NameCensus.

UK surname

Farrier

An occupational surname referring to a person who shoes horses.

In the 1881 census there were 470 people recorded with the Farrier surname, ranking it #7,098 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 632, ranked #8,362, down from #7,098 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Charlton-near-Dover, London parishes and Newcastle All Saints. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newcastle upon Tyne, Dover and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Farrier is 658 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.5%.

1881 census count

470

Ranked #7,098

Modern count

632

2016, ranked #8,362

Peak year

1997

658 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Farrier had 470 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,098 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 632 in 2016, ranked #8,362.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 576 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Farrier surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Farrier surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Farrier 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 370 #6,426
1861 historical 412 #6,237
1881 historical 470 #7,098
1891 historical 528 #7,101
1901 historical 557 #7,470
1911 historical 576 #7,056
1997 modern 658 #7,596
1998 modern 658 #7,834
1999 modern 644 #8,021
2000 modern 657 #7,870
2001 modern 641 #7,878
2002 modern 655 #7,896
2003 modern 643 #7,885
2004 modern 649 #7,852
2005 modern 628 #7,984
2006 modern 634 #7,958
2007 modern 640 #7,962
2008 modern 637 #8,033
2009 modern 642 #8,148
2010 modern 650 #8,242
2011 modern 648 #8,171
2012 modern 631 #8,266
2013 modern 647 #8,246
2014 modern 653 #8,224
2015 modern 649 #8,210
2016 modern 632 #8,362

Geography

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Where Farriers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Charlton-near-Dover, London parishes, Newcastle All Saints, Dover St James, Dover St Mary and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newcastle upon Tyne, Dover, Northumberland and South Staffordshire. 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 Charlton-near-Dover Kent
2 London parishes London 3
3 Newcastle All Saints Northumberland
4 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newcastle upon Tyne 028 Newcastle upon Tyne
2 Newcastle upon Tyne 026 Newcastle upon Tyne
3 Dover 002 Dover
4 Northumberland 028 Northumberland
5 South Staffordshire 014 South Staffordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Farrier

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Farrier

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Farrier surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Farrier household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Farrier is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Farrier is most concentrated in decile 3 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Farrier 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 Farrier is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Farrier

The surname Farrier finds its roots in the Old French word "ferrier," which translates to "blacksmith" or "iron worker." This occupational surname emerged in England during the medieval period, specifically around the 12th century.

The Farrier name originated in regions where blacksmiths and ironworkers were concentrated, primarily in urban centers and areas with a thriving metalworking industry. The earliest recorded instances of the Farrier surname can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries.

One notable early reference is in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a John le Ferour in Oxfordshire. The surname also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 with entries such as Walter le Ferrour in Somerset and Roger le Ferour in Essex.

As the name suggests, Farriers were skilled tradesmen responsible for shoeing horses and caring for their hooves. This occupation was crucial in an era when horses played a significant role in transportation, agriculture, and warfare.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Farrier surname was William Farrier, born around 1310 in Yorkshire. He is mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1335 as a blacksmith residing in the village of Holme-on-Spalding-Moor.

Another notable figure was John Farrier, a prominent blacksmith born in 1425 in Warwickshire. He was commissioned to create intricate ironwork for various churches and castles in the region, including Kenilworth Castle.

In the 16th century, the Farrier surname can be found in the records of the Court of the Marshalsea, where a Thomas Farrier was listed as a prisoner in 1553.

During the 17th century, the Farrier name appeared in various parish records across England. One example is the baptism of William Farrier in 1632 at St. Peter's Church in Leeds.

A renowned individual bearing the Farrier surname was Samuel Farrier, born in 1685 in Hertfordshire. He was a renowned horse trader and breeder, responsible for introducing several successful bloodlines of racehorses to England.

As the centuries progressed, the Farrier surname spread to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the colonies, carried by those who emigrated in search of new opportunities.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Farrier families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Farrier 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 193 Farriers recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.42x.

County Total Index
Kent 193 12.42x
Middlesex 43 0.94x
Northumberland 43 6.34x
Surrey 42 1.89x
Yorkshire 32 0.71x
Devon 31 3.27x
Durham 20 1.48x
Lancashire 11 0.20x
Shropshire 9 2.29x
Lincolnshire 7 0.96x
Rutland 7 20.93x
Sussex 5 0.65x
Cheshire 3 0.30x
Lanarkshire 3 0.20x
Renfrewshire 3 0.85x
Staffordshire 3 0.20x
Bedfordshire 2 0.85x
Cumberland 2 0.51x
Dunbartonshire 2 1.63x
Channel Islands 1 0.74x
Fife 1 0.37x
Hampshire 1 0.11x
Isle of Man 1 1.18x
Norfolk 1 0.14x
Warwickshire 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Newcastle On Tyne All Sts in Northumberland leads with 25 Farriers recorded in 1881 and an index of 61.76x.

