NameCensus.

UK surname

Fearnside

A locational surname derived from a dwelling near bracken or ferns.

In the 1881 census there were 264 people recorded with the Fearnside surname, ranking it #10,655 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 233, ranked #17,625, down from #10,655 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Batley, Bradford and Keighley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Leeds, Malvern Hills and Bristol.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fearnside is 330 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 11.7%.

1881 census count

264

Ranked #10,655

Modern count

233

2016, ranked #17,625

Peak year

1901

330 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fearnside had 264 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,655 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016, ranked #17,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 330 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Fearnside surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fearnside surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fearnside 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 191 #10,808
1861 historical 183 #12,903
1881 historical 264 #10,655
1891 historical 258 #12,440
1901 historical 330 #10,899
1911 historical 325 #10,783
1997 modern 248 #15,363
1998 modern 263 #15,161
1999 modern 255 #15,599
2000 modern 251 #15,692
2001 modern 246 #15,684
2002 modern 237 #16,413
2003 modern 238 #16,144
2004 modern 246 #15,854
2005 modern 245 #15,857
2006 modern 237 #16,334
2007 modern 234 #16,706
2008 modern 234 #16,827
2009 modern 237 #17,052
2010 modern 237 #17,368
2011 modern 228 #17,673
2012 modern 233 #17,339
2013 modern 236 #17,472
2014 modern 243 #17,232
2015 modern 239 #17,322
2016 modern 233 #17,625

Geography

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Where Fearnsides are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Batley, Bradford, Keighley, Dewsbury and Leeds. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Leeds, Malvern Hills, Bristol, Aylesbury Vale and Wakefield. 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 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Dewsbury Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Leeds 073 Leeds
2 Malvern Hills 008 Malvern Hills
3 Bristol 001 Bristol, City of
4 Aylesbury Vale 019 Aylesbury Vale
5 Wakefield 025 Wakefield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fearnside

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fearnside

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

Fearnside 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

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

Meaning and origin of Fearnside

The surname Fearnside originates from England and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "fearn" meaning fern and "side" referring to a hillside or slope, indicating that the name likely originated from someone who lived near a fern-covered hillside.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fearnside can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, where a Richard de Fernsyd was listed. This suggests that the name may have originated in the Lancashire region of northwest England.

In the 15th century, records show a John Ferneside owning land in Caton, Lancashire, in 1455. The name also appeared in various local court records and parish registers throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, with spellings such as Ferneside, Fernsyde, and Fearnside.

Historically, the Fearnside name has been associated with the Yorkshire and Lancashire regions of northern England. One notable bearer of the name was William Fearnside (1832-1910), an English businessman and philanthropist from Bradford, Yorkshire, who made significant contributions to the city's development.

Another historically significant individual was John Fearnside (1732-1808), an English farmer and author from Cumbria, who wrote about agricultural practices and rural life in the late 18th century.

In the realm of literature, there was Charles Fearnside (1841-1907), a poet and writer from Yorkshire, who published several volumes of poetry and prose works during the Victorian era.

The Fearnside surname has also been carried by notable figures in other fields, such as John Fearnside (1797-1880), an English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Another notable bearer was George Fearnside (1860-1943), a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party in the early 20th century.

While the Fearnside name has its roots in northern England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration, carrying with it a rich historical legacy rooted in the English countryside.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fearnside families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fearnside 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 184 Fearnsides recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.21x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 184 7.21x
Banffshire 18 33.70x
Lancashire 11 0.36x
Aberdeenshire 8 3.35x
Kincardineshire 8 25.51x
Norfolk 7 1.77x
Lincolnshire 5 1.21x
Herefordshire 4 3.79x
Somerset 4 0.96x
Shropshire 3 1.35x
Middlesex 2 0.08x
Westmorland 2 3.53x
Dumfriesshire 1 1.76x
Inverness-shire 1 1.30x
Kent 1 0.11x
Lanarkshire 1 0.12x
Northumberland 1 0.26x
Stirlingshire 1 1.05x
Suffolk 1 0.32x
Surrey 1 0.08x

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 32 Fearnsides recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.21x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 32 22.21x
Horton In Bradford 29 72.77x
Manningham 12 38.17x
Marnoch 12 418.12x
Hunslet 10 25.13x
Shitlington 10 378.79x
Barnsley 9 34.19x
Headingley Cum Burley 8 48.69x
Norwich St George Tombland 7 1000.00x
Strachan 7 1147.54x
Allerton 6 184.62x
Great Bolton 6 14.83x
Halifax 6 16.02x
Haworth 6 98.85x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 6 65.79x
Pontefract 6 109.09x
Dewsbury Ossett Cum 5 892.86x
Morton In Keighley 5 250.00x
Aberdeen Old Machar 4 8.03x
Bradford 4 6.47x
Idle 4 33.81x
Keighley 4 14.71x
Leominster 4 91.53x
Rothiemay 4 330.58x
Thornhill 4 53.69x
Walcot 4 18.12x
Grantham 3 55.87x
Horbury 3 67.26x
Oulton Cum Woodlesford 3 144.93x
Premnay 3 365.85x
Shrewsbury St Mary 3 34.17x
Soothill 3 32.54x
Blackburn 2 2.46x
Casterton 2 392.16x
Hammersmith London 2 3.15x
Heckmondwike 2 24.36x
Holbeck 2 11.83x
Huttoft 2 377.36x
Rathven 2 19.94x
Scarborough 2 8.62x
Warrington 2 5.52x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 1 2.24x
Barony 1 0.47x
Bowling 1 3.96x
Bury St Edmunds St James 1 11.93x
Byker 1 5.28x
Dumfries 1 17.83x
Eltham 1 19.42x
Kilmorack 1 42.92x
Lambeth 1 0.45x
Maryculter 1 106.38x
Otley 1 16.13x
Poulton Barre 1 28.74x
Stirling 1 8.35x
West Bretton 1 322.58x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 15
Mary 12
Annie 7
Elizabeth 7
Ann 5
Hannah 4
Alice 3
Clara 3
Ellen 3
Fanny 3
Martha 3
Anne 2
E. 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Florence 2
Gertrude 2
Harriet 2
Louisa 2
Maria 2
Susannah 2
Ada 1
Amy 1
Annabella 1
Betty 1
Blanch 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Hilda 1
Jane 1
Janet 1
Joanna 1
John 1
Joyce 1
Judith 1
Leah 1
Lily 1
Lucy 1
Maranner 1
Margaret 1
Marion 1
Naomi 1
Nelly 1
Ruth 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 11
William 10
Alfred 5
Joshua 5
Arthur 4
Edwin 4
Frank 4
George 4
Harry 4
Henry 4
Frederick 3
James 3
Samuel 3
Benjamin 2
Charles 2
David 2
Fred 2
Herbert 2
Jonas 2
Joseph 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Cecil 1
Christopher 1
Clarence 1
Craven 1
Dennis 1
Edmund 1
Eli 1
Francis 1
Frederic 1
Fredk.K. 1
G.A. 1
Harold 1
Herman 1
Horatio 1
Jesse 1
Jonathan 1
Mat. 1
Norman 1
Reginald 1
Seth 1
Thos. 1
W.C. 1
W.H. 1
Walter 1
Willie 1
Wilson 1
Wm. 1
Wm.George 1

FAQ

Fearnside surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fearnside surname in 1881?

In 1881, 264 people were recorded with the Fearnside surname. That placed it at #10,655 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fearnside surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 233 in 2016. That gives Fearnside a modern rank of #17,625.

What does the Fearnside surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a dwelling near bracken or ferns.

What does the Fearnside map show?

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