Surname Shorrocks - Meaning and Origin

Shorrocks: What does the surname Shorrocks mean?

Shorrocks is a surname of Anglo-Saxon origin, primarily found in Lancashire in the United Kingdom. It is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place in Lancashire near Wigan, which was originally spelled as "Sharrocks." This place name is believed to come from the Old English terms "scear," meaning "plough" or "plough land," and "ac," meaning "oak tree." Thus, the surname could potentially mean "oak trees on ploughed land." As surnames became necessary when governments started levying personal taxes, it began to be used as a form of identification - primarily for taxation purposes. While it's not amongst the most common last names today, it is still in use, carried forward by families descending from the ancestors associated with this lineage, keeping the connection to their roots alive to this day.

Shorrocks: Where does the name Shorrocks come from?

The surname Shorrocks is most common today in the United Kingdom. According to the 2019 UK census, the Shorrocks surname was ranked 6,785th out of all surnames recorded in that year, making it a relatively rare name compared to many other British surnames.

The highest concentration of Shorrockses in the United Kingdom is in the North West region, particularly Merseyside and Greater Manchester. The majority of Families with the Shorrocks surname appear to originate from this region, particularly from the districts of Wirral and Sefton. This suggests that the surname has been passed down over generations in the same area, although there may also be occurrence of the Shorrocks name in other parts of the UK or further afield.

Certain Shorrocks families may have connections much further back than the UK, having been traced to locations in France and Germany, as well being found in across other parts of western Europe.

The Shorrocks surname is also very prevalent in the United States, with over 81,000 people identified as having the surname according to the 2019 US census. Here, as in the UK, the Shorrocks surname is most frequently reported in the Northeast of the country, especially in Massachusetts and New York, although its reach spreads across many states.

Overall, the currently available census data suggests that today, the surname is most commonly found in the UK and US, with some Shorrocks families having appeared in various other regions across Europe and America.

Variations of the surname Shorrocks

The surname Shorrocks is of English origin and has many variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. Variants of the name can include Shorerock, Shorerox, Shortrock, Shorock, Shortrocks, Shorrocks, Shorrock, and Shorerocks. It was likely a topographic name for a place near a ridge or shore, derived from the Middle English word "shoor", meaning a ridge, and the Olde English pre 7th Century word "roc", meaning a rock or crag.

Surnames of the same origin are Short, Shorten, Shortridge, Shortrock, Shorthouse, and Shorthill. Spellings of the name Shorrocks can include Shorrick, Shorroc, Shawarock, Sharkrock, and Sharrock.

The surname can also be found among Irish families who are descendants of the Anglo-Norman settlers who arrived in Ireland during the 11th and 12th centuries, such as Sharrock or Sharrocks. Other similar surnames include Sharrack, Sharacke, Shortreck, and Shorttreck.

The varying spellings of the surname Shorrocks indicate that bearer of the name, and even their ancestors, were scattered geographically from their original homeland. The wide range of variants and spellings of this surname are indicative of how families have travelled and been known by different names throughout history. These different orthographies demonstrate the complexity of tracing the evolution of a family name.

Famous people with the name Shorrocks

• Linzi Shorrocks, a professional actress
• Antonio Shorrocks, a Portuguese professional footballer
• Hazel Shorrocks, an English contemporary artist
• Callum Shorrocks, an English rugby union player
• Alan Shorrocks, a former British long-distance runner
• Michael Shorrocks, a British schoolteacher and coach
• Charles Shorrocks, a British actor
• George Shorrocks, a former English professional footballer
• Grace Shorrocks, a British Paralympic swimmer
• Harvey Shorrocks, a Welsh professional footballer
• David Shorrocks, an English cricketer
• Rose Shorrocks, an English model and actress
• Tony Shorrocks, an English singer-songwriter
• Eric Shorrocks, an English second world war pilot
• Robert Shorrocks, a British composer and conductor

Other surnames

Shorrock