Place Total Index
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 25 61.76x
Charlton 20 193.80x
Wickhambreux 19 2500.00x
Northbourne 18 1216.22x
Ramsgate 13 51.24x
Sandwich St Mary 13 921.99x
Lambeth 11 2.77x
St Pancras London 11 3.00x
Sholden 10 1639.34x
Southwark St John 10 71.79x
Marske In Guisbrough 9 112.22x
Woolwich 9 15.67x
Eastchurch 8 522.88x
Worth 8 1142.86x
Boningale 7 2258.06x
Clee With Weelsby 7 43.89x
Doncaster 7 21.23x
Leighfield 7 14000.00x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 7 78.56x
Paignton 7 97.09x
Rotherhithe 7 12.44x
Sandwich St Peter 7 429.45x
Shadwell London 7 54.90x
Dartmouth St Savior 6 530.97x
Deptford St Paul 6 5.01x
Guisbrough 6 60.85x
Newcastle On Tyne St 6 17.08x
Tormoham 6 14.96x
Walmer 6 88.76x
Wingham 6 333.33x
Hackney London 5 1.96x
Mile End Old Town London 5 5.16x
Bermondsey 4 2.95x
Bishopwearmouth 4 3.44x
Buckland In Dover 4 77.67x
Camberwell 4 1.37x
Dover St Mary Virgin 4 26.60x
Eastry 4 186.05x
Heworth 4 14.98x
Mitcham 4 28.51x
Monkwearmouth Shore 4 15.12x
Sandwich St Clement 4 305.34x
South Molton 4 76.78x
St Peters 4 55.63x
Sturry 4 217.39x
Abbey 3 5.57x
Beverley St Mary 3 45.52x
Dukinfield 3 6.46x
Elswick 3 5.55x
Gateshead 3 2.96x
Kenn 3 202.70x
Nonington 3 241.94x
Pelton 3 46.51x
Sheffield 3 2.09x
St George Hanover Square 3 3.74x
St George In East London 3 7.00x
Acton 2 7.49x
Barton Upon Irwell 2 4.92x
Bovey Tracey 2 60.24x
Deal 2 15.08x
East Kilbride 2 31.70x
Eastbourne 2 5.66x
Fordwich 2 555.56x
Greenwich 2 2.76x
Harborne 2 4.06x
Hastings St Mary 2 10.47x
Leysdown 2 645.16x
Liverpool 2 0.61x
Luton 2 4.90x
Manchester 2 0.82x
Margate St John Baptist 2 7.03x
Milton In Gravesend 2 8.58x
Minster In Sheppey 2 7.77x
Salford 2 1.26x
Seasalter 2 102.04x
Sowerby Castle 2 625.00x
Starforth 2 250.00x
Wellington 2 9.04x
Whitwood 2 31.20x
Sandwich St Bartholomew 1 1250.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 30
Elizabeth 19
Jane 16
Sarah 15
Emma 10
Eliza 7
Ellen 7
Alice 6
Ann 5
Hannah 5
Louisa 5
Margaret 5
Annie 4
Emily 4
Fanny 4
Martha 4
Anne 3
Florence 3
Lucy 3
Susanna 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Caroline 2
Carolyn 2
Christiana 2
Clara 2
Ema 2
Frances 2
Harriet 2
Harriett 2
Janet 2
Kate 2
Lydia 2
Maria 2
Sabina 2
Sophia 2
Susannah 2
Anna 1
Bessy 1
Betsy 1
Brenda 1
Dinah 1
E.B. 1
Edith 1
Eleanor 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliz. 1
Eliz.A. 1
Josephine 1
Wilhilimina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 32
John 26
George 20
James 17
Thomas 14
Henry 12
Charles 11
Edward 9
Richard 7
Robert 7
Joseph 4
Samuel 4
Walter 4
Alfred 3
Adolphus 2
Arthur 2
Benjamin 2
Chas. 2
David 2
Herbert 2
Laurence 2
W. 2
Alexander 1
Andrew 1
Ashton 1
Daniel 1
Dominique 1
Ed. 1
Ethelbert 1
F. 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Fredk.J. 1
Geo.M. 1
Harry 1
Hugh 1
J. 1
Jabez 1
Jam. 1
Jas.F. 1
Jesse 1
Joshua 1
Lawrence 1
Morris 1
Peter 1
Philip 1
Robt. 1
Roland 1
Stephen 1
Willm.T. 1

FAQ

Farrier surname: questions and answers

How common was the Farrier surname in 1881?

In 1881, 470 people were recorded with the Farrier surname. That placed it at #7,098 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Farrier surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 632 in 2016. That gives Farrier a modern rank of #8,362.

What does the Farrier surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a person who shoes horses.

What does the Farrier map show?

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