NameCensus.

UK surname

Sumner

An occupational surname referring to a summoner, an official who served summonses and other legal documents.

In the 1881 census there were 4,848 people recorded with the Sumner surname, ranking it #920 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,654, ranked #1,015, down from #920 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, North Meols and Wilmslow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Preston and West Lancashire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sumner is 7,085 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 37.3%.

1881 census count

4,848

Ranked #920

Modern count

6,654

2016, ranked #1,015

Peak year

2000

7,085 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sumner had 4,848 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #920 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,654 in 2016, ranked #1,015.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,488 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Sumner surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sumner surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sumner 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 2,712 #1,085
1861 historical 2,092 #1,385
1881 historical 4,848 #920
1891 historical 3,836 #1,248
1901 historical 6,488 #856
1911 historical 5,014 #1,043
1997 modern 6,616 #983
1998 modern 6,941 #973
1999 modern 7,060 #967
2000 modern 7,085 #957
2001 modern 6,933 #953
2002 modern 6,954 #977
2003 modern 6,844 #963
2004 modern 6,839 #965
2005 modern 6,690 #981
2006 modern 6,706 #976
2007 modern 6,753 #976
2008 modern 6,753 #983
2009 modern 6,930 #979
2010 modern 7,062 #981
2011 modern 6,909 #986
2012 modern 6,701 #1,000
2013 modern 6,833 #997
2014 modern 6,846 #1,002
2015 modern 6,715 #1,010
2016 modern 6,654 #1,015

Geography

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Where Sumners are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, North Meols, Wilmslow, Preston and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, Preston and West Lancashire. 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 North Meols Lancashire
3 Wilmslow Cheshire
4 Preston Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 001 Shropshire
2 Preston 012 Preston
3 Preston 007 Preston
4 Preston 009 Preston
5 West Lancashire 006 West Lancashire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sumner

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sumner

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

Sumner is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sumner falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Sumner

The surname Sumner is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "sumnor," which referred to a person who served as a summoner or petty officer for an ecclesiastical court. This name first emerged in the 12th century in various parts of England.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where it is written as "le Sumnur." In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, it appears as "Somener," and in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, it is spelled "Somenour."

The name Sumner has its roots in the Old French "somoneor" and the Latin "summonitor," both of which mean "summoner." This occupation was essential in the medieval period, as summoners were tasked with delivering legal summonses and citations on behalf of ecclesiastical courts.

One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Sumner was Geoffrey Sumner, a 13th-century English priest and clergyman who served as the Canon of Wells Cathedral in Somerset. Another prominent individual was William Sumner (1668-1738), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Provost of King's College, Cambridge.

In the United States, the name Sumner is closely associated with Charles Sumner (1811-1874), a famous American statesman and prominent abolitionist. He served as a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts and played a pivotal role in the fight against slavery and the promotion of civil rights.

Other notable individuals with the surname Sumner include Increase Sumner (1746-1799), an American jurist and politician who served as the 27th Governor of Massachusetts, and Edwin Vose Sumner (1797-1863), a career United States Army officer who served as a Union Army general during the American Civil War.

The name Sumner has also been connected to various place names throughout history. For example, Sumner County in Tennessee and Sumner County in Kansas were both named after Charles Sumner, the abolitionist senator from Massachusetts.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sumner families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sumner 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. Lancashire leads with 2,494 Sumners recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.44x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 2,494 4.44x
Cheshire 514 4.92x
Middlesex 251 0.53x
Warwickshire 201 1.68x
Surrey 163 0.71x
Yorkshire 161 0.34x
Lincolnshire 134 1.77x
Hampshire 129 1.33x
Staffordshire 111 0.70x
Kent 78 0.48x
Nottinghamshire 54 0.85x
Shropshire 53 1.30x
Essex 52 0.56x
Sussex 52 0.65x
Berkshire 49 1.38x
Wiltshire 43 1.03x
Northamptonshire 37 0.83x
Derbyshire 31 0.42x
Gloucestershire 31 0.33x
Worcestershire 28 0.45x
Leicestershire 22 0.42x
Oxfordshire 20 0.68x
Monmouthshire 15 0.44x
Devon 14 0.14x
Durham 14 0.10x
Hertfordshire 14 0.43x
Denbighshire 9 0.50x
Montgomeryshire 9 0.83x
Buckinghamshire 8 0.28x
Norfolk 8 0.11x
Flintshire 7 0.55x
Caernarfonshire 6 0.31x
Cumberland 6 0.15x
Midlothian 6 0.09x
Royal Navy 5 0.89x
Suffolk 3 0.05x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.07x
Channel Islands 2 0.14x
Dorset 2 0.06x
Isle of Man 2 0.23x
Northumberland 2 0.03x
Somerset 2 0.03x
Westmorland 2 0.19x
Angus 1 0.02x
Herefordshire 1 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 344 Sumners recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.91x.

