NameCensus.

UK surname

Swanney

In the 1881 census there were 175 people recorded with the Swanney surname, ranking it #13,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 127, ranked #26,566, down from #13,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Kirkwall and St.Ola, Edinburgh and Shapinsay. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include West Kirkwall, Isles and Stromness, Sandwick and Stenness.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Swanney is 207 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 27.4%.

1881 census count

175

Ranked #13,982

Modern count

127

2016, ranked #26,566

Peak year

1901

207 bearers

Map years

6

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Swanney had 175 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 127 in 2016, ranked #26,566.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 207 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Swanney surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Swanney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Swanney 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 30 #27,891
1861 historical 60 #26,313
1881 historical 175 #13,982
1891 historical 203 #14,754
1901 historical 207 #14,803
1911 historical 3 #33,789
1997 modern 146 #21,494
1998 modern 151 #21,578
1999 modern 139 #22,884
2000 modern 144 #22,357
2001 modern 138 #22,647
2002 modern 142 #22,687
2003 modern 125 #24,265
2004 modern 123 #24,679
2005 modern 115 #25,702
2006 modern 116 #25,813
2007 modern 118 #25,913
2008 modern 120 #25,922
2009 modern 125 #25,823
2010 modern 123 #26,728
2011 modern 120 #26,930
2012 modern 122 #26,696
2013 modern 127 #26,452
2014 modern 128 #26,490
2015 modern 126 #26,654
2016 modern 127 #26,566

Geography

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Where Swanneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Kirkwall and St.Ola, Edinburgh, Shapinsay, Westray and Papa Westray and Cross and Burness. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to West Kirkwall, Isles, Stromness, Sandwick and Stenness, East Mainland and West Mainland. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Kirkwall and St.Ola Orkney
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Shapinsay Orkney
4 Westray and Papa Westray Orkney
5 Cross and Burness Orkney

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 West Kirkwall Orkney Islands
2 Isles Orkney Islands
3 Stromness, Sandwick and Stenness Orkney Islands
4 East Mainland Orkney Islands
5 West Mainland Orkney Islands

Forenames

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First names often paired with Swanney

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Swanney

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Swanney, 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 Swanney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Swanney 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, Swanney 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

Swanney is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Swanney falls in decile 7 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.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Swanney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Swanney 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. Orkney leads with 164 Swanneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 873.27x.

County Total Index
Orkney 164 873.27x
Midlothian 10 4.37x
Northumberland 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cross Burness N in Orkney leads with 112 Swanneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 11428.57x.

Place Total Index
Cross Burness N 112 11428.57x
Kirkwall St Ola 17 604.98x
Stronsay Eday 10 813.01x
Shapinshay 9 1578.95x
North Leith 8 75.61x
St Andrews Deerness 6 606.06x
Lady 4 714.29x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 2.17x
Evie Rendall 2 253.16x
Firth Stenness 2 246.91x
Holm 1 158.73x
Morpeth 1 33.44x
Westray Papa Westray 1 67.11x

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 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 Swanney households.

Occupation Count
Iron Founder 1

FAQ

Swanney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Swanney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 175 people were recorded with the Swanney surname. That placed it at #13,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Swanney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 127 in 2016. That gives Swanney a modern rank of #26,566.

What does the Swanney map show?

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