NameCensus.

UK surname

Fawcett

Derived from an Old French nickname meaning "little falcon," likely referring to a keen or sharp-eyed person.

In the 1881 census there were 5,778 people recorded with the Fawcett surname, ranking it #763 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,551, ranked #885, down from #763 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Halifax and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Richmondshire, Hambleton and Lancaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fawcett is 7,815 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 30.7%.

1881 census count

5,778

Ranked #763

Modern count

7,551

2016, ranked #885

Peak year

1999

7,815 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fawcett had 5,778 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #763 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,551 in 2016, ranked #885.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,344 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Fawcett surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fawcett surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fawcett 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 3,354 #858
1861 historical 3,360 #850
1881 historical 5,778 #763
1891 historical 5,927 #793
1901 historical 7,344 #738
1911 historical 7,306 #711
1997 modern 7,533 #852
1998 modern 7,800 #860
1999 modern 7,815 #869
2000 modern 7,808 #863
2001 modern 7,576 #871
2002 modern 7,706 #874
2003 modern 7,482 #877
2004 modern 7,418 #886
2005 modern 7,311 #885
2006 modern 7,255 #894
2007 modern 7,349 #893
2008 modern 7,412 #890
2009 modern 7,609 #890
2010 modern 7,788 #884
2011 modern 7,706 #882
2012 modern 7,569 #877
2013 modern 7,649 #884
2014 modern 7,620 #888
2015 modern 7,531 #889
2016 modern 7,551 #885

Geography

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Where Fawcetts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Halifax, London parishes, Gateshead and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Richmondshire, Hambleton, Lancaster and Redcar and Cleveland. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Richmondshire 005 Richmondshire
2 Richmondshire 006 Richmondshire
3 Hambleton 005 Hambleton
4 Lancaster 002 Lancaster
5 Redcar and Cleveland 012 Redcar and Cleveland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fawcett

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fawcett

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

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Fawcett surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Fawcett 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Fawcett is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Fawcett 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

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

Meaning and origin of Fawcett

The surname Fawcett is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "faucet," meaning a falcon or small hawk. It is an occupational surname that initially referred to a person who trained or cared for falcons, a highly esteemed profession during the medieval period when falconry was a popular sport among the nobility.

The name can be traced back to the 12th century, with early records showing variations such as Faucet, Faucett, and Fawcett. One of the earliest known references is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named William Faucet is mentioned.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a record of a Richard Faucet residing in Oxfordshire. The Fawcett surname is also documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 13th century, indicating its presence in various regions of England.

The Fawcetts were particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, such as Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland. This is likely due to the popularity of falconry among the aristocracy in those areas during the Middle Ages.

One notable figure from history bearing the Fawcett surname is Sir William Fawcett (1460-1548), a member of the English gentry and a supporter of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses. He was knighted by Edward IV and served as High Sheriff of Yorkshire.

Another significant individual was Nathaniel Fawcett (1738-1805), an English clergyman and poet who served as the rector of Scaleby in Cumberland. He was known for his poetic works, including "The Village Curate" and "The Parochial Minister."

In the 19th century, Henry Fawcett (1833-1884) was a prominent British politician, economist, and academic. He was blinded in an accident at the age of 25 but went on to become a professor of political economy at Cambridge University and a Member of Parliament.

Benjamin Fawcett (1808-1893) was an English Wesleyan minister and author who wrote several influential religious works, including "The Constitution and Discipline of Wesleyan Methodism" and "The Provincial Wesleyan Kalendar."

