NameCensus.

UK surname

Spowart

A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Spowart.

In the 1881 census there were 328 people recorded with the Spowart surname, ranking it #9,126 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 622, ranked #8,471, up from #9,126 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Borrowstounness and Carriden, Gateshead and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Bassetlaw.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Spowart is 657 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 89.6%.

1881 census count

328

Ranked #9,126

Modern count

622

2016, ranked #8,471

Peak year

1999

657 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Spowart had 328 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,126 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 622 in 2016, ranked #8,471.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 552 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Spowart surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Spowart surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Spowart 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 198 #10,483
1861 historical 255 #9,699
1881 historical 328 #9,126
1891 historical 449 #8,085
1901 historical 552 #7,515
1911 historical 267 #12,360
1997 modern 617 #7,988
1998 modern 648 #7,930
1999 modern 657 #7,883
2000 modern 649 #7,942
2001 modern 627 #8,005
2002 modern 619 #8,262
2003 modern 593 #8,407
2004 modern 590 #8,453
2005 modern 606 #8,216
2006 modern 596 #8,326
2007 modern 609 #8,251
2008 modern 607 #8,330
2009 modern 626 #8,316
2010 modern 635 #8,398
2011 modern 610 #8,569
2012 modern 599 #8,618
2013 modern 613 #8,599
2014 modern 615 #8,628
2015 modern 613 #8,592
2016 modern 622 #8,471

Geography

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Where Spowarts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Borrowstounness and Carriden, Gateshead, Edinburgh, Kyloe, Holy Island, Ancroft and Lasswade. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne, Bassetlaw, Carmarthenshire and Oakley Comrie and Blairhall. 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 Borrowstounness and Carriden Linlithgow
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Kyloe, Holy Island, Ancroft Northumberland
5 Lasswade Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 052 County Durham
2 Newcastle upon Tyne 026 Newcastle upon Tyne
3 Bassetlaw 001 Bassetlaw
4 Carmarthenshire 010 Carmarthenshire
5 Oakley Comrie and Blairhall Fife

Forenames

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First names often paired with Spowart

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Spowart

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Spowart is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Spowart 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

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

Meaning and origin of Spowart

The surname SPOWART is of Scottish origin, emerging in the 12th century from the lands of Spowart in Stirlingshire, Scotland. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "spaec" meaning "woods" and "worth" meaning "farm" or "enclosure", indicating the name's connection to a farm or settlement located within a wooded area.

The earliest recorded instance of the SPOWART name dates back to 1296, when Hugo Spowart was listed in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls documenting those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England after the Scottish Wars of Independence. This suggests the SPOWART family's presence in the region during this turbulent period of Scottish history.

In the 15th century, the SPOWART name appeared in various charters and land grants, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which recorded a John Spowart being granted lands in Stirlingshire in 1456. This further solidifies the family's longstanding ties to the region and their status as landowners.

Notable individuals bearing the SPOWART surname include Sir John Spowart (1520-1585), a prominent Scottish soldier and diplomat who served under King James VI of Scotland and later King James I of England. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Union of the Crowns in 1603, which united the kingdoms of Scotland and England under one monarch.

Another significant figure was Robert Spowart (1675-1744), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who made a fortune in the East India trade. He founded the Spowart Trust, which provided financial assistance to poor students in Scotland, leaving a lasting legacy in the realm of education.

In the literary world, Mary Spowart (1845-1920) was a Scottish author and poet known for her works that celebrated the beauty of the Scottish Highlands and the rich cultural heritage of her homeland.

The SPOWART name has also been associated with various place names, such as Spowart Muir, a historic moorland area in Stirlingshire, and Spowart Castle, a ruined fortification located near the village of Cumbernauld, reflecting the family's influence and presence in the region.

Throughout the centuries, the SPOWART surname has undergone various spellings, including Spowert, Spowart, and Spovert, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations common in historical records.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Spowart families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Spowart 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. Fife leads with 132 Spowarts recorded in 1881 and an index of 69.69x.

County Total Index
Fife 132 69.69x
Northumberland 99 20.80x
Midlothian 41 9.57x
Perthshire 13 9.05x
Cumberland 10 3.63x
Durham 7 0.74x
Yorkshire 6 0.19x
Aberdeenshire 5 1.69x
Lanarkshire 5 0.48x
Stirlingshire 5 4.24x
Surrey 3 0.19x
Middlesex 1 0.03x
Oxfordshire 1 0.51x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dunfermline in Fife leads with 119 Spowarts recorded in 1881 and an index of 408.65x.

Place Total Index
Dunfermline 119 408.65x
Lasswade 17 173.47x
Culross 13 1048.39x
Longbenton 13 64.48x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 12 6.96x
Bedlington 11 69.18x
Ancroft 10 598.80x
Earsdon 9 232.56x
East Chevington 9 569.62x
Hauxley 9 849.06x
Egremont 8 121.77x
Mason 8 733.95x
Dalgety 7 482.76x
Hutton Henry 6 300.00x
Aberdour 5 261.78x
Alva 5 88.81x
Barony 5 1.91x
East Denton 5 462.96x
Tynemouth 5 19.62x
Berwick Upon Tweed 4 39.64x
Cowpen 4 36.50x
Edinburgh Tron Church 4 199.01x
Aberdeen Old Machar 3 4.85x
Byker 3 12.75x
Clapham 3 7.50x
Edinburgh St Georges 3 33.71x
Sheffield 3 2.97x
Shoreswood 3 1111.11x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 2 3.61x
Arlecdon 2 27.29x
Ecclesfield 2 8.60x
Edinburgh New 2 60.06x
Edinburgh Newington 2 263.16x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 2 7.03x
Bebside 1 1666.67x
Edinburgh Greenside 1 17.67x
Middlesbrough 1 2.42x
Newcastle On Tyne 1 196.08x
Newcastle On Tyne St 1 4.05x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 1 42.74x
St Giles Cripplegate 1 23.53x
Torryburn 1 121.95x
Ulgham 1 126.58x
Winlaton 1 10.95x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 9
Elizabeth 7
Isabella 7
Ann 6
Jane 4
Margaret 4
Janet 3
Alice 2
Annie 2
Helen 2
Agnes 1
Bridget 1
Dorothy 1
Eleanor 1
Florence 1
Margt. 1
Margt.Jane 1
Sarah 1
Sophia 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 12
James 9
William 8
Henry 7
Stephen 7
John 5
Thomas 5
Alexander 3
Andrew 3
Richard 3
Robert 3
Philip 2
Achibald 1
Joseph 1
Mark 1
Oswald 1
Phillis 1

FAQ

Spowart surname: questions and answers

How common was the Spowart surname in 1881?

In 1881, 328 people were recorded with the Spowart surname. That placed it at #9,126 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Spowart surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 622 in 2016. That gives Spowart a modern rank of #8,471.

What does the Spowart surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Spowart.

What does the Spowart map show?

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