NameCensus.

UK surname

Swettenham

In the 1881 census there were 140 people recorded with the Swettenham surname, ranking it #16,151 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 116, ranked #28,197, down from #16,151 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolstanton, Manchester and St Matthew Bethnal Green. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rochdale, Cornwall and Tendring.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Swettenham is 174 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 17.1%.

1881 census count

140

Ranked #16,151

Modern count

116

2016, ranked #28,197

Peak year

1911

174 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Swettenham had 140 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,151 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 116 in 2016, ranked #28,197.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 174 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Swettenham surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Swettenham surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Swettenham 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 87 #18,695
1861 historical 78 #23,836
1881 historical 140 #16,151
1891 historical 146 #18,664
1901 historical 149 #18,146
1911 historical 174 #16,311
1997 modern 130 #23,021
1998 modern 145 #22,139
1999 modern 146 #22,202
2000 modern 139 #22,855
2001 modern 142 #22,234
2002 modern 136 #23,296
2003 modern 124 #24,378
2004 modern 122 #24,812
2005 modern 107 #26,875
2006 modern 107 #27,179
2007 modern 114 #26,491
2008 modern 118 #26,212
2009 modern 131 #25,056
2010 modern 142 #24,352
2011 modern 138 #24,615
2012 modern 127 #25,992
2013 modern 131 #25,932
2014 modern 130 #26,216
2015 modern 124 #26,944
2016 modern 116 #28,197

Geography

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Where Swettenhams are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolstanton, Manchester, St Matthew Bethnal Green, London parishes and Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rochdale, Cornwall, Tendring and Wyre. 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 Wolstanton Staffordshire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
4 London parishes London 2
5 Stoke-on-Trent, Bucknell-cum-Bagnall, Caverswall Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rochdale 019 Rochdale
2 Cornwall 004 Cornwall
3 Rochdale 018 Rochdale
4 Tendring 014 Tendring
5 Wyre 010 Wyre

Forenames

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First names often paired with Swettenham

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Swettenham

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Swettenham surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Swettenham household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Swettenham 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

Swettenham is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Swettenham falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Swettenham 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
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Swettenham families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Swettenham 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 48 Swettenhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.80x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 48 2.80x
Staffordshire 44 9.03x
Middlesex 16 1.11x
Channel Islands 8 18.70x
Kent 8 1.62x
Montgomeryshire 8 24.18x
Gloucestershire 5 1.77x
Derbyshire 4 1.77x
Clackmannanshire 2 16.78x
Durham 2 0.47x
Buckinghamshire 1 1.15x
Cheshire 1 0.31x
Yorkshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bethnal Green London in Middlesex leads with 14 Swettenhams recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.33x.

Place Total Index
Bethnal Green London 14 22.33x
Stoke Upon Trent 13 25.16x
Manchester 12 15.58x
Chorlton On Medlock 9 33.08x
Llanllwchaiarn 8 559.44x
St Helier 8 57.47x
Newcastle Under Lyme 7 81.21x
Wolstanton Chesterton 7 281.12x
Wolstanton Knutton 7 235.69x
Withington 6 108.70x
Wolstanton 6 40.54x
Cheltenham 5 22.89x
Milton In Gravesend 5 67.66x
Spotland 5 26.26x
Wardleworth 5 51.07x
Blackley 4 133.33x
Derby St Werburgh 4 30.65x
Toxteth Park 3 5.17x
Dollar 2 161.29x
Everton 2 3.66x
Hougham 2 68.26x
Hurworth 2 266.67x
Leigh Field 2 1428.57x
St Pancras London 2 1.72x
Blackburn 1 2.19x
Burslem 1 7.16x
Crewe In Chester 1 3333.33x
Eccleshall 1 54.05x
Hulme 1 2.80x
Lynsted 1 156.25x
North Marston 1 312.50x
Thornaby 1 18.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 7
Sarah 7
Hannah 5
Amelia 3
Ann 3
Annie 3
Charlotte 2
Emily 2
Georgiana 2
Lucy 2
Selina 2
Alice 1
Augusta 1
Berthia 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Constance 1
Cornelia 1
Dina 1
Eliza 1
Elizabeth 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Eunice 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Helen 1
Helena 1
Isabel 1
Isabella 1
Jessie 1
Lilly 1
Mar. 1
Margeret 1
May 1
Mercy 1
Mildred 1
Olive 1
Rose 1
Sophia 1
Sophie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 11
John 8
George 6
Thomas 5
Walter 4
James 3
Jethro 3
Robert 3
Wm. 3
Albert 2
Arthur 2
Charles 2
Frederick 2
Joseph 2
Luke 2
Arch. 1
Archibald 1
Aurthur 1
Colin 1
Earnest 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Hy. 1
Isaac 1
Jesse 1
Richard 1
Rupert 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Silas 1
Theophilus 1
W.N. 1
Wilson 1

FAQ

Swettenham surname: questions and answers

How common was the Swettenham surname in 1881?

In 1881, 140 people were recorded with the Swettenham surname. That placed it at #16,151 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Swettenham surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 116 in 2016. That gives Swettenham a modern rank of #28,197.

What does the Swettenham map show?

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