NameCensus.

UK surname

Faraday

Derived from the English place name meaning "the faring meadow".

In the 1881 census there were 139 people recorded with the Faraday surname, ranking it #16,228 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 293, ranked #14,981, up from #16,228 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Babworth and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Craven, Ribble Valley and Wyre.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Faraday is 300 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 110.8%.

1881 census count

139

Ranked #16,228

Modern count

293

2016, ranked #14,981

Peak year

1998

300 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Faraday had 139 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,228 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 293 in 2016, ranked #14,981.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 211 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Faraday surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Faraday surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Faraday 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 58 #22,928
1861 historical 83 #23,189
1881 historical 139 #16,228
1891 historical 131 #20,073
1901 historical 153 #17,844
1911 historical 211 #14,467
1997 modern 275 #14,335
1998 modern 300 #13,877
1999 modern 294 #14,140
2000 modern 278 #14,659
2001 modern 265 #14,915
2002 modern 276 #14,794
2003 modern 273 #14,715
2004 modern 258 #15,386
2005 modern 245 #15,857
2006 modern 246 #15,907
2007 modern 252 #15,815
2008 modern 255 #15,859
2009 modern 257 #16,099
2010 modern 274 #15,705
2011 modern 267 #15,892
2012 modern 283 #15,115
2013 modern 289 #15,142
2014 modern 294 #15,047
2015 modern 294 #14,971
2016 modern 293 #14,981

Geography

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Where Faradays are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Babworth, Manchester and St John Hampstead. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Craven, Ribble Valley, Wyre and Thanet. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Babworth Nottinghamshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 St John Hampstead London (North Districts)
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Craven 001 Craven
2 Craven 003 Craven
3 Ribble Valley 004 Ribble Valley
4 Wyre 006 Wyre
5 Thanet 001 Thanet

Forenames

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First names often paired with Faraday

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Faraday

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Faraday surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Faraday household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Faraday is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Faraday is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Faraday falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Faraday

The surname FARADAY originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words 'faran' meaning to travel and 'dæg' meaning day, referring to someone who traveled often or perhaps a messenger. The name was first found in Yorkshire, England and is thought to have been an occupational surname.

Records indicate the surname FARADAY appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by William the Conqueror's men after the Norman invasion of England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Faraday, documented in Yorkshire county records in 1273.

During the 14th century, the surname was also written as Faradaye, Faredaye, and Farraday. Some variations likely stemmed from different dialects and phonetic spellings at the time. The name Faraday may have originated as a place name before becoming a surname, as the village of Fardaye is mentioned in historic manuscripts from the 1300s.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname FARADAY was Michael Faraday (1791-1867), the renowned English scientist who made significant contributions to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His discoveries laid the foundations for the field of electromagnetic technology.

Other notable bearers of the FARADAY name include:

1) James Faraday (1790-1871), an English watchmaker and inventor. 2) Joseph Faraday (1797-1876), an English architectural sculptor. 3) William Faraday (1836-1925), an English architect and surveyor. 4) Frank Faraday (1828-1908), an English academic and priest. 5) Thomas Faraday (1804-1879), an English author and translator.

The FARADAY surname has a long and well-documented history in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. Its origins are likely rooted in an occupational description or a place name before evolving into a hereditary family name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Faraday families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Faraday 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 45 Faradays recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.80x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 45 2.80x
Middlesex 26 1.92x
Yorkshire 18 1.34x
Nottinghamshire 10 5.47x
Warwickshire 10 2.92x
Glamorgan 5 2.12x
Devon 4 1.42x
Gloucestershire 4 1.50x
Surrey 4 0.61x
Staffordshire 3 0.66x
Sussex 3 1.31x
Berkshire 1 0.98x
Cheshire 1 0.33x
Cumberland 1 0.86x
Essex 1 0.37x
Stirlingshire 1 2.00x
Westmorland 1 3.36x
Worcestershire 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hampstead London in Middlesex leads with 13 Faradays recorded in 1881 and an index of 61.55x.

Place Total Index
Hampstead London 13 61.55x
Aston 9 9.56x
Babworth 8 2352.94x
Chorlton On Medlock 8 31.30x
Levenshulme 7 421.69x
Wardleworth 6 65.29x
Aberdare 5 30.85x
Barrow In Furness 5 22.85x
Bethnal Green London 5 8.49x
Ingleton 5 657.89x
Bury 4 21.76x
Clapham Cum Newby 4 1290.32x
Stroud 4 77.37x
Wales 4 377.36x
Wolborough 4 112.04x
Chelsea London 3 7.34x
Hulme 3 8.93x
Manchester 3 4.15x
Wakefield 3 29.10x
Widnes 3 25.86x
Brighton 2 4.34x
Camberwell 2 2.31x
Handsworth 2 17.73x
Islington London 2 1.52x
Nottingham St Mary 2 4.23x
Rawdon 2 126.58x
Wuerdle Wardle 2 40.98x
Barrowford Booth 1 56.18x
Battersea 1 2.00x
Bray 1 33.44x
Edgbaston 1 9.43x
Hackney London 1 1.32x
Hastings St Mary 1 17.57x
Lambeth 1 0.85x
Liverpool 1 1.02x
Mile End Old Town London 1 3.47x
Penrith 1 23.20x
Saffron Walden 1 35.34x
Sale 1 27.25x
St Ninians 1 20.16x
Tottenham 1 4.63x
Troutbeck 1 476.19x
Ulverston 1 21.32x
Upton On Severn 1 86.21x
West Bromwich 1 3.82x
West Derby 1 2.12x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Eliza 4
Ellen 4
Hannah 4
Annie 3
Emma 3
Kate 3
Rebecca 3
Sarah 3
Elizabeth 2
Lucy 2
Margaret 2
Ada 1
Alice 1
Amelia 1
Ann 1
Charlotte 1
Chrissia 1
Clara 1
Dorothea 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Ethell 1
Harriet 1
Jane 1
Katharine 1
Lily 1
Mabel 1
Mald.B. 1
Maria 1
Marian 1
Matilda 1
Priscilla 1
Susanna 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 11
Thomas 8
William 7
George 4
Charles 3
Joseph 3
Michael 3
Robert 3
David 2
James 2
Patrick 2
Alfred 1
Andrew 1
Armat 1
Arthur 1
Ernest 1
Francis 1
Fredk. 1
Harold 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Hugh 1
J. 1
Jos. 1
Not 1
Peter 1
Philip 1
Tertius 1
Ur... 1
Waller 1
Walter 1
Warren 1
Wilfred 1
Willm. 1

FAQ

Faraday surname: questions and answers

How common was the Faraday surname in 1881?

In 1881, 139 people were recorded with the Faraday surname. That placed it at #16,228 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Faraday surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 293 in 2016. That gives Faraday a modern rank of #14,981.

What does the Faraday surname mean?

Derived from the English place name meaning "the faring meadow".

What does the Faraday map show?

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