NameCensus.

UK surname

Fathers

In the 1881 census there were 405 people recorded with the Fathers surname, ranking it #7,903 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 576, ranked #8,983, down from #7,903 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Oxford City: St Giles, London parishes and Woodford with Membris. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Vale of White Horse, Amber Valley and Oxford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fathers is 645 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.2%.

1881 census count

405

Ranked #7,903

Modern count

576

2016, ranked #8,983

Peak year

1911

645 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fathers had 405 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,903 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 576 in 2016, ranked #8,983.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 645 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Fathers surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fathers surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fathers 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 217 #9,784
1861 historical 258 #9,603
1881 historical 405 #7,903
1891 historical 509 #7,323
1901 historical 580 #7,253
1911 historical 645 #6,480
1997 modern 523 #9,003
1998 modern 624 #8,162
1999 modern 608 #8,372
2000 modern 602 #8,402
2001 modern 587 #8,424
2002 modern 594 #8,519
2003 modern 582 #8,500
2004 modern 562 #8,721
2005 modern 550 #8,784
2006 modern 566 #8,646
2007 modern 561 #8,766
2008 modern 556 #8,892
2009 modern 584 #8,761
2010 modern 583 #8,971
2011 modern 572 #8,992
2012 modern 569 #8,942
2013 modern 569 #9,066
2014 modern 584 #8,978
2015 modern 577 #8,985
2016 modern 576 #8,983

Geography

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Where Fathers' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Oxford City: St Giles, London parishes, Woodford with Membris, Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory and King's Sutton, Newbottle. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Vale of White Horse, Amber Valley, Oxford, High Peak and Central Bedfordshire. 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 Oxford City: St Giles Oxfordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Woodford with Membris Northamptonshire
4 Northampton St Giles, Northampton St Sepulchre, Northampton Priory Northamptonshire
5 King's Sutton, Newbottle Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Vale of White Horse 006 Vale of White Horse
2 Amber Valley 005 Amber Valley
3 Oxford 013 Oxford
4 High Peak 013 High Peak
5 Central Bedfordshire 012 Central Bedfordshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fathers

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fathers

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Fathers 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

Fathers is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fathers 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 Fathers 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 Fathers, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Fathers families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fathers 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. Oxfordshire leads with 96 Fathers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 39.35x.

County Total Index
Oxfordshire 96 39.35x
Northamptonshire 70 18.84x
Warwickshire 51 5.12x
Middlesex 38 0.96x
Kent 23 1.71x
Buckinghamshire 17 7.12x
Surrey 17 0.88x
Berkshire 15 5.06x
Lincolnshire 13 2.06x
Yorkshire 11 0.28x
Durham 9 0.77x
Staffordshire 9 0.67x
Derbyshire 7 1.13x
Gloucestershire 7 0.90x
Somerset 7 1.10x
Worcestershire 7 1.36x
Sussex 4 0.60x
Lancashire 2 0.04x
Essex 1 0.13x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aston in Warwickshire leads with 24 Fathers' recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.75x.

Place Total Index
Aston 24 8.75x
Oxford St Giles 18 154.64x
Woodford Cum Membris 15 1898.73x
Oxford St Thomas 12 105.36x
Leamington Priors 11 44.88x
Boston 10 52.19x
Wales 10 323.62x
Dallington 9 412.84x
Northampton St Sepulchre 9 47.62x
Shoreditch London 9 5.26x
Deptford St Nicholas 8 74.77x
Linslade 8 341.88x
Marcham 8 754.72x
South Newington 8 1818.18x
St Pancras London 8 2.52x
Abingdon St Helen 7 80.74x
Alfreton 7 37.25x
Begbroke 7 7777.78x
Bristol St George 7 19.54x
Hethe 7 1372.55x
Trimdon 7 168.67x
Upper Heyford 7 1346.15x
Farthinghoe 6 1250.00x
Kidlington 6 317.46x
Kings Sutton 6 363.64x
Lewisham 6 8.35x
Long Buckby 6 174.42x
Lyncombe Widcombe 6 36.04x
Newbottle 6 857.14x
Southwark St George Martyr 6 7.55x
Southwark St Saviour 6 29.56x
Warwick St Nicholas 6 82.08x
Brackley St James 5 588.24x
Clerkenwell London 5 5.36x
Kings Norton 5 10.81x
North Leigh 5 561.80x
Preston Bisset 5 1063.83x
Souldern 5 793.65x
Burton Extra 4 52.29x
Cheriton 4 72.86x
Deptford St Paul 4 3.85x
Marston 4 571.43x
Ashley 3 275.23x
Bedworth 3 41.27x
Brighton 3 2.23x
Bromley London 3 3.45x
Epwell 3 857.14x
Friern Barnet 3 34.48x
Marston St Lawrence 3 566.04x
New Sleaford 3 74.07x
Oxford St Ebbe 3 41.78x
Whatcote 3 1500.00x
Battersea 2 1.38x
Culham 2 273.97x
Grandborough 2 487.80x
Hampton London 2 30.82x
Kelloe 2 157.48x
Oxford St Clement 2 32.47x
Salford 2 1.45x
St Clement Danes London 2 24.45x
Stoke 2 22.03x
Tipton 2 4.90x
Warwick St Mary 2 23.12x
Welton 2 303.03x
Westminster St John 2 4.16x
Bicester Market End 1 22.32x
Birmingham 1 0.30x
Bradford 1 1.06x
Buckingham 1 20.58x
Cowley 1 13.14x
Feckenham 1 16.95x
Kineton 1 69.93x
Litchborough 1 212.77x
Middleton Cheney 1 61.73x
Neithrop 1 12.20x
Radford 1 3.70x
St George Bloomsbury 1 4.41x
Upper Boddington 1 243.90x
Westminster St Margaret 1 5.25x
Weston On Green 1 204.08x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Elizabeth 16
Sarah 13
Alice 9
Eliza 9
Ann 8
Ellen 8
Jane 8
Annie 7
Emily 7
Fanny 7
Emma 5
Florence 5
Frances 5
Hannah 5
Harriett 5
Caroline 4
Margaret 4
Susan 4
Beatrice 3
Kate 3
Maria 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Anne 2
Edith 2
Gertrude 2
Henrietta 2
Leah 2
Lucy 2
Rose 2
Selina 2
Carry 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Georgina 1
Harriet 1
Julia 1
Kerzia 1
Keziah 1
Laura 1
Lily 1
Louisa 1
Mariah 1
Minnie 1
Urania 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 20
George 19
William 18
Thomas 15
Henry 12
Alfred 8
Joseph 8
Edward 7
Frederick 7
James 7
Arthur 5
Charles 4
Alban 3
Albert 3
Edwin 3
Robert 3
Walter 3
Benjamin 2
David 2
Frank 2
Fred 2
Geo. 2
Harry 2
Joshua 2
Ben 1
Chas. 1
Constantine 1
Edw. 1
Elijah 1
Ernest 1
Fred. 1
Henery 1
Horace 1
Hy. 1
Jesse 1
Jno. 1
Joel 1
Jonathan 1
Lewis 1
Martin 1
Percival 1
Reeve 1
Reeves 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Silas 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Fathers surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fathers surname in 1881?

In 1881, 405 people were recorded with the Fathers surname. That placed it at #7,903 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fathers surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 576 in 2016. That gives Fathers a modern rank of #8,983.

What does the Fathers map show?

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