NameCensus.

UK surname

Swabey

In the 1881 census there were 195 people recorded with the Swabey surname, ranking it #13,054 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 295, ranked #14,915, down from #13,054 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burnham, Dorney, Upton with Chalvey and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, Plymouth and Horsham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Swabey is 302 in 2008. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 51.3%.

1881 census count

195

Ranked #13,054

Modern count

295

2016, ranked #14,915

Peak year

2008

302 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Swabey had 195 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,054 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 295 in 2016, ranked #14,915.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 257 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Swabey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Swabey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Swabey 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 88 #18,569
1861 historical 80 #23,566
1881 historical 195 #13,054
1891 historical 167 #17,006
1901 historical 228 #13,929
1911 historical 257 #12,658
1997 modern 272 #14,451
1998 modern 269 #14,941
1999 modern 283 #14,501
2000 modern 281 #14,567
2001 modern 272 #14,654
2002 modern 292 #14,236
2003 modern 271 #14,787
2004 modern 270 #14,913
2005 modern 286 #14,242
2006 modern 290 #14,202
2007 modern 291 #14,347
2008 modern 302 #14,069
2009 modern 292 #14,700
2010 modern 295 #14,911
2011 modern 297 #14,698
2012 modern 285 #15,050
2013 modern 294 #14,961
2014 modern 288 #15,285
2015 modern 290 #15,117
2016 modern 295 #14,915

Geography

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Where Swabeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Burnham, Dorney, Upton with Chalvey, London parishes, Aldbury and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, Plymouth and Horsham. 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 Burnham, Dorney Buckinghamshire
2 Upton with Chalvey Buckinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Aldbury Hertfordshire
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 008 Cornwall
2 Plymouth 026 Plymouth
3 Horsham 009 Horsham
4 Plymouth 002 Plymouth
5 Plymouth 004 Plymouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Swabey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Swabey

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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Swabey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Swabey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Swabey is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Swabey 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

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

1881 census detail

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Swabey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Swabey 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. Buckinghamshire leads with 42 Swabeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 36.52x.

County Total Index
Buckinghamshire 42 36.52x
Middlesex 33 1.73x
Surrey 19 2.05x
Berkshire 16 11.21x
Hertfordshire 16 12.20x
Norfolk 15 5.13x
Yorkshire 14 0.74x
Bedfordshire 12 12.18x
Devon 8 2.02x
Warwickshire 4 0.83x
Lincolnshire 2 0.66x
Northamptonshire 2 1.12x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.78x
Hampshire 1 0.26x
Kent 1 0.15x
Midlothian 1 0.39x
Oxfordshire 1 0.85x
Renfrewshire 1 0.68x
Royal Navy 1 4.41x
Somerset 1 0.33x
Sussex 1 0.31x
Wiltshire 1 0.59x
Worcestershire 1 0.40x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Burnham in Buckinghamshire leads with 13 Swabeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 884.35x.

Place Total Index
Burnham 13 884.35x
Dorney 11 5500.00x
Watford 11 108.27x
Upton Cum Chalvey 9 196.51x
Aspley Guise 8 851.06x
Great Faringdon 8 390.24x
Hackney London 8 7.50x
Southwark St John 7 120.27x
Tilney St Lawrence 7 1489.36x
Walsoken 7 397.73x
Exeter St Thomas The 6 148.51x
Kensington London 6 5.67x
St Marylebone London 6 5.91x
Bermondsey 5 8.83x
Langley Marish 5 354.61x
Leeds 5 4.70x
Old Windsor 5 303.03x
St Pancras London 5 3.27x
Aston 4 3.03x
Lambeth 4 2.41x
Leighton Buzzard 4 94.34x
Soothill 4 58.74x
Taplow 4 579.71x
Bradford 3 6.57x
Islington London 3 1.63x
Clee With Weelsby 2 30.03x
Dewsbury 2 10.35x
Gayton 2 540.54x
Nottingham St Mary 2 3.02x
St James Garlickhithe 2 1428.57x
Thursley 2 298.51x
Tring 2 57.14x
Abbots Langley 1 51.28x
Abingdon St Helen 1 23.98x
Bray 1 23.81x
Brighton 1 1.55x
Chelsea London 1 1.74x
Darenth 1 100.00x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 1 16.58x
Exeter St David 1 29.59x
Hertford St John 1 51.28x
Mathon 1 136.99x
New Windsor 1 20.83x
Oxford St Giles 1 17.86x
Rickmansworth 1 27.70x
Rowde 1 128.21x
Royal Navy 1 5.16x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 2.61x
St George Hanover 1 4.03x
St Michael Winchester 1 126.58x
Thetford St Cuthbert 1 94.34x
Topsham 1 53.48x
Walcot 1 6.13x
West Greenock 1 3.78x
Whitechapel London 1 5.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Emily 6
Fanny 6
Jane 5
Alice 4
Annie 4
Elizabeth 4
Ellen 4
Emma 4
Esther 4
Louisa 4
Eliza 3
Harriet 3
Ann 2
Caroline 2
Frances 2
Francis 2
Harriett 2
Laura 2
Lily 2
Margaret 2
Sophia 2
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Diana 1
Elfrida 1
Elizth. 1
Ethel 1
Janett 1
Kate 1
Kezia 1
Kitty 1
Lilian 1
Lucy 1
Monica 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Ruth 1
Sarah 1
Sopia 1
Susannah 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 13
George 9
John 6
Thomas 6
Charles 5
Henry 5
James 5
Maurice 4
David 2
Edmund 2
Edward 2
Francis 2
Frederick 2
Aaron 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Fredk. 1
Geo.W. 1
Harold 1
Herbert 1
Horace 1
Hubert 1
Jesse 1
Joseph 1
Louis 1
Mark 1
Matthew 1
Newry 1
Samuel 1
Stephen 1
Swabey 1
Thos.J. 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1
Wool 1

FAQ

Swabey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Swabey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 195 people were recorded with the Swabey surname. That placed it at #13,054 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Swabey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 295 in 2016. That gives Swabey a modern rank of #14,915.

What does the Swabey map show?

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