NameCensus.

UK surname

Farnhill

In the 1881 census there were 175 people recorded with the Farnhill surname, ranking it #13,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 200, ranked #19,591, down from #13,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Halifax, Birstall and Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees and Trafford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Farnhill is 249 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 14.3%.

1881 census count

175

Ranked #13,982

Modern count

200

2016, ranked #19,591

Peak year

1901

249 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Farnhill had 175 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 200 in 2016, ranked #19,591.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 249 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Farnhill surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Farnhill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Farnhill 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 92 #18,050
1861 historical 120 #18,255
1881 historical 175 #13,982
1891 historical 178 #16,264
1901 historical 249 #13,172
1911 historical 225 #13,874
1997 modern 210 #17,104
1998 modern 208 #17,693
1999 modern 207 #17,855
2000 modern 207 #17,833
2001 modern 200 #17,948
2002 modern 215 #17,487
2003 modern 190 #18,683
2004 modern 185 #19,114
2005 modern 177 #19,598
2006 modern 181 #19,466
2007 modern 179 #19,811
2008 modern 188 #19,387
2009 modern 191 #19,592
2010 modern 206 #19,066
2011 modern 186 #20,217
2012 modern 190 #19,864
2013 modern 200 #19,524
2014 modern 200 #19,713
2015 modern 207 #19,155
2016 modern 200 #19,591

Geography

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Where Farnhills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Halifax, Birstall, Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall, Batley and Blackburn. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Blackburn with Darwen, Kirklees and Trafford. 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 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Knaresborough (Bilton and Harrogate, Scriven with Tentergate, Knaresborough), Pannall Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Blackburn Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Blackburn with Darwen 016 Blackburn with Darwen
2 Blackburn with Darwen 008 Blackburn with Darwen
3 Kirklees 014 Kirklees
4 Blackburn with Darwen 017 Blackburn with Darwen
5 Trafford 010 Trafford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Farnhill

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Farnhill

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

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Farnhill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Farnhill 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Farnhill is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Farnhill is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Farnhill falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Farnhill is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Farnhill, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Farnhill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Farnhill 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. Yorkshire leads with 135 Farnhills recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.98x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 135 7.98x
Lancashire 24 1.18x
Nottinghamshire 10 4.35x
Durham 5 0.98x
Caernarfonshire 1 1.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dewsbury in Yorkshire leads with 32 Farnhills recorded in 1881 and an index of 184.44x.

Place Total Index
Dewsbury 32 184.44x
Soothill 12 196.40x
Thornhill 12 242.92x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 11 182.12x
Nottingham St Mary 10 16.80x
Batley 9 55.97x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 9 155.44x
Gomersal 9 113.92x
Idle 9 114.80x
Preston 9 16.61x
Knaresborough 8 300.75x
Colne 6 99.50x
Norton In Malton 6 292.68x
Pannal 6 370.37x
Blackburn 5 9.28x
Sedgefield 5 276.24x
Foulridge 4 769.23x
Leeds 4 4.19x
Hook 3 80.65x
Mirfield 3 32.29x
Bradford 2 4.88x
Llanbeblig 1 14.29x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Sarah 7
Annie 5
Ellen 5
Ann 4
Emma 4
Hannah 4
Jane 4
Alice 3
Elizabeth 3
Frances 3
Eliza 2
Emily 2
Mabeth 2
Margaret 2
Marion 2
Martha 2
Susan 2
Ada 1
Alinda 1
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Edith 1
Elizth.Ann 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Hilda 1
Lamira 1
Laura 1
Leah 1
Leanora 1
Lilian 1
Lilly 1
Louisa 1
Margt.Ann 1
May 1
Phoebe 1
Priscilla 1
Susannah 1
Sushannah 1
Zillah 1

Top male names

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

FAQ

Farnhill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Farnhill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 175 people were recorded with the Farnhill surname. That placed it at #13,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Farnhill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 200 in 2016. That gives Farnhill a modern rank of #19,591.

What does the Farnhill map show?

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