NameCensus.

UK surname

Feest

A surname representing a joyous celebration or feast.

In the 1881 census there were 51 people recorded with the Feest surname, ranking it #26,428 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 122, ranked #27,255, down from #26,428 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Worthing.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Feest is 136 in 2012. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 139.2%.

1881 census count

51

Ranked #26,428

Modern count

122

2016, ranked #27,255

Peak year

2012

136 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Feest had 51 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #26,428 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 122 in 2016, ranked #27,255.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 94 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Feest surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Feest surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Feest 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 41 #25,926
1861 historical 42 #28,691
1881 historical 51 #26,428
1891 historical 68 #28,300
1901 historical 63 #27,134
1911 historical 94 #23,391
1997 modern 129 #23,143
1998 modern 135 #23,118
1999 modern 131 #23,709
2000 modern 130 #23,785
2001 modern 126 #23,883
2002 modern 124 #24,616
2003 modern 131 #23,553
2004 modern 134 #23,425
2005 modern 128 #24,076
2006 modern 129 #24,165
2007 modern 131 #24,282
2008 modern 133 #24,350
2009 modern 134 #24,711
2010 modern 134 #25,263
2011 modern 129 #25,673
2012 modern 136 #24,830
2013 modern 129 #26,211
2014 modern 126 #26,781
2015 modern 123 #27,088
2016 modern 122 #27,255

Geography

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Where Feests are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Worthing. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Worthing 006 Worthing
2 Worthing 008 Worthing
3 Worthing 007 Worthing
4 Worthing 004 Worthing
5 Worthing 010 Worthing

Forenames

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First names often paired with Feest

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Feest

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

Baseline UK

Group

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

Nationally, the Feest surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Feest household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Feest is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Feest 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

Feest falls in decile 8 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.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Feest is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Feest

The surname Feest is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, during the 13th and 14th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Feest can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around the year 1300. In this text, a person named "Johannes Feest" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction.

The name Feest is likely derived from the Middle Low German word "fest," which means "firm" or "solid." It is possible that the name was initially given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who was perceived as having a strong or sturdy physique or personality.

In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was Hans Feest, a respected merchant and landowner in the city of Nuremberg, who lived from around 1420 to 1488. His descendants continued to play a prominent role in the city's commerce and governance for several generations.

Another historical figure with the surname Feest was Johann Feest, a German theologian and academic who lived from 1545 to 1615. He served as a professor of theology at the University of Marburg and was known for his scholarly works on biblical interpretation and Christian doctrine.

During the 17th century, the Feest family established a presence in the Netherlands, with one notable member being Pieter Feest, a Dutch artist and engraver who was active in the city of Amsterdam from around 1630 to 1670.

In the 18th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Johann Christian Feest, a German composer and organist who lived from 1735 to 1798. He was well-regarded for his contributions to church music and composed several works for organ and choir.

Another notable individual with the surname Feest was Wilhelm Feest, a German physicist and inventor who lived from 1829 to 1898. He is credited with developing an early form of the microphone, which he patented in 1865.

While the surname Feest has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by families who emigrated from their ancestral homelands over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in what is now modern-day Germany and the Netherlands.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Feest families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Feest 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. Sussex leads with 36 Feests recorded in 1881 and an index of 42.94x.

County Total Index
Sussex 36 42.94x
Middlesex 6 1.21x
Norfolk 5 6.54x
Cambridgeshire 3 9.53x
Kent 1 0.59x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Broadwater in Sussex leads with 25 Feests recorded in 1881 and an index of 1302.08x.

Place Total Index
Broadwater 25 1302.08x
Old Shoreham 7 17500.00x
St Luke London 6 75.19x
Heigham 5 121.95x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 3 218.98x
Brighton 2 11.83x
Heene 2 1428.57x
Eltham 1 101.01x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Elizabeth 3
Fanny 2
Sarah 2
Amy 1
Ann 1
Beatrice 1
Blanch 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Emma 1
Florence 1
Harriett 1
Jane 1
Jenny 1
Kate 1
Larina 1
Lillie 1
Louisa 1

Top male names

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

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Feest households.

FAQ

Feest surname: questions and answers

How common was the Feest surname in 1881?

In 1881, 51 people were recorded with the Feest surname. That placed it at #26,428 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Feest surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 122 in 2016. That gives Feest a modern rank of #27,255.

What does the Feest surname mean?

A surname representing a joyous celebration or feast.

What does the Feest map show?

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