NameCensus.

UK surname

Swyer

In the 1881 census there were 136 people recorded with the Swyer surname, ranking it #16,433 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 152, ranked #23,516, down from #16,433 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Poole St James, London parishes and Blandford Town, Pimperne. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Kingston upon Hull and Poole.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Swyer is 254 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.8%.

1881 census count

136

Ranked #16,433

Modern count

152

2016, ranked #23,516

Peak year

1891

254 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Swyer had 136 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,433 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 152 in 2016, ranked #23,516.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 254 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Swyer surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Swyer surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Swyer 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 84 #19,067
1861 historical 136 #16,556
1881 historical 136 #16,433
1891 historical 254 #12,598
1901 historical 219 #14,292
1911 historical 173 #16,361
1997 modern 140 #22,031
1998 modern 136 #23,013
1999 modern 136 #23,186
2000 modern 129 #23,901
2001 modern 128 #23,665
2002 modern 132 #23,680
2003 modern 131 #23,553
2004 modern 141 #22,689
2005 modern 140 #22,774
2006 modern 139 #23,044
2007 modern 137 #23,590
2008 modern 130 #24,695
2009 modern 140 #24,033
2010 modern 147 #23,809
2011 modern 145 #23,837
2012 modern 142 #24,148
2013 modern 151 #23,529
2014 modern 156 #23,231
2015 modern 154 #23,306
2016 modern 152 #23,516

Geography

Back to top

Where Swyers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Poole St James, London parishes, Blandford Town, Pimperne, Melcombe Regis and Dorchester Holy Trinity, Fordington. 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 and Poole. 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 Poole St James Dorset
2 London parishes London 3
3 Blandford Town, Pimperne Dorset
4 Melcombe Regis Dorset
5 Dorchester Holy Trinity, Fordington Dorset

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Kingston upon Hull 021 Kingston upon Hull, City of
2 Kingston upon Hull 010 Kingston upon Hull, City of
3 Kingston upon Hull 029 Kingston upon Hull, City of
4 Kingston upon Hull 030 Kingston upon Hull, City of
5 Poole 008 Poole

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Swyer

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Swyer

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Swyer is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Swyer 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

Swyer 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 Swyer is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

Back to top

Swyer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Swyer 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. Dorset leads with 53 Swyers recorded in 1881 and an index of 60.87x.

County Total Index
Dorset 53 60.87x
Middlesex 26 1.96x
Sussex 19 8.50x
Surrey 14 2.17x
Hampshire 12 4.41x
Kent 5 1.10x
Hertfordshire 2 2.19x
Warwickshire 2 0.60x
Wiltshire 2 1.70x
Oxfordshire 1 1.22x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Fordington in Dorset leads with 14 Swyers recorded in 1881 and an index of 744.68x.

Place Total Index
Fordington 14 744.68x
Parham 9 22500.00x
Carshalton 7 283.40x
Wimborne 7 666.67x
Bloxworth 6 5000.00x
Hastings St Mary In The 6 125.79x
Islington London 6 4.67x
Mile End Old Town 6 28.65x
Poplar London 6 23.96x
Merton 5 442.48x
Poole St James 5 152.91x
Blandford Forum 4 232.56x
Christchurch 4 67.80x
Durweston 4 2352.94x
Shaftesbury Holy Trinity 4 888.89x
Wadhurst 4 272.11x
Canford Magna 3 600.00x
Faversham 3 69.44x
Holdenhurst 3 42.08x
Whitechapel London 3 22.94x
Bilton 2 259.74x
Bow London 2 11.84x
Hackney London 2 2.69x
Hawkhurst 2 141.84x
Hertford All Saints 2 392.16x
Lambeth 2 1.73x
Southampton St Lawrence 2 1428.57x
Bicester Market End 1 66.67x
Crawley 1 476.19x
Fugglestone St Peter 1 217.39x
Hamworthy 1 333.33x
Liddiard Tregooze 1 333.33x
Longfleet 1 99.01x
Melcombe Regis 1 27.70x
Morden 1 270.27x
Paddington London 1 2.05x
Ringwood 1 57.47x
St Faith Winchester 1 78.74x
Stourpaine 1 384.62x
Winterborne Stickland 1 454.55x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Sarah 7
Emily 6
Elizabeth 5
Harriet 4
Jane 4
Alice 3
Charlotte 3
Ada 2
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Flora 2
Kate 2
Maria 2
Agnes 1
Amy 1
Ann 1
Anne 1
Caroline 1
Catherine 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Esther 1
Fanney 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Grace 1
Harriett 1
Harriott 1
Henrietta 1
Keziah 1
Martha 1
Rhoda 1
Ruth 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 8
Albert 5
George 5
John 5
Henry 4
Thomas 4
Charles 3
Harry 3
James 3
Alfred 2
Anthony 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Ambrose 1
Arthur 1
Chas. 1
Edwin 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Gerald 1
Richard 1
Septimus 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Swyer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Swyer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 136 people were recorded with the Swyer surname. That placed it at #16,433 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Swyer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 152 in 2016. That gives Swyer a modern rank of #23,516.

What does the Swyer map show?

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