Lastly, Millicent Garrett Fawcett (1847-1929) was a pioneering British suffragist and campaigner for women's rights. She played a crucial role in the women's suffrage movement and served as the president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies from 1897 to 1919.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fawcett families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fawcett 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 2,988 Fawcetts recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.34x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2,988 5.34x
Lancashire 589 0.88x
Durham 588 3.50x
Middlesex 206 0.36x
Westmorland 206 16.59x
Lincolnshire 202 2.24x
Cumberland 190 3.91x
Northumberland 163 1.94x
Surrey 109 0.40x
Warwickshire 77 0.54x
Kent 62 0.32x
Cheshire 52 0.42x
Devon 29 0.25x
Berkshire 25 0.59x
Essex 24 0.22x
Derbyshire 21 0.24x
Hertfordshire 20 0.51x
Lanarkshire 20 0.11x
Sussex 19 0.20x
Worcestershire 19 0.26x
Hampshire 17 0.15x
Nottinghamshire 15 0.20x
Norfolk 14 0.16x
Renfrewshire 14 0.32x
Leicestershire 11 0.18x
Wiltshire 11 0.22x
Cambridgeshire 8 0.22x
Glamorgan 7 0.07x
Isle of Man 7 0.67x
Northamptonshire 7 0.13x
Dumfriesshire 6 0.48x
Midlothian 6 0.08x
Aberdeenshire 5 0.10x
Angus 5 0.10x
Royal Navy 5 0.74x
Somerset 5 0.06x
Staffordshire 5 0.03x
Fife 4 0.12x
Oxfordshire 4 0.11x
Perthshire 4 0.16x
Wigtownshire 4 0.53x
Caernarfonshire 2 0.09x
Channel Islands 2 0.12x
Gloucestershire 2 0.02x
Anglesey 1 0.10x
Ayrshire 1 0.02x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.03x
Dorset 1 0.03x
Inverness-shire 1 0.06x
Monmouthshire 1 0.02x
Rutland 1 0.24x
Shropshire 1 0.02x
Stirlingshire 1 0.05x
Suffolk 1 0.01x
Sutherland 1 0.23x
West Lothian 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 242 Fawcetts recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.66x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 242 7.66x
Wortley In Bramley 78 17.59x
Preston 65 3.62x
Hunslet 61 6.99x
Liversedge 61 24.48x
Bradford 60 4.43x
Horton In Bradford 60 6.86x
Morley 58 19.93x
Wakefield 57 13.26x
Northowram 56 14.27x
Everton 52 2.43x
Batley 49 9.21x
Blackburn 48 2.69x
Stockton On Tees 47 5.80x
Heckmondwike 43 23.88x
Headingley Cum Burley 42 11.66x
Holbeck 41 11.06x
Darlington 39 6.01x
Great Grimsby 39 6.80x
Aston 38 0.97x
Baildon 38 36.05x
Holy Trinity 37 2.75x
Southowram 36 21.07x
Eccleshill 35 25.69x
Dent 34 145.30x
Sculcoates 34 3.83x
Westoe 34 3.57x
Gateshead 33 2.62x
Manningham 33 4.79x
Muker 33 203.83x
Penrith 33 18.37x
Tanfield 33 16.51x
Armley 32 12.96x
Halifax 32 3.89x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 31 16.19x
Islington London 31 0.57x
West Derby 28 1.43x
Bury 26 3.40x
Hackney London 25 0.79x
High Low Bishopside 25 50.34x
Horbury 25 25.53x
Ravenstonedale 25 144.43x
Stranton 25 4.42x
Bowling 24 4.33x
Kirkby Stephen 24 74.53x
Elswick 23 3.43x
Kendal 22 9.68x
Camberwell 21 0.58x
Mirfield 21 6.83x
Dewsbury 20 3.48x
High Abbotside 20 209.86x
Hipperholme Cum 20 8.13x
Middlesbrough 20 2.74x
Shoreditch London 20 0.82x
Heworth 19 5.74x
Horsforth 19 15.48x
Witton Gilbert 19 28.64x
Allerton Bywater 18 59.41x
Gomersal 18 6.89x
Great Driffield 18 15.67x
Habergham Eaves 18 2.94x
Hetton Le Hole 18 8.45x
Potter Newton 18 18.23x
Skipton 18 10.22x
Bishopwearmouth 17 1.18x
Great Ayton 17 49.59x
Manchester 17 0.56x
Whitby 17 9.01x
Almondbury 16 5.91x
Ashton Under Lyne 16 1.09x
Bootle Cum Linacre 16 3.01x
Bradfield 16 7.41x
Lancaster 16 4.01x
Toxteth Park 16 0.70x
Tynemouth 16 3.55x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 15 7.38x
Brightside Bierlow 15 1.37x
Lambeth 15 0.30x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 15 7.50x
Thirsk 15 23.22x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 448
Elizabeth 271
Sarah 202
Ann 156
Jane 156
Margaret 111
Hannah 102
Annie 100
Alice 70
Emma 70
Ellen 62
Eliza 61
Isabella 50
Emily 47
Martha 46
Maria 38
Harriet 34
Clara 29
Ada 28
Agnes 28
Louisa 28
Anne 24
Charlotte 24
Eleanor 22
Edith 21
Florence 20
Frances 19
Susannah 19
Amelia 18
Catherine 18
Fanny 18
Lucy 18
Ruth 16
Caroline 15
Elizth. 14
Rebecca 14
Dorothy 13
Kate 12
Sophia 12
Jessie 11
Betsy 10
Beatrice 9
Harriett 9
Margret 9
Rachel 9
Esther 8
Ethel 8
Helen 8
Grace 7
Nancy 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 427
William 319
Thomas 215
James 188
George 179
Joseph 144
Robert 95
Henry 84
Richard 57
Edward 53
Charles 48
Arthur 41
Alfred 39
Walter 38
Albert 33
Frederick 31
Samuel 31
Herbert 26
Fred 25
Benjamin 21
Tom 21
Edwin 19
Harry 19
David 18
Ernest 17
Francis 17
Frank 17
Christopher 16
Isaac 16
Stephen 13
Wm. 13
Abraham 12
Jonathan 12
Thos. 12
Anthony 11
Matthew 11
Geo. 10
Edmund 9
Joshua 9
Percy 9
Ralph 8
Jno. 7
Daniel 6
Mark 6
Sam 6
Edgar 5
Simon 5
Willie 5
Harold 4
Luke 4

FAQ

Fawcett surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fawcett surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,778 people were recorded with the Fawcett surname. That placed it at #763 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fawcett surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,551 in 2016. That gives Fawcett a modern rank of #885.

What does the Fawcett surname mean?

Derived from an Old French nickname meaning "little falcon," likely referring to a keen or sharp-eyed person.

What does the Fawcett map show?

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