NameCensus.

UK surname

Sprake

In the 1881 census there were 264 people recorded with the Sprake surname, ranking it #10,655 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 445, ranked #10,890, down from #10,655 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Chale, Newchurch and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Somerset, South Norfolk and Swansea.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sprake is 472 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 68.6%.

1881 census count

264

Ranked #10,655

Modern count

445

2016, ranked #10,890

Peak year

2002

472 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sprake had 264 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,655 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 445 in 2016, ranked #10,890.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 428 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Sprake surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sprake surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sprake 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 151 #12,840
1861 historical 154 #14,963
1881 historical 264 #10,655
1891 historical 332 #10,251
1901 historical 395 #9,562
1911 historical 428 #8,827
1997 modern 460 #9,907
1998 modern 465 #10,155
1999 modern 468 #10,160
2000 modern 469 #10,105
2001 modern 454 #10,162
2002 modern 472 #10,060
2003 modern 460 #10,091
2004 modern 452 #10,270
2005 modern 435 #10,480
2006 modern 432 #10,583
2007 modern 429 #10,747
2008 modern 419 #11,058
2009 modern 418 #11,309
2010 modern 426 #11,396
2011 modern 442 #10,942
2012 modern 437 #10,915
2013 modern 443 #10,968
2014 modern 450 #10,902
2015 modern 447 #10,873
2016 modern 445 #10,890

Geography

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Where Sprakes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Chale, Newchurch, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, London parishes and Shorwell, Brixton, Kingston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Somerset, South Norfolk, Swansea, Lambeth and Waveney. 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 Chale Hampshire
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Shorwell, Brixton, Kingston Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Somerset 008 South Somerset
2 South Norfolk 012 South Norfolk
3 Swansea 008 Swansea
4 Lambeth 025 Lambeth
5 Waveney 013 Waveney

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sprake

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sprake

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Sprake, 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 Sprake surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Sprake 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

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Sprake 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

Sprake is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

1881 census detail

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Sprake families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sprake 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. Hampshire leads with 69 Sprakes recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.73x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 69 12.73x
Dorset 62 35.73x
Middlesex 30 1.13x
Somerset 26 6.11x
Surrey 19 1.48x
Cornwall 10 3.34x
Devon 9 1.64x
Monmouthshire 8 4.19x
Kent 6 0.67x
Channel Islands 5 6.38x
Yorkshire 5 0.19x
Cumberland 4 1.76x
Sussex 3 0.67x
Glamorgan 2 0.43x
Lancashire 2 0.06x
Northamptonshire 2 0.80x
Royal Navy 2 6.35x
Staffordshire 2 0.22x
Berkshire 1 0.50x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.90x
Lanarkshire 1 0.12x
Midlothian 1 0.28x
Oxfordshire 1 0.61x

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 22 Sprakes recorded in 1881 and an index of 20.72x.

Place Total Index
Portsea 22 20.72x
Lambeth 17 7.38x
Chale 15 2419.35x
Barton Stacey 10 2000.00x
Netherbury 10 699.30x
Winterborne Stickland 10 2325.58x
St George Hanover 9 26.08x
St Just In Roseland 9 687.02x
Carisbrooke 8 106.38x
Llanover 8 122.51x
Poplar London 8 16.04x
Crewkerne 7 154.87x
Northwood 7 90.67x
Lewisham 6 12.47x
Bedminster 5 12.50x
Bradpole 5 352.11x
Bridport 5 140.06x
Buckland Newton 5 641.03x
Clerkenwell London 5 8.01x
Doncaster 5 26.12x
St Peter Port 5 34.51x
Allington 4 258.06x
Puddletrenthide 4 588.24x
St Mary Within 4 140.85x
Symondsbury 4 363.64x
Arreton 3 172.41x
Banwell 3 193.55x
Chelsea London 3 3.77x
Exeter St Sidwell 3 23.81x
Ifield 3 161.29x
Moorlinch 3 1304.35x
South Petherton 3 136.36x
Stoke Damerel 3 7.79x
Upway 3 454.55x
Chard 2 38.84x
Colyton 2 94.79x
Dorchester Holy Trinity 2 141.84x
Hopton Coton 2 158.73x
Islington London 2 0.78x
Lytchett Minster 2 259.74x
North Meols 2 6.51x
Portsmouth 2 16.03x
Royal Navy 2 7.43x
Rushden 2 60.06x
Wandsworth 2 7.86x
Wynford Eagle 2 1428.57x
Yeovil 2 23.12x
Aberdare 1 3.16x
Blandford Forum 1 29.24x
Bryanstone 1 416.67x
Carmarthen St Peter 1 10.50x
Cerne Abbas 1 119.05x
Dorchester St Peter 1 79.37x
Fordington 1 26.74x
Glasgow 1 0.66x
Hackney London 1 0.67x
Holdenhurst 1 7.04x
Honiton 1 32.89x
Kensington London 1 0.68x
Newbury 1 15.72x
Oxford St Peter Le Bailey 1 123.46x
South Leith 1 2.51x
St Marylebone London 1 0.71x
St Thomas Apostle 1 108.70x
St Thomas Winchester 1 26.11x
Toller Porcorum 1 250.00x
Weston Super Mare 1 9.31x
Ystradyfodwg 1 2.48x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 11
Elizabeth 9
Sarah 9
Annie 7
Eliza 6
Ellen 6
Ann 5
Jane 5
Anne 3
Charlotte 3
Edith 3
Emily 3
Florence 3
Alice 2
Bessie 2
Caroline 2
Elizth. 2
Fanny 2
Kate 2
Mabel 2
Maria 2
Martha 2
Rosina 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Anabella 1
Bessia 1
Clarisa 1
Clarrisa 1
Desiree 1
Elisabeth 1
Elizth.A. 1
Elizth.E.E. 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Evelyn 1
Gertrude 1
Gwen 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Hettie 1
Isabella 1
Janet 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Kathleen 1
Lehurty 1
Lucy 1
Sussannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 16
William 16
George 13
Charles 11
Joseph 7
Henry 6
Samuel 6
David 5
Robert 5
Thomas 4
Albert 3
Arthur 3
Edwin 3
Frederick 3
James 3
Alfred 2
Edwd.H. 2
Hy. 2
Jacob 2
Sidney 2
Benjamin 1
Douglas 1
Edward 1
Frances 1
Frank 1
Herbert 1
Humphrey 1
Lancelot 1
Oscar 1
Percival 1
Thos. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Sprake surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sprake surname in 1881?

In 1881, 264 people were recorded with the Sprake surname. That placed it at #10,655 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sprake surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 445 in 2016. That gives Sprake a modern rank of #10,890.

What does the Sprake map show?

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