NameCensus.

UK surname

Sumption

A surname derived from the Old French "sumption," meaning "assumption" or "arrogance."

In the 1881 census there were 74 people recorded with the Sumption surname, ranking it #23,062 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 137, ranked #25,254, down from #23,062 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Trowbridge, Merthyr Tydfil and Ham, East. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Somerset, Cornwall and Greenwich.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sumption is 148 in 2015. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 85.1%.

1881 census count

74

Ranked #23,062

Modern count

137

2016, ranked #25,254

Peak year

2015

148 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sumption had 74 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,062 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 137 in 2016, ranked #25,254.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 108 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Sumption surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sumption surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sumption 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 52 #23,915
1861 historical 35 #29,571
1881 historical 74 #23,062
1891 historical 93 #24,965
1901 historical 96 #23,342
1911 historical 108 #21,736
1997 modern 114 #24,967
1998 modern 127 #23,940
1999 modern 127 #24,125
2000 modern 123 #24,585
2001 modern 127 #23,781
2002 modern 124 #24,616
2003 modern 119 #25,026
2004 modern 125 #24,443
2005 modern 121 #24,947
2006 modern 124 #24,750
2007 modern 125 #24,987
2008 modern 122 #25,638
2009 modern 128 #25,427
2010 modern 137 #24,907
2011 modern 128 #25,793
2012 modern 145 #23,780
2013 modern 146 #24,107
2014 modern 145 #24,395
2015 modern 148 #23,934
2016 modern 137 #25,254

Geography

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Where Sumptions are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Trowbridge, Merthyr Tydfil, Ham, East, Bedwelty and Otterford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Somerset, Cornwall, Greenwich and North Somerset. 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 Trowbridge Wiltshire
2 Merthyr Tydfil Glamorganshire
3 Ham, East Essex
4 Bedwelty Monmouthshire
5 Otterford Somerset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Somerset 019 South Somerset
2 Cornwall 047 Cornwall
3 Greenwich 038 Greenwich
4 North Somerset 016 North Somerset
5 Cornwall 002 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sumption

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sumption

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Sumption surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Sumption household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Sumption 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

Sumption is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sumption falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Sumption

The surname SUMPTION is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "sumer," meaning summer, combined with the suffix "-tun," referring to a village or settlement. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, referring to someone from a place called "Summerton" or a similar variant.

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

During the Middle Ages, the surname SUMPTION was primarily concentrated in the counties of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk in East Anglia. The variants "Sumerton" and "Summertown" were also documented in medieval records from these areas.

Notable historical figures bearing the SUMPTION surname include Sir John Sumption (c.1450-1510), a prominent English lawyer and judge during the Tudor period. He served as the King's Serjeant and was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas in 1504.

Another individual of note was William Sumption (1584-1638), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Aveley in Essex. He published several works on religious topics during his lifetime.

In the 17th century, a branch of the SUMPTION family settled in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded emigrants was Robert Sumption, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.

During the 18th century, the SUMPTION surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with concentrations in the counties of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Lancashire.

A notable figure from this period was Sir Charles Sumption (1720-1792), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Ilchester in Somerset. He played a significant role in the East India Company trade with Asia.

In the 19th century, the SUMPTION surname gained further recognition with the birth of Sir Charles Sumption (1860-1934), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Old Bailey criminal court.

Throughout its history, the SUMPTION surname has maintained its connection to its locational roots, reflecting the origins of those who settled in the "summer villages" of England centuries ago.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sumption families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sumption 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. Somerset leads with 17 Sumptions recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.44x.

County Total Index
Somerset 17 14.44x
Wiltshire 14 21.64x
Gloucestershire 10 6.97x
Essex 7 4.85x
Sussex 7 5.68x
Monmouthshire 6 11.35x
Glamorgan 5 3.93x
Devon 3 1.97x
Hampshire 2 1.33x
Middlesex 2 0.27x
Cumberland 1 1.59x
Pembrokeshire 1 4.30x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Otterford in Somerset leads with 10 Sumptions recorded in 1881 and an index of 10000.00x.

Place Total Index
Otterford 10 10000.00x
Trowbridge 9 314.69x
Awre 7 2333.33x
East Ham 7 261.19x
Bedwellty 6 64.24x
Bridgewater 5 156.25x
Melksham 5 446.43x
South Bersted 5 476.19x
Merthyr Tydfil 4 32.68x
Hawkesbury 3 612.24x
Boxgrove 2 1111.11x
Holdenhurst 2 50.89x
Yarcombe 2 1176.47x
Bethnal Green London 1 3.15x
Hensingham 1 196.08x
Honiton 1 119.05x
Llandaff 1 23.58x
Pembroke St Michael 1 294.12x
St George Hanover 1 10.47x
Timsbury 1 277.78x
Yeovil 1 41.84x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Elizabeth 5
Ellen 4
Margaret 2
Ruth 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Ann 1
Bessie 1
Eliza 1
Elizth.T. 1
Emily 1
Gwladys 1
Hannah 1
Jane 1
Jean 1
Lavinia 1
Louisa 1
Martha 1
Minny 1
Sarah 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 10
John 5
George 4
James 4
Alfred 2
Arthur 2
Frank 1
Fred 1
Frederic 1
Jonathan 1
Joseph 1
Richard 1
Tom 1
Walter 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Sumption households.

FAQ

Sumption surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sumption surname in 1881?

In 1881, 74 people were recorded with the Sumption surname. That placed it at #23,062 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sumption surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 137 in 2016. That gives Sumption a modern rank of #25,254.

What does the Sumption surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old French "sumption," meaning "assumption" or "arrogance."

What does the Sumption map show?

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