NameCensus.

UK surname

Fayle

Meaning "young offspring" in Old French, a surname likely denoting a younger son or branch of a family.

In the 1881 census there were 25 people recorded with the Fayle surname, ranking it #30,077 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 147, ranked #24,071, up from #30,077 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Tormoham with Torquay and Winwick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wrexham, Shropshire and Wirral.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fayle is 161 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 488.0%.

1881 census count

25

Ranked #30,077

Modern count

147

2016, ranked #24,071

Peak year

2000

161 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fayle had 25 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30,077 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 147 in 2016, ranked #24,071.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 129 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Fayle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fayle surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fayle 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 36 #26,838
1861 historical 55 #27,007
1881 historical 25 #30,077
1891 historical 60 #29,204
1901 historical 108 #21,836
1911 historical 129 #19,577
1997 modern 144 #21,660
1998 modern 148 #21,841
1999 modern 157 #21,201
2000 modern 161 #20,822
2001 modern 159 #20,710
2002 modern 151 #21,809
2003 modern 151 #21,574
2004 modern 144 #22,379
2005 modern 150 #21,786
2006 modern 154 #21,576
2007 modern 157 #21,546
2008 modern 150 #22,429
2009 modern 151 #22,816
2010 modern 152 #23,282
2011 modern 154 #22,886
2012 modern 157 #22,551
2013 modern 153 #23,314
2014 modern 154 #23,439
2015 modern 149 #23,817
2016 modern 147 #24,071

Geography

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Where Fayles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Tormoham with Torquay, Winwick, Toxteth Park and West Derby. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wrexham, Shropshire, Wirral, Stroud and West Lancashire. 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 Tormoham with Torquay Devon
3 Winwick Lancashire
4 Toxteth Park Lancashire
5 West Derby Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wrexham 006 Wrexham
2 Shropshire 002 Shropshire
3 Wirral 039 Wirral
4 Stroud 009 Stroud
5 West Lancashire 005 West Lancashire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fayle

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fayle

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Fayle, 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 Fayle surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Fayle 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Fayle is most associated with areas classed as Established Homeowners with Children, 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 predominantly British-born residents are typically married/in civil partnerships and own the properties in which they are raising their children. Parents are typically over 45, and many other residents are beyond normal retirement age. Detached and semi-detached houses predominate and multiple car ownership is common.

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

Fayle is most concentrated in decile 2 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.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fayle falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Fayle

The surname Fayle originates from England, specifically in the counties of Dorset and Somerset. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "fæld," meaning a fold or pen for livestock. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with livestock enclosures.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fayle can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named "Robertus de Fayel" in Somerset. This indicates that variations of the name were already in use by the late 11th century.

By the 13th century, the surname had spread to other parts of England, with records showing individuals named Fayle in Wiltshire and Hampshire. The name also appeared in various spellings, such as Faile, Fayle, and Fayler, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.

Notable individuals with the surname Fayle include John Fayle (1580-1658), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Fayle (1619-1684), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Somerset, who served as High Sheriff of Somerset in 1660.

In the 18th century, Samuel Fayle (1720-1795) was a notable English clergyman and author, best known for his work "A New and Complete System of Book-Keeping" published in 1788. He served as the Rector of Willesden in Middlesex.

Crossing into the 19th century, Charles Ernest Fayle (1854-1925) was a British historian and writer, known for his works on the Napoleonic Wars and the British Empire. He served as a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich and the University of Oxford.

Another notable figure was Ernest Fayle (1885-1972), a British civil servant and economist who worked for the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Labour. He published several books on economic and labor-related topics, including "A Study of Trade Unionism" in 1924.

These examples illustrate the long history and geographic spread of the surname Fayle, which has its roots in the rural regions of southwestern England but has since been associated with individuals from various backgrounds and professions over the centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fayle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fayle 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. Isle of Man leads with 160 Fayles recorded in 1881 and an index of 477.47x.

County Total Index
Isle of Man 160 477.47x
Dorset 4 3.38x
Lancashire 4 0.19x
Sussex 4 1.31x
Cheshire 3 0.75x
Staffordshire 3 0.49x
Middlesex 2 0.11x
Cumberland 1 0.64x
Durham 1 0.19x
Gloucestershire 1 0.28x
Northumberland 1 0.37x
Surrey 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Onchan in Isle of Man leads with 42 Fayles recorded in 1881 and an index of 435.23x.

Place Total Index
Onchan 42 435.23x
German Peel 33 1709.84x
Michael 22 3235.29x
German 20 1092.90x
Lonan 14 689.66x
Lezayre 10 666.67x
Braddan 6 327.87x
Malew 6 204.78x
Brighton 4 6.52x
Bilston 3 25.42x
Blandford Forum 3 128.21x
Tranmere 3 20.49x
Everton 2 2.93x
Maughold 2 77.22x
Patrick 2 122.70x
Arbory 1 136.99x
Arlecdon 1 24.21x
Battersea 1 1.51x
Bishopwearmouth 1 2.17x
Chirton 1 16.45x
Clifton 1 5.59x
Marown 1 163.93x
Poplar London 1 2.94x
Portland 1 15.70x
Preston 1 1.75x
Rushen 1 44.05x
St Nicholas Cole Abbey 1 3333.33x
West Derby 1 1.60x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 8
Margaret 8
Catherine 7
Eleanor 7
Mary 7
Ellen 5
Ann 3
Annie 3
Louisa 3
Sarah 3
Cathren 2
Christian 2
Eliz. 2
Jane 2
Jessie 2
Rebecca 2
Cath. 1
Catharine 1
Edith 1
Edward 1
Eiza 1
Elenor 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Ethel 1
Eva 1
Florance 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Helena 1
Jonana 1
Katherine 1
Lydia 1
Maggie 1
Margt. 1
Maria 1
Marion 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 20
Thomas 18
William 10
Robert 8
James 6
Edward 4
Caesar 2
George 2
Henry 2
Jacob 2
Paul 2
Philip 2
Thos. 2
Albert 1
Alex 1
Alfred 1
Angus 1
Christopher 1
Edwin 1
Helen 1
Joshua 1
Matthias 1
Patrick 1
Robt. 1
Silus 1
Tom 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Fayle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fayle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 25 people were recorded with the Fayle surname. That placed it at #30,077 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fayle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 147 in 2016. That gives Fayle a modern rank of #24,071.

What does the Fayle surname mean?

Meaning "young offspring" in Old French, a surname likely denoting a younger son or branch of a family.

What does the Fayle map show?

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