NameCensus.

UK surname

Fairbrass

In the 1881 census there were 298 people recorded with the Fairbrass surname, ranking it #9,765 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 521, ranked #9,701, up from #9,765 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bridge, Sturry and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Huntingdonshire, Thanet and Rother.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fairbrass is 581 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 74.8%.

1881 census count

298

Ranked #9,765

Modern count

521

2016, ranked #9,701

Peak year

1998

581 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fairbrass had 298 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,765 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 521 in 2016, ranked #9,701.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 445 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Fairbrass surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fairbrass surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fairbrass 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 152 #12,786
1861 historical 160 #14,468
1881 historical 298 #9,765
1891 historical 363 #9,556
1901 historical 406 #9,393
1911 historical 445 #8,582
1997 modern 540 #8,782
1998 modern 581 #8,566
1999 modern 570 #8,736
2000 modern 553 #8,908
2001 modern 545 #8,859
2002 modern 566 #8,788
2003 modern 532 #9,067
2004 modern 523 #9,214
2005 modern 499 #9,457
2006 modern 490 #9,613
2007 modern 509 #9,443
2008 modern 511 #9,485
2009 modern 537 #9,341
2010 modern 533 #9,595
2011 modern 523 #9,634
2012 modern 512 #9,693
2013 modern 514 #9,824
2014 modern 531 #9,659
2015 modern 522 #9,710
2016 modern 521 #9,701

Geography

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Where Fairbrass' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bridge, Sturry, London parishes, Margate and St Mary Northgate, St John's Hospital. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Huntingdonshire, Thanet, Rother, Tower Hamlets and Ashford. 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 Bridge Kent
2 Sturry Kent
3 London parishes London 3
4 Margate Kent
5 St Mary Northgate, St John's Hospital Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Huntingdonshire 021 Huntingdonshire
2 Thanet 006 Thanet
3 Rother 002 Rother
4 Tower Hamlets 001 Tower Hamlets
5 Ashford 013 Ashford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fairbrass

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fairbrass

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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Fairbrass is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Fairbrass is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fairbrass falls in decile 5 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.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Fairbrass families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fairbrass 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. Kent leads with 182 Fairbrass' recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.35x.

County Total Index
Kent 182 18.35x
Middlesex 62 2.13x
Surrey 26 1.84x
Yorkshire 17 0.59x
Norfolk 3 0.67x
Buckinghamshire 2 1.14x
Sussex 2 0.41x
Glamorgan 1 0.20x
Hampshire 1 0.17x
Hertfordshire 1 0.50x
Somerset 1 0.21x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Littlebourne in Kent leads with 23 Fairbrass' recorded in 1881 and an index of 3066.67x.

Place Total Index
Littlebourne 23 3066.67x
Bridge 18 2117.65x
Bromley London 17 26.58x
Margate St John Baptist 13 71.59x
Canterbury St Gregory 11 839.69x
Whitechapel London 10 34.90x
Canterbury St Mary 9 135.14x
Canterbury St Paul 9 505.62x
Holy Trinity 9 12.99x
Shoreditch London 9 7.14x
Sturry 9 769.23x
Battersea 8 7.48x
Bekesbourne 8 2424.24x
Camberwell 8 4.31x
Mile End Old Town London 8 12.93x
Staplegate 8 3076.92x
Cudham 7 686.27x
Newington 7 6.52x
Normanby In 7 90.91x
Chiswick 6 37.78x
Hackington St Stephen 6 937.50x
Minster In Thanet 6 291.26x
Nonington 6 759.49x
Canterbury St Martin 5 2380.95x
Canterbury St Alphage 4 377.36x
Hammersmith London 4 5.59x
Poplar London 4 7.29x
Ramsgate 4 24.71x
Acol 3 1000.00x
Canterbury Holy Cross 3 312.50x
Faversham 3 31.71x
Holkham 3 555.56x
Lambeth 3 1.18x
Bishopsbourne 2 571.43x
Canterbury St Dunstan 2 116.96x
Plumstead 2 6.05x
St Lawrence 2 29.33x
Wingham 2 173.91x
Woolwich 2 5.46x
Wycombe 2 15.27x
Canterbury Christchurch 1 434.78x
Canterbury St George 1 84.03x
Cardiff St Mary 1 3.59x
Chartham 1 40.49x
Chatham 1 3.67x
Cheddar 1 42.55x
Fordwich 1 434.78x
Hurstpierpoint 1 36.63x
Islington London 1 0.35x
Kingstonupon Hull 1 43.29x
Lydd 1 47.17x
Milton In Milton 1 23.70x
Newhaven 1 25.13x
Ospringe 1 81.97x
Portsea 1 0.86x
Ratcliffe London 1 6.23x
Seasalter 1 80.00x
Sittingbourne 1 12.77x
Snodland 1 35.59x
Speldhurst 1 19.80x
St Dunstan In East London 1 454.55x
St Pancras London 1 0.43x
Staple 1 192.31x
Tonge 1 312.50x
Watford 1 6.44x
Worth 1 222.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Sarah 11
Emily 9
Elizabeth 8
Jane 8
Alice 6
Emma 6
Maria 6
Annie 4
Edith 4
Eliza 4
Anne 3
Caroline 3
Esther 3
Frances 3
Louisa 3
Rose 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Amy 2
Ann 2
Cecelia 2
Dinah 2
Eleanor 2
Ellen 2
Harriet 2
Margaret 2
Sophia 2
Adelaide 1
Bertha 1
Bridget 1
Clara 1
Emlia 1
Emmeline 1
Eva 1
Flora 1
Gertrude 1
Hannah 1
Harriett 1
Henrietta 1
Hepzibah 1
Hilda 1
J.S. 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Matilda 1
Meggie 1
Metheser 1
Rhoda 1
Rosa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 20
Edward 16
George 13
Henry 12
John 11
Thomas 10
Arthur 7
Albert 5
Alfred 5
Frederick 5
James 5
Stephen 5
Charles 3
Robert 3
Daniel 2
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Joseph 2
Joshua 2
Samuel 2
Walter 2
Augustus 1
Austen 1
Austin 1
Charreld 1
Cornelius 1
E.W. 1
Edwd. 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fredk. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Isaac 1
Osborn 1
Richard 1

FAQ

Fairbrass surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fairbrass surname in 1881?

In 1881, 298 people were recorded with the Fairbrass surname. That placed it at #9,765 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fairbrass surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 521 in 2016. That gives Fairbrass a modern rank of #9,701.

What does the Fairbrass map show?

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