NameCensus.

UK surname

Featherby

In the 1881 census there were 107 people recorded with the Featherby surname, ranking it #18,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 136, ranked #25,377, down from #18,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Goodmanham, Snitterby and Colsterworth (incl. Twyford). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, North Kesteven and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Featherby is 151 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 27.1%.

1881 census count

107

Ranked #18,982

Modern count

136

2016, ranked #25,377

Peak year

2000

151 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Featherby had 107 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016, ranked #25,377.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 123 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Featherby surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Featherby surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Featherby 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 45 #25,168
1861 historical 40 #28,970
1881 historical 107 #18,982
1891 historical 101 #23,870
1901 historical 114 #21,166
1911 historical 123 #20,128
1997 modern 136 #22,398
1998 modern 145 #22,139
1999 modern 145 #22,305
2000 modern 151 #21,684
2001 modern 141 #22,344
2002 modern 149 #22,001
2003 modern 140 #22,634
2004 modern 139 #22,891
2005 modern 131 #23,737
2006 modern 136 #23,378
2007 modern 137 #23,590
2008 modern 137 #23,883
2009 modern 138 #24,276
2010 modern 140 #24,569
2011 modern 136 #24,819
2012 modern 150 #23,264
2013 modern 150 #23,653
2014 modern 147 #24,177
2015 modern 143 #24,481
2016 modern 136 #25,377

Geography

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Where Featherbys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Goodmanham, Snitterby, Colsterworth (incl. Twyford), Hawkinge, Folkestone and Watlington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk, North Kesteven, East Riding of Yorkshire and Blaby. 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 Goodmanham Yorkshire, East Riding
2 Snitterby Lincolnshire
3 Colsterworth (incl. Twyford) Lincolnshire
4 Hawkinge, Folkestone Kent
5 Watlington Norfolk

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 015 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 North Kesteven 005 North Kesteven
3 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 011 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
4 East Riding of Yorkshire 018 East Riding of Yorkshire
5 Blaby 006 Blaby

Forenames

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First names often paired with Featherby

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Featherby

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Featherby surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Featherby household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Established Homeowners with Children

Within London, Featherby 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

Featherby 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

Featherby falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Featherby is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

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

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Featherby families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Featherby 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. Lincolnshire leads with 33 Featherbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.78x.

County Total Index
Lincolnshire 33 19.78x
Yorkshire 24 2.32x
Kent 13 3.65x
Nottinghamshire 9 6.40x
Surrey 9 1.77x
Hertfordshire 8 11.12x
Norfolk 8 4.99x
Middlesex 3 0.29x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Colsterworth in Lincolnshire leads with 10 Featherbys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2857.14x.

Place Total Index
Colsterworth 10 2857.14x
Snitterby 10 10000.00x
Eaton 9 18000.00x
Bushey 8 467.84x
Reedness 8 4444.44x
Folkestone 7 101.30x
Seaton Ross 7 4117.65x
Camberwell 6 9.00x
Gillingham 5 68.12x
Thorganby Cum West 5 3333.33x
Atterby 4 10000.00x
Glentham 4 2666.67x
Watlington 4 1818.18x
Wiggenhall St Mary 4 1600.00x
Escrick 3 1428.57x
Lambeth 3 3.30x
Hibaldstow 2 689.66x
St Giles In Fields London 2 39.06x
Wrawby 2 444.44x
Hanwell 1 54.05x
Milton In Gravesend 1 18.73x
Normanby By Spital 1 714.29x
Wakefield 1 12.59x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Sarah 5
Alice 3
Ann 3
Elizabeth 3
Ellen 3
Annie 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Esther 2
Jane 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Barbara 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Emly 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Geneaver 1
Grace 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Keziah 1
Lavinia 1
Lizetta 1
Louisa 1
Maria 1
Mariah 1
Martha 1
Netty 1
Rebecca 1
S.Alice 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 10
William 6
George 5
Joseph 4
James 3
Robert 3
Arthur 2
Chas. 2
David 2
Thomas 2
Abraham 1
Alfred 1
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Harry 1
Hewitt 1
Josiah 1
Walter 1
Webster 1

FAQ

Featherby surname: questions and answers

How common was the Featherby surname in 1881?

In 1881, 107 people were recorded with the Featherby surname. That placed it at #18,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Featherby surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 136 in 2016. That gives Featherby a modern rank of #25,377.

What does the Featherby map show?

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