NameCensus.

UK surname

Featherstone

A locational surname derived from any of the places named Featherstone in England, likely referring to a nesting site.

In the 1881 census there were 2,697 people recorded with the Featherstone surname, ranking it #1,651 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,798, ranked #1,777, down from #1,651 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hull Holy Trinity, St Leonard Shoreditch and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, Boston and Ryedale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Featherstone is 4,078 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.8%.

1881 census count

2,697

Ranked #1,651

Modern count

3,798

2016, ranked #1,777

Peak year

1999

4,078 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Featherstone had 2,697 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,651 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,798 in 2016, ranked #1,777.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,853 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Featherstone surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Featherstone surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Featherstone 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 1,422 #2,022
1861 historical 1,340 #2,140
1881 historical 2,697 #1,651
1891 historical 2,908 #1,620
1901 historical 3,433 #1,618
1911 historical 3,853 #1,348
1997 modern 3,905 #1,666
1998 modern 4,013 #1,684
1999 modern 4,078 #1,664
2000 modern 4,042 #1,675
2001 modern 3,973 #1,663
2002 modern 4,024 #1,680
2003 modern 3,868 #1,713
2004 modern 3,903 #1,702
2005 modern 3,824 #1,708
2006 modern 3,777 #1,731
2007 modern 3,766 #1,752
2008 modern 3,788 #1,752
2009 modern 3,866 #1,759
2010 modern 3,923 #1,773
2011 modern 3,903 #1,756
2012 modern 3,818 #1,755
2013 modern 3,861 #1,776
2014 modern 3,903 #1,762
2015 modern 3,839 #1,771
2016 modern 3,798 #1,777

Geography

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Where Featherstones are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hull Holy Trinity, St Leonard Shoreditch, London parishes and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, Boston, Ryedale, St. Helens and County Durham. 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 Hull Holy Trinity Yorkshire, East Riding
2 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 3
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 026 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 Boston 007 Boston
3 Ryedale 001 Ryedale
4 St. Helens 022 St. Helens
5 County Durham 051 County Durham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Featherstone

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Featherstone

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

Featherstone is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

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

Meaning and origin of Featherstone

The surname Featherstone originates from England, specifically in Yorkshire. It dates back to the late 12th century, derived from the Old English words "feather" and "stan," meaning "feather stone" or "plume stone." This name likely referred to a place or landmark with a distinctive feather-shaped rock formation.

Featherstone is also a locational surname, referring to places called Featherstone in West Yorkshire and Staffordshire. These place names are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Fredrestane" and "Ferdestan," respectively. The name's earliest recorded spelling is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1176, where it appears as "Fredestane."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Featherstone is that of John de Fedrestan, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219. Another early bearer was William de Fedrestane, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327.

Notable individuals with the surname Featherstone include Sir Thomas Featherstone (1547-1623), an English judge and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northallerton. John Featherstone (1619-1677) was an English clergyman and author, best known for his book "The Christian Instructed in the Principles of the Christian Religion."

Christopher Featherstone (1642-1711) was a British colonial administrator who served as the 16th Governor of the Province of Maryland from 1706 to 1711. Sir Matthew Featherstone (1711-1785) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1758 to 1766.

Another notable figure was Richard Featherstone (1843-1919), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Featherstone families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Featherstone 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 722 Featherstones recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.77x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 722 2.77x
Durham 321 4.11x
Middlesex 257 0.98x
Kent 253 2.82x
Lancashire 166 0.53x
Derbyshire 128 3.11x
Nottinghamshire 124 3.50x
Surrey 118 0.92x
Devon 98 1.79x
Lincolnshire 93 2.21x
Essex 50 0.96x
Gloucestershire 44 0.85x
Worcestershire 41 1.19x
Warwickshire 34 0.51x
Northumberland 28 0.72x
Roxburghshire 24 5.04x
Sussex 23 0.52x
Cornwall 21 0.71x
Staffordshire 21 0.24x
Cumberland 16 0.71x
Hampshire 16 0.30x
Northamptonshire 16 0.65x
Somerset 14 0.33x
Norfolk 13 0.32x
Leicestershire 9 0.31x
Huntingdonshire 6 1.15x
Lanarkshire 6 0.07x
Carmarthenshire 5 0.45x
Selkirkshire 4 1.68x
Berkshire 3 0.15x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.18x
Cheshire 3 0.05x
Bedfordshire 2 0.15x
Midlothian 2 0.06x
Shropshire 2 0.09x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.06x
Flintshire 1 0.14x
Glamorgan 1 0.02x
Hertfordshire 1 0.06x
Royal Navy 1 0.32x
Rutland 1 0.52x
Stirlingshire 1 0.10x
Suffolk 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Stanhope in Durham leads with 124 Featherstones recorded in 1881 and an index of 153.60x.

