NameCensus.

UK surname

Fare

An English habitational surname derived from the Old French "fere" meaning a companion or mate.

In the 1881 census there were 197 people recorded with the Fare surname, ranking it #12,955 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 134, ranked #25,636, down from #12,955 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Kirkham and Poulton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Fylde, Conwy and Preston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fare is 239 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 32.0%.

1881 census count

197

Ranked #12,955

Modern count

134

2016, ranked #25,636

Peak year

1911

239 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fare had 197 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,955 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016, ranked #25,636.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 239 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Fare surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fare surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fare 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 185 #11,077
1861 historical 232 #10,535
1881 historical 197 #12,955
1891 historical 214 #14,214
1901 historical 202 #15,010
1911 historical 239 #13,321
1997 modern 148 #21,295
1998 modern 145 #22,139
1999 modern 152 #21,636
2000 modern 165 #20,501
2001 modern 151 #21,375
2002 modern 151 #21,809
2003 modern 151 #21,574
2004 modern 148 #22,000
2005 modern 146 #22,146
2006 modern 133 #23,711
2007 modern 139 #23,377
2008 modern 145 #22,929
2009 modern 141 #23,907
2010 modern 135 #25,127
2011 modern 128 #25,793
2012 modern 133 #25,187
2013 modern 138 #25,020
2014 modern 136 #25,452
2015 modern 132 #25,859
2016 modern 134 #25,636

Geography

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Where Fares are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Kirkham, Poulton, Eccles and Preston. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Fylde, Conwy and Preston. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Kirkham Lancashire
3 Poulton Lancashire
4 Eccles Lancashire
5 Preston Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Fylde 003 Fylde
2 Fylde 002 Fylde
3 Conwy 012 Conwy
4 Fylde 007 Fylde
5 Preston 002 Preston

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fare

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fare

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Fare, 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 Fare surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Fare 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, Fare 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

Fare is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fare falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Fare

The surname Fare has its origins in England, tracing back to the early Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "faran," which meant "to travel" or "to journey." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who was a frequent traveler or had occupational ties to travel or transportation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fare surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Radulfus Fare, indicating the presence of the name in Norman-era England.

In the 13th century, the Fare surname can be found in various records from counties across England, including Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Oxfordshire. Notably, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a Robert Fare from Oxfordshire, suggesting the surname's continued use during this period.

The surname Fare has also been linked to certain place names, such as Fareham in Hampshire, which was historically spelled as "Faran-hamm" or "Fær-ham," meaning "the village on the way." It is possible that some individuals bearing the Fare surname may have originated from or been associated with this locality.

Among notable historical figures with the Fare surname, one can mention:

1. John Fare (c. 1495-1558), an English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Winchester during the reign of Edward VI. 2. Sir Charles Fare (1568-1638), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis in the early 17th century. 3. Thomas Fare (c. 1610-1670), an English clergyman and writer who authored several religious works during the Puritan era. 4. Elizabeth Fare (1637-1711), an English Quaker writer and preacher who published numerous religious tracts and books. 5. William Fare (1789-1856), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected maritime author.

While the Fare surname has roots in medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, adapting to various linguistic and cultural contexts over time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fare families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fare 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 86 Fares recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.71x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 86 3.71x
Somerset 21 6.69x
Middlesex 20 1.03x
Cheshire 17 3.95x
Devon 16 3.94x
Channel Islands 6 10.38x
Sussex 6 1.82x
Staffordshire 5 0.76x
Yorkshire 5 0.26x
Monmouthshire 4 2.84x
Wiltshire 4 2.32x
Bedfordshire 3 2.97x
Suffolk 2 0.84x
Dumfriesshire 1 2.32x
Glamorgan 1 0.29x
Norfolk 1 0.33x
Surrey 1 0.11x
Worcestershire 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Rainow in Cheshire leads with 17 Fares recorded in 1881 and an index of 1976.74x.

Place Total Index
Rainow 17 1976.74x
Clifton Cum Salwick 14 5000.00x
Hardhorn With Newton 10 3571.43x
Barrow In Furness 9 28.59x
Great Bolton 9 29.35x
West Derby 9 13.29x
Walcot 8 47.82x
Barton Upon Irwell 7 40.16x
Bedminster 7 23.72x
Chichester All Sts 6 2727.27x
Dilworth 6 422.54x
Poulton Le Fylde 6 731.71x
St Peter Port 6 56.13x
Westminster St John 6 25.25x
Plymouth St Andrew 5 15.98x
Westminster St James 5 24.93x
Christchurch 4 91.74x
Collumpton 4 2105.26x
Fisherton Anger 4 125.39x
Flixton 4 336.13x
Islington London 4 2.12x
Pendleton In Salford 4 14.50x
Sandy 3 168.54x
Stone 3 35.63x
Barham 2 645.16x
Charlton Adam 2 714.29x
Exeter St Sidwell 2 21.51x
Greenhalgh With 2 800.00x
Little Bolton 2 6.72x
Tiverton 2 28.57x
Westminster St Margaret 2 21.25x
Wolverhampton 2 3.95x
Bath St James 1 30.49x
Bradninch 1 86.96x
Bretforton 1 263.16x
Broughton In Salford 1 4.72x
Cullompton 1 56.50x
Exminster 1 68.49x
Holy Trinity 1 2.15x
Kensington London 1 0.92x
Leeds 1 0.92x
Lyncombe Widcombe 1 12.17x
Norwich St Giles 1 104.17x
Over Darwen 1 5.41x
Preston 1 1.61x
Putney 1 11.25x
Rawmarsh 1 14.64x
Ripon 1 22.32x
Scarborough 1 5.69x
St Anne Soho London 1 8.98x
St George Martyr London 1 25.32x
Stalmine With Staynall 1 303.03x
Taunton St Mary 1 17.36x
Wamphray 1 333.33x
Wiveliscombe 1 57.14x
Ystradyfodwg 1 3.36x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 17
Thomas 8
William 8
George 7
James 7
Cuthbert 5
Arthur 4
Charles 4
Richard 4
Robert 4
Albert 3
Ernest 2
Henry 2
Herbert 2
Peter 2
Walter 2
Alfred 1
Archibald 1
Elijah 1
Francis 1
Frank.A. 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Joseph 1
Jules 1
Reginald 1
Sidney 1
Willfield 1

FAQ

Fare surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fare surname in 1881?

In 1881, 197 people were recorded with the Fare surname. That placed it at #12,955 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fare surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 134 in 2016. That gives Fare a modern rank of #25,636.

What does the Fare surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from the Old French "fere" meaning a companion or mate.

What does the Fare map show?

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