NameCensus.

UK surname

Sunner

A variant spelling of the English surname "Somer" referring to someone who hailed from the season of summer.

In the 1881 census there were 36 people recorded with the Sunner surname, ranking it #28,559 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 349, ranked #13,189, up from #28,559 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Winwick, Alverstoke, Gosport, Rowner and Wigan. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Solihull, Sandwell and Walsall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Sunner is 357 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 869.4%.

1881 census count

36

Ranked #28,559

Modern count

349

2016, ranked #13,189

Peak year

2013

357 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Sunner had 36 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,559 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 349 in 2016, ranked #13,189.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 210 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Sunner surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Sunner surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Sunner 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 112 #15,913
1861 historical 159 #14,553
1881 historical 36 #28,559
1891 historical 210 #14,412
1901 historical 21 #31,686
1911 historical 59 #26,914
1997 modern 224 #16,392
1998 modern 236 #16,304
1999 modern 245 #16,012
2000 modern 267 #15,055
2001 modern 260 #15,113
2002 modern 297 #14,081
2003 modern 310 #13,522
2004 modern 310 #13,589
2005 modern 313 #13,433
2006 modern 311 #13,577
2007 modern 329 #13,168
2008 modern 328 #13,319
2009 modern 327 #13,599
2010 modern 343 #13,416
2011 modern 353 #13,004
2012 modern 333 #13,468
2013 modern 357 #12,984
2014 modern 346 #13,370
2015 modern 356 #13,009
2016 modern 349 #13,189

Geography

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Where Sunners are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Winwick, Alverstoke, Gosport, Rowner, Wigan, St Marylebone and Ribchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Solihull, Sandwell, Walsall, Telford and Wrekin and South Kesteven. 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 Winwick Lancashire
2 Alverstoke, Gosport, Rowner Hampshire
3 Wigan Lancashire
4 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
5 Ribchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Solihull 015 Solihull
2 Sandwell 023 Sandwell
3 Walsall 035 Walsall
4 Telford and Wrekin 004 Telford and Wrekin
5 South Kesteven 015 South Kesteven

Forenames

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First names often paired with Sunner

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Sunner

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Sunner surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Sunner household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Young Asian Family Terraces

Within London, Sunner is most associated with areas classed as Young Asian Family Terraces, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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 households with dependent children typically live in terraced housing and are of (non-Chinese) Asian extraction. Individuals with Bangladeshi origins are particularly in evidence. Employment is often in elementary occupations or as process, plant or machine operatives, and part-time work is common. Students are much in evidence.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Sunner 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

Sunner falls in decile 9 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.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Sunner is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
Asian - Indian

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

Meaning and origin of Sunner

The surname Sunner has its origins in the Old English word "sunor," which translates to "son-in-law." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who married into a family or clan. The earliest recorded examples of this surname date back to the 12th century in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name Sunner can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Richard Sunner is mentioned as a landowner. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297 list a John Sunner among the taxpayers of the region.

In the 14th century, the Sunner surname appeared in several historical records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Thomas Sunner is mentioned in 1345. The name also surfaced in the Chancery Proceedings of the reign of Edward III, with a reference to a William Sunner in 1386.

Notably, the Sunner surname has been associated with various place names throughout history. For instance, in the 16th century, there was a record of a family residing in Sunner Farm, located in the parish of Harthill in Yorkshire. This farm may have derived its name from the surname itself or vice versa.

Among the notable individuals who bore the Sunner surname, one can mention:

1. John Sunner (c. 1520 - 1592), an English yeoman farmer and landowner from Lincolnshire. 2. Thomas Sunner (1582 - 1647), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of York. 3. Elizabeth Sunner (1624 - 1692), a Quaker preacher and author from Lancashire. 4. Richard Sunner (1670 - 1731), a renowned clockmaker and horologist from Yorkshire. 5. William Sunner (1795 - 1858), a successful industrialist and textile manufacturer from Lancashire.

The Sunner surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Suner, Sunner, Sunnor, and Sunnour. These variations likely arose from regional dialects, scribal errors, and the natural evolution of language.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Sunner families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Sunner 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 24 Sunners recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.93x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 24 5.93x
Monmouthshire 9 36.48x
Renfrewshire 1 3.78x
Staffordshire 1 0.87x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Woollos in Monmouthshire leads with 9 Sunners recorded in 1881 and an index of 327.27x.

Place Total Index
St Woollos 9 327.27x
Billinge Higher End 5 3125.00x
Livesey 5 704.23x
Ormskirk 4 519.48x
Everton 3 23.26x
Pendleton In Salford 3 62.24x
Lea Ashton Ingol 2 740.74x
Droylsden 1 75.76x
Handsworth 1 35.21x
Leyland 1 142.86x
Renfrew 1 114.94x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ellen 3
Jane 3
Fanny 2
Mary 2
Ann 1
Martha 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 4
Thomas 4
John 3
William 2
Daniel 1
Henry 1
Isaac 1
Joseph 1
Joshua 1
Richard 1
Richd. 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 Sunner households.

FAQ

Sunner surname: questions and answers

How common was the Sunner surname in 1881?

In 1881, 36 people were recorded with the Sunner surname. That placed it at #28,559 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Sunner surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 349 in 2016. That gives Sunner a modern rank of #13,189.

What does the Sunner surname mean?

A variant spelling of the English surname "Somer" referring to someone who hailed from the season of summer.

What does the Sunner map show?

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