Place Total Index
Stanhope 124 153.60x
Shoreditch London 40 3.51x
Pendleton In Salford 39 10.50x
Holy Trinity 37 5.91x
Sculcoates 37 8.96x
Westerdale 36 1506.28x
Mansfield 34 27.74x
Hartington Nether 33 967.74x
Nottingham St Mary 31 3.38x
St Pancras London 29 1.37x
Stockton On Tees 29 7.70x
Deptford St Paul 28 4.05x
Maidstone 27 10.11x
Manchester 27 1.93x
Bishop Auckland 24 22.88x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 24 4.95x
Farndale East Side 24 718.56x
Bermondsey 23 2.94x
Hinderwell 23 103.46x
Falsgrave 20 52.11x
Kensington London 19 1.30x
Leeds 18 1.22x
Tonbridge 18 5.57x
Birmingham 17 0.77x
Horsemonden 17 129.77x
Middlesbrough 17 5.01x
Alston 16 38.38x
Bethnal Green London 16 1.40x
Camberwell 15 0.89x
Hawick 15 14.08x
Lambeth 15 0.65x
Bishops Tawton 14 82.06x
High Bickington 14 225.81x
Scarborough 14 5.92x
Skelton In Guisbrough 13 18.46x
Southcoates 13 8.99x
St Luke London 13 3.08x
Folkestone 12 6.90x
Fulham London 12 3.15x
Gorton 12 4.09x
Guisbrough 12 21.09x
Harthill Cum Woodall 12 120.24x
Hessle In Sculcoates 12 52.20x
Tuxford 12 137.77x
Ugthorpe 12 547.95x
Warsop 12 127.93x
West Ham 12 1.05x
Rawmarsh 11 11.96x
Roxby 11 658.68x
Shirland 11 35.75x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 11 9.09x
Aldershot 10 5.54x
Bromley London 10 1.73x
Chesterfield 10 6.48x
Claines 10 10.62x
Clapham 10 3.04x
Clerkenwell London 10 1.61x
Evenwood Barony 10 37.62x
Holme On Spalding Moor 10 58.62x
Ingleby Arncliffe 10 362.32x
Minster In Sheppey 10 6.73x
Old Park 10 121.07x
Windle 10 5.70x
Aston 9 0.49x
Barnstaple 9 10.48x
Bideford 9 15.36x
Bristol St James St Paul 9 5.24x
Crook Billy Row 9 8.99x
East Murton 9 61.48x
Greenwich 9 2.15x
Islington London 9 0.35x
Kirton 9 53.48x
Lofthouse 9 23.15x
Peterborough 9 5.03x
Putney 9 7.51x
Ratcliffe London 9 6.20x
Rotherhithe 9 2.77x
Wilton 9 17.23x
York St Mary 9 8.34x
New Village 8 102.43x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 207
Sarah 99
Elizabeth 94
Jane 68
Hannah 53
Annie 50
Eliza 48
Ann 45
Emily 35
Emma 33
Margaret 33
Alice 26
Fanny 23
Frances 22
Anne 19
Edith 19
Catherine 18
Harriet 17
Martha 17
Ellen 16
Louisa 14
Maria 14
Caroline 13
Kate 12
Isabella 11
Lucy 11
Charlotte 10
Florence 10
Ada 9
Elizth. 7
Agnes 6
Betsy 6
Eleanor 6
Esther 6
Amy 5
Bessie 5
Clara 5
Dinah 5
Henrietta 5
Lydia 5
Matilda 5
Rebecca 5
Amelia 4
Grace 4
Harriett 4
Julia 4
Lizzie 4
Minnie 4
Rose 4
Susan 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 192
William 170
George 114
Thomas 100
Joseph 58
James 50
Robert 50
Henry 49
Charles 43
Edward 31
Alfred 26
Frederick 25
Samuel 22
Arthur 20
Richard 20
Harry 16
Walter 15
Frank 13
Tom 13
Francis 12
Ralph 10
Albert 9
Ernest 9
Peter 9
Benjamin 8
Stephen 8
Geo. 7
Michael 7
Wm. 7
Edwin 6
Fred 6
Herbert 6
Thos. 6
Isaac 5
Christopher 4
David 4
Emerson 4
Fredrick 4
Martin 4
Robt. 4
Willm. 4
Andrew 3
Benj. 3
Daniel 3
Fredk. 3
J. 3
Philip 3
Sidney 3
Clifford 2
Reginald 2

FAQ

Featherstone surname: questions and answers

How common was the Featherstone surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,697 people were recorded with the Featherstone surname. That placed it at #1,651 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Featherstone surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,798 in 2016. That gives Featherstone a modern rank of #1,777.

What does the Featherstone surname mean?

A locational surname derived from any of the places named Featherstone in England, likely referring to a nesting site.

What does the Featherstone map show?

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