Kershaw Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Kershaw Name Meaning: Taken from the Anglo-Saxon word 'kirk' meaning 'church' and 'sceaga/shaw' meaning 'wood/copse'.

A name given to someone who lived or worked in a 'church wood' (a wood owned by the church). The name may have also been taken from a place of the same name.

Discover how your Kershaw ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Buckinghamshire 2
Brecknockshire 13
Cambridgeshire 1
Channel Islands 1
Cheshire 99
Cornwall 2
Cumberland 2
Derbyshire 48
Durham 6
Essex 14
Gloucestershire 11
Hampshire 1
Hertfordshire 7
Hunts and Rutland 0
Kent 1
Lancashire 3,733
Lincolnshire 15
London 109
Middlesex 3
Northamptonshire 5
Nottinghamshire 42
Oxfordshire 1
Shropshire 2
Somerset 1
Surrey 1
Sussex 4
Staffordshire 35
Warwickshire 2
Westmorland 10
Worcestershire 2
Yorkshire 1,443
Anglesey 0
Bedfordshire 0
Berkshire 0
Carnarvonshire 0
Cardiganshire 0
Carmarthenshire 0
Denbighshire 0
Devon 0
Dorset 0
Flintshire 0
Glamorgan 0
Herefordshire 0
Isle of Man 0
Leicestershire 0
Merionethshire 0
Montgomeryshire 0
Monmouthshire 0
Northumberland 0
Norfolk 0
Pembrokeshire 0
Radnorshire 0
Suffolk 0
Wiltshire 0

Kershaw Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Kershaw family

Profession Census Frequency
Cotton Weaver 197
Weaver 128
Labourer 100
Independent 81
Woollen Weaver 59
Cotton Piecer 57
Cotton Spinner 51
Coal Miner 48
Farmer 44
Female Servant 43
Stone Mason 40
Agricultural Labourer 31
Worsted Weaver 31
Woollen Spinner 30
Piecer 28
Woollen Weaver J 26
Spinner 25
Male Servant 23
Cotton Reeler 22
Dyer 22
Power Loom Weaver 22
Carter 19
Blacksmith 18
Mechanic 18
Wool Comber 17

Most Frequent Forenames for Kershaw

Name Census Frequency
Mary Kershaw 4,717
John Kershaw 4,340
James Kershaw 3,254
Sarah Kershaw 3,061
William Kershaw 2,844
Elizabeth Kershaw 2,475
Thomas Kershaw 2,046
Joseph Kershaw 1,717
Alice Kershaw 1,470
Ann Kershaw 1,456
Hannah Kershaw 1,342
Robert Kershaw 1,161
Jane Kershaw 1,155
Samuel Kershaw 977
George Kershaw 973
Martha Kershaw 963
Ellen Kershaw 858
Charles Kershaw 830
Annie Kershaw 821
Betty Kershaw 754
Emma Kershaw 674
Henry Kershaw 631
Margaret Kershaw 619
Edward Kershaw 610
Eliza Kershaw 586

Kershaw Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Kershaw 100% 63,087
2 Kirshaw 86% 894

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The surname Kershaw is the most popular version of all its varients

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