NameCensus.

UK surname

Sunman

In the 1881 census there were 125 people recorded with the Sunman surname, ranking it #17,335 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 229, ranked #17,878, down from #17,335 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire and York.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sunman is 235 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 83.2%.

1881 census count

125

Ranked #17,335

Modern count

229

2016, ranked #17,878

Peak year

2002

235 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sunman had 125 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,335 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 229 in 2016, ranked #17,878.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 216 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Sunman surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sunman surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sunman 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 75 #20,268
1861 historical 79 #23,702
1881 historical 125 #17,335
1891 historical 140 #19,193
1901 historical 180 #16,171
1911 historical 216 #14,240
1997 modern 202 #17,514
1998 modern 219 #17,115
1999 modern 223 #17,025
2000 modern 232 #16,562
2001 modern 228 #16,525
2002 modern 235 #16,495
2003 modern 227 #16,718
2004 modern 218 #17,230
2005 modern 208 #17,687
2006 modern 210 #17,718
2007 modern 205 #18,194
2008 modern 204 #18,403
2009 modern 213 #18,284
2010 modern 212 #18,726
2011 modern 213 #18,502
2012 modern 208 #18,720
2013 modern 211 #18,872
2014 modern 226 #18,088
2015 modern 235 #17,530
2016 modern 229 #17,878

Geography

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Where Sunmans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton, Manchester, St Matthew Bethnal Green and St Lawrence, St Nicholas in the Suburbs. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire and York. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Newark-on-Trent, East Stoke (East Stoke), Park Leys, Rolleston (Fiskerton), Morton Nottinghamshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
5 St Lawrence, St Nicholas in the Suburbs Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kingston upon Hull 021 Kingston upon Hull, City of
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 009 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 043 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 Kingston upon Hull 017 Kingston upon Hull, City of
5 York 022 York

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sunman

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sunman

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Sunman is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Sunman is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Sunman 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 Sunman is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Sunman, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Sunman families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sunman 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. Yorkshire leads with 51 Sunmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.19x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 51 4.19x
Lancashire 20 1.37x
Middlesex 14 1.14x
Norfolk 13 6.88x
Nottinghamshire 11 6.64x
Bedfordshire 7 11.00x
Staffordshire 3 0.72x
Surrey 2 0.33x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.35x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.28x
Huntingdonshire 1 4.10x
Kent 1 0.24x
Worcestershire 1 0.62x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hulme in Lancashire leads with 12 Sunmans recorded in 1881 and an index of 39.41x.

Place Total Index
Hulme 12 39.41x
Great Yarmouth 11 70.29x
Newark Upon Trent 10 168.07x
Holy Trinity 9 30.73x
Pocklington 9 782.61x
York St Nicholas In 9 1304.35x
Horton In Bradford 7 36.80x
Luton 7 63.52x
Soothill 5 113.64x
York St Lawrence 5 393.70x
Edgware 4 1176.47x
Crompton 3 72.29x
Holme On Spalding Moor 3 375.00x
Newcastle Under Lyme 3 40.87x
St Marylebone London 3 4.57x
Wales 3 312.50x
Bethnal Green London 2 3.75x
Chelsea London 2 5.40x
Great Stanmore 2 363.64x
Manchester 2 3.05x
Oldham 2 4.25x
Southrepps 2 540.54x
Edlesborough 1 147.06x
Heaton 1 161.29x
Mortlake 1 37.45x
Oxted 1 138.89x
Somersham 1 169.49x
Southwell 1 82.64x
Stoke Newington London 1 10.45x
Tadcaster West 1 104.17x
Tonbridge 1 6.61x
Wisbech St Peter 1 25.64x
Worcester St Peter 1 32.89x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 11
Sarah 7
Mary 6
Agnes 4
Emily 3
Hannah 3
Maria 3
Edith 2
Harriet 2
Isabella 2
Martha 2
Rebecca 2
Susannah 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Betsy 1
Ellen 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Jane 1
Jessie 1
Laura 1
Leah 1
Louisa 1
Mabel 1
Matilda 1
Mercy 1
Rosa 1
Rose 1
Sharny 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 12
John 8
George 5
Henry 3
Robert 3
Albert 2
Edward 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
James 2
Joseph 2
Richard 2
Thomas 2
Thos. 2
Walter 2
Charles 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Gabriel 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Sunman surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sunman surname in 1881?

In 1881, 125 people were recorded with the Sunman surname. That placed it at #17,335 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sunman surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 229 in 2016. That gives Sunman a modern rank of #17,878.

What does the Sunman map show?

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