks 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 718 Sparks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.63x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 718 1.63x
Somerset 384 5.40x
Surrey 365 1.70x
Kent 330 2.19x
Hampshire 295 3.26x
Lancashire 278 0.53x
Devon 266 2.89x
Essex 174 2.00x
Sussex 142 1.91x
Yorkshire 127 0.29x
Gloucestershire 124 1.43x
Norfolk 120 1.77x
Warwickshire 114 1.02x
Glamorgan 82 1.07x
Durham 80 0.61x
Suffolk 79 1.47x
Cheshire 77 0.79x
Berkshire 62 1.87x
Buckinghamshire 56 2.10x
Hertfordshire 53 1.74x
Cornwall 49 0.98x
Cambridgeshire 47 1.68x
Cumberland 45 1.18x
Worcestershire 39 0.68x
Lincolnshire 38 0.54x
Bedfordshire 36 1.57x
Staffordshire 33 0.22x
Wiltshire 33 0.85x
Derbyshire 31 0.45x
Northumberland 29 0.44x
Angus 26 0.64x
Dorset 23 0.79x
Channel Islands 19 1.45x
Flintshire 18 1.52x
Northamptonshire 16 0.39x
Lanarkshire 15 0.11x
Nottinghamshire 14 0.24x
Oxfordshire 14 0.51x
Midlothian 9 0.15x
Inverness-shire 7 0.53x
Monmouthshire 7 0.22x
Fife 6 0.23x
Herefordshire 6 0.33x
Huntingdonshire 6 0.68x
Perthshire 6 0.30x
Royal Navy 6 1.14x
Shropshire 5 0.13x
Kirkcudbrightshire 4 0.63x
Leicestershire 4 0.08x
Berwickshire 3 0.56x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.20x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.14x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.02x
Denbighshire 1 0.06x
Isle of Man 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Portsea in Hampshire leads with 91 Sparks' recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.13x.

Place Total Index
Portsea 91 5.13x
Islington London 81 1.89x
St Pancras London 72 2.03x
Camberwell 62 2.20x
West Ham 50 2.60x
Great Marlow 45 62.45x
Kensington London 44 1.79x
Bethnal Green London 41 2.14x
Widnes 40 10.58x
Chelsea London 38 2.86x
Lambeth 36 0.93x
Toxteth Park 36 2.03x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 34 4.17x
Northfleet 31 23.35x
Clerkenwell London 30 2.88x
Southampton St Mary 30 5.27x
Bristol St George 27 6.74x
Otterford 27 441.18x
St Marylebone London 27 1.15x
Birmingham 24 0.65x
Hackney London 24 0.97x
Newington 24 1.47x
Brighton 23 1.53x
Portsmouth 23 11.04x
Toft 23 594.32x
Marston Moretaine 22 123.46x
Rotherhithe 22 4.03x
Shoreditch London 22 1.15x
Ilminster 21 42.29x
Heigham 20 5.49x
Midhurst 20 81.93x
Taunton St James 20 19.29x
Faversham 19 13.22x
Mile End Old Town 19 2.73x
Poplar London 19 2.28x
St Peter Port 19 7.85x
Todmorden Walsden 19 13.53x
Bermondsey 18 1.37x
Aston 17 0.55x
Churchstanton 17 150.71x
Deptford St Paul 17 1.46x
Grays Thurrock 17 20.98x
Hammersmith London 17 1.56x
Holdenhurst 17 7.16x
Holy Trinity 17 1.62x
Lewisham 17 2.12x
Beckenham 16 8.12x
Dundee 16 1.05x
Felthorpe 16 226.63x
Great Grimsby 16 3.57x
Hulme 16 1.46x
Southwark St George Martyr 16 1.80x
Taunton St Mary 16 12.26x
Thornaby 16 9.79x
Twerton 16 21.83x
Acton 15 5.79x
Bedminster 15 2.25x
Bridgewater 15 7.77x
Chard 15 17.42x
Christchurch 15 7.64x
Hunningham 15 371.29x
Paddington London 15 0.92x
Tranmere 15 4.19x
Whitechapel London 15 3.45x
Williton 15 63.00x
Chorlton On Medlock 14 1.68x
Hart 14 43.75x
Reading St Mary 14 5.27x
St George In East 14 4.66x
Stoke Upon Trent 14 0.89x
Walcot 14 3.70x
West Bromwich 14 1.64x
Bradford 13 1.23x
Croydon 13 1.09x
Liverpool 13 0.41x
Ramsgate 13 5.29x
Tiverton 13 8.21x
Tormoham 13 3.34x
Hastings St Mary 12 6.48x
Whitehaven 12 5.92x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 275
Elizabeth 184
Sarah 166
Jane 93
Alice 77
Ann 77
Eliza 75
Emma 75
Ellen 71
Emily 58
Annie 50
Louisa 40
Maria 39
Hannah 38
Martha 38
Fanny 34
Harriet 34
Edith 32
Margaret 32
Caroline 28
Charlotte 27
Kate 24
Frances 23
Amelia 21
Susan 20
Ada 19
Anne 19
Florence 18
Harriett 17
Clara 16
Rose 16
Catherine 14
Julia 13
Bessie 12
Agnes 11
Bertha 11
Jessie 11
Matilda 11
Sophia 11
Isabella 10
Lucy 10
Amy 9
Esther 9
Henrietta 9
Minnie 9
Beatrice 8
Eleanor 8
Ruth 8
Elizth. 7
Maud 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 310
John 262
George 183
James 147
Thomas 134
Henry 115
Charles 84
Joseph 73
Robert 51
Frederick 49
Alfred 44
Albert 39
Walter 39
Samuel 38
Arthur 32
Edward 31
Harry 28
Ernest 22
Richard 22
Wm. 22
Francis 21
Frank 19
Herbert 19
David 15
Edwin 13
Peter 13
Benjamin 12
Daniel 10
Isaac 10
Thos. 10
Tom 9
Christopher 7
Jesse 7
Saml. 7
Chas. 6
Fredk. 6
Sidney 6
Edgar 5
Frederic 5
Percy 5
Stephen 5
Abraham 4
Alexander 4
Andrew 4
Earnest 4
Fred 4
Geo. 4
Horace 4
Willie 4
Infant 3

FAQ

Sparks surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sparks surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,503 people were recorded with the Sparks surname. That placed it at #995 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sparks surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,642 in 2016. That gives Sparks a modern rank of #1,466.

What does the Sparks surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to someone who works with metals, often producing sparks from striking metals.

What does the Sparks map show?

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