Place Total Index
Preston 344 22.91x
North Meols 105 19.11x
Leyland 101 103.43x
Liverpool 87 2.55x
Walton Le Dale 77 51.05x
Blackburn 68 4.55x
Kirkdale 66 6.99x
Scarisbrick 55 84.42x
Mattingley 50 606.80x
Pownall Fee 50 107.04x
Aston 49 1.49x
Chorley 48 15.24x
Birmingham 44 1.11x
Westleigh 43 33.74x
Manchester 41 1.62x
Thornton In Fylde 41 33.39x
West Derby 40 2.44x
Everton 38 2.12x
Wigan 34 4.33x
Hindley 33 13.79x
Aughton 31 55.77x
Barton Upon Irwell 31 7.34x
Farington 31 94.89x
Over 30 28.27x
Poplar London 28 3.14x
Bickerstaffe 26 70.77x
Islington London 26 0.57x
Longton 26 110.22x
Over Darwen 26 5.80x
Ashton Under Lyne 25 2.04x
Digby 24 487.80x
Hulme 24 2.05x
Macclesfield 24 5.17x
Clayton Le Moors 22 20.20x
South Rauceby 22 350.32x
Windle 22 6.97x
Fulshaw 21 109.26x
Little Bolton 21 2.91x
Nottingham St Mary 21 1.27x
Ormskirk 21 19.55x
Shoreditch London 21 1.02x
Stoke Upon Trent 21 1.24x
Bootle Cum Linacre 20 4.49x
Hartley Westpall 20 523.56x
Heaton Norris 20 6.26x
Ince In Makerfield 20 7.66x
Maghull 20 85.91x
Marston St Lawrence 20 317.46x
Rainford 20 32.95x
Whitchurch Tilstock 20 198.02x
Little Hoole 19 266.85x
Croston 18 62.07x
Manningham 18 3.12x
Salford 18 1.09x
Birkenhead 17 2.04x
Chorlton On Medlock 17 1.91x
Formby 17 26.75x
Halsall 17 76.68x
Clewer 16 11.00x
Fulwood 16 26.38x
Great Bolton 16 2.15x
Kineton 16 93.73x
Lambeth 16 0.39x
Stretford 16 5.18x
West Ham 16 0.78x
Withnell 16 46.46x
Birkdale 15 10.56x
Camberwell 15 0.50x
Coventry St Michael 15 3.91x
Croydon 15 1.17x
Folkestone 15 4.79x
Godalming 15 10.34x
Kingston On Thames 15 2.71x
Rumworth 15 18.70x
Southwark St George Martyr 15 1.58x
Ardwick 14 2.77x
Kirkby 14 61.62x
Potterne Worton 14 254.08x
Slaugham 14 54.31x
Heckmondwike 13 8.62x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 390
Elizabeth 262
Sarah 174
Ann 142
Ellen 116
Alice 113
Jane 97
Margaret 96
Eliza 56
Annie 55
Hannah 55
Martha 46
Emma 43
Catherine 33
Emily 32
Harriet 27
Fanny 26
Edith 25
Ada 22
Charlotte 22
Agnes 21
Anne 19
Esther 19
Florence 19
Frances 19
Isabella 19
Kate 18
Lucy 18
Caroline 17
Nancy 16
Clara 13
Louisa 13
Maria 13
Rose 12
Amy 11
Margt. 10
Minnie 10
Susannah 10
Harriett 9
Betsy 8
Eleanor 8
Bertha 7
Catharine 7
Grace 7
Rebecca 7
Elizth. 6
Ethel 6
Gertrude 6
Rhoda 6
Ruth 6

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 356
William 323
Thomas 209
James 202
George 135
Richard 93
Joseph 89
Robert 89
Henry 87
Charles 81
Edward 50
Samuel 37
Arthur 34
Alfred 30
David 28
Frederick 23
Albert 19
Daniel 18
Harry 18
Edwin 17
Francis 17
Walter 16
Thos. 14
Peter 13
Frank 12
Herbert 12
Wm. 11
Ernest 10
Fred 10
Edmund 9
Isaac 8
Harold 7
Ralph 7
Joshua 6
Mathew 6
Matthew 6
Benjamin 5
Chas. 5
Geo. 5
Horace 5
Tom 5
Andrew 4
Leonard 4
Mark 4
Michael 4
Nathan 4
Sidney 4
Philip 3
Richd. 3
Robt. 3

FAQ

Sumner surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sumner surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,848 people were recorded with the Sumner surname. That placed it at #920 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sumner surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,654 in 2016. That gives Sumner a modern rank of #1,015.

What does the Sumner surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a summoner, an official who served summonses and other legal documents.

What does the Sumner map show?

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